The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-03-27
DRIFTING.

They were as suitable a pair as eve
were married. They were both young
they were both good-looking, they wcr,
neither of them too rich nor too poor 70
worldly considerations to be bar Ec
tween them. and by uniting their proper
ties, which were only divided by fence
they would both be as well off as eithe>
desired. They had known one another
boy and girl, all their lives, had playc.
III one another's nurseries, had huntct
over the same country, danced in tn,
same ba llroOms, sat in the same corners
and had been SO mutually interested a.
to be quite frank, without ever being suf
hclently familiar to breed contempt
They might have gone Oh in this wa,
to the ends of their lives if people hu,
not interested themselves in their wei
fare. 1t was done in this way. Thci
mutual uncle and aunt had met. ant
Mrs. CROSSROADS had said:
It's a pity Frank and May dom
make a match of it,
TO this old Martin kirwin had repli.d
1T is. indeed"
DO YOU think there is any under
standing between them?''
"lhey seem to understand one another
very WE'LL
DO YOU think Franks affections ar.
placed elSeWhere!
about May?'
"She is, am convinced, heart-free
Did it ever dawn u>un you that the,
were III love with one anothcr:"
1T certainly has"
Il have thought the Same thing fire.
Quently. and now that YOU say so, | an
convinced that it must be so: but hav
ing known one another SO long it has
never occurred to either that their low,
is reciprorated. and each fears to lose. /;
friendship by making any advance"
Il think. Mrs. CroSSlands, there is {;
good deal Of sense in what you say.
will pump Frank
And I will question May"
And then we can compare notes"
certainly am sure there is only
one way TO arrive at the TRUTH
And that is
For you to assure Frank that May
is in love with him, and for me to pro-
test TO May that Frank is eating his
heart for her.
"A very good idea
That is how Frank and May came to
be engaged. They each declined to be-
lievc the story told to them, and, 10y the
way of disproving it, agreed to put it
to the test. Ii was curious comedy.
May treated Frank more roldly the
W al hISl liz puiSuetl utI, ANA + rank,
thinking he was safe. finally proposed
to her. and she. for pure pity for him.
and because she WAS such friends with
him AMI also because she was inexpcri,
enced and half thought it would be fun
to be engaged. accepted him, and they
both played their parts in the secont!
act of the comedy to perfection. The
colder Frank felt. the more attentive
ne forced himself to be, and May. pity
ing the good fellow she knew him to
be. did all she could to make him happy,
until the inevitable quarrel as sh,
thought. would come about and release
her. But. not being lovers, they did not
quarrel and so both drifted into what
each dared not, for very shamc'S sake,
withdraw from. The announcement of
the engagement brought heaps of con-
gratulations to both and every wedding
present that arrived seemed like new
together. Frank could not face being
called cad" and May had not the
courage to treat anyone badly. There,
were only two people who knew the truth
One was Jack McGregOr and the other
was Bessie Harcourt, but as neither OF
these two knew of the others existence,
Frank and May became Mr.. and Mrs
Tremayne, and drove away amid a show,
er of rice and slippers to spend their
Pangbourne, on the banks of the River
Thames.
1t had been beautiful day-as fair a
day as ever smiled on bride-and the
evening was delightful. Their luggage
had been taken up stairs, and they had
managed to get rid of all traces of the
ceremony. Indeed, as Frank said, no.
just being married. They dreaded the
presence of the servants. and according
~ agreed that it would be pleasanter to
go in search of some inn where they
could dine comfortably without being
stared at. 1t sounded frightfully uncon>
ventional, and May was little afraid it
would not be quite right but they had
been accustomed to indulging in harm
less jokes together, and so it was ar
ranged. Frank told the staid butler that
he and Mrs. Tremayne We're going cut
and that they would let themselves in
and no one was to wait up. May came
down in blue serge, and a deiciously
fresh blouse and straw hat, and Frank
was soon punting her up the river. They
found an old-fashioned inn. and the
dinner he ordered was excellent. The
consciousness of their newly acquired
state made them afraid of attra citing at,
tention, so they dined in the coffee room
and almost forgot they were husband
and wife in the amusement they derived
from the novelty of the situation and
the innocent jokes they made about the
other guests. They had coffee in the
garden, where they sat till Frank, who
was always attentive, where women
getting chilly and they should be start.
ing for home. When they got on the
water the wind fell, and the clear, round
summer moon lit up the blue night and
the dark river, and threw the shadows
of the trees over them. 1t was an ideal
scene for two lovers. The water Tapped
against the side of the punt, the old weir
rumbled softly in the distance, and the
corn crake in the meadows sprung his rat
tie, while their own voices awOke the
birds in the branches. Presently May
said:
Stop q moment hear nightingalc!'
Frank drew in the pole and let the
punt drift.
Sure enough, the nightingale was sing
ing. jug, jug. Jug came the low, mel
low notes, which were followed by "A
sweet, sad melody in the minor. They
cred themselves the punt had shot under
the branches of the large chestnut trees
which hang over the river. Frank be-
gan to push it out, when May said plead
ingly:
the nightingale.' Frank, who. though
he did not love May, was not Indifferent
to the presence of a pretty girl. pulled
on his coat and lay down Oh the cusii-
ions beside her. Neither spoke. They
were not thinking Of one another. Each
took different personality in the other
mind, and when their thoughts strayed
to more lawful paths they both ,'rcamt
the others silence was due to reverence
and alteration, and each was sorry for
the others infatuation. 1t was Frank
who spoke first.
May" he said, in kind, gentle way,
what are you thinking off,
''Of the beauty of the night. Is It not
ideal?'
1T is indeed-an ideal night for---'
"For a woman to be with the man
she lowest"
And for the man to be with the girl
he adores.'
hut how seldom that arranges itself
in this world"
Yes, indeed
They both sighed. There was silence
only broken by the. splashing of small
fish, and then Frank spoke:
May he said, when did you first
come to love me?"
when did l first come to love you,
Frank" May repeated slowly, to gain
time in which to. think of an answer,