The Portland daily press., 1896-11-25


trespasser; that maid should promise
when by rights she should plead.
The sun god was more ardent than in
the time Of the primroses, though the leafy
shades were stronger in the protective
power; the whole air was warmer and
more heavily scented and filed with a
faint hum of insects which had been lack
ing before.
the maid smiling.
The young man looked down at her as
she sat upon tree trunk with sheaf of
languid bluebells lying across her lap
If all were as it should be?'' he queried
and waited.
"Then you should prove to be the squire
of high degree" And the maid laughed
out amusedly.
''And you, he added, "the willful heir
ess-or the beggar maid. "
''And we should both''-
3Love-one another"
"Instead of which, she continued.
sI am but the rich mans steward -
''And I a mediocre teacher of music and
painting, and we both of u.s. probably
"Love some one else.
They both laughed whole heartedly and
looked away at the growing bluebells, and
the thoughts of each wandered all tender
ly to the 'tsome one else'
''She is so"- he began in gentle musing.
"Ah, yes, tell me of her,
"She lives far from here, but some day
when 1 tell her.
"You have not yet told her?''
"No. think she does not even guess
But when the time comes, when I am
able"-
"Ah. yesl. All, yesl can understand it
all so we'll. "
He turned and looked at her with a
gladness in his eyes which comes from a
pent up happiness and need of sympathy
''And your" he asked.
1T is the same with me, or much the
same. He is far away and working. But
think that when the time comes-if I
choose
''He has not yet spoken?"
She laughed softly.
THE days were SO pleasant" she pro.
tested. 81 did not wish to alter things.
was capricious, and 1 foiled him. You
can understand-I am fond of him and
was miserly over the telling"
And the birds overhead twittered anx-
iously of family cares and the coming of
the cuckoo, but the man and the maid had
leaped toward friendship.
When the nature of man or maid is
such that he or she can speak with ease of
their respective lovers, the opportunity for
such glad confidence is rarely Stunned.
Flowers were SO useful for the practice of
the maiden 8 brush, so cheering as a deco
ration for her tiny fs6me, and the steward
was SO genial and SO ready with his key.
Sympathy now lurked in the bosky ave-
nues, in the murmur of that old traveller
the Pill, in the song of the small, time wise
birds, and the cooling in the wood pigeon.
And many times the kind young steward
and the winsome teacher met beneath the
notice board and passed through the gate
way to the peace beyond, speaking with
placid smiles of any things, without avoid
ing the topic of their farof, unconfessed
lovers
And day by day the seasons slid nearer
to one anothers arms, till spring and
summer met and kissed with smiles and
with tears that only trembled but did not
fall, as the one sank back into the past
and the other leaped forward to the fu-
ture, and the birds sang paean of joy be-
cause they could not hold their swelling
throats, and in place Of the bluebells shy
dog roses ventured their blushing buds,
then growing bolder in such genial
world of song spread their paling petals
to show their golden hearts within. The
woodbine clung about the bushes, leaving
joy wheresoever it trailed, and forgetme-
nots looked up with blue eyes from beside
the water tempting the gatherer to stoop
and bring them death, and the mint turned
the air aromatic when crushed on it's moist
bed by the foot that spared its lovelier
neighbor
There is tims enough for the telling"
said the teacher half impatiently, pouting
at the realization Of past and future
There is time enough for the telling,n
echoed the steward In full agreement. The
world outside the wood seemed 80 unnec-
essary now.
The song of the blackbird was madly
joyous, the chaffnches pleaded "Kiss me
sweet, kiss me sweet" The wood was
tuneful with the chorus of hundred tim
orous fedglings and the round, rippling
warble of the anorous thrush.
'When the time comes''- began the
steward as prosaically as possible.
But somehow he never finished his sen
tence. For be happened to glance at the
teacher, and the teacher to glance at him,
and then their eyes played them tricks, for
something leaped into them suddenly, and
then they slowly filled with a great and
honest surprise.
"OhP' gasped the teacher family.
"Oh!' echoed the steward slowly. s
And then the warm blood rose to their
brows, and their tongues faltered But
overhead, beyond the trees the skies were
smiling and the eyes of the sun god twin
killed. with its mirth. Then the sounds
and the scents of the land round about |
them quiokened their young pulses and
the words in their hearts. The order of
the telling was unexpected, but the time
for it had come. Chicago Tribune.