The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-26
HARE AND HOUNDS.

Over arch and lattice and trellis the
heavy headed blooms rioted in bewil-
.derment of pink and white. crimson and
cream, forming n glorious canopy above
the severely trimmed rosebushes that
glowed like gigantic bouquets on 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 q
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 q 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
peen wreathed in smiles, was pale and
drawn. The small, curved mouth was
pressed together in an effort to suppress
a childish desire to cry The sweet eyes
were hidden by the white, lowered lids
in either sorrow or indifference, while
the full throated birds sang ON and the
gay roses swung like perfumed cersers
in the light air.
How could she heed or care for birds
or flowers, when her whole heart was
awayNin the dim library of the old man.
sion behind her, when her brain ached
in the effort to guess at the words and
gestures that were passing there among
the frowning family portraits and the
great oak bookcases, for at 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 guardian. Enid fond heart told
her what her lover would say, how hard
he would plead, how handsome he would
look, but-her uncle? Would he relax
would he permit himself to be moved,
would he-consent? And in the effort to
materialize the faroff scene Enid grew
pale and trembled like wind tossed
lily.
Htrried footsteps among the roses
reused her from her reverie at last, and,
turning, she saw her lover speeding to-
ward her.
"Dick!" she cried in welcome, run
ming to him and with her set face break
ing into joyous smiles. Then little
moan escaped her, and she grew white
as 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 the
lovers had wandered from among the
jarring flare of the brilliant flower gar
den in 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 I should be able to live there
in another year. 1 referred him to Tape
son and Jenkins that he might verify
my statement as to how well the farms
were let. I proved to him that was
financially in position to aspire to
your hand, filed with fortunes gift as
it is
"And he said murmured Enid,
lifting her tnr washed eyes to Dicks
handsome face.
"He said-nothing. That was the
worst part of it, Enid. If he had only
advanced arguments, l might have de.
feated them, if he had given an opinion
I might have challenged it. But he gave
me no loophole for speech. He unlocked
small drawer in his bureau-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"
81 know know; the copy of my
fathers will, cried Enid, made be-
fore I was born
He opened the paper and pushed it
across the bureau to me, marking with
nail dent the passage 1 should read"
"Oh, don't repeat it; don't say it'll"
walled the girl, putting her hands over
her ears, as though to shut out hated
sounds. Don't know too we'll that my
was fixed for me from the be.
ginning, and that my father, on his
deathbed, willed that if his only and
child should be q daughter
she should, on her twenty first birthday,
be affianced to the only son of his dear
est friend, Lord Errington? Oh, it was
a cruel thing to do"
"Crueler still, my darling, to ordain
that if at the date of your majority
Lionel Errington were alive and unmar.
lied, ana you should refuse to become
his wife, you should be deprived of your
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
mo 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. -
A hot flush stained Enid white skin
and dried the tears on her cheeks as she
drew herself from Dicks encircling
arms and faced him in the narrow path
way.
dick Lindsay, when. six months ago.
1 es'e You my heart and my love. gave
shem for all time, and not to take them
back at the written word of man
whom l never knew. who was dead be-