Flesherton Advance, 3 Oct 1889, p. 2
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Tb«i Wut«r Mly. ThoHuiiiUKir iMoruiuc 0|iona ool, A LubUu (rudtitjt'UH t\llti ttiu air ; AudHuftl upon tlm nluiatoriiil poul, Thf lUj opud hor bus.ouj ihoro. <)f all thA hiiil-i Am) blortHotas r&ro, Nil fairur ciin tlju nyr tufty IiIumh ; hlio (»«1m the /.Dptiyiri UinJly earn, Atjit Iruiublu* at hid fuii<l caruss. Ttiroti^h all t)i» loathKoiiiu uin'l an<i ulimo And uiwlroainrtl Ixmiiil'^i upwarl <:limb, Aii'l 111 liiT pctitU ihr'tti a'jit ^l<iw. S*nil ilijwn Uiy ro'iLluU, O my soul 1 With <larkfnu<i Iivmh thy sunlight share, An<l Hi-i'k in tniry drpth iui<l Hhoal <ki(l'H lii'aiilcouM iiiitixu hiirinii ihurt', Ko. iu Miiiif fair, divirn-r h'Uir, Whon riUfii frtiA fruni win and frinu'. 'Dinii Hhalt pruHMrvti lii» m purft'Ot power Abuv'u tliu H ut;i^iHti punlb of liuiu. Tlte Uuin Harp. W'htui out '.f dooTH iH full of rain I I-'ok out Ihrunp;!! the window paDC, Ami HOI' tho hranchoM of thu tn-cK, l^ikb puoiilu >l»u'iuH i'l tlitj Ijnu'/u. 'I'ht-y buw politely. criHt. and metti Saliitii iliuir partnurn and rnlrual, And tJ»vur utop to rt^'Mt until Thi^y reiicli ttiu uud uf thu (jtiadrillO- 1 iHteu.und I hear tho Buund or iiiUHK- lliiatln^ alt aruuud, And fancy lis thu l-mo/.M who plays rpou tho harp on Hloruiy dayd. Thr BtrinuH aru inadn of rain, and «Uoi] Thu lirau4-ii<-rt winh to duui'u attain, Tiny whiHptT t.. tin- i^rvtize. aud ho lii'i^iuH auuthiT inuiijdy. I v<.i hoard hitu (day thu pretty thinf^s rpoii tiiodi) Hli-ndtir. HhirnuK Htrini^s ; And whrn hi*M dwuo linn very sburi'â€" ilu utwuys hidou away tnu harp. AN AMERICAN GIRL, Tbid comparatively tamo voraion was, howovL-r, entirely diBcarded when tho dia- moiiila and Hilver niinea bo^ari to ll|<ure moru larfjuly in thu rupurtu. Certainly, prbtiy, overdreBsed, jowil bedecked (Jctavia ftavo Mlowbrid^je abundant caase for cxuitc- ment. After leaving her, Lady Theobald drove hometoOldclouKh Ilall.ratheroiit ofhumur. â- She had bono rather out of humor for Home time, having never quite ruuovered from her aD(>fr at tliu daring uf that cheerful builder of rnillH, Mr. ilohn Jlurniiatone. Mr. liiir- ijiJHtnni' bad been one innovation, and Oo- tavia liaasett wan another, bhe had nut been able to manage Mr Hurmiatonc, and ah" waH not at all aure that alie had mana- ged I < 'tavia Uaaautt. 8li<' t'lititrud the dinin^ronm with anonii- nou>4 frown on her f'irehead. At the end of the table, oppoaite her own eoat, waH a vacant chair, and her frown deepened when ahe xaw it. " Whore ia Mina (iaaton?" ahe demanded of the flcrvanl. lli'furti the man had time to reply, the door opentil, and a ^^^l came in hurriedly, with n tomewhat frightened air. " I Ih'K pardon, t^randmainma, dear," ahe Haid. ::oiii)i to her aeat ijuickly. " 1 did not know you had ooine homo." *' Wu have a dinner hour," announced bor ladyahip, " and I do notdiHtv^ard it." " I am very aorry," .'altered tho culprit. " 'I'hat ia enouKb, Lucia,' inl'-rrupted Lady Theobald; and Lucia dropped her «yc», and be|.:an toeat her auup with norvoaa haale. 1 jj fact, abo waa )>lad to eacape eo easily. She waa a very pretty creature, with brown nyea, a aoft, white akin, and a slight li)>iire with a rued like ^raco. A ^reat i|uau- tity (it brown hair waa I wiated into au u^ly c^oll on tint top of her delicate little head, and hIic »or« an u^ly niiialiii nown uf Mma Chickii'H make. I'or H-jiMO time the meal pruKrosBod in dead Hilence, but at length Luiia ventured to raiHii her eyea. '• 1 have been walking in .Slowbridne, Craiidniainina," ahe aaid, "and I met Mr. UiirmiHtoiie, who told me that MiaaliaHuett had a viaitnr-a yount{ lady from Amori ca." La,iv Theobald laid her knife and fork down deliberately. ' .Mr. Iluniiiatoiio ."' ahe aaid. "Did I iiniliriitand you to aay that you atopped on the r.iad aide to i;onvorae with Mr. liur- niiatone '.'" I,i<,;ia colored up to her delioate eyebrows and above iheni. â- I wan tryiiij; to reach a llowor urowinx on the bank," ahe aaid, "and ho was eu kind aa to atop to ijot it for uie. I did not know ho waa near at Urat. And