Bradford County telegraph. (Starke, Fla.) 1888-current, 1895-11-15

friend Is unvsli. ] wonder il yoy
would mind fetching her . glass o
iced ivatsrT -
1t was q bold stroke, bat IL sue
ceeded. Had she hit on the vront
man, she wasprepared With an excuse
Il was not needed, however.
s'Of course, ] shall be only too glad
to be Of any service; only I am no
sure where the refreshment room Ia
Perhaps, il you would come, too-Ht
paused, Tor he could not supply Z
name, and yet she was evidently per
fectly familiar with his. Susan &C
ceded, with. o sense of growing salts
faction. She liked his voice; shs
liked his utter indifference to being
seen with such q dress IS hers.
'INo bounce" she decided, and
bounce was quality Susan loathed.
What was odder still. he seemed
really interested in her conversation
and Indifferent TO stray glances from
carefully made-up eyes. He was shy
and dared not ask the name OF THU
chGtty little woman, who seemed tc
know him go well. He was always for
getting faces since he had taken tc
that beastly glass. He gave up wrest
ling with it, and then, with start Of
surprise, he saw q long spray OF a
quaint orchid-s spray like one he
had been assured by leading florist
was unique, and for which he had paid
accordingly.
'tHow curious we should be wearing
the same very uncommon fiower? re-
marked the diplomatist in q tone Of
ensy comment, as she noticed his start
of surprise. They had reached the
oyster bar. It was thronged, aud
glasses of water take an immense time
to procure. There is Emo other order
against which "a waiter openly rebols
it is so alien to his own tastes.
VERY odd, indeed. What / time
that man is; your poor friend will
think we are lost altogether"
''Yes, mino was present from
somebody who was prevented from
coming here; she took it out of q
bouquet"
He turned the dull red that is the
masculine equivalent for q blush.
''Then you know Miss Proetheroe?"
Every well; in fact, I am she.
Didn't you know me-"
Susan's little eyes twinkled, for she
saw that this poor young man thought
the florist had made some terrible
mistake. To fetch glasses of water
was one thing. TO buy ruinously
dear flowers to be worn by girl who
was downright ugly, not even plain,
was quite another! He was not quick
enough to grasp the true aspect of
affairs. The glass of water came at
this juncture. Captain Bridgenorth
looked SO very crestfallen as he-took
it that Susan relented. A rather Sc
rious expression came across her face
as they went down the passage.
"Yes, I am Miss Protheroe, but
think you stayed at CherrIngton with
my little sister,"
ooh, is she here tonight? thought
she might be-"
'No, she is not here; she Is in dis
grace"
SIN disgracep The he lowered his
voice, and said, as if to himself, with q
pretty touch of tenderness: "The
Queen can do no wrong"
Evidently he was very far gone, in
deed. They were back again by this
time, and he administered the glass of
water, very kindly making eager prof
fer of any further help.
"You must rest, he said, in quite O
brotherly way, "snd then presently
Won must let me take you in for lit
tie supper" He forgot that they had
not been introduced. Then he turned
anxiously to Susan: 'tHavs you any
dances left, and if so, will you give
me all you csn?"
"Will you sit out the rest of this?"
They sat down, and ugly Susan was
the happiest girl in that ballroom.
81 go to India tomorrow" said
Anthony Bridgenorth, becoming very
serious, ''but our time is nearly up,
and I shall be homo in q year. 1t is
very hard to ne to go without saying
goOd-by to your sister"
'Peroline is very young yet" Su-
san interpolated, with an indefinite
sense OF being consolatory.
'tBut she is 80 lovely, there is no
one like her," said the lover, with q
conviction that thrilled Susan. A
little picture of. Peroline, with tears
falling on the white roses, suggested
ITSELF ''That is quite true"
"Some other fellow will get her
while l am gone. I am certain of it.
l meant to have spoken to her tonight
and told her that she is all the world
to me-"
"You have my very best wishes, and
they are hopeful ones" Susan could
not say more. Peroline's dainty Sc
creE must only be revealed by her own
lips. Her voice was more expressive
than she guessed.
Then you think I may hope?"
If it had been her own eyes" Su.
san could not have said it more softly
or more sweetly.
Her listener was evidently very
deeply touched, but he was silent.
Then she showed him the little por-
trait Of him she had sketched, and he
found ready words. They were not
SO hGent, when, with few rapid
touches from the apt pencil, Peroline's
own face was before him. Meanwhile
plenty OF inquiring chances had been