The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1906-12-27

bly, prove his salvation, you are yet
willing to throw yourself chivalrously
into the breach, to protect a strange
girl from Lord Rashville?"
Yes. | acknowledge that the Quix-
ote' in me is reused by the very name
Of Nashville. 1t tempts me even to
valiant deeds. BY Jovel" He made a
sudden movement.
Lady Hardcastle's attention was
caught by some unusual tone in his
voice She saw his eyes stray past
he flowers that danced as though
beating time to the breeze, and rest
on the figure of girl to whom he
pointed an indicating finger. She
was exceedingly well dressed and
wore a garden-hat of strongly twisted
straw, in which nestled violets that
ranged from timid lilac to the imperial
purple in tone One hand, delicate,
somewhat heavily iewel-laden. held a
parasol which. from time to time, she
spun. She had an abundance of very
lovely hair. soft as smoke and black
in shadow, though, where the light
touched II, even smoke-tinged in col
or. Her eyes were gray, deep lumin.
Gus, as gray eyes only can be, and the
lids of them were tinged with the col
or that is on the sheath of the iris
flower before its birth. There was
about the girl, altogether. a look of
holiness that put Christopher in mind
of Sunday in the country, when the
worlds traffic stilled, its cares are laid
aside in honor of the day.
There was something in her mere
presence that made the sordid discus
sion of money in connection with her
seem PROCLAMATION.
He wondered If her mental equip.
ment were in harmony with the beauty
of her exterior. He turned to Lady
Hardcastle
II withdraw all my objections" said
he. at strikes me that 1t will be a
real pleasure to make her acquaint.
ance. A weeks uninterrupted tete-a-
tete with so pretty o 'Dulcinea doesn't
seem as disturbing task as 1t did.
| will make love to her-by proxy. of
course-talk to her on all subjects.
will make her my confidante; pour out
my raptures into her presumably pret.
ty ear and extract sympathy from her
presumably tender heart. This sym.
pathy shall certainly need, for II to
make love in order to be loved is hui
man, to make love In order that an
other may be loved is superhuman,
and in such a task shall want en-
couragement."
A fortnight later, the same two peo-
pie, in exactly the same surroundings.
were again discussing tea.
Yet in the attitude of both there was
change. Urbanity beamed upon the
face OF Lady Hardcastle. The ease,
the assurance properly belonging to
Christopher, woven to a mantle of
content, seemed to have fallen upon
her shoulders; whilst a shamefaced.
Christopher. His 81 am afraid you'll
think I've spoiled 1t. LYDIA was alb.
solutely selfconscious.
"On the contrary, you have been
wonderful. Christopher; you have
shadowed the girl so that nobody could
get near her. | am excessively crate.
ful to you. And now" continued the
trustiul woman, how glad you must
be that your task is over, for Bob ar,
rives tonight"
Does he?"
II fear you have been very much
bored"
Not at all. Even at the first when
thought 'Dulcinea' merely a brilliant
abstraction, and | huttered round as
elegantly as my advancing years
would permit, ! was interested Then
keeping well in mind your instructions
to talk to her on all subjects-extract
ing sympathy from her assuredly ten.
der heart-pouring raptures into her
assuredly pretty ear! in a word. max
ing love to her by proxy, as you urged
upon me"
'I-urged upon you-!" she inter,
ruptingly faltered.
Il should think so," Christopher af
firmed. We'll, one day-or. to be
more circumstantial, this particular
day-she and | got upon the subject
| of American literature-or, at least
she talked of American literature
and talked of Bob He broke of.
why didn't you tell me she was so
well up in it?" he asked
$50 well up in American literature?'
asked Lady Hardcastle.
yes, Longfellow! He's an Ameri.
can, isn't he?"
''Longfellow! Yes, suppose So
said Lady Hardcastle, weighing her
words.
"He appears to have written a poem
about man named Miles Standish."
did he?" Lady Hardcastle raised
her eyebrows until they became notes
of Interrogation. Il really don't see
Neither did !, till 'Dulcinea' ex.
planned"
Explained what?"
THAT there was silly fool who
| took upon himself the task of pleading
somebody else's cause to a girl, who
| pulled him up with: Why not speak
| for yourself, John'?" Christopher
looked at his sister.in-law and smiled
"a smile quite useless If II were in
tended to disarm resentment. "Dul-
cinea, think, forgot the mans name,
for what she did say was: Why not
speak for yourself, Kit'?"
The Widower-I've always said that
If married again should choose a
girl who is good as she is beautiful.