The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-01


 Fore-Glimpse.
 cods"
 The voice of the speaker sounded clearly through the hawthorn tree. The young man and the young girl who sat together on the low tombstone looked at each other. They had heard the voices of the two children. talk ing, but had not noticed what they said; 1t was the sentiment, not the sound which reused their attention.
 The girl put her finger to her lips to impress silence. and the man nodded: they sat as still as mice whilst the two children went on talking.
 The scene would have gladdened painter'e heart. An old churchyard. The church low and square-towered, with long mullioned windows. the yell low-gray stone roughened by the waste and stress of ages and tender-hued with growth of lichens Round 1t clu- tered many old tombstones tilted and slanted in all directions: amongst them a few stately monuments, rising pa trician fashion. Behind the church a line of ancient yews' so gnarled and twisted in tleir thick brown stems so worn and broken and wasted with time and s.srrn. that one could we'll imag- inc that long ago from them came the furnishing of battle when the bow strings twanged and the clothyard shafts whistled on their deadly way.
 The churchyard was full of fine ce- dars- Here an dthere amongst the dotted tombs and headstones many beautiful blossoming trees rose from the long green grass starred with wild flowers. The laburnum glowed in the June afternoon sunlight like glory [ of .burnished gold. The lilac and the hawthorn and the clustering meadow sweet which fringed the edge of the lazy stream mingled their heavy sweet ness in sleepy fragrance which in- tensifed the satisfying hum of myriad insect life. Everywhere on the fringes of the place where culture had once set its hand the more elemental forces of cosmetic beauty had manifested themselves. The yellow-grey crumb- ling walls were green in places with wrinkled harts-tongues dwarfed by the stricture of their roots. and were topped with sweet-williams and spread Ing house-ieek and stone-crop and wild wallfiowers of red-brown and golden yellow whose delicious penetrating sweetness made for the intoxicating, irowsy repose of perfect summer.
 But amid all that moss of glowing color the two young figures seated on the grey old tomb stood out conspicu- ously. Both were clad in hunting scar
 
 hunting dress: red coat. white stock, black hat, white brooches, and top- boots. The girl was one of the rich. est. most glowing, and yet withal the daintiest figures the eye of man could rest and finger on. She was in riding habit of scarlet cloth, with the revers of the open jacket of the same shade of silk. Her black hat was tipped for-. ward by the piled-up masses of heE red-golden hair. Round her neck 4ssS stead of collar was a white lawn scarf made in the fashion of a mans hunting-stock. close fitting round the nee kand sinking Into the gold-but- toned waistcoat of snowy twill The corner of dainty pocket-handkerchie peeped from the pocket cut man fash ion in the left breast of her jacket; in the button-hole on te right rever was d tiny bud of a white moss rose. As she sat with the long skirt across her left arm her tiny black top-boots ap- reared underneath. Her gauntleted gloves were of white buckskin; her riding whip was plaited of white leather. topped with ivory and banded with gold at the joining.
 Even In her fourteenth year Miss Ste- phen Norman was of striking beauty; of a rarely composite character. In her the various clements of her race seemed ot have cropped out The frm-
 
 square than Is usual in a woman. and the wide fine forehead and aquiline nose marked the high descent from Saxon through Norman. The glorious mass of red hair, full. thick, massive, lon gand fine of the true flame color, showed the blood of another ancient ancestor of Northern race, and suited we'll with the voluptuous curves of the full, crimson lips. albeit their cutting showed that the passionate instincts were if reproduced at all, repeated un- der conditions of self-restraint un- Known in the older type. The black eyes deep bIue-black, or rather pur- ple-black, the raven eyebrows and eye Iashes. and the fine curve of the nos frils spoke of the Eastern blood of the far-back wife of the Crusader. For the rest she gave promise of a good height. Already she was tall for age, with something of that lankiness which marks the early development of re- ally fine figure. Long-legged, long mecked, as straight as a lance from fhe crown of her head to the sole of her foot, and with head poised on the proud neck with a lily on it's stem.
 Shephen Norman as a girl certainly rave remarkable promise of splendid womanhood. Pride, self-reliance, dom finance and masterdom were all mark ed in every feature; in her carriage and bearing and Tn every tWIst anu turn of her lightest movement.
 Her companion, Harold An Wolf, was some five years her senior. and by means of those five years and certain qualities of his nature had for long time stood in the position of her men, tor. He was of fine stature. six feet four in height, deep-chested. broad shouldered, lean-fianked, long-armed. .. He was big-hand~d. like Sir Beaumains vt size and beauty of his hands"-signs of knightly breeding in a chivalric