Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-10-09

lately she neQ become aware OF MefTloh
RAGS strange heightened beauty and
fascination VIII in Auberon's presence,
and with loves jealous Quickness, had
guessed her secret
And to-day, closely watching, she had
seen Auberon's intere seemingly quite
absorbed in her; he and she had been
together Sc much and had been o bril-
liantly responsive to each others salies
-ab, foo sh little Lovelay, why should
she hope any longer? 1t was relief TO
t IN to Col. Accfington, and hide her
heavy heart by seeming engrosSed W tn
him.
And If Auberon did not Ike it-we,l,
1t was far better to vex him little than
to show such slavish obedience to his
slightest wish that he must perforce s.
cover her miserab and hopeless love
for him.
On then in the whlrling waltz TO the
thrilling muse, which spoke to each
bounding heart in its own language; and
now Accrington begins soft murmur-
ing in her ear, delicatey impersonal yet
perilously interesting, to which she
listens with innocent admiral on. Well
he knows how to please; the gu lelesj
young creature knows so little Of bvil
that she is easily pleased; she has nc
bias to suspicion in her sunny nature,
and she is grateful to Colonel Accring
ton for exertlng himself to enterta II her.
That he loves her does not dawn on
Loveday yet; this ignorance leaves her
more freedom to observe and enjoy his
manifold graces
He has quite overcome her instructive
mistrust Of him before that wonderful
wa IT, is finished; while he-ahl what
would he not give TO fold her to his ador
ing heart and call her his own!
As he eads her from the lawn, couple
are slowly pacing before them, appar-
emily too engrossed with each other to
observe their approach.
Loveday pensve humor flies as she
rccogni es Auberon and Merrion Rae,
and she utters some sparkling nonsense,
and laughs aloud with fro ic arcbness;
and as Auberon looks back she fings
him q merry glance which tells h N
nothing but that she is well pleased
His face changes, he seems to turn
cold from head to foot; all the dreamy
pleasure with which he has been listen
Ing to the clever w.tcheries of his co Il
panon, fades away. He look naughty
and severe as on y clear-cut beautiful
younS face can look.
But Merr:on Rae giows and bushes
under AccringtOn meaning glanceS
with helpless elf-consciousness which
convinces Love1ay that there has been
some very sweet love making going Oh
before she and Accrington came in sight
A wild desire possessed her to prove 10
all concerned how little this affects her,
and she runs up to Mcrrion, draws down
her head to her own level, and whispers
archly,
9There's nothing half so sweet in life
AS Loves Young Dream!"
"What does she say?" asks Auberon,
attempting to catch her hand, while Mer-
rion shakes her finger threateningly at
her, crying, "Hu b." and blushed fu-
riously; AMI Loveday dances off, hum
ming the music of the words she had just
quoted.
Auberon makes no further effort to de-
tain her; and Accrington carries her off
in triumph.
"These two understand each other, J"
says he gravely, when they are out of
earshot; ave shall have the Scotch
beauty for a resident in Stafford ere long,
| can see that"
"Oh, yes, it is very evidcnt" says Love-
day, airily.
Accrington conveys Miss Dellamere to
her mother, stays long enough beside
her to impress her with the conviction
that he despairs of winning Loveday
and is much depressed in consequence,
and then dscreetly takes his leave.
That night Mrs Del amere fingers over
her lovely child after she has kissed her
and bade her 90 to sleep
She wants to warn her against Colonel
Accrington; and she cannot get the
words out That cowardly taunt Of his
rankles in her mind like a poison-what
If Loveday should also suspect that her
mothers opposition meant that she owed
him herself? What If he had prepared
the childs mind for this doubt by con-
fding to her that her mother and him
self we're old time lovers?
She could not be in much danger,
suroly does she not love Auberon?
Mrs. Dellamere cannot get one word
out; the memory Of her interview with
Accrington is like blister; to recall it,
stinging pain.
She only kisses Loveday again, and
leaves her to eep
And Love ay lies all night in the dark
with sweet eyes wide and burning, ca
during the first sorrow Of her life as she
may.