Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 May 1881 — A NATURAL MISTAKE. [ARTICLE]

A NATURAL MISTAKE.

“I say, Prince!” Prince Winslow, fishing under a fragrant bank of sweet fern, looked up and beheld the good-natured countenance of his friend, Dr. Denleigh. “Helen wants you to come up this afternoon, if you can.” “Have they come?” “Yes.” . v , The two men smiled into each other s faces. The younger one looked at his watch. “I shall have to go home and dress. Tell Mrs. Denleigh that I will be around about 4 o’clock. ” So the arrival of the Misses Selwyn spoiled a delightful day’s fishing for Prince; but he accepted the situation quite good-naturedly. Indeed, perfect as the weather was and excellent as his luck, he no sooner heard the expected news than a sudden willingness to forego the joys of the seen for the delights of the unseen took possession of him. And as soon as the Doctor’s cheery face disappeared from the bank he withdrew his patent fly from the water, wound up the lino, and with his fishing-rod oyer his shoulder, began to ascend the winding path to the road. Pretty girls were not plenty in Redfield; and the Misses Selwyn had been described to him as very pretty, also accomplished and very charming. They were the orphan nieces of the Denleighs —heiresses in a small way—and had arrived to spend the delightful month of October with their relatives. Now, Mrs. Helen Denleigh was a nice little woman, but not altogether disinterested, any more than the rest of mortals. Pretty girls were rare in Redfield, but eligible young men were not; and she certainly had no objections to her husband’s neices making nice matrimonial connections with her. In fact, she had had her fair and debonair young neighbor, Prince Winslow, in her mind when extending the invitation to the girls. He was a good-natured fellow, cultured and intelligent, wealthy, and belonging to one of the best families in the country. Since both the girls were beautiful and either could make him a suitable wife, why should not this young scion of a titled colonial family become Mrs. Helen’s nephew? The lazy October afternoon was at its richest when Prince came up the Autumn red avenue of the Maples. A servant meeting him at the door of the mansion, said that the ladies were in the garden, and Mrs. Denleigh would like to have him come there. He turned away and went down among the flowers, but scarcely had he taken a dozen steps in the direction indicated, when he stopped in alarm. A pretty figure rose among the shrubbery, reaching out for a branch of crimson leaves, and as quickly went down with a scream of terror.

Prince comprehended instantly that the girl had lost her balance and fallen into the pond. He heard the splash and other screams of fright. In an instant he was on the spot. Though the pond was a mere toy-pond for fish, he saw instantly that the whitefaced girl was beyond her depth, and would soon be drowned but for timely help. The other ladies, who were running away for assistance, returned at sight of him, and besought the young man, incoherently, to “save Amy!” as he flung off his coat and sprang into the water. The chill or shock, had made the girl quite unconscious by the time he reached her, and lifting her petite form in his arms, he waded out of the water. ‘ ‘Let some one who is dry take her up to the house—-she will come to in a minute,” he said, trying to rid himself of some of his superfluous moisture. Two of the men-servants wrapped the dripping girl in a blanket, from the grass, and bore her away, while Mrs. Denleigh besought him to follow her, and allow her to furnish him with some dry clothing. Now, it had not occurred, so far, to Prince to f«-ll in love; but, looking up, he beheld a face which, while regarding him with concern, was so altogether lovely that he then and there lost his heart ’“Honor, my dear, please lend Mr. Winslow that blanket from the hammock; and, Prince, do hurry—there’s a good fellow! If you get your death, the doctor will say that it was all my fault—that I did not take immediate precautions.” “ I’ll run to the kitchen, auntie, and

get something hot for them to take,” said Honor, “ Yes, do, dear,” and Prince followed now quite willingly to the house. “I don’t think it would hurt me to walk home for another suit of clothes,” he said: “but I will take a glass of Jamaica ginger before I go,” stalking up the path, wrapped in a red blanket, like an Indian. “She is very pretty,” in an aside to Mrs. Denleigh, as Honor disappeared. “Yes, charming!” nodded Mrs. Denleigh, well pleased. “So it's to be Amy. The accident has settled the whole thing,” she said to herself. Thus she took no pains to show off Honer’s graces, but henceforth Amy’s perfections were strenously dwelt upon. I do not know why Prince fell in with this state of thing. He understood Mrs, Denleigh’s mistake very well. Perhaps it was because something in Honor Selwyn’s sweet, strong face made him fear to dare his fate; and day by day he hugged his secret. Fortunately, Amy, young and elastic, recovered instantly from her cold-water plunge. There was week after week of exceptional fine weather, and Mrs. Denleigh meant to make her nieces’ stay as enjoyable and attractive as possible. Rides, drives and sails followed each other in merry succession. Other young people were invited to the Maples, adding to and enjoying the holiday. If Mrs. Denleigh had had more leisure in which to observe the signs of the times she might have discovered her error in regard to Prince; but her duties as hostess to so much company left her little leisure to make investigations. The sisters were seldom far apart, and seeing Prince generally near Amy, she did not suspect that she had jumped to a hasty aind wrong conclusion. But this is not the mistake of my story. I must go on to tell you that bonny Prince Winslow, full of youth and grace, but equally full of conflicting hope and fear, came lightly up the Maple avenue, one morning,* and found the parlors and library deserted. He had entered unannounced at the open hall door, expecting, as usual, to peot iobm of the ladle* $ but so on» wmi

