Year: 1874

swell, Lutte, am | going to an.
swer 2" asked Edith Inestine, with a
bright smile, as she paced up and
down her dressing room, glancing
&C miriDgly in the long pier-glass tha,
so handsomely reflected her tall,
beautiful figure.


Her sister, a gentle, plain faced
girl, noticed critically every fold of
the heavy amber silk that was halt
hidden by the black lace over-dress
and over The low corsage, and snowy
neck and rounded arms, the same
rare lace served hut to enhance their
beauty. Blood red rubies, in richest
gold, were fastened in the small pink
ears, and were c!asped around her
neck and arms, while a bsndeau of
the same bright gems sparkled and
shone more brilliantly from the set
ting of her midnight hair.


you were never so beautiful in
your life before, answered the sister
with long breath of satisfaction.


Thank you, petite, Thought was
not deceived in myself. Hand me
my gloves and my fan, please, and
won't keep Aunt Courteny waiting
any longer


But this one moss rosebud that
Walter sent you, Edith /; let me put
it in your hair-he will be disappoint
ed not to see it, when he loves you
So


'He will have to be disappointed,
then /; for he sent note with his bou.
quet, asking what | do not care to
give. You will find some notes in
my writing desk that may amuse you
to read this evening, since you are
determined to stay at home and make
goose of yourself. / am quite
ashamed Of trying to excuse you so
often, and shall rebel against it very
soon.'


There was bending Of the stately
handsome form to press a kiss on the
red lips of her younger sister then
Miss 1nestine swept out Of the apart
ment, her amber robes trailing be.
hind her in bewIldering mass Of
lace and ruffies.


She was grandly beautiful. There
was no denying that; and dressmak-
ers delighted in nothing so much as
fitting her perfect form; then every
feature was but part of the grand
master work of the whole.


Walter Barcley bad looked once
too often into the misty depths of
those dark, fascinating eyes, and
clasped too closely the slender aris-
tocratic fingers, for his own peace of
mind. With loves quick intuition,
he fancied that her face frightened
at his coming, and that her sweet lips
would fain have kept back all gool-
byes.


He forgot, in the sweet dream that
love was forming, that his income
was very moderate and would scarce
ly warrant the taking to himself that
beautiful creature he loved so much,
10 whom poverty was myth, and a
desire ungranteh a thing unhearl Of


As for long line OF distinguished
ancestors, such as the CourtenaJs aud
InestInes boasied, be could clalm
cothing. There was no blot or blame
against the good old Barclay name
but as for wealth, they had very lit
tie Of it. Up among the Vermont
hills was farm of m any acres, where
a good old-fashioned couple hved
peaceful and content, with daughter
and her husbard who were only lit
tie less old fashioned than them
selves and they W re Walters peo
pie, and that was Walters home
and every letter that announced his
home coming vas to them tidings of
great Joy.


He thought of them very seriously
and tenderly before be sent that note
to Edith, whose answer was to be his
veal or his woe. His wife (how
fondly he said it) must honor those
dear parents, though their ways were
not her ways, and, judging her love
by his own, he began to fancy how
like queen she would move among
them, winning their love anew every
day.


One of the little rosebuds in the
beautiful bouquet that he had sent
her, was to be worn in her hair at
Mrs. Van Zandt's party that night, if
she would be to him the woman
above all others, and would give him
the right to cherish her as his own
wife.


Kind-hearted little Lutte cried over
it, and thought how willingly she
would have worn the bad and been
his wife had she been in Edith's
place; but somehow things seem
misplaced oftimes in this lower world
of ours, while people too often work
at cross purposes.


There was another note in the wri-
ting desk that filled Lutte with sur
prise and alarm. 1t was an offer of
marriage, like the other, but although
it was full of admiration and unwhole-
some fattery, and desire for the
queenly Edith to grace his handsome
home, there was no line that breathed
of the tenderness that filed every
word of Walters letter.


But with the letter came a casket
containing those very rubies that be-
came Edith so well, and if she wore
them he said he should consider her
his promised wife.


Edith was proud, and with her
worldly wise mind she weighed the
matter well. On the one hand was
peace, happiness, contentment and a
love that passeth understanding, and
on the other, a prlDcely home, mag
nifcent surroundings, an almost limit.
less fortune, position that all her
associates would envy, and husband
handsome it il tine, but familiar with
every vice under heaven.


She knew that w alter, az far as in
tegrity, uprightness and manliness
went, was gold itself and the other
was only ross. Her womanliness
and her heart.love pleaded tor the
simple rosebud that would give her
true heart that she yearned for /; but
her ambition pointed To the spark
ling rubies glistening in the gas light
on her velvet bed.


She took them up with dainty fng
ers, admired each dainty setting, and
twined them in her hair, estimated
their cot while clasping the neck.
lace about her neck, saw reflected in
the mirror her own radiant image,
and sacrificed herself on the altar OF