Year: 1875

| OH WHICH suc sdt, uilu IbeA, tuiDOlueIet
by the smile, gallantly asked permission
to seat himself beside her.


1t was astonishing how quickly they
became acquainted; Miss Maverick OF
the sands, alone, was very different from
Miss Maverick at the Hall, and Rex
soon found himself talking and laughing
with her as though they were old friends
Not until the sinking sun warned them
of the flight of time did they think ol
returning homeward and then, as Miss
Maverick, drawing her shawl around
her, rose to 60, Rex said, with the boy.
ish directness which once in while
came to the surface through all his af:
fectations, "Ilike you a great deal better
than l thought 1 did. l hope shall
have chance to talk with you again."


"Thanks for the wish" she laughed
softly, and then they separated, she 60
ing slowly toward the house, and he
sauntering along the beach, and, for q
wonder, thinking.


After that they met often-by accident,
it seemed-sometimes on the beach, OF
in some quiet corner of the house, when
the others were away pleasure-seeking,
or busily employed in some other equally
hard work.


"Rex seems to be very studious," said
Mrs. Lancaster. He doesn't care to 60
around at all, and isalways shutting him
self up to study alone; he will do we'll il
he keeps on" But, alas for Rex's " soli-
tary studies" the book which accom-
panied him was generally used for has
sock for Miss Mavericks trimly-boOted
feet, and Rex himself was studying quite
another volume. This was all very nice
and pleasant; still it was dangerous. Rex
knew it, and Miss Maverick knew It.
Rex knew perfectly well that if the real
state of affairs was discovered he would
be called home in disgrace, and that
there would be, as he expressed it, "a
devil ola row all around;" and Mis- Nav
erick kew that her stay at the hall would
be of extremely short duration should
the full extent of her acquaintance with
Rex become known.


Both knew this, and yet perhaps this
knowledge was half that made the
situation so pleasant spice of danger
is always fascinating-and so, as the days
passed, Rex found himself doing pre-
cisely the thing which he ought not to
have dOne-falling tremendously in love
with this i" fine woman" fathoms deeper
than he had ever gone before.


And Miss Maverick-she laughed at
him, petted him, scoldcd him, and called
him foolish boy" but daily made the
net stronger and more secure. She was
not a wicked woman, nor hard-hearted
woman, but she was adventurous; she was
poor and awfully tired of it, and she was
to certain extent unscrupulous. If
Rex Lancaster should make up his mind
to brave the family and marry her, well
and good she should certainly not refuse
him, unless some better fish could be
caught. Only one thing was drawback
to her, and that was Dot.


The child was so honestly fond other; /;
she confided all the secrets of her inno-
cent little heart to her, and the chiefest
of these was about her Cousin Rex. Even
Miss Maverick felt little conscience
stricken as the girl talked to her on this
subject. 81 love you dearly, Kitty"
said Dot; / wouldn't tell any one else
in the world but you; you seem like a
sister, and know you can be trusted !"
and SO, with her curly head nestled on
her friends shoulder, she would talk by
the hour of Rex and herself and the
"some day" which was coming.


So the days went on, until at last Rex,
being much in love, became likewise
very unreasonable, as is often the case,
and inclined to consider himself ill-used.
Especially was he SO after the first
novelty Of there being a necessity for
caution wore of, and left only the disa-
greeable incooveniences thereof.


Sometimes, after he had seen Miss Nav
erick stroll off along the beach and had
mentally started after her, Dot would
join him, and slipping her hand in his
arm, would volunteer to accompany him
on his walk, all unconscious that he saw
in her not the sweetest little girl in the
world" but an einissary OF unkind for
tune or callers would come, and he
would be captured and borne in, a
prisoner, before he could escape, and
there he would have the additional
torment of seeing Miss Maverick return
alone, without having single opportu-
nifty to excuse or explain his detention.


1t was rather hard. Rex put it more
strongly and called it "devilish mean,"
but still it could no be helped, and SO, in
consequence, he began to grow decidedly
cross and captious, and poor little Dot be-
gan to lie awake nights, and wonder
what was the trouble.


One evening he had been more than
usually out of sorts, for, with one thing
and another, two days had passed since
he had spoken with Miss Maverick, save
the ordinary commonplaces of the family
circle, and, in consequence, he was feel
ing decidedly savage, and, to add to his
discomfort, Miss Maverick seemed in no
way to sympathize with or even to notice
his state of mind.


He sat moodily in q corner, watching
her with a jealous admiration, for she
was looking her very best. The soft
white dress that she wore was perfection,
with the scarlet fuchsias dropping at her
throat and in her black braids, and her
dark face was made even more brilliant
and striking by contrast with the fair,
pale danes around her-and Rex was
driven almost to desperation by we'll
meant word from his aunt.


"Miss Maverick looks wonderfully well
tonight" said that smiling matron. II
shouldn't be surprised if Mr.. Sarmiento
were really interested. 'Twould be
fortunate for her, poor girl! am sure /
shall do my best to forward it, and then,
having put him into fever of unhappi-
ness by her remark, she had left him to
his own thoughts.


That night, after the house was silent,
Rex betook himself 10 the veranda with
his cigar, for he was too much out of
humor with himself and hissurroundings
to feel like rest, and sitting there in the
chill moonlight, he gave himself up to
meditation, not Of the most pleasant
kind.


The vine leaves on the lattice rustled
in the cool night breeze, but, save that,
no sound was audible; and sitting there,
with his chair tipped back and his arms
folded over his head, Rex fell into a
waking dream, from which he was reused
suddenly by light touch on his
shoulder.


"You here p His face showed his de-


n n