The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-11-05
THE ONE GIRL.

i lltI OANAI " lItLI.
They were standing together out on
the moonlit terrace. Behind them in
the distance sounded tho band playing
soft, dreamy waltz music But what
cared they for dancing, and the hot,
crowded ballroom? In all the world for
him there was only one woman, and
she stood, her hands claspod in his. her
brown head resting on his shoulder, lost
i'll "a happy dream.
"You won't forget me, darling" no
whispered, 'whcn | am thousands Of
miles away, at the other side Of the
world, and letters are long in coming?
You'll remember that am coming back
i'll two years, at the latest, to claim my
little wife"
"Oh, it can't really bc true, Geoffrey,
that you are going tomorrow 1t is too
dreadful to think Of! And it'snot that
will forget. l shall think of you night
and day till you como back. But you'll
most likely meet with some lovely
American girl--all American women
are lovely, you know-and then you'll
forget all about poor littlo Mysio Traf-
ford, who is waiting for you in Eng
land ~
when | am out on the great lonely
prairies," he said dreamily, II shall
Just shut my oyes and think myself back
to this night. shall hear the band in
the distance, 1 shall feel You once more
III my arms, and l shall smell the faint
smell of that heliotrope you arc wear.
ing"
For answer she took a piece of the
holiotrope from the bosom of her dress.
Here's little bit of it," she said.
And when you meet that lovely Amer
ican, and you wish that you were free
and that this evening had never been,
then you can put that little flower in an
envelope, and you needn't write word
to put i'll with it, but just address it to
me- and when | get it l shall know
what it means and you will be free. "
What nonsense, Mysic" he said
angrily, "Why do you talk like that?
You know"
"Oh, hero you arc!" cried a shrill
voice Il hayo been looking for you
everywhere Mr.. Castloford is as cross
rs ever he can be- Mysic. He says you
promised him the last two dances, and
then you disappeared and no ono
could find you; while as for you, Mr..
Hamilton, think You had better keep
out of the way altogether, after disap-
pointing Lady May and goodness knows
who besides" "
And Gertrude, Mysio's sister, chat
tered ON, totally unconscious that she
was most unwclcomo intruder.
She and Mysic had always been
taught that it was their duty to make u
good match, and Gcoffrey Hamilton,
with no money, and just off to America,
was so entirely ineligible that she sus-
pectcd nothing, and ruthlessly insisted
ON their immediate return to the ball
room.
And she looked often ut the little
hoop Of pearls-tho pledge Of her be-
trothal-but never put IL on, except in
her own room just for few minutes.
Somehow as the days went by it seemed
"A harder matter to speak of that evening
TO her mother, the more so that her
mother had not the faintest suspicion Of
anything of the sort And so month
passed
Then ono evening Mysic returned
from u walk and saw letter lying on
the hall table. One glance at her own
name and the postmark-"New York"
and she snatched up the letter, won
dering if any one had noticed it, then
ran upstairs to her own room, and lock-
ed the door to enjoy it in peace.
The fire burned brightly aud looked
inviting, and she drew up low easy
chair, and seated herself comfortably as
she broke the seal of the envelope.
What was the faint perfume rs she did
so? She drew out piece of blank note
paper from the folds Of which little
bit Of dead heliotrope slipped and fell
to the ground.
"Mysie, you must come down." said
Gertrude. 'Mr. Castleford is down
stairs and mother says you are to come"
-as Mysie looked rebellious "But you
must change your dress; you can't come
down in that. Has anything happened?
You look very queer. '.~ =
'No, said Mysie, with strange lit
tie laugh; Eat least. nothing Of impor-
tance. / will como down in few min
utes."
And in q very short time she was in