The record-union., 1899-08-27

from saying.
ITO neither of us, DEAR" Miss Var
ney replied quietly. He was just a
very good friend
Miss Leven rose and left the room.
Lucy thought there were tears in her
eyes.
She turned around impulsively to the
woman who was left, and stole her
hand into hers.
Dear Miss Varney!" she murmured.
"Have / been stupid?''
mot at all, DEAR Miss Varney an
swered cordially, holding Lucy's hand
closely. I'VE are a couple of absurd
old women, that's all! Robert Mus
grave was our friend, and we loved
him! My dear child, what things / am
saying to you!'
She gave a faint nervous laugh, and
put the girls hand away.
But the girl took hold of her again
and begged:
Dear Miss Varney, do tell me about
it. 1t does interest me so to compare
notes, you know. / am not such q
baby, really. 1 know what love means"
do you really?" The older woman
smiled. 1t was a sweet, confused, self
mocking smile that showed the girl
what lovely and attractive woman
Miss Varney must once have been, and
that not so long ago. DO you know,
that lady continued, you are very
inSinuating little thing?
Tell me, now do tell me-" pleaded
Lucy, seeing and quick to profit by the
advantage she had gained. Tell me
all about him! Couldn't you? Oh, 1
do think him 50 handsomei"
THE most handsome man of his
time!" Miss Varney corroborated her,
land quite the most remarkable. He
did wonderful things. Any woman
might have been proud to have been
loved by him-or to have had him for a
friend
but he did love woman?" cried
the young girl eagerly, catching at the
first triumphant part of Miss Varney's
sentence, not it's lame and impotent
conclusion. Her little hesitation was
due to a thought that would force it
self thought she not to have SAID
1.-TWO women?
Did he? Some woman, OF course.
But he never knew anything about
that" said Miss Varney Loyalty. 'lje
was very fond of Kitty and me. We
both knew that, and were proud CT it
his respect and esteem. I don't think
that there was any difference in his
way of looking at US! He was very
fond of us-he iirted with us BOTH
WAS he a f1irt, then?" asked the girl
in a disappointed tone.
Terrible, my dear." Miss Varney
said, smiling, with retrospective in
diligence. But we don't jucge kim.
Why should we? He could no more
help flirting with US, or any other pret-
| ty girl-we were pretty-than we could
help falling in love with him. lie
ney er pretended, AT any rate. And he
never knew. That il. a. well, isn't it z"
She had sad little sirile that pierced
the girls very heart, and gave her the
Fist conception of the harolsm and
grace that may lie in the voluntary as
s'.11I ten of a comic view Of things
tragic.
r'Was he married?" she blurted out
My good child" was all Miss Var
ney deigned to answer. She was, how
ever not cross, but went on laughing
What sort of books have you been
reading? 1 shall begin to think that
) our mother has not been looking after
you properly. Robert Musgrave died
| at the age of forty, unmarried
But then / must say I don't under
stand"
My dear little girl" said Miss Var
ney, tapping Lucy's head amicably
You must not let romantic notions run
away with you. Did | not tell you, that
| though Miss Leven and I-she will,
am sure, not mind my speaking for her;
we are one in thisi-though we loved
| him with an equal love, he was equally
| Indifferent to us both-in that way.
| There was no mistake about it. Don't
| let that be in your little mind 1t is
an absurd story, but it is all the story
We have got, Kitty and 1. We have
| it between us, as two children have a
| toy. We came together after his death,
| and admitted that we had both been
| fond of him, and he of us. We decided
| to throw our recollections into the
| common stock, as it We're. 1t makes
| it bigger-more worth having, don't you
| see? And it makes it easier to mourn
| him together. We shall not be so very
| long behind him, 1 trust!"
and to which of you, wonder.
/ the ingenious Lucy thought to herself;
but aloud she said: Dear, dear Miss
! Varney, I hope you will live forever1"
She put her arms around Miss Var
ney, and her eyes wandered to the
! symbol of this strange widowhood on
| Miss Varney's black hair. Her thoughts
| flew to the other widow of Robert Mus
| grave, the sentimental one, who had
no sense of humor, and, who, she
shrewdly suspected was crying her
eyes out in the cold, fireless dining
room at this very moment. She re-
| membered Miss Leven's SOFT round
| cheeks and her pale, yellow locks and
| decided in her own mind that though
/ in her youth she must undoubtedly
| have been the prettier of the two, yet
| that Miss Varney must have been by
! far the most vivacious and interesting.
| Miss Leven, wherever she was, did
not come back. "I wonder if | might
say to you what I have been thinking?"
Lucy asked Miss varney, timorously.
| "Of course, dear; say anything you
| like! 1 have given you my confidence
our confidence, I might say-and
| do not withdraw it,"
| 'It is this-that I think-somehow-
that Mr. Musgrave must have liked you
| the best
| "Ah, my dear" she said, don't think
! to please me like that 1t is a wrong
note, and you must never strike it.
want no concessions to my vanity. Mr.
| Musgrave did not care for one of us
more than the other, and that is the Sc
! cret Of our bond-Miss Laven's and