The Opelousas courier., 1901-07-13
A Need Satisfied.
BY VIRGINIA LORINO.

/ lacked five years Of my tWo-score-
and-ten, and was living alone in the
snug little house left me by my father,
Just on the outskirts of London. The
house, a few valuable articles of plate
and some $4,000 constituted all my
worldly goods. I kept them all under
my own personal surveillance. or
banks l had mYbown opinion, and !
knew a far sater place for my little
hoard than intrusting it to strange and
perhaps dishonest men.
l was sitting one afternoon in my
pretty little drawing room, revolving
in my mind the Improvement a LITTLE
paint and wall paper might be, and at
the same time unwilling to expend the
necessary sum, when my neat little
maid-servant announced that a gentle
man had called to see me.
| took a hasty glance in the mirror
to convince myself that my hair was
in order and my cap-ribbons on the
| proper angle, when his shadow dark
ened the threshold.
l glanced up; / fear I blushed. His
| dark eyes were fixed so penetratingly
upon me that mine fell beneath their
glance. l had caught but a passing
| glimpse of the handsome face and tall,
| manly form, but dared not look again.
"You will pardon me. madam he
began.
mot madam" | interrupted; Miss
Loring."
miss Loring," he repeated after me.
II ventured on the madam, because |
thought it could not be possible Miss
Loring could have been permitted to
retain that prefix she so evidently pre-
fers."
Presumptuous it may have been in
a stranger, but spoken in a low, musi-
cally modulated voice, it did not pre-
sent itself to me in the right light.
l instantly tried to remember all the
heroes l had read of in the romances
l procured from the library, and to de-
termine which one of them he most re-
sembled.
There was one great void which
heretofore had always existed in my
llI6-d IUulduLlC ADVENTURE.
Singular as it may seem, 1 had never
had one. My heart began to palpitate
as I thought that possibly the need
would now be satisfied.
81 almost hesitate to make known to
you the cause Of my visit, lest you
should regard it in the light of an i'm
pertinent intrusion" he continued;
''but in passing by your house, l no.
tioed the upper roc in your back
building, which Is peculiarly adapted
for a studio. / am an artist and in
search of just such an apartment, for
which I am willing to pay a most lib
eral price. I shall occupy it only dur
ing a few hours each day. If Miss
Loring will not accede to my request,
will she not at least pardon it,"
He bowed low and deferentially be-
fore me. My brain was in a whirl.
What could his proposition mean?
Had he seen me and made this a pre-
text to know me? I could not tell. I
dared not trust myself as yet to give a
decided answer.
II will think the matter over" I
said, and | fear there was a slight
RIGHTEOUSNESS in my tone. "If you will
call tomorrow / will let you know my
decision"
II will leave you my card, them"
he replied, drawing his cardcase from
his pocket, and placing a delicately en-
graved card on the table. 81 am quite
willing to pay a pound a week. and If
you accede to my request, I shall con-
slider myself indeed your debtor"
/ rose and courtesied as he bowed
himself out. A pound a week! 1t al
I need NJ longer study
ways and e as to paint and wall
paper. I should be able to do all that
| had planned, and more. Why, then,
I hesitate? Why had / not
said yes at once? Perhaps he never
would return.
My heart sank at the thought, to a
depth nc mere ~pecuniary loss could
have entailed upon it.
Had this stranger, then. made an
upon that susceptible por-
ton Of my anatomy? He looked
younger than my real age-but what
Of that? Doubtless looked far
younger than my years.
At the last taking of the census I
had given my age at %, and, further
than a slight elevation of his eyebrows,
The census taker showed not the
slightest surprise. | thought after
wards the movement was a nervous
affection, and was sorry that I had not
proposed a specific cure.
| took up the card from the table. |
It bore the name of Algernon Vernon.
.lgernon! / might have known he
would possess such a name!
tried in vain to rivet my wander
ng thoughts upon the latest romance.
Nothing its pages contained equaled
his new and absorbing element in my
life. Ali my doubts concerning my re-
iolve had fed.
On the morrow | would accede to Mr..
Vernon's request. Not even the
1eighbors could find food for gossip,
nasmuch as he would occupy the room
,nly during a few daylight hours.
But why had he selected mine? The
houses on either side of the street were
IT the same construction. Evidently
le had a motive other than appeared
IN the surface for wishing to gain an
,ntree into my humble abode.
Next day found be in a state of ner-
vous agitation lest he should disap-
Joint me; but there was no occasion
or it.
Promptly on the hour of the day pre-
edinp ha arrival and 7 made Lnoup