Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-04-02
CHAPTER XIII.

PAULINE's LOVE FoR DARRELL COURT.
Miss Darrell preserved a dignifed silence
during dinner; but when the servants had
withdrawn, SIR Oswald, who had been
charmed with his visitors, said:
Il am delighted, Pauline, that you have
secured a young lady friend. You will be
pleased with Miss Rocheford."
Pauline made no reply; and Sir Oswald,
never thinking that it was possible for one
so gentle and lovely as Miss ROCKFORD TO
meet with anything but the warmest praise,
continued:
IL consider that Lady Hampton has done
Us all a great favor in bringing her charming
niece with her. Were YOU not delighted
with her, Paullne?'
Miss Darrell made no haste to reply; but
Sir Oswald evidently awaited an answer.
II do not like Miss ROCKFORD, /" she said at
length; lit would be quite useless TO pretend
that | do"
Miss Hastings looked up in alarm. Cap
ain Langt0n leaned back in the chair, with
a smile on his lips-he always enjoyed Pau
lines scenes when her anger was directed
OEV~ ss~-~..--.
Pray, Miss Darrell, may / ask why you
do not like her?"
01AtaAhAgs w AhO N = w AiN 1tAili
reason that i should not like n diet of sugar.
Miss ROCKFORD Is very elegant and gentle,
but she has no opinions of her OWN; every
wind sways her; she has no ideas, no force
OF character. Ii is not possible for me 10
really like such a person.
But my dear Pauline %interposed Miss
Hastings, ''you should not express such very
decided opinions; you should be more reti-
cent more tolerant"
IF | am not to give my opinion" said
Pauline, serenely, Il should not be asked
for it,"
pray, Miss Hastings, do not check such
delightful frankness," cried Sir Oswald, an.
grily, his hands trembling, his face darken.
Ing with an angry frown.
He said no more; but the captain, who
thought he saw a chance OF recommending
himself to Miss Darrells favor, observed,
later on In the evening:
II knew you would not like our visitor,
Miss Darrell. She was not of the kind to
ittract you"
''Sir Oswald forced my opinion from me-"
he said; but / shall not listen TO one word
II disparagement Of Miss Rocheford from
Jou, Captain Langton. You gave her great
attention, you 6attered her, you paid her
many compliments; and now, If you say that
you dislike her, it will simply be deceitful,
and / abominate deceit"
1t was plain that Pauline had greatly an
moved Sir Oswald. lie liked Miss Roche
ford very much the sweet yielding, gentle
disposition, which Pauline had thought so
nonotouous, delighted him. Miss Roche
lord was so like that lost dead love of his-SO
ike! And for this girl, who tried his pa
ience every hour In the day, TO find fault
With herl 1t was too irritating; he could not
endure 1t. He was very cold and distant to
Pauline for some time, but the young girl
was serenely unconscious OF it.
In one respect she was changing rapidly.
The time had been when she had been indif-
ferent to Darrell Court, when she had
thought with regret of the free, happy life In
the Rue d'Ome, where she could speak
| lightly of the antiquity and grandeurs OF the
r.ee from which she had sprung; but all that
was altered now. 1t could not be otherwise,
considering how romantic, how poeticai'
how unreasonable she was, how keenly
alive TO everything beautiful and nop.e. one
was living here in the very cradle OF the
race, where every tree had its Legend, every
stone its story how could she be Indifferent
while the annals OF her house were filled
with noble retrospects? The Darrells had
numbered gakt warriors and statesmen
among their number. Some of the noblest
women in England had been Darreils' and
Pauline had learned to glory In the old
stories. and TO feel her heart beat with pride
ps she remembered that she, too, was a Oar
rell.
So. likewise, she had grown TO love the
Court for its picturesque beauty, its stately
magnifcence, and tile time came soon when
almost every tree and shrub was dear to her.
IL was Pauline's nature to love deeply and
p~assionately II she loved at all; there was nc
lukewarmness about her. She was incapa'
BILE of those gentle, womanly hkings thai
save all wear and tear OF passion. She could
not love in moderation and very soon the
love of Darrell Court became a passion will
her. She sketched the mansion from twenty
different points OF view, she wrote verses
about IL; she lavished upon II the love which
some girls lavish upon parents, brothers, sis
tiers, and friends.
She stood one day looking at 1t as the west
ern mnbeams lighted 1t up until 1t looked "a
though ID were bathed In gold. The stately
towers and turrets, the fower-wreathed bal
comics, the grand arched windows, the Gothic
porch, all made up a magnificent picture; thu
fountains were playing In tho sunlit air, the
birds singing In the stately trees. She turn
cd to Miss Hastings, and the governess saw
tears standing warm and bright in the girri
eyes.
"How beautiful 1t isy' she said. II can
not tell you'll have no words to tell you
bow l love my home"