The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-24

Ross lose her heart irrevocably and for
ever to handsome Herbert Rawle.
When Mrs. and Miss Ross went away,
the former at a sign from Mary invited
capt. Rawle to join their party on the
Water Lily for the races. Capt. Rawle
thanked her exceedingly, and said that he
should be delighted to do so-not however,
to-morrow-he had some friends coming
down from town, to whom he must de-
vote himself-but if he might come on
Thursday perhaps Friday, too, if it
was not asking too much.
He was welcome to come any day he
liked
MY daughter tells me we want some
more gentlemen who can row and punt, to
take our ladies about" explained the good
lady frankly and naively, and we shall
esteem it a great favor if you will come
and help us, Capt RawIe."
Capt Rawle bowed.
IF l may be allowed to take Miss Ross
out in my punt, l shall be only too hap
py," he said significantly, with his eyes
In Mary's; and Marys eyes gave back a
glowing answer, and then fell confusedly
beneath his.
The next day she saw him at a distance
in his punt, and was vaguely disturbed to
find that the friends from town." re-
solved themselves into one friend-the
beautiful widow Mrs. Trelawney who, at
L
gauzy white, lay back against the pale
blue silk cushions of his punt, with a
snowdrift of lace above her head to shell
ter her lovely complexion from the sun.
He did not come near the Water Lily all
day, but early the next morning he pre-
scented himself at the houseboat looking
fresh and clean and handsome-a Veritab.e
hero out of picture book. He was eager
to make himself useful, eager to be
friends with them ALL including Mr.. Ross
himself, to whom he was specially careful
to make himself agreeable, and eager
above all to devote himself to Mary. He
had very happy day of it, with Herbert
Rawle at he relboW from morning till
night, and she enjoyed that punt above
all things, and lay back upon the pale
blue cushions with a serene forgetfulness
of the late occupant of that highly fav-
ored situation.
Love is proverbially blind, and as Mary
was by this time desperately and delicious
ly in love, she viii uly shut her eyes 10 all
recollections of the beautiful Mrs. Ire
lawney. On the third day things were a
trfle less delightful Capt. Rawle could
only devote himself to the service of Miss
Ross during the early part of the day. He
was obliged to go up TO town by an af-
ternoon train. Business" he informed
her briefly, and with a contraction on his
brow which seemed to imply deep regret
at being obliged 10 leave her. Mary asked
no questions, and took the word "busi-
ness" in It's most literal sense, wishing her
swain "A kind and almost tender adieu
when the time came for him to catch his
train.
Would She l wonder, have laid her hand
quite so softly in his, or gazed up quite so
adoringly into his handsome face, had she
known that the business" which took him
back to London was nothing more than a
o'clock tete-a-tete dinner at Mrs Ire
! l. r,rr4.A 70
be followed by a visit to the Haymarket
theater with the beautiful widow for his
| only companion But where ignorance is
bliss" saith the poet Gray, otis folly 10
be wise" and Mary all unconscious of
what had gone on on the third and last
evening of Henley Regatta, met Capt
RaWle with the brightest welcoming smile,
when a few days later he came TO dine
at her fathers house in Park lane.
During the next three weeks they met
| almost daily. He rode with her, danced
with her, and was included in all the par
ties given by MIR. and Mrs. Ross who in
this as in all else were ready to give their
child all that she wished for. 1t was per-
fectly clear to Capt. Rawle's comprehen-
Sion as he expressed it tersely to a club
acquaintance with whom he discussed the
situation with shameless candor that
the rich Miss Ross was quite ready TO tum-
bic into his arms.
dear fellow" he informed his friend with
airy complaeency.
Yet he did not ask her, the climax hung
fire. Perhaps. indeed, ii might never have
come off at all. had not an event taken
place which hurried Mary Ross destinies
along with II in a totally unexpected man
ner
The Marquis of Darberley wrote to his
heir presumptive. and informed him that
he was about to be married to a lady of
% years of age; and with some polite re-
greta for spelling his prospects, he advised
his young cousin to follow his example,
and to marry some lady himself whose
| dowry might compensate him for his dis
| appointment.
This marriage meant death to all Her
| bert Rawle's hopes. He was deeply in
| debt, and had only carried on his existence
for some years past by means of large
loans. raised upon his expectations. Ev-