The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-02-07
/. DASHED HOPES

d n the din corners 81 Lady Arling-
$3.50 big drawing room III 0rosvsnor
piacs ross-shaded lamps were casting
tender glow. butnear the three tall
Windows and In the center OF the
room there was still sufficient day
light to illuminate the faces and frocks
OF the guests who were assembled for
dinner. ft.4 : ,s,:, b. ill.,. ,e,S a.&...
Lady Arling ton, clad in ssh immering
white satin and wonderful pink pearls.
fitted like : spirit, from group to
group; now creating fresh arrival,
now pairing off her friends. w.
Lady Susan, Lord Marrable will
take you down. He's awfully dull,
know, but BERTHE Fanconrt is your
other side. Sir Charles, you're des-,
tined TO the tender mercies of Dolly
Lansdown. Take care of yourself;
she's a dreadful little flirt, and boasts
of herivictims. All! Olivia, TIM de-
lighted to see you. Col. Egerton, take
care of my friend, Mrs. Ablnger, for, a
few moments till her cavalier turns
up. What a nuisance your sex is,
colonel. Here we are, twenty-three
hungry souls all waiting for one
tiresome man. Olivia, my dear, if in
i've minutes he does not turn up Pm
afraid you'll have to go downstairs
alone. p. .,.>@.E
And with gay little laugh Lady
Arlington turned away.
Mrs. Abinger smiled after her re-
treating figure, and Col. Egerton,
catching sight Of her slightly-curled
mouth, thought she had the sweetest
tips he had ever seen, and 70 thinking,
he looked the closer.
He saw slender woman, with
phapely head set upon round, white
throat. The low-cut bodice Of her
plain black gown clasped slight
waist and made 4 fitting framework
for her dimpled shoulders. Her big
black fan seemed all too heavy for her
tiny wrists and small pink-tipped fin
gers. In: the fast-fading light he could
scarcely distinguish her features, but
he noticed that her hair was soft and
fair, and that her eyes were large and
just little sad.
The gallant colonel was still won
dering what kind of a voice so charm
Ing woman could have, when the
door was flung wide and a tall man
strobe into the room. Lady Arlington
heaved an audible sigh of relief,
waved rather than spoke an introduce
ton between Mrs. Abinger and the
newcomer, and then, like multi
colored snake, her guests rustled down
the wide white staircase to dinner.
There was, a momentary dragging of
sillen trains under chairs and gen
eral settling down before the last ar
rival turned to scan the woman at his
side, whom in the swift transit from
tho drawing room to the dining-room
he had only vaguely concluded was
slight, and pretty, and fair-haired.
'Olivia! You2" His tone of aston
ishment was too loud for good breed
ing, but the chat about the table was
lively, and no one heard his voice save,
Indeed, Mrs. Abinger. ss.,.>..>. ~.
sa Yes, 1t is ]. y knew you the mo-
ment you entered ], though the room
waS almost dark. 3 M.
And yet we've not met for SO many
years." he said; then, with the gal
liant after-thought of man of the
world, he added: mot that you look
one day older than when-''
She finished the sentence for him:
"We parted"
There was a sigh in her voice and
touch of pure sentiment in her sad
eyes as she spoke, and recalled, as
women love to do, the agony of that
hour, fifteen years ago, which had
torn her from Angus Ferrers' arms.
She had been SO young then-little
more than child--but her whole soul
had been given to her boyish lover,
and the parental edict which had sent
Angus to India and herself to a
wretched marriage had nearly broken
her heart.
But the dream of the past was dis
PEELED by him who had recalled it.
"And you married?' he said.
Yes; was obliged. Mr.. Abinger
was rich in those days, and he bought
me-"
lin those days.! Is he not so now?:'
HE died two years ago, a pauper."
Mrs. Abinger smoke quietly. She
had lived so long with the tragedy of
existence that it had lost its most
thrills, and had degenerated
into gray monotony of misery.
No SO Sir Angus Fcrrers. A look of
pity crept into his eyes, a
note of intense sympathy into his
voice.
'"And you are
"A widow, and a pauper, too"
She made little gesture with her
small, white hands: a gesture that in
vited inspection of her poor gown, Of
her lack of jewels-and that told
more plainly than could a thousand
words of genteel poverty and want.
my poor olivia" he said, and as
she glanced at him she saw tears on
his eye-lashes.
Lady Arlington grumbled next day
to her husband of Mrs Abingers dull |
ness and Sir Angus Ferrers' silence.
But that long dinner was, in truth,
but dream to the man and
woman who had parted with such
passionate tears fifteen years ago, and