WEDDED TO ART.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1101, 19 October 1883, Page 4

WEDDED TO ART.

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/A'xr Enolish Story. I (Concluded.') | It was Tv&n'Kfrke, and ho qnickcndd J^|s)nlfsarl jrmprQ pace', as h;e;caught!a glimpse of lier ,as-she| passed in amonSg. the trees. \ .Her. r ,eyes. were still, moist/ r bnt ? she ,pa|ssecV the ;first/ ccm-vnlsiye. sobi)in|g when she his;stepj an i before she copld)fl?e: he stood before her; - S t ,-.n ‘.Lelia/ he exclaimed, as .die earn/’ forward with a glad smile, * I thought p" say^m-y'liUle forest maiden-turning intio thg woods.. What ! yoiy must . ha\-|e ® <! fjbli’a made one heroic effort for;scltjviconijrpl.. bWhatev.er. might,happen, Ivan ' should never know of her hopeless love, hj iGnlping down the ' rising soul and - rUpidly winking two or three times, she {insweredj ‘T naveh’t.’ : 1 v ' : . it vfas the first fib, and she went on ’ .to l elaborate iwith, astonishii.ig readiness^. ‘ I'have been sneezing, oh, SO:hard i! feet : are wet;’ and she pointed to two tiny shoes-slightly* damp;. ‘ Bntdlfi am* glad' tb ; see yon, Ivan. I thblighV' you weren’t coming till tomorrow.’',- ; f ., ! . ‘1 ’thought I would give you a surprise. Have'you heard the nows ?’ ‘ Yes ; Johnny just toM me. I—l suppose you are two happy to live, arn’t you ?’ Her words were littered pleasantly hands were clinched till the o marks of'the nails -were‘imprinted in the flesh. ‘ ; -• • j ‘NN t Lelia ; -the fact •is I 1 don’t fee) nearlyt 'aS happy as 1 had expected I slibnh!';’ and he poked the grass musingly with.his cape. , . • ,; N<Jt^happyri’ and 'Lelia looked at him in amazement.- Then you—’ -‘'Then I don’t deserve ■my good fortune. I know it. I’m whitiisical as a child. When I left here ' last ; I think of nothing else.-, I was a s.blmidifool, and as the time passed and the,-momentous day: drew nearer and l' found that" ray happiness depended upon . something ‘ entirely different.’.

Lclia’s cheek again became livid.' Was his marriage a mistake? With quick intuition she divined his meaning. He had married another while loving her, and already repented. But what right had he to tell her of this ! 'What right .had die to speak to her in that tender tone now V :i ‘ Lblia, I have come back to tell yon Yhat T love yon j, that I have loved you, though— ’ . . : s With flashing eyes she drew back the hand he had taken. 1 That will do, sir. I will hear not one more word.’ ! He looked at her in amazement at lier sudden anger and scorn, He would have spoken further, but just, then johnny came racing through the woods, and Tflnng himself upon Ivan’s neck, with wild exclamations of delight. ‘ Oh, Ivan, did you bring your wife ?’ was his eager inquiry, shortly. . ‘What do yon mean, Johnny ?’ he asked. ‘Oh, I know all about it, and so does Lelia. Yon can’t make fools of iis—can he, Lelia ?. I heard mamma telling about it yestei-day.’ A gleam shot into, Ivan’s eyes. * Wtyat,,was it mother said Johnny* ?’ I'She tdld Mrs Grove that how yotVd won ; the prize you’d be more'than ever wedded to Miss somebody. ‘ And ;yoa told Lelia, did yon V ‘ Yes.’ ; . - ‘ Johnny, do yon see that squirrel ? I’ll give you half a-crown if you’ll catch him.’ As Johnny darted away Ivan turned to Lelia, and there was a deep earnestness in his voice as he spoke. ‘ Didyon believe it,Lelia?’ - ‘ Yes, I—l didn’t know. Johnny said— ’ ‘ Never mind Johnny. ‘ Wedded to his art is one of mother’s expressions in describing me. Oh, Lelia, art is beautiful and grand, but it is a poor thing to love. May I not have ,a better ?’ Six months later, in the ivy-covered little country church, his question was answered to his entire satisfaction.