The Van Buren press., 1896-05-30

fIlSnl quest lOneQ one OF those al
dressed. "Oh, if I'm frightened. |
scream right straight out, nothing can
stop mel just yelIr
You just dol" corroborated another
OF the pretty concave round the fire,
with laugh. 81 never heard any
thing like It. when that tramp we met
yesterday in the avenue at dusk sud-
denly addressed US, You made the well
Kin ring, and pinched my arm black
and blue, until | made you understand
the wretched creature had only asked
his way"
There was the usual desultory chat
and exchange of condolences, between
mouthfuls of muffin, concerning alarms,
past, present and future, when hand
some woman with mischievous eyes,
who had not hitherto spoken, eX-
claimed Were none of you girls ever
struck dumb with frght2"
What a question:" they chorused.
why, Mrs. Treherne, were you ever
taken like that?"
"0n one memorable OCCASION" was
he reply, while comical expression
settled about the corners of mouth
which Venus herself might have en-
wed for its outlines, Il lost the entire
faculty of speech during fully ten min
utes. ! was struck dumb, and only
found my tongue too late to be of any
usen
The speaker looked across at her
hostess. She was met by an amused all
of ineredulity. Let us hear the story,
Kitty. l can't believe in your being
frightened; but unbosom yourself,
dear. | Intend keeping you until the
men come in to introduce my brother,
so you've plenty of time" Amid muir
murs of excited anticipation Mrs. Ire
herne began:
ut was an evening like this-dark
and dreary, with thick. white fog
But I'd better go back to the beginning,
or you won't understand. We were
living in Highfordshire dur. ing the last
years of my husbands lifetime, and my
dream WIS to become an artist. I'm
sorry to say it has never been realized
There was even at that time school
of painting near us at Trceleigh, and l
soon found a lady artist willing to teach
Inc the rudiments. y drawback to COM
plete happiness in my newly-adopted
vocation was the distance between our
house and this woman's studio, for Mr..
lreherne, much as he disliked my
painting craze, as he called it, objected
to my being alone about the roads still
more; and | must admit they were un-
commonly dark at times. l may add
also"-and the droll look crept up to her
eyes-"he had two special bugbears
These were the artists and the models.
He declared they were all scamps,
and that, if | escaped from the arti-
fees of the one, l should sooner or later
be garotted by the other. The male sex
he more particularly referred to, but
must confess he had no very high
opinion of the women either.
Therefore, much as he hated his
horses being out at night, he insisted
on sending the carriage for me in all
weathers, and firmly believe the coach
man had orders to give receipt for my
person every evening.
whether the presence of a cookbook
ing young fellow who used to go about
with one of the artists, and whose, no
doubt, well-intentioned glances my
husband had surprised in church, con-
tributed at all to this frame of mind,
| never knew. But had my suspicious,
although, as a matter Of fact, | never so
much as spoke to the man, or heard his
name.
"0ne day in the winter, had been
working in the life class till after five,
and owing to dense fog the carriage
was late. | suppose [ ought to have
waited for it, but the tcmpter in the
shape of girl friend persuaded me to
take tea in her rooms. Nor am | quite
clear if directions were left at the stu.
Cro to enable the carriage to find me.
81 dare say you imagine the party
included men. If you do, you are
wrong. Whatever Mr.. Trehernc
thought, morals we're very strict, can
tell you, in Treeleigh.
"Nc were half a dozen girl students,
of whom one played divinely ON the
cello, and it must have been quite an
hour later before | started, my body
guard not having turned up, to trudge
home in the mud alone.
II have said the roads could be very
dark, but never knew them so bad MS
they were on this particular evening.
Lamps there were few even in the vii
lage, and the fog obscured such as there
were. | felt very sorry for myself on
leaving the comparative illumination
of the street for the utter blackness of
the lonely road that lay between me
and home.
81 wondered where the brougham
could be, and for once missed its COM
Portable cushions, and the inspiriting
presence of our fat coachman. The fog
penetrated eyes, nose and ears. 1t
blinded me and made me cough.
with difficulty. by aid of my UNI
brella and the palings, ] was able to
keep upon the apology for sidewalk,
though in places l literally had TO
crawl along as best | could.
Just at first there were people
about, grown large and indistinguish-
able in the mist, A boy passed me
whistling a popular air. | envied him
his courage, and would have liked to
initiate it. lie passed on, and l felt
more lonely than ever. The tree trunks
doomed like huge phantoms in the
murlSv stiffness, and the whole world
seemed dead.
.,,,, 49, -, bo,oJ ~, opcos1,r,n1cr Z