The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-04-04

cgg S~ SESEe ton, when she
--'o asked if she
might come for Il walk with me Not
that she was at all II forward girl, you
will see that when you understand the
circumstances, but the fact remains
that she preferred such n request, and
that | wished to say "No 3"
l had only known her week. but
that had been more than long enough
for me to fall in love with her. She
was such n bonnv girl, neither tall
nor short, neither dark nor fair, not
strictly beautiful, and certainly very
far from being plain, with hair which
was brown without being dull, with
eyes which were blue without being
cold, with quaintncss and straight
forwarlness about her-thc outcome
of her Colonial training-that alto-
gether took my heart by storm, and
made her unlike any other girl had
ever come across.
had accepted an invitation to stay
with my godfather (ho was also my
mothers cousin instead of going to
my home, which was long wuy from
Oxford. Although | had never seen
him, he had always fulillhd my ideal
Of n god-plrent. AS we had never met,
he could not he supposed to teach me
the catechism, but never n birth lay
came round but he sent Inc u five
pound note, which was acceptable
even now, perhaps more so to the Ok.
ford Undergraduate than to the small
boy Mt home with every want sup.
piled. And now that / was nearing
the end of my time at the University,
and was reading hard for my finals, in
which hoped to do we'll IL seemed as
II he wnSSt' .np me w rthe
crowning Joy of my life by iutrode )
ing me to his niece, Dorothy KnigG-
ton.
She had just arrived from Australia
on visit, and so was almost as much
n stranger TO her uncle rs | was, only
that she had II fortnight's start of me-
But how fond he was of her Both he
and his vile We'd with each other in
trying - give her pleasure; they
drove her about to see all the sights
in the country round, and presented
her with an heirloom, IN the shape of
II lovely emerald pendant, which
looked dazzling on her white neck
whom she wore it one evening to show
us. She returned their kindness bv
singing their fuvortc songs t1 them.
and following them about the grounds
and cOrsorvatorics day after day, ia II
dcsultOry fashion, which must have
been rather mOuotouous, though to-
this childless old couple it was their
chief delight
But in spite OF her brightness | was
not at all sure that she was happy.
The very first morning I was there
noticed Il wstful look iu her eyes mt
breakfast; and on the third morning,
by which time thought good deal
about her eyes, was convinced that
she had some secret sorrow. What
could it be? II was true that she had
left her parents in Australia, int a
visit to England had always been, she
said, the acme of her desires, and she
had had delightful voyage. She cX.
pressed herself charmed with the old
buildings aud the ruins She had seen,
cry, all of which was $50 new to her.
hut there must have been something
that did not come mp to her cXpecta,
tions, Or was It-and here the
thought caused me to put down my
cup of colto hastily-c1uld it be sh,
hal met some one op boarl from
whom sho regretted being parted? It
was pcsslblo-uuy, probable. And il
this was the case. what chance had |?
But still she never talked about any
one IN particular, and rs she was gen
orally pretty bright, and it was only
now and then that | surprised this
wlsttuI look, began to hope that |
might be wrong IN my surmises. Al
any rate, there was no reason why
should not do my best TO win her
But tins is long DEPRESSION, and
must go back to that September morn
ing when she followed me out into TIA,
oak-panelled hall rs soon ms we hat
risen from the breakfast table, an,
said:
"AIr. Lowndes, Il you are going int,
the town, may | come with you?
want to go to some shops.
There was little town three mile
away to which had announced my in
tentio- Of paying visit, but what
did not bargain for was the company
of Miss Dorothy Kn.ghton. II wa
fortunate that she was behind IN,
when she asked the question, so tina
she did not see how my face fell an,
by the time ! turned to answer her
had regalned control of my features.
"Need you ASK ," j replied and in