CHAPTER XVI. THE BLUE-EYED MAIDEN.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 139, 30 January 1886, Page 5

CHAPTER XVI. THE BLUE-EYED MAIDEN.

Juki came, and with it Rich's twenty-first j birthday. They did not go to the mountains : • this year. Rich could not leave the office, and Audrey would not go without him, though he tried to persuade her to do so. When his birthday came around she made a little feast for him, inviting all the clerke of Mr Remington, and that gentleman also This last invitation was given more from courtesy than from any expectation that the busy man would accept it. But he did, and entered into the enjoyment of the occasion with as much zest aa if he had been but twenty-one himself. Audrey presided with all the grace of Which she was mistress/ and Rich was very • proud of her in her elegant black velvet dress, brightened by a few costly diamonds, and a r - single but exquisite blush roue — his offering - for the occasion— upon her breast. She was almost forty years old, but no _ One would have imagined her to be a day over thirty, for she was at the very zenith Of her beauty. She was like some beautiful, gracious queen among her courtiers that day. She was the cynosure of all eyes, while the ' glances of admiration bestowed upon her by Her guestß would have been somewhat em- • barrassing to one less self-possessed or versed in society etiquette. Mrs Allen, of course, assisted with her presence, and the dinner, which was simply perfect in its appointments, and the evening ' following, proved a most delightful one to allp&rtiee. Rich's fellow-clerks presented him with an elegant gold pen, having a costly and quaintly carved handle of pearl. Mr Remington brought him an important and handsomely bound work upon architecture Altogether, it was a most enjoyable time, and Rich felt as if his cup was full, when after his guests had departed, he sat down to ex'aminehis employer's gift and found between Its leaves an envelope addressed to himself, and containing a letter informing him that for the remaining months of his engagement his salary would be at the rate of a thousand dollars per annum. "This has been a day to be long remembered/ he said to Mies Waldemar, after showing her this last surprise ; " and it was, so kind of you, Aunt Audrey, to make this little feast for me/ " I could net allow such an important day to pass without making it a memorable one. .you have reached your majority, Rich : this la your day of freedom," Miss Waldemar returned with a smile, though it was rather a i sad one. . " Freedom from what, Aunt Audrey?" he asked, gravely. j . •' From the restraint of a woman's rule ; I you are a man, and capable of acting and judging for yourself now," and tears stood j in the beautiful woman's eyes. . *' I am afraid you do both yourself and me an injustice by saying that," Rich said, seriously. " I have never considered your authority a restraint -an irksome restraint . I mean— you have never made it such. All ' the restriction you have ever imposed upon me has been to make me love you so dearly that I would rather suffer a great deal than to wound you in any way. If this, my day of freedom as yon call it, is to abolish that, I am afraid I shall consider it an evil day indeed. If I have been under a - ' woman's rule,' it has been that of the sweetest woman in the world," he concluded, . fondly, ■ "Oh, Rich!" cried Audrey, laughing, ' yet with a suspicious quiver about her mouth, " what a lover you will make for some dear girl by-and-by, if you can say such delightful things to an old maid of forty." j " I only wish the old maid of forty was a i girl of twenty," he retorted ; then added quickly : " No, no indeed. I did not mean that, for I never could spare you as you are ; but I shall be a lucky fellow if I ever find a girl of twenty who is one-half as lovely as she who has taught me all the good I know and contributed so much toward making my life a useful one. But what nonsense I am talking. lam on a very low round of the ladder of life yet. I have my own future to carve out, and it will be a long time before I shall dare to look about for that 'dear girl."' But he had already found her if he bad but known it. He was soon to learn it, however, and his life was to be crowded with events during - the next two years. He was returning from the office down town a few evenings later; hefrequentfytook a roundabout way now, occasionally going . up Broadway, with afainthope of encountering again the pretty sewing-girl whom he had once assisted, and who was constantly flitting in and out of the chambers ol his brain, when, just as he turned into the great thoroughfare, he espied that same graceful figure in brown, only a little way ahead of him. His heart leaped into his throat, and he involuntatOy quickened his steps as if to overtake her. But, bethinking himself that he had no right to intrudeTiis society upon her so, again slackened his pace and walked slowly behind her, but wishing that some kind fate would ordain a second meeting. Coming to a crossing she passed to the other side of the street, but Rich, fearing she might discover him if he followed her, and resent his presumption, remained where he was, but resolved to keep her still in eight. As she reached the opposite sidewalk she was joined by a young man, who immediately turned to walk in the same direction with her. But Rich flushed to bis very temples as he recognised this young man. He was the carpenter whom he had seen in Yonkers ; he was the bully whom, once upon a time he had laid flat in the gutter for abusing a little girl. * A feeling of disgust took possession of him* "Could, it be possible that a delicate, refined young girl, such as she had seemed to be, would tolerate the society of a person like that ?" he asVed himself. He stood looking after them for a moment ; theD, with a sigh, and a little bitterness at his heart, as if come idol had suddenly been shattered) he turned, and was about to go on his way when eomething in the girl's manner attracted his attention again. She had qnickened her pace ; her face was averted, and althongh her companion seemeJ to be talking to her, ehe appeared to pay no heed to him. She checked her steps and increased her speed alternately ; but her companion kept by her aide, and finally growing bolder, and, as if impatient of being ignored, reached pot bis great rough hand laying it apoaher*mu

