Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-05-28

] WOulu Ue o1peCl6u VI Llei as IL 10 VI a
hen to lay eggs or the Prince of Wales
to lay foundation stones.
"And then it would cease to please?"
at would then become detestable.
! And often lately have pictured myself
as riding home in the deepening dusk
Of winters afternoon from hunting,
either with you by my side or to find
/ you waiting for me at home When
think Of it, nearly take a hanson and
come here to lay myself at your feet. "
why don't your"
"For the reasons detailed above
picture being refused and the subse-
quent discontinue and inconvenience.
! 1t would entail an entire change of all
my plans for the rest Of the season"
"But if you were not refusedI''
Mr.. Markham started.
ooh, that certainly struck me as an
alternative but / did not find it less
alarming. If were accepted, we should
probably get married, and how dull for
us both it would subsequently bel
What / should really like would be for
you to come and stay just in our pres
emit capacity at Markham, say, for a
year. You would walk with me, row
with me, fish with me, hunt with me.
would read to you my fayorite bits Of
my favorite authors, and you should re-
taliate with yours. / can imagine moth
ing so delightful. | have already had
you to stay at Markham, but then Lady
Greatorex and Sir Marmaduke came,
too, and my sister came down to do
hostess. We were never alone except
now and then for quarter of an hour
after an hour of mutual endeavoring. I"
"Thank you, INTERCEPTED, with some
asperity, the lady.
"What / should like would be TO have
You thus for time all to myself. You
would find me much nicer than you i'm
agine. / have much more to- me, as
the Yankees say, than you would think. !"
"Well," added the lady, ION one
condition l will come. Do not look
frightened. don't mean to insist on a
prior engagement. You need not prom
Use to marry me. But will come for
whole year to Markham if-if may
bring Lord Mendip with me. "
"Lord Mendipl" Mr.. Markham re-
leased what he had been holding and
laid it back in the young lady's lap
with something of the air wherewith
one puts down again upon the counter
an article that one has been lingering
in salesroom when one discovers it is
marked "Sold. He resumed his posi-
ton on the hearth rug, but without
again accommodating his back to the
mantelpiece. at was, he remarked
presently, Every nice of you to inform
me of your engagement in that way.
You can do things, when You try, very
gracefully. A more awkward woman
might have told me fatty half an hour
ago
81 was going to tell you just now
But you begged me to wait, as you
wished to finish your delightful CONVEX
sation. | concluded that you thought
you were shining After all you do not
affect to ignore your reputation as con-
veTsationalist.
~ am sure" he said, after the brief
est possible pause, ''you will be ex
tremely happy. That is certainly my
wish-thut you may DO as happy as you
deserve, and, l take it, Lord Mendip is
not more than sop
Scarcely so much,' declared the
young lady, with admirable temper.
"He is but ~. "
"And he is peer. 1t is better than
anything l could have offered YOU"
There was a slight sound behind her.
Here" remarked the young man,
looking over her head to the suddenly
opened door, comes Lord Mendip him
self to receive my congratulations in
person.
Miss Greatorex leaped to her feet.
"Don't, for heavens sake, don tr'
she cried, in a smotherod voice. sit was
lie. | did it to see if l could shake
you at all. "
Lord Mendip ambled forward with a
keen old Iool, in his faded eyes and "a
much Cooked" expression about his
half deaf old ears.
Congratulations, eh? Whom am / 80
congratulate? | think heard something
about congratulations in person"
"Yos, Lord Mendip, L want yours. "
Mr.. Markham sighed heavily. Il have
Just proposed to Miss Greatorex, and
she has been good enough to accept me. -
Lord, how int 'restin, cried the old
gentleman. Il rec 'lect your father was
my flag at Eton-Im talkin. yer know,
of the year thirty whine. BY Joye, you re
lucky chap, Markham, and l do con
gratulato you"
Mr. Markham received these felicita-
tions with some emotion and sighed
again not less heavily. Black and
White.
Hopeless Discomfort.