Middletown transcript., 1902-03-15

/ lowed me to take the children. On
day there was snowslide, and ! chance
to become aware Of it before anyon
else. The children were safe, bnt Mr.
Blount was directly in the way of il
and ! managed to drag him backwar,
| just as tie immense mountain of snos
came laundering down, and crashes
into a ravine, almost alongside of us
Another moment, it would have strucl
him and carried him down along Will
it,"
''Good gracious! How romanticl'
exclaimed Edith s.Then you saved
his life?"
aHe chose to think so, said Berta
coldly. But it was mere chance
If anyone else had been there, it would
have been the same thing
She turned away, and presently left
the room, and Edith saw very plainly
that she would not be questioned fur.
ther on the subject.
"She's in love with him, and doesn't
know it," thought the more expert
enced girl, "and be careful. Some one
says pity is akin to love, and already
she has the enormous claim upon his
attention of having saved his life. But
gratitude isn't love, and / don't believe
man likes to feel that woman has
saved his life. Any way, I must devise
some means of keeping them apart !"
'sTo think you should have been
right about Berta being engagedp' said
Edith that same evening to Oliver
Blount.
They were on the veranda, and the
shadow of the vines made the dusk of
twilight so deep that Blount's sudden
start was not seen by his companion;
but had the light been less dim she
might even have noticed slight paling
OF his handsome countenance as he
said:
'Is she really engaged, then? I'm
sure wish her all happiness. / knew
her slightly last year when / was
abroad, and / think her a lovely char
acter But who is the happy man-if
it is not an indiscreet question:"
"Ah, can't tell you that just yeti
She hasn't given me her entire conf
dence; but she wears his ring. I have
seen her kiss it again and again, as if
it contained the whole world for her
in that little heart that is carved on
the stone. Such curious ring it isp'
Oliver's own heart gave sudden
bound as he listened.
''Then it is to the giyer of the ring
that she is engaged?' he asked.
"Why, certainly-to whom else? She
wears it on her engagement finger;
andno girl ever kissed ring as l have
seen Berta kiss hers, unless she was
crazy in love with the giver of it."
Blount made no remark; but Edith
did not doubt that she had produced
the right effect on his mind, and per-
haps she had; but she would have
been tolerably mystifed if she could
have known just what this effect was.
To her amazement the revelation she
had made to him had not the effect
she anticipated. Oliver neglected all
opportunity of deyoting himself to the
fair Edith, and was constant as her
shadow to the shy, brown Berta.
'sThe man must be going crazy. 1
believe the sly creature has bewitched
him." thought Edith, almost in de-
spair, as she watched him walking
along beside Berta one day, his head
bent low to catch the murmured words.
Her gaze followed him till they dis
within an arbor all overgrown
with honeysuckle; and then curiosity,
not untouched with jealousy, overcame
all other feelings, and Edith few to-
ward the arbor, and, hidden by the
wild growth of vines, listened to the
voices within.
You wear my ring, Berta, dear"
Oliver was saying, "and you promised
TO wear it forever as a token of my
gratitude. You would not let me say
more at that time; but now you must
listen to me, darling, and promise to
wear another ring-a plain gold one
as token of my hearts devotion to
The only woman can ever love"
"Oh, Mr.. Blount - Oliverp' faltered
Berta; but she did not draw away
from the encircling arm. Chow can
you care for me? And Edith always
thought-Pm sure she thinks, too
Edith's cheeks began to fame with
rage and modification. She felt dis
position to strangle her cousin before
'he could say anything further, and
'he had to bite her lips to keep from
crying out.
"Oh, no; the fair Edith knows better
han that; besides,'' added Oliver, seiz-
ing Berta's hand and kissing it, but
for her I would never have dared to
ell you the secret of my heart; it was !
Edith herself who told me that she
had seen you kiss this little ring Of |
mine in such way that she knew you
owed the giver"
An exclamation she could not repress
burst from Edith's pale lips,
'sOh, what fool have beenp' she
nuttered. IT actually have played the
girls game for her.
But the lovers were too much occu-
pied to hear any voice just then except |
heir own low murmurings; and Miss
Ranken, with a sudden feeling that she
had heard enough, glided away from
'he overhanging vines and hastened
back to the hotel.
Bitter, almost unendurable, was her
humiliation; but she was sufficiently a
woman Of the world to hide it from all |
.yes. And her voice was loudest Of an
n hearty cnnesatnlations when IN tbo
,ourse of few days, the announcement
vas formally made of Berta's engage
nent.-N 7. Weekly.