The record-union., 1898-08-14

iiiC uOCis
I beg your pardon, Ted, didn't mean
to frighten you." explained Darlington
meekiy, fact Of the matter is that I'm
not well lately and am often taken like
this quite suddenly. Sit down, I shan t
oo it again. He laughed uneas:ly.
You'd better see a doctor.'' advised
Foster. as he pulled out his watch, II
can't stay now, because l promised
Black I'd meet him at the club and
have lunch with him. out before / so
I'd like to know whether you'n come
With me or not tomorrow afternoon"
Yes. said Darlington, after brief
pause, III co." and shortly afterwards
Foster took his departure Caring
ton never doubted for a moment that
the writer of the letters which he had
read in the little mountain cabin, and
the girl he was about to meet on the
morrow were one and the same person.
For the first time in his life he was
anxious to meet people. He was ready
hours before Foster came for him and
waiting impatiently. That young gen
tleman eyed him critically, and then
satisfied with his inspection said briefly,
Come on
Some time later Darlington found
himself one Of a group Of many people.
They We're mostly women, but this fact
did not diSconcert him; he even found
himself locking at them with certain
amount of interest. a Gill in dis
tant corner attracted his attention from
the first. She was unusually tall for Il
woman, and had a mass Of taWny hair
drawn over her ears, and cooled low
at the nape of her neck Darlington
could not tell what she had on, he never
noticed what women wore, but what
ever her dress was he saw with salts
faction that it harmonized With the
reddish tints of her hair, and with her
eyes which We're a grayish green in
color, but which in certain lights were
more green than gray. She was talk
ing animatedly to q group of men, but
there was in her manner a certain lack
OF repose amounting almost to ner-
vousness which could only be attributed
to one not accustomed to the usages of
society, or to one under a high mental
pressure.
Darlington gazed at her as long as he
dared, and when he felt that his steady
gaze was becoming an impertinence he
let his eyes wander about the room in
search of Foster, who knew everyone,
to give an introduction. AS if in an
swer to his thoughts he saw that young
gentleman making his way over to him
through the crush of femninity.
Il want to introduce you to Miss
Blauvault, our hostess daughter" said
Ted, as soon as he got within speaking
distance Darlington rose obediently,
and followed his guide straight over to
the corner where the girl with the
tawny hair and the gray-green eyes he
had been looking at was sitting. He
was not surprised. He felt rather as
though he had been expecting it,
''Dosie," said Ted, with the easy ia
miliarity of an old friend, Il want TO
introduce you to my friend, Eric Car
rington; Mr.. Darlington, Miss Blau-
vault" The lady acknowledged the in
PRODUCTION by a brilliant smile and ex-
tended a large, well-shaped hand. When
she spoke her voice was low and deep.
Darlington felt thoroughly at ease. The
sensation was novel and altogether
pleasant. When the men left them
alone he felt a momentary spasm of
fear, but felt immeasurably relieved
when he found he was not expected %
talk. Miss Blauvault was a good con-
versationalist. Unlike the generality Of
women who talk, she did not end her
sentences with an Interrogation which
she expected to have answered. Car
rington watched her in undisguised ad-
miration. All these months he had
been worshiping an ideal, now that he
was face to face with the original he
was not disappointed. The very fact
=, 1, - =
gave her an additional interest in his
eyes.
Why are you called Dosie?" he ask
ed suddenly, irrelevantly breaking in
upon something she was saying. Miss
Blauvault laughed.
Everyone asks me that sooner OF
later" she replied. "Dosie is only a
contraction of my real name, Theodo-
sia."
It's an odd name" commented Car
rington. Il don't think 1 ever heard
it before. 1t is not a name one could
easily forget"
After a While he became conscious of
Ted's eye fastened upon him, and
grasped the unpleasant fact that it was
time to go.
Il wish you would ask me to come
and see you," said Darlington as he
arose to bid her good-by surprised at
his own bOldness. The girl laughed.
but into her gray green eyes there
crept a look which emboldened him u
ask her mothers permission. He was
saved from this, however. Ted had evi-
IDENTIFY been talking about him, as Mrs.
Blauvault gave him a cordial invita-
tion to call, an invitation he was not
slow in availing himself Of
AS his acquaintance with Dosie Blau-
vault ripened he found TO his satisfac-
tion that they had many tastes in COM
mon. 1t did not take him long to dis
cover that every pleasant afternoon she
rode at a certain hour in the park.
With rare cunning he planned to meet
her at a certain place in the road. This
came to be such a regular thing that
she used to look out for him as she
neared the spot, and to miss him when
he did not come.
One morning the postman brought
him hastily penciied little scrawl.
Come and see me-" it said, II was
thrown from my horse yesterday.
am not seriously hurt. but Will he un-
able to get out for some weeks. | want
you to do me a great favor. Dosie.'
The thought that she was Ill struck
terror to his heart, bat that she needed
his assistance gave wings to his feet.
He found her reclining on a couch With
a multitude of pillows a her back. She
looked pale and around her eyes were
dark rings as though she had been
weeping. An overwhelming pity for
her took sudden possession of Caring