The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-13

81 VOW" she cried, '''tis my hour for
| the waters, and / had clean forgot
| them.''
She called upon her maid:
Lydia. child, my hat. Lord Verney,
| if it please you, sir, your arm as far
as the pump room" cat least" she
thought to herself, 'all Bath shall know
| of my latest conquest"y
She tied her hat ribbons under her
chin
How like you the mode|" said she.
! And, charmed into smiles again by the
/ rosy vision under the black plumes,
| she flashed round upon him from the
mirror rs it not, perhaps, thought
| fyaway? Yet it's the latest What
/ says my Verney?"
| The poor youth yainly endeavored to
| discriminate and criticise.
ut is indeed very fine hat" said he.
"and there seems to be a vast number
of feathers upon it." He hesitated,
| stammered "Oh, what care l for
} modes! IT'S you, your.
what are you staring at, girl?"
cried Mistress Bellairs sharply to her
abigail "Out with your
tWell, my Verney?" said she.
Mercy. how you look, man! Is any
thing wrong with my face?"
She tilted that lovely little piece of
oerishable bloom fnnocently toward
him as she spoke. And the kiss she
had read in his eyes landed with un-
precedented success upon her lips.
"Why, who knows? thought She
with little satisfied smile : as she
;erh har oh hot
may be stuff in the lad, after allr'
She took his arm. Dazed by his own
audacity, he suffered her to lead him
from the room. They jostled together
down the narrow stairs.
How beautiful you arev' said he.
and kissed her again as they reached
the somber dark paneled vestibule.
"Fie.' said she, with shade of testi-
ness, and pushed him back as her lit
tie black page ran to open the door.
The kiss. like his talk, lacked any
heightening of tone-and what of n
lovers kiss that shows no new ardor,
what of a vow Of love that has no
new color, no fresh imagery? But the
trees in Queen square were lightly
leafed with pale, golden green. The
sunshine was white gold. the breeze
fresh and laughing; the old gray town
was decked as with garlands of young
love- '.He is but new to it, she
argued against her fieeting doubts,
land he is, sure, the prettiest youth
in all Bath
Love and spring danced in Mistress
Kitty's light heart and light heels as
she tripped forth. And love and spring
gathered and strove and sought outlet
in Verney's soul as inevitably and
irresistibly and almost as unconscious
ly as the sap in the young shoots that
swayed under the caresS of the breeze
and amorously unfurled themselves to
the sunlight.
The pump room was cool and dim
after the gray stone street upon which
the young years sunshine beat as
fierce as its youth knew how. The
water droned its little song as it welled
up. family steaming.
Listen to it." quoth Mistress Kitty.
"How innocent it sounds, how clear
it looks,''
With smile she took the glass
transferred to her by Verney, and
''Ugh.'' she said. "how monstrous hor-
rid it tastes, to be sure! 'Tis, / fear"
she said, again casting a glance of
some anxiety at her new lovers
countenance. "a symbol Of life
yet" said he, these waters are
said to be vastly wholesome"
"Wholesomev' cried Mistress Kitty,
slipping again and again curling her
rd Of har
lips downward in an irresistibly fas-
cinating grimace. Wholesome, my
lord, Heaven defend us, And what
is that but the last drop to complete
their odiousness? Wholesome, sir?
would have you know it's not for
wholesomeness / drink" She put
down her glass, undiminished save by
the value of a birds draft. do look
like a woman who needs to drink wa
tiers for 'wholesomenessY p"
Indeed, no." foundered he in his
bewildered way.
There are social obligations" said
she sententiously. "A widow, sir,
alone and unprotected. must conform |
to common usage. And, then, l have |
another reason, one of pure senti- |
ment"
She cooked her head and fixed her |
hooking eye upon him.
My poor Bellairs,'' said she. How |
oft has it not been my pleasure and |
my duty to fill such q glass as this and /
convey it to his lips, In his last years, |
poor angel, he had quite lost the use /
of his limbs
Lord Verney had no answer appro-
pirate to these tender "reminiscences, /
and Mistress Kitty. having, it seemed. /
sufficiently conforned to the usage of /
Bath as we'll as sacrificed to the names
of the departed, turned briskly round
and, leaning against a plaster, began
to survey the room.
La, now empty" quoth she. "'T;s
your fault if l am so late my lord
1 swear, but that Flyte wo-
man. your odious Spicer. sir-ha, and
old General Tilney. Verify, 1 believe
these dreadful springs have the power
OF keeping such mummies in life long
after their proper time. Ills hardly
fair on the rest of the world. Why, |
the poor thing has scarce sense or