to be seen, and, passing on, he seated himself in the little music-room, where he knew Honor usually came at eleven o’clock to practice. He had seated himself and carelessly taken up a book, when he heard carriage wheels grind the gravel of the drive, and in a moment a servant conducted a young gentleman into the parlor. His elegant appearance and evident eager anticipation of meeting some one, instantly attracted Prince’s attention. A sudden fear had come over him when there was a rustle of silk and a light step, and Honor advanced' into the apartment. “Ronald!” she exclaimed. ' The stranger sprang to meet her, received both her outstretched hands in either of his and then raised first the one and then the other to his lips. Prince could not see Honor’s face; but the joy of thegentleman’s there was no mistaking. “How is my darling? Tell me,” he said. Prince could play eavesdropper no longer. He advanced into the room. “I beg your pardon. Is Mrs. Denleigh in?” he said. Honor turned with a start, but instinctively regained her self-possession. “Auntie has gone to see a sick neighbor, Mr. Winslow. Let me introduce you to an old friend, Mr. Raleigh. ” If poor Prince was almost speechless, Mr. Ronald Raleigh was ease and vivacity itself. He seemed overflowing with a happiness which, to Prince, at least, was not contagious. •In a few minutes he had turned his back upon the Maples, not to return. It had been a brief, bright time; but all a delusion. Honor could not care for him. She was engaged to another, and all his love had been in vain.

The dregs of his bright glass were bitter enough; but Mrs. Denleigh, discerning half the truth—on observing Raleigh during a few days Prince was invisible at her house—remembered her duty, to call upon her neighbor, Mrs. Winslow. If she had had opportunity to tell Prince what she believed, she would have builded better than she knew; but Prince, fast growing misanthropic, had put his gun over his shoulder and started for the woods, to avoid her. j JThere he passed the long day, while Mrs. Denleigh, after waiting long in vain for his return, re-entered her ponyphaeton, much vexed. “This making matches is the most trying work! Why couldn’t he have fallen in love with Honor?” she said. Meanwhile Honor, who knew the truth, and all the truth, was remembering distressfully that she was a woman and that all the advances must come from a man. The time for their departure from Redfield was drawing near. Mr. Raleigh, at her suggestion, was an invited guest at the Maples. And day after day passed and Prince did not come near. In fact, that young gentleman was talking of a long-projected plan of his for going to Europe. At length Honor heard of this. “Mr. Winslow will not go abroad without coming to .see you, auntie, I hope,” she observed one day. “I shall be very much offended if he does,” remarked Mrs. Denleigh prompty. Pitying Prince, whom she sincerely liked, and partly blaming herself for the sorrow that had come upon him, she sent him a note, bidding him come to the Maples. She wrote: ‘ ‘ Don’t be a foolish boy. If you knew what a noble girl Honor is, you would blush at your foolishness in loving such a little goose as Amy. But come to the Maples at once; I shall never forgive you if you allow my nieces to go home without your most courteous farewell!” Prince’s brow ached with thought and grief, and he did not make much of this letter. He recognized Mrs. Denleigh’s old error,, however, that he loved Amy. “I will not be rude, and offend all my friends,” he said, screwed up his courage to the sticking point, and went to the Maples. It chanced that he again crossed the familiar portal unannounced, and found the reception rooms unoccupied. But in the same moment there was a light footstep, the rustle of silks, and Honor, bright and beautiful, looked up into his face.

“I thought—l was afraid you were not coming again,” she said softly. He stood holding her delicate hand; he could not speak for a moment. “Honor/’ he said, at last, “I forced myself to come here to-day. It was hard to see you again.” “Why?” she asked. There was something strangely gentle and yielding in the soft brown eyes, and in spite of that troublesome mistake, they stood so near together she could feel the heavy beating of his heart. “Because,” he said, with unconscious reproach in his blue eyes, “I love you; and I saw your meeting with Mr. Raleigh. ” Honor had been unusually pale. ~ The color came brightly now into" her smooth, olive cheeks, as she turned and pointed through the window at one of the garden walks. Amy and Mr. Ronald Raleigh were strolling there. “You made a very natural mistake,” she said simply. “Will you let me tell you how it is ?” He bowed, and they sat down, side by side. “Amy and I have long lived with an uncle and aunt who are not on good terms with Mr. Raleigh’s people. But for this he is not to blame, and is himself unexceptional in character. For a year past he and Amy have loved each other. Ronald, however, could never visit her, and they were both very unhappy, until I decided it to be right that I should befriend Ronald. For their sakes I first suggested this visit, that they might meet here. Aunt Helen was not in the plot; but she knows how it is now, and has no objection to Mr. Raleigh. They will be married soon, and I—” “And you?” cried Prince, enraptured with hope. “And I love you!” said dear Honor, hiding her blushes on his breast.