Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-03-03
VOL. IL
CHAPTER Xu-(Continued.,

lie spring came on apace, and WIN one
of the earliest fine days Lady Valencia
Gil!eroy made her appearance at Torres
mhir. She had not visited it of late, and,
In spite of SreiIa's want of friendly feel
Ing for her at first sight, Lady Vars
calls had been vsFr much missed by Mrs.
Moncrieff. LaGy Val was SO bright, 50
full Of energy, 50 amusing, that Stella
had been attracted half against her will.
And she was unfeiguedly glad. therefore.
TO see her visitor
ALAN is away said Stella, with q
faint smile And MolIie and BERTHE are
ont together somewhere. l had head
ache. | believe, and wanted to be lazy.
Lady Val nodded significantly.
"a headache I've no doubt Of it. l
should think Molly keeps your hands
full. She's a troublesome monkey. /
know her of old"
The color came at once to Stella's
cheek. shes very dear girl" the step
mother responded, warmly.
"She is a very pretty one. Mrs Mon
Grief. And she looks as old as you do
yourself-especially since she has taken
to long dresses and elaborate coils of
hair. A girl of that sort attracts ad-
nirers very soon"
Again there was that significance in
Lady Valencia's voice. Mrs. Moncrieff
drew herself up with a slight, uncon
scious air of dignity.
81 dare say" she answered, with some
stiffness of manner. And then, with
relaxing smile, Poor Molly is hardly to
blame for that, Lady Valencia"
My dear creature. did l say that she
was to blame:" cried Lady Val. do ex-
cuse me. Mrs. Moncrieff. l don't wish TO
be rude, or to take liberties; but you see
i have known Molly all her life, and 1
can't help feeling interested in her. l
know you will hate me if l say what |
came intending to say; and yet l don't
know what else to do. You wouldn't
rather than I went straight to Mr.. Mon
Grief, would you:"
Stella looked at her in dismay. DO
you mean that there is anything to be
told-any thing wrong?" she asked.
1T may not be wrong; it may be all
right" said Lady Val, brusquely. "All
! can tell is, that people will soon begin
to gossip, if they have not begun al
ready. 70 ask plain question-is Molly
engaged to be married;"
''Molly she is only a child. Certainly
Tot"
"A child Well, she's a very big child,
Mrs. MOncrieff. She is seventeen, isn't
she? Not much younger than yourself,
you know, after all. And if she isn't en-
gaegd, it is time that somebody looked
after her, for l don't think she's able to
look after herself"
''YOu mean," said Stella, changing col
Or sensitively. that | am not looking after
her,
II don't mean anything of the kind
Everybody knows that you are a model
stepmother. But-do you know Tom
garrow!'
The little half-deserted village up the
hill? Yes, ! go there sometimes to see
old Mrs Cameron. What about it?"
And you send Molly up sometimes to
see Mrs. Cameron. don't you" said Lady
Val, with a shrewd look. "Well, /
wouldn't send her there again-alone-if
were you. That's all. | felt it my duty
to give you that hint, although, as l said,
know you'll hate me. for doing So"
She hurried away. divinng that Stella
would like to be alone; but she did not
guess the action upon which Mrs Mon
crieff instantly resolved as soon as her
visitor was gone
In FIVE minutes after Lady yars de-
parture Stella was walking quickly up
the road which led to the tiny and half
deserted hamlet of which her visitor had
spoken. She reached Tomgarrow, and
there full sense of the difficulty of her
errand rushed upon her. But she might
as well ask at one of the cottages If Miss
Moncrieff had been there that afternoon.
And even as she thought of this the sound
Of voices fell oddly upon her ears. She
turned instinctiyely in the direction of
the sound.
A high wall blocked up the view. She
skirted it slowly, still listening for the
voices which now We're still. Coming out
Oh The other side, she saw two figures
leaning against the wall as If sheltering
from the cold east wind. A wide sun
shiny tract of country lay before them;
their backs were TO the other habitations.
and not another living creature was in
sight. Molly Moncrieff was smiling up
into the face Of tall. dark man, who
had put his arm round her, and was hold
ing her to his breast 1t seemed as if he
had been going to kiss her; but when
Stella appeared at the extremity of the
sheltering wall, he quilted his hold of the
girl somewhat abruptly.
No wonder that he was startled. M
wonder, perhaps, that she was even more
startled than himself. for in the person
IF Molly's lover she saw the man whom
she herself had once dreamed of marry.
ug, tine man who had cast her off be.
cause she was not rich enough for him
10 choose. the unscrupulous fortune-hunt
e--Jobu Hgriiinst"n