The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-07
sweet careSSeS.

sweet caresses.
The July sun was at its he1gnt' ouL mere;
beside the flowing water, it was shady and
-es+fuI. the background Of dense WoodS Win
Natures carpet of emerald green moss, form
ing a spot calculated to soothe overstralneo
nerves, in which to forget awhile eartns
"a res-a spot that seemed so far away from
the hurry and hustle Of great cities-ln fact,
a. place in which to dream away gorgeous
midsummer day.
And in this paradise was one dreamer
girl, young and beautltu; no o'efseia 1neu
nerves were hers.
LIES ftful fever had not touched ner as
vet, but love had come to her|ove, with
outstretched hands, in golden maze OF
hearts sunlight.
If possible, the lovely. face4 took a softer,
sweeter expression. <l N y
Reclining on the messy bank, she mace a
picture over which an artlsr "oulo haNe
raved.
She appeared little more than child-at
that adorable age where childhood and Worn-
anhood meet, the one coy and uncertain, the
other grave, yet wondering Wnat the IuIufe
NAV have in store.
Her dress was pure white the material Of
the gown, however, suggesting the 1oea that
the wearer was not too laV1snly endowed
with this worlds goods; whilst the broad
black ribbon on the shady hat which she mad
removed from her small, exquis1tely-shaped
head, was certainly a badge OF mourning.
This. indeed, was the case Only month
ago Mavis Dunsconrbe had lost her pest, ner
only friend-her mother.
She had grieved bitterly, and at first could
not and would not, be consoled; but IN that
roonth-so long, but now so short-love had
stepped in and though Mavis still gr1eved,
the keenness of her sorrow had passed. Was
NOT Adrian her own; were not her sorrows
his?
He had told her so, many and many a time,
and she had fondly believed every word he
had said And then the joys that were to be-!
would they not share them also-together?
OF grief of parting, of shame of the great
tragedy of life she thought nothing.
To her it was sealed book; or II sne
Thought at all, the golden curtain hung al
wavs between, and the dark moving shapes
that were to make up the drama Of her life
were indistinct and vague.
This was as it should be.
was she.not young and beautiful? and did
o+ oil the world lie fair and smiling before
her in the mystic light of loves young dream
And so she sat beneath the dropping
beeches, and thought girls innocent
thonehts of her lover-of Adrian Carolin, who
tr-ee fhe only son of the owner or the stately
nile of castellated buildings, known in all the
countryside as Carolin Towers.
II was but three short weeks since Mavis
D,,necornbe had met the man who was today
~ +be world to her, and whose influence, be
- for veal or woe, would color the whole of
bar existence, to make or to mar the fair life
as he thought fit
hi Rut to Adrian it came in the form of a
terrible temptation
.1Iis own she murmured to herself again
- again: and, lifting her eyes, she saw
a,onine, towards her the man she loved
M, al the pure trustfulness of a first love
VIZ rn,,Id she have foreseen the future that
looked so smiling, she would have been
inrted to throw herself into the river at her
+ which lower down in its course was
800 and treacherous, ere she turned, with
~ floyelight in her blue eyes, to meet him
Who was her hero and her king.
He took her in his arms and kissed he1
II knew I should find you here, Mavis, my
own"