Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-02-22

| ou"O oooH oti"ii We QulCo lorBOttcn.
You are right. We had better go
back; your new friends will be cx-
pecting you"
"Why will you be 30 perverso and
SO cruel, Roberto"
Eat least nm not cruel enough to
forget yom. But that you would nc.
count kindness, suppose.
Indeed, 1 would rather have YOU
forget me than think 30 unkindly of
me. had hoped TINT we might nj
ways DO good friends"
VI think" replied, with unpar-
donablo brutality, "that you had bet
ter invest in lap.dog. They are
much more manageable.
"You are right" she said, with lev
| sweetness; 'and thoy are ut least CRATE.
full to their friends"
Forgive me. Alice |" Istammered ::
81 did not mean to DO such brute. {"
"Let us forget everything but that
wo aro very good friends" she an.
swered. after n moments pause. "And
L want to put your friendship to sell
fish use this very minute"
You know very well that I would
| glndly ulo for you.
ooh, my wants are not so exorbi-
tant as that, she answered, lightly.
III merely want your advice, as my
Oldest and best friend, in q case where
L can't trust my family to Judge i'm
partially. I think you know MIR.
Hamilion-Mr. Richard Hamilton. Of
mean" And I fancied that she
blushed triflo as sho mentioned the
namo. L answered with very bad
grace that had tho grent honor of n
distant acquaintance with tho Young
gentleman in question.
81 fancied so. Now, the long and
short of the matter is, that my people
arc very anxious TO have me-mnrry
him; and Aunt Mary in particular has
her heart sot on it. -
"Ho seems to me q very desirable
parti, indeed" I said, coldly. 81 sup
pose you hardly need my congratula-
TONS"
"He, too. is so silly as to want to
marry me-" she went on, without
seeming to notice my rudo speech,
land l have promised to give him an
answer this evening. And WHAT
here she seemed strangely embar-
rassed, and became deeply absorbed
in tho figures on her fan-"what an
swer shall 1 give him?"
"What answer?" 1 cried, ms her
meaning flashed over my dull comprc.
honsion, "why, tell him that you are
engaged, of course!'
just what happened next is rather
hazy in my mind-almost obliterated
by the direful catastrophe which so
soon followed. dimly remember
kissing her upturncd face rs We stood
in the shadow of great South Ameri-
can cactus, that screened us from all
observation, and drawing her unrc-
sisting form toward divan that we
had occupied on the memorable even
ing when We had been engaged before.
We know all the strongholds of her
annt's house perfectly.
"How horribly improper !" she OK.
claimed, apropos OF something or
other. Suppose that any one should
see US this way"
"That would be improper, 1 ad-
NIT, replied, serenely; "but then.
you see. nobody eau" The argument
was undeniable, and she let her head
rest against my shoulder with little
sigh of satisfaction.
Elbow absurd to think that wa ever
qunrrelled, I observed, presently.
sob, don't talk of that horrid timo
my morel 1 have nearly cried my
eyes out over it. Lets just remem.
Der that we have loved each other oil
the while"
For moment there was silence.
"Alice! !" said, severely, rs n sud
den thought came to me; "what We're
you intending to answer"
"That, replied Mistress Alice, So
renely, "you will never know"
"Thore, that dance is finished" T
said; "the rabble will BIO out here in
moment"
There is no hurry" she answered,
with tho delightful sang froid of wo-
mankind under circumstances that arc
trying to masculine nerves. awe can
sec any ono who passes the turn of
the staircase"
"Ah, now it is time" she snid.
laughlngly; zone moro kiss, and /
will SEQ if can fix myself up n little.
You have put my hair in shocking
state OF disorder. Ugh WHAT'S that ?"
lsprang to my feet, nghast. On
her delicate pink corsage was large
and gruesome stain of black, that was
slowly but surely spreading over the
entire front.
"I-1-I'm afraid it's ink!" I said.
in quavering accents of despair.
lnkl Where in the world should
any ink como from2" Her voice had
hard, sharp quality, TINT L heard
once in while before. Evidently her
ladyship's mood was fast losing ITS
amiability, and felt some tremors OF
fear.
knew altogether too we'll whore
the ink came from. With IN awful
certainty 1 looked at my once immacu-
late white waistcoat; it was now q
gruesomc, soppy mass of Smiths Blue.
Black Commercial Writing Fluid. The
emergency was frightful. Was thera