Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-01-17

thing, he wudld not tru t the servants
with it, but kept it i'll IA special place
in the dining room. H. did not offer
any of it to his young :,nests, ard this
made Lucia very anxious to taste it, for
she was Il greedy little thing and ate
almost as much fruit AZ Hughie him
self.
One morning when David was pass
ing the window he peeI d III and saw
Miss Lucia. with the l. iii one hand
and a spoon in the other eating this
horrible mo:s' as if it really had been
jam He watched her for IL minute or
two, and tllln went suddenly into the
room. She rcreamed and dropped the
jar OH the ground, here it was
smashed. Then she began to cry and
said it was all his fault for startling
her and implored him not to tell any
body. To show how fond he was of
her David promised not to say any
thing about it, and she ran away, leav-
ing him to pick up the pieces and
scrape up as much of the caviare as he
could, which wasn't much. She did
not make her appearance at luncheon.
She sent down to say that she did not
feel very well, which, between guilty
conscience and too much caviare, is
quite likely to have been very true.
Sir Walter looked for his precious jar,
and not seeing it told the butler to put
it on the table.
''If you please, Sir Walter, the man
said, looking shyly at David, there's
none of it left; it's all gone. -
Sir Walter only said, "Oh, indeed"
but he looked as if he meant to say a
good deal more ut some other time.
Later in the afternoon he sent for David
and told him that the servants denied
having touched his caviare, and that
as he had been seen in the dining room
that morning he concluded that he had
eaten it. He was sorry that David
should have allowed other people to run
the risk Of bearing unjust blame. He
didn't mind the loss particularly, but
was sorry that David had been so reti
cent.
David glanced past his uncle's sad
face to where his little playmate sat Oil
window ledge, solemn look on he1
childish face.
Then David had an idea Il did not
take it, uncle" he said.
WHO did?'
1T was Ugh said David, still
looking at the girl. What he said to
himself that he said was, 1t was you. +"
If misunderstood, was it his fault?
NJ ~ h. - <bo
kindly old gentleman, with It troubled
look, but -but-I'd raths you hadn't
told p"
And all Hugh s astonishcd denials did
not save him from punishment.
A dozen years and moro have passed
over Ingleby manor and those whom it
sheltered during these summer holi-
days Sir Walter Elliot is still alive,
but he is getting very old, and it seems
as if he had not many more years to
live. Lucia is now spoiled beauty,
who rules the manor and everybody in
it. David a hard working cuTate, and
Hugh has been sent by him to an army
tutor, has passed into and out Of Sand
hurst and is now lieutenant in the Q.
D. G. Qrish Chestnuts). Only the
house is unchanged amid all the
changes, and as David stands, after
dinner, OH the terrace that runs outside
the long drawing room and watches in
the clear summer sky,
Sur lie clocher iauni.
Comme I'm point sur un i,
l. -
summer when he first saw the place.
What a happy time it was--after Hugh
had left and what a pretty child Lucia
was! Even then he was in love with
her, and now--now that she was in the
full bloom of her beauty what more
can he say than that he is in love with
her still? Will she ever return his love?
He has been in the house a week, and he
hardly dares put the question to him
self. And yet his visit ends tomorrow.
Can he go back to his dingy parish,
leaving it still unasked and unan-
swered? Suddenly white simmer
ing cloud, in the midst Of which a
spark burns brightly, appears round the
corner of the house and moves toward
him with frou frou of silk The next
minute Lucia is standing before him, h
flmy lace shawl over her dark hair, d
cigarette between her red lips and a
saucy smile in her eyes.
May offer you onep" she asks de-
murely. There are no bishops about, :"
and she holds out silver case with her
monogram enameled in red OH the side.
He takes cigarette with smile and
lights it from her awkwardly, for he is
no smoker, and is wondering what his
rector would say if he could see him at
that moment Lucia laughs at him
softly, springs on the balustrade that
runs along the terrace and sits perched,
swinging her buff colored slippers like
schoolboy and blowing tiny perfumed
clouds into the midsummer night air.
The diamond buckles Oh her insteps
twinkle in the moonlight and then dis
appear under bilIowy lace that peeps
out under her frock.
There; now I'm quite happy" she
says contentedly. Its perfect night.
Uncle Walters asleep, and I've got a
young man to talk to and four ciga-
rettes to smoke. What more can girl
want?"
He leans over the balustrade beside
her and looks out over the moonHt
| park, thinking how he shall approach
the subject nearest to his heart
DO you remember" he asks sud-
denly, do you remember the first sum-
mer we spent here together, ycu and I2''
The girls eyes sparkle with amuse-
ment. Rather" she says. What
fun we had. II was the first time I'd
ever had boys to play with, and l was
simply wild .
He looks out over the park. Il Won
der who's going to have this place wher
if anything should happen to my I'M
cle?' he says thoughtfully. Lucia
looks up suddenly, with smile.
Don't you know?' she says. Has
he not told you? He's left it to you.
David starts violently and drops his
cigarette on the grass. Is it possible
that those hopes in which he has never
dared to indulge are to be fulfilled, ani
that he is to he the heir of the uncle
who has always seemed SO completely
Indifferent to him? Happy David! L
there anything else on earth which ht
has to wish for? Yes; one thing, and