The Newtown bee., 1900-11-16

When Margaret Clarke accepted her cousln's invitation to spend winter fort night at Four-Winds farm, she did not know that R0ss Miller was to be there, too. He, likewise, was in state or blissful ignorance. Both of them, nad they known of the others prospective presence, would have betaken themselves
 Mrs Aldrich, out of the goodness and Kindness of her heart, was responsible for this bungie. She had known, In the preceding summer, that Ross and Marga- lot were engaged, and she did not know of tho later quarrel and parting, she sup pesed that 70 lpend two whole weeks buried in sn0wdrifts and country nll!s at FOur.Winds farm would fulfil their conception of Edea as nearly as anything could.
 r Moreover, in order sweetly to surprise them, she never said word to either about the other, 50 that when Margaret, tall and fair and stately, rose from her chair by the fire to meet Ross Miller in his tn 3wy sEo1 o1m-cOat, both as beautifully stiff and taaen aback as can be imagined, whlle poor Mrs Aldrich was puzzled, and began ro have dismal presentment that she had mahe . mess of things somehow. However, ,Mise Clarke and her ex-fance knew what was due % their hostess so cool to each other, and supper was smooth affair, although . rather chilly one. %
 Ross Miller secretly made up his mind to get . teIegram next day summonipg him back to town on urgent business. Bus the, ,seorm that had begun that night l was raging with such fury next morning that 1t, waa quite impossible for him to get anywhere for an excuse.
 "We're in for taa good, old-fashioned snow storm" announced Ar Aldrich lchsexfuily. 1n.'Y oa'll see-you city folks who, dob,t know what . real snow storm ia. It will snow all day and drift all to- morrow and the roads will have to be lbroken al the nc xt. Four winds deserves
 its name and no mistake. If there is
 beatne of wind or . sprinkle of snow l Roiugy we'll Get it."
 Ross Miller, who hadn't slept winh al night, looked a If in doubt whether
 to be ShAnkfal or not; and Margaret ate
 her egg with m exaggerated air of indif ference e to whether 1t stormed for week. Nrs Aldrfch by this time was sure thai !, there was something seriously wrong tf6heasaw thas the ring Margaret had worI .1 in theS summer was gone and, althougt 4 ohe- wss e woman of tact and resource k fshe felt honebtty appalled, at the though 1of having two ex-loVers, who might pos
 sibly hate each other now, shut up Il Thor house for two or three stormy days tTbis was her fret view of 1t. But a she turned the matter over ! ! liner mind her spirits rose. Suppose derstanding, and that these two reall. :. cared for each otheE yet, and were onl . in need of . friendly thlrd to bring then together again! If that were so, Mrs Al , drich felt cure che was foreordained Q providence to be that third. But sh lmust make no more mistakes.
 II must find out from Margaret iua how matters stapd," she It flected. ''Sh
 will ellme if ask her. Then Ill SC
 what can be done." That afternoon
 when Mrs Ald ich had:eettled herself coa
 fly down in her fsvorite oc rner, with ne fancy work, she began her rec0nnoll
 sance. Margaret was leaning back the Dig Sleepy Hollow chair, with he IsFmss clssped above her head {; she had
 lbook in her lap, but she was not reading
 end her eyes were fixed dreamlly on th
 flre. Mrs Aldrich gave little cough an Ithen said
 "Nargaret, why didn't you tell me be fore that your engagement with Kos
 was brokeDf I wouldn't have made th
 mistake of inviting you here togethe
 Ithen." Margaret came out of her rever
 with . little flush.
 'I supposed you knew, "she said, ratl Tor nervously., "All our friends in tow laid. Didn't any of them tell youf"
 c. "No. Town gossip never gets out E fir as Four-Winds. We are really burit d1 alive here. suppose you are bleseir }. mo in capitals for getting you into tn d tecrape." D ssNot at all," said Margaret, trying .s speaking indiffsrently. Don't let tn B-f worry you, Amy. It really doesn't ma !ef tef, to me in the least. Perhaps A l. Miller may feel rather uncomfortable
 althouRh I dcn't think he cares, either
 There was some bitterness in Mar& f-4Rot 10 excited that she matched tv