The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-05
A PARCEL OF MISTAKES.
ny MRS. ROBERT JOCELTH.
Coyprirhied, 1885 by Mrs. R Jocelyn.

II was pity. because he was a good
hearted young fellow, and had the max
ing OF a clever man in him: hut as il
was, he was merely one of the many
might have beens."
In his mothers opinion he was natu-
rally perfect. and many people wondered
greatly that she risked the possible con-
sequences of having good-looking pen
niless girl in the house in which he lived
with her. But il was young DunrOy him
self who made this arrangement easy.
Amongst other things he was pro-
nounced woman-hater. and in his opinion
his mothers fancy for beauties" was an
unmitigated bore.
So it may be imagined that the advent
OF Jane Smith was not looked forward
TO with as much JOY by him as Jane
might have wished.
He happened to be away the day that
she arrived. and IL was not until she had
been an inmate OF the house i'm Brook
street for a week that he returned. Jane
had been looking forward to his appear
ance upon the scene with an interest
which increased every day that he stayed
away. She had had a great many adj
mirers, IL is true, but so far there had not
been so desirable a parti amongst their
NUMBER, ana besides this, Lady DunrOy
drawing room was fun of photographs of
her son, and, judging by them, young
Lord Dunroy was a handsome and in
teresting-lOOkng man.
They had been out at ball at the time
that he arrived, and IL was not until
late breakfast the next morning that
he and Jane first met. Jane dressed her
self with more than usual care and de-
Scended the stairs with the full iuten-
ton OF taking him by storm, and there
fore 10 need hardly be said that she was
extremely annoyed when after bestowing
"a rather superciliOus bow upon her in
acknowledgements of his mothers intro
ductiOn, he entered into a conversation
with that lady of private and business
like nature.
That conversation lasted all breakfast
time, and by the end of it Miss Smith
had had her first lesson in the extremely
crude manners which well-educated peo-
pie who consider themselves smart can
display when they see fit.
From one subject TO another Lady Dun
roy and her son went, ana in each OF
these they seemed absorbed 10 the eX-
clusion of all else. The things they talked
OF were things of which Jane knew abso-
lutely nothing; and IL was more than evil
dent that she was completely overlooked.
Never in her short life had she felt so
mortified and crushed. and In spite of the
fact that she had been much admired at
the ball to which Lady Dunroy had taken
her on the previous night. and that on
the whole she had enjoyed the week
when she left the dining room that morn
ing she wished heartily that she was back
in Hillshire, and for the first time in her
life she began to think old friends were
best
As to Lord Dunroy, he was a hateful
young man. He had absolutely no man
ners, nor eyes in his head.
She hurried up to her own room, and
few to the consolation OF her looking
glass. II was really comforting to find
that she was looking as lovely as ever:
and after gazing at her own reflection
for some minutes, Jane smiled.
He had never even bestowed a second
glance upon her! No, but If she remained
in Brook street he would have to do some
dayl And Jane smiled again as she
thought of il and decided there and then
that she would certainly not run away,
CHAPTER II.
Had fhara hapn auvnua fbaro ~ II
there was a picture in Lady Dunroys
drawing room well worth looking at. But
unfortunately there was only one person
in the room who could have seen II had
he cared to do so, and he was not an
admirer of that especial class of picture.
The picture was that of a young lady
seated near one of the windows, with
the fun rays of the sun falling upon a
complexion i'm which 1t could not find a
flaw, and furnishing up a glorious mass
of golden hair, into which it brought
warm CLEANS of red.
Ii ever any woman was a born actress,
that woman was Jane Smith. As a rule
We're, but to-day she donned a simple
white Indian silk frock, which, although
il was very eXquisitely made, seemed as
if ii was charmingly fresh and innocent
of ali art In keeping with that frock,
Jane had put on an engagingly child
like air, and she sat there in silence, play
ing with little puzzle which she held in
her small, delicately white hands.
There was a smile of perfect content
upon her face and an expression of alb
sOrbed attention in her eyes, and had Lord
Runroy happened to glance in her direc-
tom over the top of the newspaper he
was reading, he would certainly. have de-
cided that she was oblivious of the fact
that he was in the room.
He did not glance in her direction, how
ever, and after very long time Jane laid
down her little puzzle and spoke.
rs there anything very interesting in
the papers to-day?" she enquired. in a
demure, almost apologetic tone of voice.
Down went the paper, and over the top
of it he glanced in her direction at last.
But in his eyes there was an distracted
look as if his thoughts were more than
She looked demurely down, and waited
for his reply.
said, and it was not until he had gazed
at her in that half-abstracted way for sew
eral long seconds that he realized that
she expected his to speak. Then he woke
and became aware of the fact that his
abstraction had been distinctly rude.
Now, although her presence IN the house
was in his opinion bore, he was not
really a bad fellow at heart, and it was
not his wish to be rude; although it must
be confessed that a selfish interest in
matters which alone interested himself
often led him into being 50.
Il beg your pardon, Miss smith," he be-
gan, apologetiealiy' but | really was SO
did not catch what you said. l am really
very sorry
She raised her eyes and smiled. They
were wonderful eyes. those eyes of James,
and that smile of hers had often before
done great execution.
you surprise me- she returned thought
fully but with mischief lurking all over
her face. because you really do seem
rather penitent"
He looked startled and perpleXed. He
was wide awake by now, and had laid the
paper, with its last nights debate, aside.
He said nothing, but his eyes seemed to
ask her what in the world she meant
She laughed. 1t was such natural,
childish merry laugh, that it seemed to
come from the depths of a child's heart.
And then, her fit of laughing over, she
apparently forgot all about him. Lean
ing forward, she took a book off the ia
BILE near her, and after rather listlessly
turning over it's pages, found a place in
it and began to read.
But by this time Lord Dunroy was thor
oughly aroused. He continued to look
blankly across the room at her as if per-
picked as to what he must say, or do
next. She had acted in such a wholly
unexpected manner and said such a who'll
" unexpected thing that she had fairly
taken his breath away.
His first feeling was distinctly one of re-
sentiment and then the more manly and
better side of his nature came to the fore;
and he raeked his memory to search