then he in- <|uired how yoii were and told me he had juat heard abuut the yuuni> lady." â- • .Sutnrally 1 ' remarked hor l..,.yBhip, uardonii^ally. " It ia a« I anticipated it would he. We shall tlnd Mr. Ilurmiatono at our nlbowa uii all ocoasiona. And ho will not allow liimsolf to be oaally driven away. He ia aa determined as (i^raonB of his cltaa uaually are." " (Jh. ({randniamma? ' protested Lnuia, with innocent fervor. " I really do not think he isâ€" likethat at all. I could not help thinking ho waa very gentlemanly and kiijil llo ia ao intereatcil in your achool, and II 1 aiiiioiis that it ahuuld proapor." "May I ask," ini|uirud Lady Theobald, " how lun)( a time thia ^eneruna e.xpreaaiun of hia aentimonts oooupied V Waa thia the reason of your fortjettin^ the dinner lioiir? ' " Wn did not " aaid Luoia, nuillily, '- it did not take many ininutea. I -I do not think that made mo late." l.ady Theobald diamiaaed thia paltry e\ (lime with one remark a remark made in tlui deep tones ruferred to ono« before. " 1 ahoiild Bcarooly have exiiooteil," ahe obaiTvod, " that a ){randdau|{htor uf mine wool, I have H|ieiit half an hour oonverHiii)( on the piiblio road with tho proprietor of Hlovvl>rid^;e Mills.' " Oil, ){randmammal" evulaimed Lucia, thu tiara riain^ ill her eyes; "it was not half an hour." " I ahouM scarcely have oipe<ited," replied her ladyahip, " tlW a uranddaunhter of mine woalil have apnnt live ininutea oon vorainK on the public road with the propria, tor of HlowbridgB Mills." To this assault there aeemed to be no ropiy to make. Lady Theobald had her firanildauKhter umliir excellent control. Under her rinoroua rulo, the (!'>â- ' whoae iiiotber had dhd at her hirth had been brouitht np. At nineteen ahe was aimpio, aenaitlvfl, shy. Hlie had boon permittml to have no oompanions, and lh<' greatest ex- citements of her life had been the Hlow brid»i» tea parties. Of the late Hlr Gilbert Theobald, the less aaid the bettsr. lie apant very little of hia married life ut Oldclouijh Hall, and, upon hia death, his widow had found horaelf poaaeBded of a Bub.stautial, Kloumy mauaion, und exalted poaition in Klowbridge aooiety, and a small marria)je settlement, upon which ahe might make all the elTorta aho chono to auatain her atatu. Bo Lit :ia wore hor dreaiiea a much lon»;er time than any other Blowbrid^o youDr! lady ; she waa oblii^ed to mend her little gloves again and again ; and her hats wore re- trimmed HO often that oven blowbridge thought them old faahiontil. liut aho waa too aimple and aweetniitured to be much troubkd," and indued thought very little about the matter. Hhe waa only troubleil whon Lady 'X'heobald aooldad hor, which waa by no means iufrnjuently. I'erhapa the Htraila to which, ut tiraea, hor ladyahip was put to maintain hor dignity ombittered her somewhat. " Lucia ia neither a Theobald nor a Bar. old," ahe had been heard to aay once, and Bhe had aaid it with much rigor. A aubject of much converaation in pri- vate circles had beun Lucia's future. It had been dlacusBod in whi^jpera since her seventeenth year, but no one had seemed to approach any aulutiuu uf the ditliculty. I'poo the aubject of her plana for her grand- daughter. Lady Theobald had preaerved atern silence. Once, and oiioe only, she had allowed heraelf to bo betrayed into the expreaaion uf a aentiment connected with the matter. " If Miaa Lucia marriea â€" " a matron of reckleaa prucliviliea had remarked. Lady Theobald turned upon her, slowly and maji'iitically. " If Miaa Gaatoii raarrieti," aho repeated. " Uooa it seem likely thatMias Gaston will not marry .'" Thia settled the matter linally. Lncia waa to be marrit.d when Lady Theobald thought lit. So far, however, ahe had not thought lit indeed, there had been nobody for Lucia to marry -nobody whom her grandmother would have allowed hor to marry, at leaat. There were very few young gentlemen in Blowbridge, and the very few were scarcely eligible according to Lady Theobald'a standard and â€" if auch a thing ahould lid mentioned to Lucia's, if she had known ahe had one, which she cer tainly did nut. CUAl'TKU VI. ACl lliE.MAI.. When dinner waa over. Lady Theobald rjae, and prooeeded to the drawing-room, Lucia following in her wake. From her very babyhood, Lucia had disliked the drawing-room, which waa an imposiog apartment of groat length and height, con- taining much ma.