Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-05-10
CHAPTER VII.
A QUESTION AND AN ANSWER.

A QUESTION AND AN ANSWER
Weeks grew into months, and tho
slight tjnGe of scarlet or crimson eXhl0'
tied by the maple leaves gave an aa-
monition to the summer iders at FAR
Glen that it would soon be time t. re-
turn to the city, to the desk for work or
to the drawing room for that unceaslng
round of pleasure which is to people who
are in society weary duty.
Mrs Warringham grew anxious TO bo
home again. With the nervousness OF
vnlotudinarians she began to fret about
her stay in the uncomfortable cottage,
aud as.ribed to the faults of the dwelling
all her ailments.
Some of the guests had already de-
partol. 1t was accordingly decided that
the Warringhams should go by the first
of the following week, if Mrs. Warning
hams state of health would permit eX'
nosnre to the fatigue of a long ra 'lway
Journey; for she had during the laSt
| few weeks grown very weak lndced.
It was understood that Mr.. Spo1ord
should accompany the ladies'
Jack felt himself In peculiar pre-.
dlcament Almost three months he had
come into daily contact with the girl he
| 10 ed, and yet he had not asked her the
nuestiOn the answer to which would be
| of such Importance to him. At tho
| same time he fe't reasonably assured, cx.
cept at intervals when his courage failed
| him, to have found favor in the eyes OF
his cho.en charmer And yet he could
not bring himself to speak the words.
WeI might he curse h modesty-or
cowaIdice, as he called tin moments
of self reproach Why, it was ridicu-
| lous! Jak Spofford, who had always
taken pride in his pluck, who could ride
| the widest horse as good as any man in
the country who at college had been
considered champion at football, afraid
t1 ask little girl simple question:
Poor Jack! This same ridiculous mod
esty did him one good service--it put OH
the bitter hour of disappointment
Miss Backford treated him one day
like the other, with never changing
| frjendlincss. She liked him as friend
of hers and, perhaps still more 50, as
friend of Ra'ph Never for a moment
| did she have the fantest suspicion that
| Jack returned her feelings with I'M
measu ably more than equal fervor.
| For this Young mans mo1esty prevent
ed him from ever showing the slightest
trace of warmth, which might have pu5
her on the right tack. Jack was not
by any means the typical ardent lover
for whom the conventional maiden that
! ivy-like, pines for an elm tree to cling ID
is supposed to sigh
But now. when the day of departure
from this mountain valley was but few
more days distant, Jack felt that he
/ would have to come to conclusion.
When they had gone back to the city, he
would have far less opportunities TO
take the awful step than now. For he
wou ID hardly expect to see her every
day. except, perhaps, at balls and rccep'
tions-the very worst places for cOnver'
sat'on that is destined for the ear
of lust one person, whatever the novel
| lists of the routine sort may say. Here
Mt Fair Glen he was with her almost
from morning till night, and yet he had
not availed himself of hundred oppor-
tunites that had been thrown in his way.
Something must be done at once.
That he saw quite clearly. But he felt
at the idea like the boy with the swim
minQ masters line around, stand ng
hesitatingly on the board from which he
is to take the uncOmfOr able plunge
|
into the water
Finally he concluded that he would
invite Miss Beckford for q walk to a
favorite place of hers, about two miles
J nm the river, whore the rocks formed a
/ nictrres 1ue grotto in the midst Of
fhe most beautiful primeval forest.
There he would tell her all. At
ter he had thought over the plan a
| olar nnitn
romantic-a declaration Of love in sylvan
bower, far away from tho pro'ane crowd!
| Why, I'm poet, he said to himself, and
| smiled merrily at the idea. lie paid eX-
ira attention to his toilet that morning,
| and stood before the looking glass longer
! than was his wont. He could observe
with satisfaction that he looked very
nresentable in his flannel shirt, blue scarf
With the ends 1uttering in the breeze,
knce " pants "-he did not ride bicycle,
| hut had taste enough to fancy short
troueers. and need not feel ashamed OF
tho share of his limbs-and the broad
brimmed straw hat with ribbon that he
had begged from her With a tuck at
his monstache he mentally declared him
self ready for the fray. But his heart
would not stop beating quite imperti-
nentlv as he walked the short distance
from the hotel to the cottage In which
the Warringham ladies lived.
Hattie showed at first some hesita-
ton. for her aunt felt very poorly that
morning. But when Mrs. Warringham
herself insisted uron her going she ac-
cepted Jacks invitation very readily.
it should be remark d here that Mrs.
Warringham and Mr. SpOiford were on
very friendly terms now. When Jack
saw her the first time after the Ominous
me sage he had brought her he was coD-
siderably embarrassed, but as she never
alluded to that occurrence by word or
mien, he was soon at his ease in her
presence.
In few moments Hattie had donned
her bonnet and light summer wrap and
soon the two young people were seen
leisurely walking on the shady path
that followed the windings of the brook
up to the grotto.
1t was one of those days in September
whose warmth, after an interval of cool
or weather, once more recalls the heat
of July When Hattie and Jack had