The Jamesburg record., 1902-02-22

me speak of him; and if she has
known him all this time, and not
spoken of it, there's some mystery
some secret between them. Oh! the
slv creaturei Commend me to these
quiet, reticent girls for deceit"
Whatever else Miss Ranken was,
she lost no time in asking her cousin
plainly in regard to her acquaintance
with Oliver Blount.
"Berta, you never mentioned that
you had met Oliver" she said, the
first moment she found herself alone
with her cousin.
81 don't know that l have, Edith"
returned Berta.
And bright pink, that Edith saw
was very becoming, flushed up to the
girls clear. brown cheek.
"Of course you don't-ss often as
you've heard me speak of him! How
anyone can be so deceitful!"
Edith" said Berta, with evident
pain. "I never thought of deceiving
you or anyone. How could l think
it would interest you to know that 1
had met Mr.. Blount?"
She could not have told her cousin
that even to speak that name was
liberty she seldom allowed herself,
and then only in the sacred silence
of her own thoughts.
"Well, tell me all about it now,"
exclaimed Miss Ranllen, impatiently.
"Where did you meet him?"
Last summer. when | was travel
ing with Mrs. Marston. She is dis
tant cousin of his, and one of the
children is called after him"
Dear mellow touching!" thought
Edith, while Berta continued, unsus-
pecting her cousins disagreeable
thoughts.
"It was in Switzerland that Mr..
Blount joined our party, and as
had the whole oare of the children,
sometimes he accompanied us when
we went on excursions. l don't think
Mrs. Marston had any idea how dan
gerous it was, or else she never
would have allowed me to take the
children. One day there was snow
slide, and l CHANGED to become aware
of it before anyone else. The chill
dren were safe, but Mr.. Blount was
directly in the way of it, and l man
aged to drag him backward just as
the immense mountain of snow came
laundering down. and crashed into
ravine, almost alongside of us. An
other moment, it would have struck
him and carried him down along with
it,
Good gracious! How romantic!"
exclaimed Edith. "Then you saved
his life?"
"He chose to think so," said Berta,
coldly. But it was a mere chance.
II anyone else had been there, it
would have been the same thing"
She turned away, and presently left
the room. and Edith saw very plain
ly that she would not be questioned
further 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
I don't believe man likes to feel
that woman has saved his life. Any
way, 1 must devise some means of
keeping them apart"
"To think you should have been
right about Berta being engaged"
said Edith that same evening to Oh
iver 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 l wish her all happiness. I knew
her slightly last year when I was
abroad, and think her lovely char
acter. But who is the happy man-if
it is not an indiscreet question:"
"Ah, 1 can't tell you that just yet!
She hasn't given me her entire conf
dence; but she wears his ring. l have
seen her kiss it again and gain, as if it
contained the whole word for her in
that little heart that is carved on the
stone. Such a curious ring it isl"
divers own heart gave a sudden
bound as he listened.
"Then it is to the giver of the ring
that she is engaged?" he asked.
'Why, certainly-to whom else? She
wears it on her engagement finger:
and no girl ever kissed ring as I 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