The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-11-24

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prophesied 1t with note Of interrogation,
and the maiden had recognized the note
and promised to verify the prophecy.
Which all goes to show that spring in the
veins may work strange anomalies; that
young man with key should plead with
trespasser thatA maid should promise
when by rights she should plead.
The sun god was more ardent than In
the time Of the primroses, though the leafy
shades were stronger In the protective
power; the whole air was warmer and
more heavily scented and filed with o
faint hum Of insects which had been lack
ing before.
at all were as 1t should be''- began
the maid smiling.
The young man looked down at her as
she sat upon tree trunk with sheaf of
languid bluebells lying across her lap.
"1f all were as 1t should bep" he queried
and waited.
"Then you should prove to be the squire
of high degree" And the maid laughed
out amusedly
"And you, +" he added, "the willful heir
ess-or the beggar maid"
"And we should BOTH
"Love-one another"
"Instead of which, she continued.
II am but the rich mans steward"
"And mediocre teacher Of music and
painting, and We both Of us, probably
Glove some one else. ="
They both laughed whole heartedly and
looked away at the growing bIuebells, and
the thoughts Of each wandered all tender
ly to the "some ono else.
bni uu hoh ham tn Ia ,pir
"Ah, yes tell me of her. !"
"She lives far from here, but some day
when tell herr
"You have not yet told hor2"
"No. think she does not even guess.
But when the time comes, when 1 am
able"-
"Ah, yesl All, yes! can understand it
all SO we'll.
He turned and looked at her with
gladness In his eyes which comes from
pent up happiness and need Of sympathy.
"And your he asked
at Is the same with me, or much the
same. He Is far away and working But
think that when the time comes-if I
choose
"He has not yet spoken9"
She laughed softly.
1.-THE days were so pleasant" she pro-
tested ~ did not wish to alter things l
was capricious, and foiled him. You
can underestimate am fond of him and
was misery over the telling"
And the birds overhead twittered anx-
iously of family cares and the coming Of
the cuckoo, but the man and the maid had
leaped toward friendship.
When the nature of q man or maid Is
such that he or she can speak with ease Of
their respective lovers, the opportunity for
such glad confidence Is rarely Stunned
Flowers were SO useful for the practice of
the maiden's brush, SO cheering as deco
ration for hor tiny home, and the steward
was so genial and SO ready with his key.
Sympathy now lurked in the bosky ave.
nues, in the murmur Of that old traveller
the rill, in the song Of the small time wise
birds, and the cooling in the wood pigeon.
And many times the kind young steward
and the winsome teacher met beneath the
notice board and passed through the gate
way to the peace beyond, speaking with
placid smiles of any things, without avoid.
ing the topic of their faroff, unconfessed
lovers
And day by day the seasons slid nearer
to one another's arms, till spring and
summer met and kissed with smiles, and
with tears that only trembled but did not
fall, as the one sank back into the past
and the other leaped forward to the fr-
turo, and the birds sang pRan of joy be-
cause they could not hold their swelling
threats, and in place of the bluebells shy
dog roses ventured their blushing buds,
then growing holder in such genial
world of song spread their paling petals
to show their golden hearts within. The
woodbine chung about the bushes, leaving
a joy wheresoevor it trailed, and forgetme-
nots looked up with blue eyes from beside
the water, tempting the gatherer to stoop
and bring them death, and the mint turned
the air aromatic when crushed on its moist
bed by the foot that spared its lovelier
nelghbor
"There is time enough for the telling"
said the teacher half impatiently, pouting
at the realization of past and future.
"There Is time enough for tho telling"
echoed the steward in full agreement Tho
world outside the wood seemed SO unnec-
essury now.
The song of the blackbird was madly
joyous, the chaffinchcs pleaded Kiss me
sweet, kiss ne sweet The wood was
tuneful with the chorus of a hundred tim
orous lodgings and the round, ripping
MARBLE of tho amorous thrush.
"Whcn the time comes began tho
steward as prosaically US possible.
But somehow he never finished his SEN
tence For he happened to glance at the
teacher, and the teacher to glance at him,
and then their eyes played them tricks, for
something leaped into them suddenly, and
then they slowly filed with n great and
honest surprise.
"Ohr' gasped the teacher family.
"Ohr' echoed the steward slowly.
And then the warm blood rose to their
brows, and their tongues faltered. But
overhead, beyond the trees the skies wero
smiling and the eyes Of tho sun god twin
killed. with its mirth. Then the sounds
and tho scents of the land round about
thom quickened their young pulses and
the words in their hearts. The order Of
the telling was unexpected, but the time
for 1T had come, Chicago Tribune.