Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1903-03-27
nen.d to issue from his den, and proceed

pened to issue from his den, and proceed
ed to let her in.
'Is that June's voice?" she asked, put
ting on the most surprised and shocked
expression her %puritanical face was Ca
pable Of. "What Is. she doing|"
"She and Dial are playing b%attledoor,"
answered Tom, and then, for the first
time, the idea occurred to him, or rather
was forced upon him by Agnes face, that
their mirth was rather exuberant.
"Oh!" she uttered, putting a volume Of
expression into the word.
June had just sunk, breathless from
laughing and running, into a chair, and
Dallas leaned against the wall in much
the same condition. Both their faces
were becomingly flushed from excitement
and exercise, and, to unjaundiced eyes,
they would have seemed the picture of
two handsome, happy and i%nnocently
amused young people. But not to the en-
| vious eyes of Agnes, and she allowed them
to express to June how very much scam
dalized she was by such levity. In a mo-
ment June read her cousins face, and a
thrill of anger and defiance shot through
her breast, which the previous moment
had been q harbor of peace and happi-
ness.
"How do you do?" she said, nodding,
and making her battledoor an excuse for
not shaking hands. 81 am quite exhaust
ed. Would you like to have a turn with
Tom?"
mo, 1 thank you," replied Agnes, frig-
idly. 81 did not know it was a game
grown-up people played"
ibid you notT" said June, lightly. "Ah,
that comes of living in the country. One
sees and knows so little"
perhaps one is the better for that"
tress-like manner
IL doubt it." retorted June. "Now, Dial
l have recovered my breath. Shall we
go onT'
1t was the first time she had ever called
him by his Christian name, and she would
not have done it now but that Agnes hat
inspired her with a furious desire to de
something that would give her cousin
cause to be shocked.
MAY l go and see darling boy?' sale
Agnes to Tom, with n glance Of deepes
commiseration, and he replied cheeril.
that he would go with her.
!. The game no longer had any charm 70
June; she felt as though the serpent hat
, entered paradise, and, after five minutes
: she declared she was tired.
!, ~ must go and write some letters,
she said, and Dallas pleaded that h
, might be allowed to occupy himself in tn
a same way in her company. So they be
took themselves to her ladyship's boudoil
1 where she supplied him with the requisit
materials, and then sat down to her writ
ing table.
Dallas had come for the inside of
> week, and sorely sorry was his hostess t
see him depart on the Saturday morning
1t was like sunshine going out Of TIL
{ house.
|, June went to the door to see her CUES
y off, and returned to her room with a d.
D. cided sinking at her heart, knowing tha
$ his bright face and voice would max
themselves terribly missed, and suddenl
burst into a fit Of crying. Agnes pas
. ed the window, and stopped for a momel
to look in. As she reached the hall doc
Tom was coming round from the stable
"Oh, Tom," she said, with well-feigne
D. anxiety, "there is nothing the matter wit
: darling boy, is thereT
NO." he answered, startled-"certai
t. ly not. But why?"
"Why, 1 just came round past the NOR
ing ROOM" returned Agnes, Innocent
10 land l saw poor June crying so drea
10 fully that l thought was afraid"
st "June crying!" exclaimed Tom; al
I'd then he paused abruptly, as a most u
#. pleasant thought smOte him.
w Dinner that night was a very differe
n sort of function from what it had been
q. late. A gloom seemed to have fallen
ct the party.
H. "How silent we all are!' observed Nj
Nv Ellesmere, MS 1t was drawing to a clos
ht "and how dreadfully I miss that dear BIO
cd Don't you, my dear?" to June.
To YES" answered June, and at that n
of ment she caught Toms eye fixed on her
IT. a she neither quite liked nor u
"a derstood, and was deeply mortified to fl
on herself growing crimson.
- To be continually A.,