-taivo furniture, uphola- terod in fadud blue satin. All the girl'a oveningH, since her lifth year, had been spent aitting uppouito her grandmother, in one of the straighteat of the blue chaira; all thu muat aoathing reproofa ahe had received had been administered to her at such times. Khu had a aecret theory, indeed, that all unpleasant things occurred in tho drawing room after liiunur. Juat aa they had seated themselves, and Lady Theobald waa on thepoint of drawing towards her the little basket, containing the grey woollen mittens aho made a duty of employing hurnelf by knitting eiich uvening, I'ubion, the coac'iman, in hia character of fuotmau, threw op n the dour, and an noiincetl a viaitur. " Captain Karuld." Lady I heobald dropped her grey mitten, tho ateel iieedlra falling upon tho table with a clink Hhe rose to her feet at once, and met half way tho young man who had en- tered. 'â- My dear Kranciu," iibe remarked, " 1 am cxoeudingly glad to see you at last," with a alight einpli>Hia upon thu " at last." " Tha anka, ' iiaid Captain Harold, rather languidly. • You re very good, I'm sure." Then he glanced at Lucia, and Lady Theobald adilreaatl her. " Lucia," hIi« aaid, " thia ia I'rancis liar- old, who ia your couain. ' Caiitain Harold ahook hands feebly. " I have been trying to liud out whether it in third or fourth," ho Haid. " It ia third," aaid my lady. Lucia had never seen her display auch cordiality to anybody. Hut Captain I'ran cis Harold did nut Hcem innoh impressed by It. It struck l.iicia that ho would not be likely to be iinpressud by anything. He seated hiniaelf near her grandmother's chair, and proceeded to explain hia preHonce on the apol, without exhibiting much intereat oven in hia own relation uf facts. " I promiaed the Uuthbiirna that I would apond a week at their place ; and Hlowbrulgo wan on the way, au it occurred to me 1 would drop oil in paHHing. Tho Uuthburn'a place, Uruaduaka, id about tun miloa fur iher on ; not far, you aue. 'â- 'I'hen," Haul Lady Theobald, " 1 am to understand that your visit ia accidental." Captain Harold was not einbarrasaed. lie did not attempt to avoid lur ladyship >< rathur stern eye, as he made his cool reply. " VVell, yea, ' he aaid. "1 beg pardon, but it ia aocidental rather." Lucia gave him a pretty, frightened look, aa if hIui felt thitt, after snob an auilaoiona confession, aoine thing very aerious niuak happen , but nothing aorioiiH happened at all. Hingiilarly enough, it waa Lady Thuo- bald heraelf who looked ill at ease, and as though ahe had not been prepared for laoh a cuntingenoy. During the wholo of the evening, in faot, it waa always Lady Theobald who waB placed at a disadvantage, Lucia disoovorud. Hhe oonld hardly realiiMi tho faot, at t\rat ; but bofuro an hour had passed, its truth was forceil upon hor. Captain Harold was a very Btriking-look- ing man upon thewhule. He waslarge,graoe- fully built, and fair, his uyea wore grey, and noticeable fur the coldness of their ex- prusaion. Ins features regular and ai|uiline, bin inovementa leiaurely. Ah ho converaod with hor grandmother, Lucia wondered at him privatuly. II seemed to hor iiiiiuoont mind that ho had been everywhere, and aeon everything andevery- body, without oaring for or enjoying his privileges. The truth waa that ho had seen and ex(ieriunoed a great deal loo much. Aa an only child, the heir to a largo pro|Hirty, and heir proa|)eotive to one of the oldest title! in the country, hu had exhaualed life early. Hu saw in Lady Theobald, not the Imposing head and social front ut Hlowbridgu social life, the power who rowardinl with approval and punished with a frown, hut a tiresome, pretentious old woman, whom his mother Lad aakod him, for ioiiie feminine luason, to visit. " Hhe feels aho has a ulaiin upon us, Franois," ahu had