The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06

tunes, rehearsals, properties and de-
claimngs from morning till night. The
season before one scarcely saw her Slum-
ming was the mania last year; and she
used to live down in Whitechapel. mess
about among costers and matchgirls' in a
poke-bonnet and black gown, and drag
wretched curate round the streets with
her at night in the hope of finding some
'demoiselle du pave willing TO be coax
ed into the fold. OF course the curate fell
i'm love with her, and so far lost his idiotic
head one day as TO attempt to coax her
into his fold, and discourse Hilda laughed
at him; though why. because Of that, the
fool should have chucked up church and
cure altogether; or why his vicar should
nave actually written to me about it, Is as
much a riddle to me as why my aunt
Lady Gorham, should be doing the same
to-day. Fact, pom my honor! She even
sWears it's my bounden duty to marry at
once and so provide a lady head to the
establishment who win keep those mad
caps in order. Great Scott! l should like
to see the lady who would undertake the
task where Hilda is concerned"
"A man might" said the Colonel
Don't be rough on her, Stra thgyle. Good
little girl at heart; lots of energy; only
wants directing
Il wish heaven you had the directing of
it then, and that # was to be expended
l wonder how you'd like to have her at
Draycotts! l fancy l can see Hilda paint
ing 1t scarletm
Can you? Wish l could" said the
Colonel. Il fancy, don't you know, il
wouldn't be an ugly scarlet Besides,
Draycotts stands in a good many acres
ana ffteenth century walls are solid. The
place would bear waking up a bit"
All right; marry her, then and wake
it up
Il would, only ] thought forced mar
riages were rot valid under the English
law at present." said the Colonel. mildly.
you mean she wouldn't have you? Why.
man, when you got the V. c. in that Son
danese business she went about announc-
ing that you were the only man in the
world that she would ever want 10 marry
and that she would rather be the lady of
Draycotts that Queen of England"
She was only Is them said the Colonel
and between 16 and q a young lady's
views on ma trimony, and on what constI-
tutes real beauty and fascination in a
man, altar more than the mans do; es-
pecially when he is 20 years her senior"
Anyhow, you're the only person whose
opinion she cares a button for so if you're
brave enough to try your luck with sucn
a wife, ask her, that's all
'Oh, l have asked her. She'd rather T
didn't try it,"
The duce you have! This is the f1rst
I've heard on the subject"
ION, it wasn't the first time of askine.
If she had said yes you'd have heard of
il before"
The Duke was scowling over the letter
in his hand
well, l wish 1 knew how much of this
Is true he said. Il can't be racing of
there to look into it. Besides women ex
aggerate so. Still, If what she says of
this fellow Whyte is correct. But then
there's Mrs. Mitchell. l don't know her
personally, but she's straight enough
isn't she? And she's responsible for
him.
Il know her very we'll" said the Colonel.
On yes, she's straight enough-as
straight as Mitchell wants anyway; but
she's dry-nursing a poet Just now: and
when woman takes to that she can't
De held responsible for anyone else Look
here, Strathgyle, your father was NV
friend before you; if you won't go down
and look up that beastly impressionist. I
shall"
Il shall be asleep in another moment"
said Lady Hilda, land l know the tides
going out; / can smell the mud"
DO go to sleep" said Angelo Whyte.
You would look even lovelier so than
awake. Besides, then / could make an
other study of you. and call it Psyche
asleep among the poppes.'"
with a box of somebody's opium pills
beside her, and printed underneath, To
be got at the makers, Messrs So-and-so.
Leadenhall street, and of all respectable
chemists" said Lady Hida, Grossly. 'sNo.
thank you, moi if 1t is to take as long as
| this onel And there are Peggy and Jane.
and those boys spinning down to Arundel ;
and daresay having lots of fun"
Breaking their spokes, splitting their
| tyres, getting smothered with dust. and
| poisoned with bad shandygaff at roadside
| pubs" said Angelo Whyte. Dear thing.
| do you think you would like It, when you
| can be as you are now-the most perfect
living picture in yourself and the most
| perfect inspiration for picture to me?''
That's very nice" said Lady Hilda:
but thought an Inspiration worked more
| quickly. I've been in this position for an
hour already; and 1 am sleepy, and | can
| feel all sorts of ticlSly, leggy things walk
| ing over my neck"
They were in acorn field the lower end
| of which fringed one of the numerous mar
! row arms of the sea which run up into the
| land in the neighborhood of Bosnian. The
corn stood up in the solid golden wall. ripe
| for cutting, pierced here and there with
/ scarlet peoples, and only divided from the
| towers-oxeye daisies, hawkweeds. lilac
| scabious, and scarlet pimpernel-amid
which, half in sun, half in shade reclined
| Lady Hilda West, her pretty fiure clad in
| an extremely al fresco" costume. con-
sistng mainly of a pale pink cambric
dressing jacket and of a pale pink and
white striped cotton skirt.
The turneddown. sailor collar of the
! jacket was open enough to afford an am
pie view of her fair round throat. lust as
the sleeves, open 100 and falling only to
the elbow showed almost the whole of the
bare dimpled arms,o one of which served. in
conjunction with the roots of a spreading
elm tree, as a pillow for her curly golden
| head. And round this enchanting figure
the Towering summer grasses, the delicate
| summer flowers, ruffied by the breeze.
frothed In perfumed pillows which half
hid, half-revealed the rounded contours
buried in them; and formed a picture
which Angelo Whyte, perched on a camp
stool two or three yeards off, was busy
transferring to canvas under the title of
! "A noon-day Pschye."
Not so busily. however, but that he
found time TO keep up a constant murmur
of talk, breaking off occasionally to read
aloud some passages from a volume of
| Pater which lay beside him. or recite bits