She shook it off, lifted her small head haughtily, and seemed to be addressing him sharply, as was evident by her gestures. The fellow laughed coarsely, and, leaning toward^ her with an insolent leer, spoke something in her ear. She stopped short then, and Rich could ccc that her face was crimson with indignation. She turned her back upon her tormentor and stood looking into a shop-window, as if determined not to go on until he should leave her. But this, evidently, he had no intention of doing, for he went close to her side and assumed an attitude which instantly set Rich's blood boiling. His purpose was formed j he crossed the street as quickly as possible, and went directly toward the couple. They did not see him approaching, and as he drew near to them he heard the fellow say : "There ain't many poor sewing girls that would scorn a well-to-do fellow like me, and you needn't be so pert, Miss Hunting. I ain't so spruce as some of them uptown swells, I know ; but Iv'e got a good trade, besides a little laid by, and I've taken [amazing shine to that pretty face of yourn ' Rich waited to hear do more ; if he had, he felt as if he should have knocked the insolent boor down. He approached the girl, and lifting his hat, said, as if he were an old acquaintance, and without so much as glancing at John Crouch : " Ah, Miss Hunting "—how thankful he was that he had overheard her name, — " this is an unexpected pleasure. lam going your way ; won't you allow me to carry that satchel for you ?" for she had quite a good-sized bag in her hand. She started and flushed a vivid scarlet at the sound of his voice, and the loofc of j relic and gratitude that came into her blue j eyes Rich never forgot as long as he lived. " Thank you, if you will be so kind," she returned, instantly yielding up her satchel to^ him ; and- then turning quickly away I with him, they both pressed on, wholly ignoring the fierce looks which the burly carpenter shot after them from beneath his shaggy brows. I " That cursed upstart again !" he muttered, clenching his hand, and grinding his teeth; "he knows her, then ! Of course she won't look at me with a young dandy like that around ; but I'll be even with him —he'll cross my path once too often yet." Saying which he faced about and walked in the opposite direction. ** I hope you will pardon this intrusion, Miss Hunting," Rich apologised, as soon as they were beyond the fellow's hearing ; " but I saw you were very much annoyed by the insolence of that man. and I could not resist interfering to relieve you of your persecutor, for such his last words proved him to be " She grew crimson again on being told that he had heard that coarse speech ; then she said, heartily : " I thank you very much, and I cannot tell you how relieved I was when you addressed me. He has followed me a number of times, and made himself very obnoxious, though he has never before been quite go bold as he was to-day. He always joins me at that corner whenever I come this way. Sometimes Igo around a square, but it is much farther for me ; then, at other times, I ride to avoid him, but— I cannot always do that," she concluded, with some embarrassment. Rich understood— her purse was too slenderly stocked to admit of much riding ; but he resolved within himself that she should not be troubled in that way again if he could prevent it. " Do you have far to go ?" he asked. " Yes ; I am in the dress-making department at Lord & Taylors, and it is a long distance from their establishment to my boarding- place. ' "Then you board — your own friends do not reside in the city ?" be remarked, questioningly, and regretting that she was so unprotected. The tears started to her eyes, and she shook her head. "No, I have no 'own friends.' My parents are both dead ; papa died two years ago last winter, and I am all alone." This last was uttered with a suppressed aob. There was a moment of awkward eilence after this, for Rich did not know just how to respond, being such a stranger to her, though his heart was full of sympathy. At length he said, with a smile : " I cannot help feeling very grateful to your persecutor for one thing — that ie, for calling you by name, so that I knew how to address you without seeming to interfere in what was none of my business." *' I am sure I do not know ho w he discovered it," Mies Hunting replied, looking deeply troubled. " I was never introduced to him ; Ido not even know his name. He followed me at a distance at first, but gradually grew bolder, until he began to speak to me and cay very disagreeable thiDgs." "It is hardly fair for ire to have such an advantage of yon," Rich continued, smiling, and becoming more and more enthralled by that sweet face beside him, "and I trust I shall not be considered presuming if I introduce myself. My name is Waldemar — Richmond Waldemar. My address is 158 — street, and if I can ever do you a service, please do not fail to let me know." The joang girl— she could not have been more tbaa seventeen years of age — turned her face quickly toward him as he spoke his name. There was the loveliest colour in her cheeks, and ehe opened her lips in an eager way, as if about to Bpeak ; but she suddenly compressed them, while there came that same wistful, appealing look into her eyr s which Rick had seen there that day when they had first met. There was something in her manner, too, ! that impressed him strangely, though he could not account for it. After a moment she spoke again, and there was a slight quiver in her voice : "I feel greatly indebted to you, Mr Waldemar, for the service you have rendered me to-day, and also on a previous occasion — . But this is my corner," this with a charming smile, which revealed two rows of small, dazzling teeth, and holding out her hand for her satchel, " and 1 feel aa if I have troubled you sufficiently." "Do you have far to go on this street?" Rich asked. " A couple of blocks only," she answered. Bis quick eye ran the length of two blocks. There was quite a distance yet to be traversed. "May I walk it with you?" he asked, eagerly. •• It will not take me out of my way, for this cross-Btreet will bring me out upon another which leads directly to my own home. She smiled assent, and turned without demur, and they fell into a social chat, which was terminated all to quickly by her stopping before a very modest house, and paying, quietly : " This is where I live, Mr Waldemar." Something in her tone, and in the look which accompanied it, made his heart beat more quickly than was its wont. Where, in the dim past, had he heard a voice like that? When bad he looked into such deep, such wonderful blue eyes? He reluctantly gave tip her satchel ; then bidding her good-evening, he lifted his hat, and turned hifl own steps homeward.