The Washington times., 1903-01-25

lure him TO her again Were he her
partner-and full half her card was
hist was to dance q single turn. her
perfumed hair tntoxicatingly near his
face, then to tire. that she might be
stow the remainder of the dance on /
some other Of her attendant throng,
until. between hope and doubt, young
AIexander's passionate heart beat be /
yond control.
Tt was in the yard-the beautiful old /
yard about the mansion, where she /
had led him, the wild south wind .
blowing her yellow gauzes from her /
arms, her throat-that he. having torn /
thorny length of bloom from a
climbing yellow brier, with sudden /
daring caught its two ends and held /
it, crown-iike, about her head With /.
insolent consciousness Of her beauty, /
she threw her head back, bringing her /
hooking, upturned face near to his /
Then, seeing the wild look Of daring /
that sprang to his eyes. she laughed /
lightly and tipped him in the face, I
with the gloves she held, as one might /
correct ones dog.
Tainted beyond endurance, they /
say. he seized her in his arms ans F
kissed her. With q moments pause, /
while the Inskip pride gathered its {
force. she snatched the thorny switch .
OF brier and struck him across the /
face, not once. but many times-he I.
standing white and motionIess. after /.
the first stroke, until her passion .
spent Itself.
After that young Alexander passed !
out of the social life Of the place, and
the career Of Miss Lavinia Inskip be-
came more than ever celebrated Sto-
ries without number are told of this
period Of her life Once, it is said, at
an accepted suitor's jealous remon-
strances. she slipped his ring from her
finger, tossed the costly baubIe
through the open window, and left
the wretched man. metaphorically, to
follow. She qUarreIed with another
only d few days from the altar, and
distributed the costly rousseau. the
talk Of the county, among her negro
girls And so they went, all these
traditions-aU Of them telling how she
and wealth and wit and beauty and
+ insolent pride were one-she whose all
was now within the four walls Of a
room over q BARRIERS shop.
Old Christ Church had again come
into fashionable favor, and its sittings
were in demand; so much had been
! done for it by the presence Of a new
and young assistant rector and a sur
pliced choir Years had passed since
rent had been paid for the InskiD pew.
yet no one had thought to question
Miss Layinia's right to sit there. To-
day her generation was fast thinning
out The old rector was abroad; Miss /
Laviuia's pew was wanted, and the
young assistant, calmly assuming the
/ prerogat:ves and duties of the sleepy
and inert vestry, saw no reason why
it should not be taken. There
were numerous single sittings va
cant, he reasoned, and in a pref
thy worded note to Miss La
vinia he intimated as much, at the
same time neglectng to mention the
matter to his vestry-
Did Miss Lavinia eEer. receive that
note? It would have been hard for
those TO decide who saw her walk
into church that next Sunday, her
India shawl so adjusted on the sIop-
/ ing shoulders as to make the best dis 7
play Of the old silk dress: her slender
hands folded on the faded velvet
prayer book, her once auburn hair
streaked 10 a yellow gray, but her
eyes as bright as in the days Of their
insoIent youth. With the old stateli-
ness, and just touch of the old
abandon, she walked the length Il
the aisle, and her strong soprano
voice rose in the chant as usual from
the cushioned interior Of the Insktp
pew.
That week il was whispered around
that a piece of the Inskip burying
ground in the cemetery was offered
for saIe-that large entrance plot
with its famous purple beeches. which (
in old days boosted such a display
Of flower beds and shTubbery. AFTER /
wards II came to light that the young /
rector had called on Miss Lavinia /
that same week to explain the point /
and to request her 10 resign her pew