The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-04-25

IearceIy knew you," he said, hooking
down at her with intent gray eyes, and
inwardly comparing this beautiful,
graceful girl with the gauche school
| girl of FIVE years since.
s:I am older" she said, her heari
inking strangely. "He might die.
J guise the fact that he finds me dis
{ appointing failure" she thought,
rather bitterly.
ssOf course we are no longer boy ant
girl" he said. 'tBut I hope we shall
always be friends, Nancyl We have
been that all our lives, haven't we?'
eyes. let US be friends" she said.
And thinking that he was eager to I'M
press upon her that they were to be
nothing more, she added. ssAnd il
was very wise to break off that child
ish engagement before you came home,
Sasn't it,"
"Y-yes, he said, doubtfluly, 'soh.
yes, of course. Your feelings are
naturally quite changed, I suppose,
Nancy?"
NATURALLY, she said calmly, bu
thinking to herself that she was not SC
sure about that. after all.
ssNaturally," he echoed, his eyes:
However, becoming little clouded.
"Those boy and girl engagements
never answer, do they? People de-
| 7elop so differently from what on'
Eould expect. Judging from your let
:ers, I should have thought you utter
ly different from what I find yor.
s'You are equally different from what
[ should have expected you to be,
she answered. "But let us put up
with each other as We are; we need
not see much of one another, you
know"
They had just reached the gate lead
ing into the garden of the Ness, al
she said this, and unconsciously she
paused outside. Jim took this,
coupled with her last words, as a hint
that he should go, and was more hurt
Than he cared to own.
"Good afternoon, he said, stifly.
raising his hat. ''Your suggestion il
brilliant one, and you need not feal
that shall trouble you with my pres
ence more often than is necessary"
s'You are coming in?" she said,
| looking at him with panied, pleading
Eyes.
ssThank you, no." he said coldly>
ssI have seen Mrs. Messenger and your
brother, and the children will keep. }"
"Good-by," she said, turning in al
the open gate in order that ne should
not see the rising tears.
"Good-by," he said, freszingly,
thinking her absolutely cruel in not
shaking hands. She went up the little
sloping avenue slowly and sadly, try
ing to crush back the tears which
would rise to her eyes in spite of hel
efforts. She had succeeded before
| reaching the hall, and could answer
her sisters surprised questions quit
calmly.
"My dear Mary" she said, laughing
gently, 'tyou forget our changed rela-
tions. You must not expect him to
come as often as he used. We have
both come to the conclusion that we
.re quite different from what we hac
thought each other, and we have mu.
sually agreed to see as little as possible
Of one another"
But when she reached her ovvi
room her self-control deserted her, and
she cast herself down on the little
couch and wept long and bitterly.
s'I hate him!" she said to herself
,indictively. 81 do; I hate him !
| No, don t; I believe I do the very
opposite. Oh, ought to be ashamed
of myself to care for one 80 utterly
Indifferent to me! He didn't ever
come in, and after all these years BE
shall never know that I love him,
never! However much I may suffer.
have enough pride to hide it. He
shall think NE as Indifferent as he il
himself"
Her mouth took hard look, ve-s
foreign to its sweet lines, as she rose
and bathed her face; and through ali
| that evening she bore herself so brave
sy that no one guessed of the bitter
ness and wounded pride she thus smll'
ingly hid.
If Mrs. Messenger had been given t,
abstruse reflections, she might have
asked herself how Jim and Nancy
could possibly avoid each other, &C.
cording to their compact, when he was
always coming to the Ness? For he
came every day, and at all hours OF
the day, as he had been wont to do
I've years ago. There was one differ.
snce between this daily intercourse and
that of the old times, and that 8 rather
important one. Nancy lost all he1
gentle brightness when speaking to
Jim, and was coldly, distantly polite
TO him. He saw this and no doubt re.
sented it, but Nancy never guessed
that from his manner. He did every
thing he could think of to please her,
but with no outward effect. lnwardly
she knew that her love for him was
strengthening day by day, and that nc
power of hers could prevent it.
Jim was in most trying position
He knew himself to be deeply in love
with Nancy; his feeling for her had
never died, as he had imagined; hut
with the knowledge Of her as sweet,
noble woman came the knowledge that
he had forfeited the right to tell of his
love. Her letters had been Of kind
Of which he had wearied when he had
ceased to be youth. But, anxious
That his own letters should not be al
uninteresting to her as hers were to
him he had written in boyish, semi
frivolous strain, which he thought
| =A.zIl h1. ,,l,acinnr "a her es nat11ral tc