The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-09
HARE AND HOUNDS.

ONNI 'iNH ultl litllcc anu trclIlS the
heavy headed blooms riotcd in Devil
derment of pink and white, crimson and
cream, forming Il glorious canopy above
the severely trimmed rosebushes that
Tlowcd like gigantic bouquets OH either
side of the winding paths
But Enid Fitz Roy saw neither the
flowers about her, nor the surrounding
woods, nor the clear summer sky above
all. Tall and slender, she stood like IL
statue among the roses, with the folds
of her muslin frock falling straightly
about her, and her fair face somber and
troubled beneath the wide brim of her
garden hat She was very pretty girl
and should have been very happy one
for happiness ought to be the natural
sequence of beauty and wealth.
The oval of her face, that should have
been wreathed i'll smiles, was pale and
drawn. The small, curved mouth was
pressed together III an effort to suppress
childish desire to cry. The sweet eyes
were hidden by the white, lowered lids
i'll either sorrow or Indifference, while
the full throatcd birds sang on and the
gay roses swung like perfumcd censers
i'll the light air.
How could she heed or caro- for birds
or flowers, when her whole heart was
away i'll the dim library of the old man
sion behind her. when her brain ached
in the effort to guess mt the words and
gestures that were passing there among
the trowning family portraits and tho
great oak bookcases, for ut that moment
Dick Lindsay was telling his loves and
hopes to Lord funston, the stern man
whom fate had given her for an uncle
and Il guardian. Ends fond heart told
her what her lover would say, how hard
he would plead, how handsome he would
look, but-hcr uncle? Would he relax.
would he permit himself to be moved,
would hc-consent? And IL the effort to
materialiZc the faroif scene Enid grew
pale and trcmblcd like wind tossed
lily
Hurried footsteps among the roses
reused her from her rcveric at last. and,
turning, she saw her lover speeding to-
ward her.
"Dickr' she cried i'll welcome, run
ming to him and with her set face break.
ing into Joyous smiles. Then Il little
moan escaped her, and she grow white
us her gown, for one glance at Dick
Lindsay s eyes told her he had failed
Darling, at first I hoped for sue
cess, said Dick when Enid had regain
ed some degree of self control and tho
lovers had wandered from among the
ialring flare of the brilliant flower gar
den i'll the friendly shadows of the wood.
Your uncle heard me without inter
ruption and even smiled once or twice.
told him of my prospects, how the
mortgage was nearly paid off the Knoll,
and how l should be able to live there
i'll another year. [ referred him to Tape
son and Jenkins that he might verify
my statement us to how we'll the farms
were let. I proved to him that / was
financially i'll II position to aspire TO
your hand, filled with fortunes gift us
it is. :"
"And he said murmured Enid,
lifting her tear washed eyes to Dicks
handsome face.
'He said-nothing. That was tho
worst part Of it, Enid If he had only
advanced arguments, 1 might have de
feated them, if he had given an opinion
l might have challenged it, But he gave
me no loophole for speech He unlocked
small drawer i'll his burcau-you
know the one that has carved COLLINS
heads all over it-and pulled out from
amid sheaf of papers one that was
folded twice and was tied with tape"
Il Enow-I know; the copy of my
fathers will, " cried Enid, made be-
fore L was born"
He opened the paper and pushed it
across the bureau TO me, marking with
nail dent the passage / should read -
"Oh, don't repeat it; don't say itr'
walled the girl, putting her hands over
her ears, lis though to shut out hated
sounds. Don't know too we'll that my
marriage was fixed for me from the be-
ginning and that my father, on his
deathbed, willed that if his only and
posthumOus child should be daughter
she should, on her twenty first birthday,
be affianccd to the only son of his dear
est friend, Lord Errington? Oh it was
Il cruel thing to dc"
"Crucler still, my darling, to ortlain
that if ut the date of your majority
Lionel Errington were alive and unmar-
lied, and you should refuse TO become
ms wife, You should be deprived of your
inheritance for five years and should
even not be allowed to live in your own
house Those shameful paragraphs were
all my answer Your uncle then bowed
me from the room, only sarcastically
begging my presence at your birthday
ball next week, during which he intends
to announce your engagement to young
Errington.
y hot flush stained Enid s white skin
and dried the tears on her checks as she
drew hcrSclf from Dicks cncirclinn