The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-16


tablishment. Castellane's friends tele-
graphed to him that Monaco was here.
The count said he was coming as fast
as trains could bring him.
==-=-<z-=zz=aazs--=-- -------------
word or act. She was too young to see
any danger ahead. Had she felt an up
springing affection for him things
might have had a happier ending.
SHE DID NOT LOVE HIM.
But for some reason Myrtice did not
respond to the lavish affection of the
Southerner. 1t was not long before he
could see that she felt for him nothing
more than friendliness. The reason why
he could not at first imagine. The
thought of Myrtice having any other
lover did not occur to him. She was too
young and had been too much at home.
He popdered over it as he worked in
the fields or walked through the woods.
Why should not Myrtice love him as he
loved her? Then he sought to see If he
could not quicken her interest in him by
transferringinis attentions to some of her
girl friends. So he gave them candy and
walked home with them from church.
But still Myrtice showed no signs of
Jealousy, and her songs We're as merry
as ever and her smiles as frequent. The
found out why he could not touch Myr-
ties heart.
THE FAIR-HAIRED STRANGER.
One Sunday Hollingsworth and the
Dudley family went to church at
Douglas Centre. A stranger was there,
tall, slender, fair-haired young man,
who looked across at Myrtle, smiled
and nodded at her And Myrtle
blushed and smiled and nodded back,
blushed in a way Hollingsworth had
never seen her blush before. He went
home in a fever of mad jealousy, at
| odds with all the world, hating him
self, hating Myrtle, hating the fair
haired young man, hating everything
and everybody. In the evening he
went to church again. Myrtice was
| there and the fair-haired stranger and
| after the service was over they started
to walk home together. A thunder
shower had come up and rain was fall
ing. BY the glare of a flash OF light
ming AolingSworth saw the girl he
loved place her hand on the strangers
arm and step forth with him under
the same umbrella to begin the long
| walk home
That was several weeks ago. The
| Jealous lover had no trouble in finding
out about the stranger. All the young
folks in the neighborhood knew the
story of how Myrtle had met him at
the camp meeting in Douglas, q year
ago, for the first time, and again last
August, and some of the girls knew
that since August the stranger and
Myrtice had written letters to each
other Hollingsworth knew now why
| his love for Myrtice had met with no
| response. The fair-haired, colorless
stranger had won her girlish fancy be-
fore him. And he hated John REQ
dette, the stranger, because Myrtle
| loved him.
Day by day Hollingsworth brooded
over his SORROW and day by day his
| jealous fury increased Fresh fuel
was added to the fire almost hourly
Myrtice, with her winsome voice and
her happy eyes, was always with him.
| only her voice grew sweeter and her
eyes happier, but 1t was not for him.
| Once he joked about seeing her under
the umbrella with Reodette, and two
| or three times he said something about
her beau" but for the most part he
kept his grief and his jealousy to him
self. The quiet, peaceful country life
went on all around him. He seemed
the only thing out of harmony.
The woods and fields became glori-
fed with the mellow tints of autumn.
Naples and birohes shimmered their
| pale yellow leaves till they fluttered
down like fieclzs of sublimated sunshine.
The ash trees and oaks deepened into
puppies and dark red, and all over the
early October landscape lay the soft
ened airs that come only to the month
Of harvests when summers work is
ended and the earth lies resting before
the coming Of winter. Nothing took
place in the little town Of Douglas to
disturb its usual quiet. Even nature
was stilled. Now and then a solitary
cart, loaded with round yellow pump
kins or some other autumnal harvest
ing, creaked sleepily along the still
roads. In the woodland borders the
chipmunk "tze-tzed" and an occasional
bluebird fitted. The Jay came out from
his summers hiding and called to his
mates as he flashed on strong wing
through the tops of the pines. An oc-
casional long-drawn growing echoed
from some farm yards, but besides
these sounds and the chirping Of
crickets, scarcely anything was heard
Absolute peacefulness seemed to brood
over everything.
l. Out on the Dudley homestead the
stiffness was intensified. The harvest
was gathered, even the corn shocks had
been gathered, even the apples had been
shaken from the trees Harry was
away at school all day. Only Myr-
tice and her mother were about the
house. There were few Interruptions
from neighborly calls, the nearest farm
house being quarter of q mile away.
But under all the rural calm, in the
midst Of the most profound peaceful
ness, one heart was seething with pas
sion and ready to overflow in a torrent
Of reckless violence. 1t needed but an
added drop to send the rush over the
dam and flood the whole peaceful com
munity with dire confusion and grief.
And the added drop was not wanting.
THE LAST STRAW.
Last Sunday night John Reodette
came again to the little church In Dou-
glas, and again Myrtice Leonard start
ed to walk home with him after the
service. Everybody knows of the lras-
edy that followed. Hal Hollingsworth
had been in seemingly gay spirits for
several Gays. He pretended not to care
when the boys said to him that even
ing, you won't walk home with Myr-
tice tonight" with special emphasis on
the you" but the words sank into his
jealous heart as sparks into finder. Did
he set his teeth and vow. IF don't.
nobody else shall" or did he swear 10
be reVengeQ ON the man who eho1tio "a :