Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-10-01
CHAPTER XIV.

out (and going in) ball, and the house
party were dining in the octagon room,
SO called because it appeared perfectly
round, go that when its many windows
were shutte1ed in way to exactly
match the cedar wood paneling of the
wall and doors you might easily fancy
yourself in glorified lighthouse with
space on every side Of you.
The suspended lamp threw flood Of
delicate pink color on the cozy round
table at which the two girls, clad in
their white ball gowns, sat- looking so
lovely, though in SO very different fash
ions that Lady Lirriper for once actual
ly neglected her dinner to stare at them.
IF you were only more human, you
statue of phidias," she snid mentally,
addressing Hagar, you would be a
scourge to the whole male race. As it
is you will be a success fou tonight, and
il you don't get more than one chance
Of remaining in this hole Of Devon
ipstead Of returning to pupil teaching
I'm fool. AS to you" " and she look
ed hard at Mamie, "you are sweetly
pretty, and your neck and arms are abso-
lutely delicious. Isuppose only man
as black as Trelawny appreciates the
full value Of a skin like yours, and he
will be ready to eat you up, and all
the men will VOW you are little duck
and want to take you in to supper
that's the sort Of little girl you are, and
q very good sort too. You II win hearts
all along the line while the Gregorias
keeps her eyes fixed on the moon. which
iu this instance is Will Cassilis, and
about as much out of her reach too. y
"The flowers look very we'll, Mamie
was saying, and indeed she and Willie
had spent the whole Of the past three
DAYS in trotting to and from tho hot
houses, which were over half q mile
from the house, with astonishingly
neager results to all eyes but their
own.
"H'm!' said Lady Lirriper, "it's
lucky the rooms don't depend on your
efforts, child. That's the best Of place
like this--there's literally nothing to
do but order the supper and set the
servants to polish the floors And what
time do the aborigines arrive, George?'
she inquired of her brother, who looked
a perfect image Of wretchedness and AS
il he expected the first arrival to be his
executioner.
Nine o'clock. Most of them have to
drive long distances" he added, $50
fixed an early hour. y
"And thsy'll wear the frocks they
had on when they came out of the ark,
said Lady Lirriper, who was herself at
tired quatres epingles in silver gray
and green confection of the latest mode,
with superb orchids in her corsage,
while her exquisitely dressed and art
fully dyed head was something to VOL
der at. Pretty girls drug in the mar
ket, of course-always are i'll Devon;
half of 'em ought to have been stran-
gled in their cradles; it's women, wom-
en- everywhere now till ones positively
ashamed of being female. y
but they do lots of brilliant things
nowadays" put in Will Cassilis protest
ingly.
"Of course they do. By the law OF
averages some of 'em are bound to hit
the bullseye. When there are SO few
men and such hordes of women, the lat
ter are bound to tell. But when the
fools take to footballing-ugh! l could
forgive 'em if they were built different
ly, but they amt. What was l talking
about? Oh, the people who are coming
here tonight Then there will be
crowd of male pumpkins, less odious
than the town men who happen to be
honoring the neighborhood for the shoot
ing, and the bald headedmammas and
the fox hunting squires-I know 'em
all. " ..
This was not strictly true, AS Lady
Lirriper had not been born at Strauben-
zee. to which her brother had succeed
ed on the death of his uncle, the direct
line of succession being the exception
and not the rule in that family.
THANK heaven, Blakes coming y
she concluded as they rose to leave the
table. "We will sit in corner and
quiz the people, and the supper is all
right. I've taken care of that y
Mamie and Will slid few steps on
the polished floor together in pure light
heartedness and with seemingly endless
space before them, for all the furniture
save couches had been removed, and
only the great splendid audience on the
walls seemed to await in stately silence
the arrival of those much less interest
ing people who presently would be en-
gagged in strutting out their little lives
below.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" whispered
Will Cassilis in her ear. They had
scarcely dared to look at each other at
dinner lest their eyes should shout their
secret to those around.
For it was to be tomorrow, not to-
night. They had altered the programme
after much consideration, and Mamie
was to walk out next morning to
neighboring village where the young
rector, who was beholden for his living
20 Will. wonld marry them safe and
ICoNTINuED ON 4 TIL PAGE