Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-09-12
Lefty Leigh.
Continued.


but it seemed a very unpleasant way
in her eyes, and for one moment, be-
fore she remembered she was angry
with him, she felt thankful Paul Len
nard had escaped this finish
Earnest Devereux and Charles Tenn
pie had acquired this habit in an at
moSphere where the women were not
so ayerse to being stared at as Lefty
Leigh. The greater number of them
being far better-looking, took such OBJ
seryation as a natural tribute to their
charms; and what the rest lacked in
good looks they made up in impu-
dence. These young men were gentle
men, if being educated at Oxford and
belonging to a good family made them
SO. But they were needy gentlemen.
ga fellah must live, you know"
DeVereuX was wont to say when the
conscience of his more sensitive friend
cried out at some pet scheme; land
hang it, in these days it is 50 deuced
hard we can't afford to let luck slip"
And unlike many preachers, he
worked out his own words.
Luck seldom did slip from between
the fingers of the Honorable Ernest.
If that luck was sometimes detained
by what cOmmoner men would call
"dodges," what matter? He continued
to live in the style, and dress in the
style; and his valet has little more
than his perquisites in return for SER
vices none Of the lightest.
This same habit of ''dodging" gradu-
ally but surely brings down the tone
of those who practice it, and it had
done so with this young man.
Through all his polish a little Of the
braZen effrOntery his hand-tO-mouth
life had engendered cropped out; and
it was a specimen of this that was
embarrassing Lefty.
Ernest's father had been a friend of
Mr.. Leigh's in the good old days
when "GeoTge the Third was king"
The son was invited to Kenmore in
the hope of something warmer than
friendship springing up between him
and Lefty That he was poor for his
position Mr.. Leigh knew; he knew,
too, that if he had not been poor, his
little project would not have been feas-
ible. He was a gentleman of ancient
family, and good connections, and if
the money of his daughter might win
him for a husband, he would be well
content; for as we have said before, heI
was no miser; it was a gentleman, and
not rich man, he wanted for Lefty.
SO the old man plotted and talked;
the young one smiled and crawled;
and Lefty, sitting at the end of theI
table in her chair of state as lady of
the feast, felt utterly weary.
The dinner was ended and Doctor
Leonard had not come. and Lefty sat
wondering why he had stayed away,
till, meeting Mrs. Atherton's eye, and
learning it was time to go, she rose in
a tremble of nervousness and, with
many bushes and some little awk-
wardness, managed to get out of theI
room.
Charles Temple held open the door,
for Lefty, and she thought, as sheI
made her little bow, that she had
never seen a Sweeter mouth nor more
sorrowful eyes in her life. She did
not know Chow should She? that the
curves of the delicate scarlet lips
were carefully studied, and that the
deep blue eyes were well drilled into
their expression Of eloquent melan-
choly
Ernest DevereuX used sometimes tOl
say to him, when in one of his patron
izinr humorS: Il wonder at you, my
dear boy; | really do. With your eyes
and teeth, not to say figure, you might
go in for round sum any day, and
have your pick as to the complexion
of the incumbrance to boot"
Lefty, foreseeing some sarcastic
speeches as to her awkwardneSs from
Mrs Atherton wisely escaped from
them by going out into the garden, and
when there she unwisely began 20
think about DR.. Leonard.
'He knows / love him, and he as
much as told me | need not" she
thought, as she leaned against the
cold wall of the garden, and busted
herself in plucking the leaves off the
roseLbuSh that grew close to it. Not
very pleasant thought for proud girl;
and Lefty was proud. and, worse still,
loving; so it was not much wonder
that the big bright tears should roll
down her cheeks, nor that the roses,
as we'll as the leaves, should be ruth
lessly scattered by her cruel fingers.
The sea-breeze came in chill. and
Ernest DevereuX, smoking his cigar in
the porch, thought that this heireSs
must be little better than a simpleton
to stand out there in her low-necked
dinner-dress: but then he knew moth
ing of the inward fret that was max
Ing the keen air welcome to her.
Presently, when the cigar was
smoked. he Strolled toward her, not
forgetting to make Il timely rustling
among the branches, to give warning
of his approach. 1t was we'll he did
so-well at least for Lefty; for just at
that moment the pain at her heart
was the sorest, and the large tears
were standing half-froZen in her deep
gray eyes. She turned at the noise,
and seeing who the intruder was, she
smiled. \ miserably forced smile she
felt it was, but Ernest DevereuN did
not think so. 1t was more forced than
some smiles that greeted him daily.
The young man began to talk, and
Lefty listened, radually losing the
sense of sharp pain that had just been
racking her, until at length her free
girlish nature asserted itself. and she