Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-10-18

or so afterward, and had gone out to
get breath of fresh air in the dreairy
poplar walk at the north END OF tne
bonse. when a rough-looking little
how. with frost-nipped fingers and
toes. and great black eyes, like those
Of n 'oipsy, sidled up to her and
sIiuped folded bit Of paper into her
hand.
"T was told to give it to you, miss,
said he. and vanished like human
sonirrel into the shrubberies.
Ruth Barley looked after him IN
come surprise, and then she opened
the note In it were printed, IN rude
imitation of Roman letters, the
words: -, cu
I'm the old place beside the Chapel
Pond Of 9 tonight. John Bates has
returned"
Miss Barley grew very pale; then
the blood rushed in scaldlng torrent
through every vein in her body.
John Bates Was she dreaming? Or
was the thread of that sweet old love
story to be taken up again at the old
place. Just where it had broken oil
seven long years ago?
Ruth's heart beat, her breath came
ouicklv. and a sense Of wild exultatlon
; filed her soul. For it never once oc-
curred TO her that all this might be
9 only hoax. r..
! Chapel Pond was deep, glitterlng
. sheet of water lying in the heart OF
= the woods about a quarter OF mile
T awav. and deriving its name from the
o stem rocks which walled it in on three
sides. which were supposed to bear
b some resemblance to the gothic Pill
. lars of a chapel. On the fourth side
y the woods fringed the shore, and close
. bv was a secluded dell where the yio-
let's blossomed earliest in the spring
time. aud great clusters of maidenhalr
=. fern grew in rich profusion.
d How happy Ruth Barley had been
then. in the old days, before her lover
e went away-how wretched afterward
:" She pressed the crumpled bit OF
6. naper to her lips again and again.
= "Ob." she murmured to herself, VI
am the happiest woman in the world
What RIGHT have to expect a second
# blossoming time in my life? And yet
k it has come"
% a Half the girls at Applenook Semin-
. arv had been let into the secret OF tins
excellent Joke and were watching
O. Miss Barley from one vantage point o.
= another, as she threw black Shetland
- shawl over her head and slipped ou
O of the house just when the hands o
the old clock in the hall were near
ar quarter to 9. =, :,
W. =. II was still mid evening, with tn
moon at the full; one could almos
l. hear the gurgling of the little brooi
outside.
10 Some laughed as the door close
softly behind the little governess' WIN
fondly supposed herself to be un
% noticed; some whispered, one or tw
10. looked grave.
10 Onlv the other teachers gossipin
" around there, and Nine. Appleton bel
.T self, writing letters in her sanctum
- remained in ignorance of what was &C
e. ing on. ~ 4oa4o 10
ly feet.
ye "Girls." she cried, "it's too bad
er It's cruel that's what it is 1t sha
lis not 90 onl I'll run after her, and te
of her the whole thing is deceit!
But Leila Wharton pulled her bac
VI as she was springing to open the dool
nd "It's too late," said she. "Yo
mn conldn't overtake her now. And 1t
such a splendid joke Just wait unit
Won see the expression OF her TAI
all when she comes back. We shall
avenged for all of Barleycorn
nd viciousness now !!
;he Slowly the time-tarnished minut
0 a hand If the venerable clock travele
ad. aronnd the dial. Nine o'clock cam
half-past nineteen. Still no MI
ner Barley returned,
M The governess on duty for that pa
yes ticular evening, one Miss Pugsle
with eyes that looked different way
ly, rose up with a yawn at last.
ce- thine for evening prayer and be
yer girls" said she. :.
ooh, not yeti" pleaded the gil
wn with one accord.
tu. And each had some special reas'
to give for desiring five minutes mo
Iiss delay. .,,r:
lew "it's past hours already" said MI
to Pugsley, "and--" =,
ion Just then the door opened; nj
Barley came in. q.
at- But instead of q pale, discomht
face, she wore q most radiant aspe
out Her eyes sparkled, her cheeks we
crimsoned with an unusual glow. .
Iiss went up to Miss Pugsley (who va
led, good soul, although not fair to 10
and upon), and Alice Fortescue could NJ
are her say in low tones
"Dear Harriet, congratulate n
of Nv lover has come back, and we
her to be married next week. l hi
lust seen him down by Chapel FOL
to in tell you all about it by-and-by'
am going in to see madame now."