Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-01-05
IT war WITH HERSELF.
The Story Of a Woman's 1! Atoasment
by Charlotte N. Braems. 49,.
cHAfrER !.


sreen, sloping lawn a, that led + the
,ay, , the the young, y @ ana the the bsautifui, but but
lad now lost itsx pfestige. Courtly
lanes in rich brocades no longer rus
led through the stately rooms and the
sroad corridors. Knights with plumed
asques no longer rode from among the
rees. Kings Court was deserted-it
aad fallen upon evilidays. and was now
enown only as @The Ladies' College,
Kew." q, p
No bright flowers with gorgeous
solors smiled on the lawn; no tame
White doves fluttered around the foun-
ain. Miss Templeton, the conductor
VI "The Ladies' College," considered
,irls and flowers as necessary parts of
sreatiOn," but she did not care to culti-
,ate them.
Tho windows Of the house were all
slcsed, the blinds werc carefully drawn.
Sunshine was all very we'll in its way,
but, as 1t caused carpets and curtains
70 fade, besides causing young eyes to
brighten and young hearts to beat, it
xas mcst carefully shut, out. Hence
gray shadow and whitc silent gloom
'eigned within Kings Court, while the
Arge rooms were oil quiet and dull,
ind the ticking of clocks and the creak-
ing of doors could be distinctly heard.
AT the back there was another pic.
Mre.| First came a largo playground
It had cnce been courtyard-then q
quaint old.fashioned garden, and an Or
,hard where tho trees in autumn
arooped under the burden of ripe, rich
sruit; and there the domain of Miss
Cempleton ended. Tho indication of
this was little gate, always carefully
pcked, which led into q Kind Of cop
pice that opened out into bread, beau
tiful woodland.
A pretty brook ran between low
banks-a brook that came from far
away, and ran into the rivera brock
that would have made a poets heart
,eap for joy, SO clear, limpid, and rapid
was it, washing over many-colored
stones with musical murmur that
:old of bright, far-of scenes. A clus-
ter of alder trees bent over it, and q
young girl sat under their shade. If
Greuze had painted her with tho glim-
nering sunlight falling upon her
shrough h the green foliage, the picture
would have been immortal.
The brook ripples, the birds sing, the
bun shines, and the flowers send up
goft streams of fragrance-all seem in
harmony with the fair fresh loveliness
bf tho girl, who cannot yet have seen
eighteen summers. Lovely though it
be, the face is not very happy one;
there is sunshine around 1t, but not
In it.
The girl looked like young prin-
sess, she was so charming, SO dainty,
70 fair. Yet life was oil wrong with
her, empty, dreamy and dull. There
was passionate upbraiding in the
bright, proud eyes Us she raised them
TO the blue heaven.
Some sigh for genius, for fame" she
murmured; II ask for love and money.
Let me taste some few of the pleasures
Of the world; the warm life within me
erie; out for them. Would that some
spirit could stand before me and tell
me whatever wished for should be
mine! What should be my first re-
quest? Make me lady OF title and
wealth, would say"
Suddenly she epausod-there certainly
was voice calling,
Miss Rayner, whore are you?"
For ono moment, remembering her
thoughts, she was half-frightened,a and
then she smiled.
"Its only John. Why are oil serv-
ants named John, wonder? And, as
this is the last day of the holidays,
and therefore the last day that am to
have peace or quiet, what can John
want me for?"
She was soon to know.