The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-18
CHAPTER. XII

CHAPTER XII.
A deer park at o'clock of a sum-
mer's morning is beautiful thing, and
the deer know it as they wander over
the pearled grass and sniff up those clear,
rarefied scents that cool night has shaken
from her skirts when fastening away
from break of day.
And young man who could scarcely
be said TO have gone to bed all night
knew it, as he obtruded his unwelcome
presence among the denizens of the
woodland, when scarcely blink of day
had come and he could barely see the
white blind of distant window behind
which the apple of his eye slept.
How could she sleep and he wander
ing out here alone? How could he call
so urgently to her to wake and she not
know it? Did not everything shout out
to her: 1.-The time is up, is up! and he
is out yonder waiting? The time Of trial
is over; springtide is here. Come out,
come out, to join your impatient lover y
The moments dragged like hours
Long before the sun was fully up, Will,
his eyes glued to that immovable blind,
had in imagination seen it thus fixed to
all eternity, and Mamie passing through
the successive stages of Blake IRE
lawny's unwilling sweetheart to his
willing one, and thence by slow degrees
to the altar, where he finally took leave
of her, and all because an innocent white
blind refused to go up at an unholy
hour of the morning!
But was it all? A word in his ear
overnight from an old servant had set a
torch to his fears and bred in him the
first real doubts he had felt of Mamie
since he had left her.
"My lord, Trelawny is a great deal
at Straubenzee, the butler said when
giving the news of the country for
which his master had asked. Lady
Annabella and Miss Gregorias had been
at home some weeks now, the old man
concluded, and it might be fancy, but
Will scented something significant and
even warning in his retainer's tone,
who had also added that there was to
be a grand ball to celebrate Lady Anna
bella's coming out in September, and
my lords sister, Lady, Lirriper, was
coming to do the honors.
Will had plenty of time to digest
these facts, as at last, growing reckless,
he stood in the midst Of egreat gravel
sweep opposite the colonnade and i'm
mediately below Nannie's window,
needless Of early housemaids and gar
deners, needless of everything save the
moment when. that hideous square OF
white should give place to his dear lit
tie girls sweet face. (" 'i"'''AA@ "a
As the clock struck it came. Up
rushed the blind, the window followed,
and there, In her pink cotton frock, was
Mamie, who stretched out her arms to
him, all wild with joy, as If she would
precipitate herself bodily into his arms,
and for awhile they took their fill OF
gazing at each other, while broken
words of love fell from their lips. Then
the window yawned empty, and VIII
rushed round in ecstasy to one of those
hooks in which the vast place abounded
and by instinct told him she would
join him.
She must have flown. He heard key
turn, and in a moment they had rushed
into each others arms.
The hens with large families who had
made this half ruined colonnade their
special hunting ground wondered what
all the fuss was about and pursued their
daily avocations with unruff1ed calm,
showing satisfaction, however, when
the interlopers retired to sumptuously
painted and decorated room now used
BY the gardeners for their odds and
ends, and then sat down on two inverted
tubs that touched and gazed at one an
other
"You look much older, Will, and 60
brownl'' N'iN
rr "And you are quite grown up, Nan
ME, and so pretty haven Z seen girl
at to tie your shoestring. You haven't
been fiiyting!" he added. taking her
face in his brown palm and scrutinizing
il narrowly. nra
81 haven't had a thought In my heart
Won might not see. +" said Mamie stead
iN. though a. rush. of color dyed her
face. "I've been perfect nuisance &c