The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-05


manner: any up-to-date miss of sixteen
would have achieved the situation with
sef-sufficient aplomb utterly wanting in the
modest spinster. Happily Mr. Morland took
heart of grace. Helens blush and down.
looking glance confessed more than she was
aware of.
You will allow me to speak to you when
we meet tomorrow as uSual?'
"Oh, but" she murmured II shall not
more's
He looked keenly disappointed. They
paused by the Queens statue, with its
background of close-cut ancient hedge, its
foreground Of now, empty fiower-beds; the
wind-ruffied RouEd pond, no longer bear
ing its toy feet of skiffs in front.
Miss Percival,' he said earnestly, 'let
me say word or two now. You must have
known-you must have seen-that / am
interested-in you. have tried, harder.
perhaps. than you can understand to keep
back any undue expression of that-inter-
est-until you became used to seeing me
until could introduce my
He paused abruptly, for Helen's eyes were
suddenly lifted to his face.
What was he going to say? And why
did that foolish heart of hers beat so fast?
Introduce whom? His wife. of course. He
could mean no one else. He was-interest-
ed-in her. Yes, naturally, because of Ecic
Stanham. He knew the ring; and-what
more likely than that he had seen her pho
tograph at the time of poor Erics death?
oh, of course, she saw it all quite clearly.
He was interested in her that was all; for
chill and piercing through the bare elm
boughs in the broad walk; the Round pond
looked gray and sullen, like some Dead sea
of joy and hope Yes, she thought, sum-
mer is over and gone.
IF you will permit me to know your adj
Dress" he continued, watching her curious
You" N''O'''' INV
A stray sunbeam checkered the gravel
walk and tipped with molten silver the
dancing little waves on the pond. Was
summer quite-quite over?
Your sister,? she asked, with an elo-
DiuSlinQ face. showed
more of her heart than she knew; and see
ing it, Mr. Moreland felt singularly satisfied.
most motherly old creature in the world
She is my senior by a few years, and
though | never knew my MOTHER | have haze
and generously supplied its place. You will
consent, will you not?" he added. anxiously.
Helen was silent, not from unwillingness
to speak, but from want of ready words.
1--WE live at Turnham Green h went on
in a simple matter-of-fact way. L don't
mean artistic Bedford Park, but the real old
Turnham Green, and not in a nineteenth
century Queen Anne structure but real
TT must be very NICE" she responded
Il was born there" he went on. $50 was
Esther, and she, who has never lived else
where keeps the dear old place together
drring<all my wandserln9gss'
Il have seen most big countries. I met
poor Eric Stanham in Australia. Since then
/ have been in the two Americas, New Aea-
home in May
For good, hope" IT,.
II hope so. We shall see. l am city
man now. in the tea interest. we nave
connections in Ceylon, and might go out
but that depends
Again a pause. The broad walk, empty
thereabout, stretched right and left. Wild
duck circled over the round pond, and flew
screaming across the chestnut avenue
seeming interest at the sculptured features
Of her Sovereign lady. John Morland looked
with real interest at her.
Miss Percival-Helen-I know your name
from Erie 1 should like to stay at nome
for good, as you say. Shall L? May LIZ
very 1 poor feint of dignifed reproof
II Think he whispered, taking her hand
suddenly, and with mastertul tende tender, f, l
think you know, Helen. Contestant Esther
s'If-you-like."
Helen Percival spent Christmas at Turn
ham Green in the course of long visit;
for said Miss Morland, she could not too
soon get used to the house over which she
was coming to reign in the following May.
Encouraged and surrounded by love 50
new and precious to her, Helen soon felt at az
home and was early introduced to the stald
old servants. In buXom, red-faced Mrs.
Prosser, the cook, she recognized her lady
of the dolman, who showed much pleasure
An said Miss Morland later, at their
tete-a-tete lunch, "Prosser is dehghted WIN
| you 1 well remember her story Oh your
| Kindness in the train. She had been away
for a weeks holiday and came home iull
of it. She thought it was SO conuesce t n1l
| Of YOU being as she put it, "a hrst-clasS
| lady' into whose compartment she was
| hurried at the last minute.
1T was such little tnlns, Llulliluie Gu
Helen rather consciously
1T is a coincidence, though, your meet
ing again here, is it not? -, 49,,
| @The coincidence is stranger than you
Think said Helen, with momentary contu-
sion. 81, .,o,,irod Mice MorIand
| Ter. TOLL a II,
Helen blushing as rosily as if the figure
six in her age had more connecuon VIII Mie1
numeral one than mineral three. L trleu
| tn unfasten the knot for her, but 1t was dlI-
icult. and 1 had to take off my gloves 10 40
it. When came to put {nem On; must atae have
caught in her dress as she brusheo OUT ohe
is rather stout, isn't sne! 49,, ..x.y,,
"Rath err, retorted MISS M0'iA"u' "'N'
Al" :"rhen. of course, had to do without the
left-hand glove, and your brother saw
"That you were not marrled, OF course
knew he had been anxious to ma out. .r
mo, no." cried poor shamed Helen: Il
didn't mean that at all. meant lhao ne ne
saw the ring 1 wore and knew II again
"Oh. yes, I remember that replied Miss
Morland, cooly. But it was not so much
the presence of that ring as the absence OF
another that gave Jack such great salts
faction. OF course. it simplineo mayors ,'t = py
odd that the ice should have been broken
at first through our old cook
IT might never have known you-or him.
said Helen softly, but for losing my glove
that morning" 1oo,,,. .,.,,7
was made I'D about you. He meant to bring
me with him one day to scrape acquaintance
wy! "Rut I was not going that way any
more" 49,. 3,a
YOU out, especially with me to help him. 1t
was a mere matter of time and patience
in which latter quality we both excel. The
fact of his seeing the ring on your hand
onIy FASTENED things by giving him rea-
sonable excuse to speak to you there and
then"
The sisterly statement was fully lndorsed
that evening by Jack Morland himself
when he heard the true story of Helen's
missing glove.