Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-20
A Wonan's Enchantrnent
By WILLIAM LIE OUEUX.
broad dusty hishroad that led TO Howe
and Pickering
Copyright, 1859, sy wiln.. L. oaeu.o

broad dusty hishroad that led TO Howe
and Pickering.
Travelling in the crimson shutdown was
very pleasant after the noise and dust
Of the rail. Four miles along that road.
however. we came to byroad. where a
| si9npost pointed TO Marshes Road sta
ton. Passing this. we ran through a
clump of trees, and then with a wide wide,
! kept graveled drive lined on either side
BY wide-spresding beeches. and at about
a. quarter of mile from the highroad
We suddenly emerged before a long six
windows of which still preserved their
diamond panes. while the high square
ehimneys told of Tudor DAYS. For the
most part the quaint. comfortable old
place vas clothed with thick-stemmed
| ivy. while the yew hedges on either side
were clipped into fantastic shapes. and
the old gray Sundial upon the lawn told
mutely of days long past and forgotten.
IN the fiery sunset. with the crimson
glare flashing upon its windows. ii look
ed very peaceful, very charming. relief
indeed to the glaring scenes of Continen-
tai life and movement. amid which it was
nowadays my habit to move.
And as We approached I saw standing,
bareheaded. upon the threshold slim
little figure I'm white, who waved her hand
to me in merry greeting -Myra herself.
! How sweet of YOU to come and see
us after all, Mr.. Ralston.' she cried. as
i
and stepped out.
Business prevented me before ] as
sured her, as / took the soft little hand
she offered
Myra Stapleton was certainly very
1 beautiful girl, essentially of the fresh out
door type. She was a lover of the coun-
try. having been born and bred at the
| Grange. and educated at Eastbourne and
| at Bois-le-Roi. She was perfect blonde,
with big biue-gray eyes and real golden
hair. Her nose was such as is seldom
seen on woman. 1t was purely Grecian.
Another charm was big dimpie, which
had lodged in the center of her pretty,
pointed chin. Hers was a sweet, almost
! childlike. face, which would have been
striking anywhere. while those large eyes
OF hers seemed TO look forth in wonder.
and yet full Of trustful simplicity. In all
| the wide range of my feminine acqua int
ances no girl was SO full Of vivacity and
/ inexpressible charm. Little wonder there
fore. that Granny Cough. who had run the
whole ganut of feminine Establishments
in most Of the cities of Europe, had be-
come first fascinated by her, and had sub
sequentiy fallen hopelessly In love with
her.
| Her sweetness, purity and innocence ap-
pealed to man of the world like Granny
Cough. Her dainty figure. slim and neat
wasted. was that Of budding womanhood,
perfect type of the fresh beauty of the
Yorkshire moorlands.
In the long. old-fashioned drawing room
Will itS udTk tltno-HeUOWeu p1neInG, It's
light chintzes, and it's big bowls of sweet
smelling La France roses, Miss Cham
bers came forward to meet me- She
was a middle-aged and rather prim spin
Ster. who had been nursery governess TO
Myra In the days when Mrs. Stapleton
was still alive, and now after the girls
return from her finishing school OUTSIDE
Paris she had become housekeeper and
companion.
l stood chatting with father and daugh-
ter beside the big bay window, while Bur-
ton. the man-servant. took my traps up to
my room. Beyond the diamond panes lay a
wide sweep Of level. well kept lawn. and,
still beyond. the broad undulating moor
lands now bathed in the ruddy light OF
the brilliant afterglow. How peaceful 1t
| all seemed! How different. indeed. to the
wild turmoil of the city had just left!
| 1 glanced at the fair-faced girl who was
pared her with her grief-stricken hunted
| lover, the man who had. that very morn
| Ing. plunged into Obscurity because of the
1 guilt upon him.
! My mission was strange one, and diff
! ficult withal. l had to make pretense
! that my friend was f1ourishing. for Sta
pleton had not the least idea that Granny
was merely chevalier d'industrie and
| that he lived upon his wits.
Burton entered in q few moments and
| told me that my things were ready. Then
we all hustled out to dress for dinner.
Hardly had I entered my room in the
east wing of the long rambling old house
/, when heard light tap at the door, and
| l gave permission to enter.
(To be continued tomorrow