The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-11-07
VIXEN
80
By Miss N. E. Brdddon.

-
had carried her when she was a seven
year-old huntress. with tawny hair
flowing loose under her little velvet
toque. She gave no expression to her
| indignation at the sale of this old
favorite, as she had done in the case
of Bullfinch, her fathers horse. If
she wept for him, her tears were shed
in secret. She took the sale of her pet
almost as a matter of course.
THE captain thinks we have too
many horses and ponies, dear; and you
know, dear. papa was little extrava-
CANT about his stables" said her
mother, apolos stically. when she an
nounced the fate of Titmouse; "but of
course Arion will always be kept for
you"
Il am glad of that, mamma" Vixen
answered gravely. Il should be sorry
to part with the last horse papa gave
me, as we'll as with the first"
To the captain himself Vixen said
no word about her pony. and he made
no apology for or explanation of his
conduct Despite the era of retrench-
ment which the new master had in
augurated, things at the Abbey House
had never been done with so much
dignity and good style. There had
been a slipshod ease, an old-fashioned
liberality in the housekeeping during
the squire's reign. which had in some
measure Appropriated to the popular
idea OF an Irish household. Now all
was done by line and rule, and ac-
cording to the latest standard of per-
lection. There was no new fashion in
Belgravia which Captain Carmichael
had not at his finger-ends.
Tie last dinner of Mrs. Carmichael
was to take place a few days before
Christmas, and was to be given in
honor of a guest who was coming TO
spend the holidays at the Abbey
House. The guest was Captain Car
michael's Irish friend, Lord Mallow,
the owner of Bullfnch.
Vixen's heart gave an indignant
bound when she heard that he was
coming
Another person for me to hate" she
said to herself, almost despairingly.
Il am becoming a mass of envy,
hatred, and malice. and all unchar-
itableness."
Lord Mallow was not thirty, and
looked younger than his years. He
was tall and broad-shouldered, robust,
and a trifle clumsy in figure, and rode
fourteen stone 1t was impossible to
go on hating Lord Mallow forever, for
he was a man whose overlooking good
nature would have conciliated the bit
teres. foe, could that enemy have been
exposed long enough to it's softening
influence. He was passionately fond
of music and singing and the beau
ties of nature, and all things that APP
peal to the sensitive Hibernian char
acter. It seemed a new thing to Vio-
let to have some one standing by the
piano, turning over the leaves, ap-
plauding rapturously. and entreating
for another and yet another Irish
melody. When she sang 'The Min
strel Boy" he joined in with a rich
baritone that harmonized finely with
her full ripe notes. The old room
vibrated with the strong melody, and
even Captain Carmichael was impelled
to praise.
Lord Mallow asked Miss Tempest if
she had any duets, and Vixen pro-
duced her small stock of vocal music.
They tried one or two of Mendels-
sohn's, and discovered that they got
on wonderfully we'll together. Vixen
fell asleep that night wondering at her
own amiabihty.
ITO think that SHOULD sing senti-
mental duets with him." she said to
herself
Lord Mallow's presence at the Alb
hey House had a marked effect upon
Captain Carmichaeps treatment Of his
step-daughter. Hitherto there had been
a yelled bitterness III AL his speeches,
a constrained civility in his manners.
Now he was all kindness. all expan-
sion. Even his wife, who admired him
always. and thought him the soul of
wisdom in all he did. could not be
blind to the change, ane new sense
of peacefulness stole into her feeble
mind
Lord Mallow was getting on the
friendliest terms with Violet He was
almost as much at home with her as
Rorie was. except that she never
| called him by his Christian name. nor
flashed at him those lovely, mirth-pro-
| vokng glances which he surprised
sometimes on their way to Mr.. Vaw-
| drey. Those two had hundred small
jokes and secrets that dated back to
Vixen's childhood. How could new
| conner hope to be on such delightful
terms with her? Lord MallOw felt this,
and hated Roderick Vawdrey as in
| tensely as it was possible for nature
radically good and generous to hate
even a favored rival