said, appealingly. "Wall," be had remarked, "that ii rathed daeced cool, isn't it? We have people cnoagh on our hands without culti- vatmg Blowbridge, yon know." Hii mother sighed faintly. â- â- It is true wa have a great many people to consider, bat I wish yoa woold do it, ray dear." Bhe did not say anything about Laoia ; above all, she did not mention that a year ago ahe herself had spent two or three days at Blowbridge, and had been oharmed beyond mcaaure by the girl'a innocent freshness, and that ahe had said, rather absently, to Lady Theobald : "What a charming wife Lucia woold make for a man to wboai genlleoesa and a yieldint! diapositiou were necessary I We do not find such girls in society nowadays, my dear Lady Theobald. It is very diffi- cult of late years to find a girl who is not spoken of aa ' fast,' and who is not disposed to take the reins in hor own bands. Our young men are flattered and courted until they become a little dictatorial, and our girls are spoiled at home. And the result la a great deal of domestic nnhappinesa afterwardâ€" and even a great deal of scan dal, which is dreadful to contemplate. I cannot help feeling the greatest anxiety in secret concerning Francis. Young men eo seldom consider these matters until it is too late." "Girls are not trained as they were in my young days, or even in yours," said Lady Theobald. "They are allowed too much liberty. Luoia has been brought up immediately under my own eye." " I feel that it is fortunate," remarked Mrs. Harold, quite incidentally, "that I'rancia need not make a point for money." For a few moments lady Theobald did not reaponil ; but afterward, in the course of tho conversation which followed, she made an observation which waa, of course purely iucid-intal : " If Luoia makes a marriage which pleaaea her great uncle, old Mr. Dugald Uinnie, of Olaagow, she will be a very for- tunate girl. He has intimated, in bis eocentric fashion, that his immense fortune will either be hers or will bs apent in build- ing charitable asylums uf various kinds. He ia a remarkable and singular man." When Captain Baruld bad entered hia distinguished relative's drawing-room, he had not regarded his third cousin with a very groat deal of intereat. Uo had seen too many beauties in hia thirty yeara to be greatly moved by the sight of one; and here was only a girl who had soft eyea, and looked young for her age, and who wore an ugly muslin gown, that most girls could not have carried olT at all. " You have spent the greater part of your life in Blowbridge?" heoondesoendedtosay, in the course of the evening. " I have lived here always," Lucia answered. â- I have never been away more than a week at a time," "Ah?" interrogatively. "I boiw you have not found it dull." 'â- No," amiling a little. " Not very. Yoa see, I have known nothing gayer." " There ia society enough of a bariuleas kind here," spoke up Lady Theobald, vir- tuounly. " 1 do not approve of a round of gayetioa for young people; it unfits them for the duties of lift." liut Captain Harold waa not aa favour, ably impressed by tho remarks as might have been anticipated. " What an old fool she is '." was his polite inward comment. And he resolved at once to make hia visit as brief as [>oaaible, and not to ho induced to run down again, during his stay at Hroadoaka. He did not even take tht> trouble to appear to enjoy bis even lug. Frum his earliest infancy, he had al- ways found it easier to please himself than tu pltaae other people. In faot, the world had devoted itself tu endeavoring to pleaae him, and win hia -toleration, we may aay, inatuad uf admiration, ainoe it could not hope tor tho latter. At home he had been adored rapturously by a large circle of alTectioiiatti male and female relatives; at achool. Ilia tutors had bteii aingularly in- dulgent of his faults and admiring of his talents ; even among hia follow pupils he had been a aort of autocrat. Why not, in- deed, \Mth auch birthrights and such pros- pects .' When be had entered society, be had met with even more amiable treatment from affectionate mothers, from <WORD coords