Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-06-04

ES8s.A.4. 1t had tax n
~ place at the old
fashioned early
hour, so that the bride and bride.
groom and all the guests might be
gone before evening, and Mrs. Wal.
lace, the brides grandmother, might
have time to settle down again before
bedtime. She was very vigorous and
plucky old lady, but she admitted
that at four.score years 1t is well to
keep to regular hours.
1t was evening now. Mrs. Wallace
had retired to her dressing room, and
the whole house had resumed its
wonted aspect.
AT the drawing.room window stood
Christy Wallace, looking out at the
lingering sunset, and meditating on
the fact that no one was 30 thankful
that the wedding was over as herself,
and that for all her thankfulness life
promised to be little uninter esting
Just for the present. Blanche had been
there so long. that though the cousins
had by no means been all-in.sll to one
another, they had made part Of each
others existence; and as for Hayold,
he had been at The House all his life
long, and had run in and out OF Mrs.
Wsllace's house as IL it had been his
own. asa.s
There had been Q time, before end
after Blanche arrived upon the scene,
when. Harold hnd como IL and Qnk ~
I Christy'S t6Eho a16d6Sd, -ff n6v "
.cspted. lover. Then Blauche's livelier
ways attracted him. and nobody hid
much account Of Christy's prior clairu.
Mrs Wallace even had said little, aud
though she had devised q multiplicity
OF errands and occupations for her
elder grandchild, she had RETAINED
from petting, or any words of com.
psssion--a form of consideration for
which Christy very heartily thanked
her.
Christy was thinking OF all this as
she leaned against the window, aud
could not be sorry that the strain Of
the lovers presence was removed.
Blanche had behaved very we'll all
through, been ve-y affectionate and
cousinly, but there was the faintest
suspicion OF kindly condescension in
her treatment Of the girl whom she
had supplanted. As Tor Harold. his
bluff good fellowship had been daily
trial. They were gone, but the re.
moval of her cross made Christy feel
as il life would consist OF nothing to
do for some to come.
She looked up the hill to where the
chimneys of The House showed be-
tween the trees, and wondered if Mr..
John was experiencing anything like
her own feelings now that Harold was
gone and he had the place to himself.
She wondered, too, if now they would
allow him the use of his surname, or
il he was to be Mr.. John to the end
Of the chapter.
He had gained the name during his
uncle's life, and after MIR. Turton's
death, Harold, Mr.. John half. brother,
had carried so much the more impos-
ing presence that the squire still re-
NAMED in the background as Mr..
John. He was quiet and studious, and
if he had any love for society he 70.
pressed it, partly from his disinclina.
ton to be outshone by his younger
brother, partly from his desire to
amend, il possible, the fallen fortunes
OF his little estate. It was known
that his uncle had been ambitious that
he should marry money, but Mr.. John
appeared to prefer to save his money
by strict economy. II he had ever
paid court to anybody, he and that
person were the only ones that knew it.
Harold also would have been pleased
to see him marry money, though he
was generous to him, and though
Harold had sufficient fortune OF his
own.
Harold had been much the bigger
man at The House, and Christy half
smiled at the thought Of Mr.. John be.
ing forced by circumstances to take
his own place.
The sun was going down now, the
garden lay in a shadow, though the
bright rays still shone on Mr.. Johns
cMmneys, and on the roses that clus.
tered over Christy's window. Sud.
denly there was step on the turf,
sad some one came leisurely around
the corner OF the house.