Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-03-31
CHAPTER w.

Eh1r0 Hunt. III is also NECESSARY W
state that during that period he had
seen a good deal of pretty Miss Molly
Devereux, who. faithful to the pro-
mise she had given him, had shown
him a large amount of the county,
with the fences, hedges, and bitches
thereof She was also the person who
was mainly responsible for the large
sum OF money he had spent on horse
flesh during that time. AS a matter
Df fact, this impressionable young man
was head over ears in love, and to
prove 1t, he neglected his work, i'm
perilled his neck, and, as his mother
remarked, ran an almost daily risk
Of coming to an early grave through
waiting about on the outskirts Of
damp coverts, to say nothing of the
long, wet rides home on wintry even
ings.
II cannot understand why you do
it," said the old lady, who, by the
way, as not nearly SO obtuse as she
pretended to be. when you first
came home from abroad, you declared
that the hunting would never possess
sufficient attraction to take you out
on damp day. Now you are never
happy unless you are in the saddle. -
'It's good, healthy exercise,
mother" said Kitty, with the suspic-
ion of a twinkle in her eyes. BE
sides, Godfrey has taken such lik-
ing to Sir George Penistone, the Mas
ter, that he is never happy when he is
parted from him.
Now, if there was one person in the
county for whom Godfrey entertained
a profound distaste, it was for the
gentleman in question. Sir George
was known to have been desperately
in love with Miss Devereux ever since
he had left the Varsity; but, while he
vas plucky enough in the saddle. and
would ride his horse at anything
that an animal could be expected to
Jump, and at a good many that 1t
could not, he had never been able to
crew up his courage sufficiently to
breach the subject to her. Finding
sver, had given him a flip, and, in
consequence. relations between the two
young men were as strained as it was
possible for them to be, and yet to al
low them to remain on speaking
terms. Whether the young lady her.
,elf was aware of this is more than |
IAN say; if she were, she gave no sign
Of it,, but treated them both with the
same importantly Certain other
ladies of the hunt vowed that she was
a heartless flirt and that she was
playing one man off against the other
ever, could only be expected from peo-
pie who would have acted in the same
fashion had they been placed in a SIM
liar position.
1t has been said by a well known
contrary, was crusty old bachelor,
and, therefore, well qualified to speak
upon the matter, that the very uncer-
tainty of love is one of its greatest
charms" | fancy that Godfrey Hen
nerson, at that particular time, would
not have agreed with the sage in queS-
ton. The uncertainty of knowing
whether he was loved or not, was max
ing a different man Of him. In days
that seemed as far removed from the
present as if a gulf of centuries lay
between, he had been a happy 60
lucky, easy-going fellow, taking the
world as he found it, and never al
lowing himself to be much troubled by
anything. Now, however, he had grown
preternatuarly solemn, was much given
to silent communings with himself, and
only frightened up when he was in the
presence of the person who was the
DDJSCt OIL MS dQOTdIiOn Naturally tnIS
sOuld not continue for long.
'Tll speak to her the very first op-
portunity I get" he said to himself;
land if she won't have me, I'll cut the
whole show and go abroad. I could
pick up Fensden in Dresden, and we'll
go off to Japan together"
But when he was given a favorable
opportunity of speaking, he found he
was unable to bring his courage to the
sticking point, and for the next day
or two he called himself by a variety
of names that, had they been addressed
to him by any one else, he would have
considered most Objectionable. Re-
garded dispassionately, in the silent
watches of the night, it seemed small
thing to do. He had only to get hel
alone, to take her hand. if he could
manage to obtain possession of 1t, and
then to make his passion known anG
ask her to be his wife. Any one could
do that, and he had the best of reasons
when he looked round the circle of his
married acquaintance, for knowine
that 1t had been carried out success.
fully on numerous occasions before
Yet when 1t became necessary to mt