The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-12-14

y walk again with that Mr..
8 " 6 Elleslie, Meta?' cried Miss
4 n i Georgiana Tripton, aus
~C< terely.
Eyes, I am," said Meta
Graham, saucily. "Why shouldn't I:'
'.Its very unfeminine to spend all
ones time running after the gentle
men," snapped Miss Georgiana.
''But it's just the other way in my
case, Cousin Georgiana," said Meta,
demurely. '"The gentlemen run after
mex
"Pshawr' - ..'' :--....
sMr. Elleslie. asked me to walk
through the cemetery with him this
afternoon" added Meta, commanding
her temper with admirable equanimity.
II did not ask him.
And away tripped the little lassie,
humming popular air, in the sauciest
and most fascinating manner possible.
Georgiana Tripton was seven-and-
thirty, and Meta Graham was seven
teen, consequently it can easily be COM
pretended that there was no great
sympathy between the two cousins.
Georgiana was bilious and yellow, ex-
acting and irritable-Meta fresh and
rosy as Aurora's SELF with temper
sweet as May morning, and a score
of lovers at her feet Love,was as yet
only Metals plaything, but matrimony
J in the eyes of Georgiana Tripton was
the one serious business Of life.
She had made up her mind to marry
Frank Elleslie, albeit that young law
yer was ten good years younger than
herself, and as both happened to be
sojourning at the same hotel, fate for
once seemed inclined to favor her.
But when Meta Graham came down
from the city in all the glittering
armor Of her golden-haired beauty,
rose-and-snow complexion and dimp!ed
smiles, Miss Georgiana saw at once
that her cause was lost.
Frank Elleslie deserted basely to the
enemy at the very first flutter of, those
Irresistible banners of youth and beau
ty; but Georgiana secretly resolved
that if she could not marry the young
lawyer, Meta Graham should not,
either.
"I'll keep my eye on 'em at ali
eyents,p thought Miss Georgiana, vic
iously. "The cemetery is as free for
me to walk in as it is for them"
So Miss Tripton hurriedly invested
herself in outdoor attire and took the
crosscut over the fields toward the
beautiful rural cemetery, which was
the pride and ornament Of all the
neighborhood for miles around.
81 shall get there first" thought
Georgiana; "for, of course, they'll
dawdle along under the shade Of the
trees and be twice as long as they need
to. I've no patience with such senti-
mentalism. But I'll be even with that
pert little Merta yet. III listen to all
their nonsense, and I'll write such an
account of it to my Uncle Graham that
my young lady will find herself recalled
home the very first she knows. OF
course, they'll go to the Livingdale
monument-there is a green bench
there and an arbor Of sweet honey
suckle, and can hide just beyond"
Miss Tripton smiled grimly to her
self as she mentally surveyed this pro-
gram of battle against true love, and
pretty little Meta Graham, whose only
tangible offense was youth and beauty.
But when was the dragon in the fairy
tales ever known to spare the bright
eyed princess just because her eyes
were bright and her face pure oval?
The sprays of white and buff-blos-
somed honeysuckle were waving softly
about in the delicious summer air as
Miss Tripton stole into the green glade
where the exquisitely carved statue
that surmounted the Livingdale monu-
ment kept its still watch in the liquid
gold and ,odorous sweetness Of the
sunshine. 1t was a marble tribute to
the memory of a girl who had died
young, and whose features were sup
posed to be perpetuateG in the grace
full lines of the statue. But Just now
Miss Georgiana TriptoE had neither
time nor attention to waste on glealn'
ing marble or exquisite outline.
Just beyond, grim old granite
vault seemed to hide itself in the side
slope of hill, With it's iron gate swing
ing idly to and fro at the will Of the
wind. Georgiana stole into this vault
shrinking beneath its damp, sepulchra
shadows, as the sound Of footsteps Oh
the green turf beyond, and the ringing
sound Of Meta Graham's laughter, be-
tokened the near approach Of the
young lovers.
"a cankered old maid" pronounced
Mr.. Frank Elleslie, not without EN-
phasis. $50 she thinks it very wron:
Of you to walk with me, does she