TO FORGET THE LURING BLUE EYES.
"Droop and darken, eyes of blue,
Love hath only tears for you;
Love, begone, and lightly flee,
Since thy smiles are not for me!
Lips of scarlet, quench your fire,
Torches vain of love's desire;
Love, begone, and lightly flee,
Since thy sweets are not for me!"
But Precious improved too slowly to please the careful doctor.
The long fast and the subsequent shock had told severely on her young
frame, and it was almost the last of March when she was able to come
out of her room. Then she looked too thin, too frail, too lily-like, to
please those who loved her best.
"Mrs. Winans, you must take her away from Washington to the country;
she needs mountain air," said Doctor Heron.
"Oh, doctor, what an idea! Leave Washington before the season is over!
How can you tell mamma that?" pouted Ethel.
The selfish, dark-eyed beauty had resumed all the gayeties of the
brilliant Washington season as soon as her sister was declared out of
danger, and dragged her gentle, yielding mother day after day from
receptions to balls, from dinners to operas. Ethel was a belle, and
would not yield her scepter; so Norah nursed the sick girl; and the
mother who, because she loved Precious best, indulged Ethel most,
followed with a sad heart into scenes of revelry, leaving her tenderest
thoughts at home.
So Ethel was almost indignant when the physician ordered Mrs. Winans to
the mountains with her ailing daughter.
At the proud beauty's protest Doctor Heron smiled and answered
carelessly:
"You can remain in Washington, Miss Winans."
"But mamma--my chaperon! Of course I couldn't go into society without
her. Really, I think that Precious can get on here till May, when we
will go away for the summer."
The physician looked disgusted at her selfishness, and turned again to
her mother.
"I repeat that Miss Precious should be taken to the mountains before
the first of April, or her recovery will be very tedious. It is a case
of nervous prostration," he said.
"You can send Norah with her, mamma; that will do very well, don't you
think so?" Ethel cried airily; but there was a look of pain on the
gentle face of Mrs. Winans, and she did not reply.
Earle, who was present at the conclave, broke in:
"How fortunate that your distant relative in Virginia left you her
lovely mountain estate when she died last fall, mother. It is the very
place to take Precious, doctor, and not more than a hundred miles from
here. The kind spinster who left it to us had it elegantly appointed,
and nothing has been changed. I think even the old family servants are
yet in charge."
"Yes," assented his mother. "You see, I intended going there for a part
of this summer. It is a charming mountain country, doctor. The estate
is called Rosemont, and there is a pretty country town of the same name
near by. The air is fine and pure."
"The very place for your drooping daughter," cried Doctor Heron. "Send
her as soon as you can, Mrs. Winans, and if you can't be spared from
Washington just now, let the good nurse Norah take your place. She
will do excellently well."
"And I will go, too, to take care of the little one. I'm tired of the
social whirl," cried Earle Winans, and was rewarded by a beaming smile
of gratitude from his adoring mother. He did not care for Ethel's
sullen brow, and inwardly characterized her as selfish and unloving.
"To keep mother dancing attendance on her here when she looks so pale
and worn and needs a change almost as much as Precious does!" the noble
young man thought indignantly.
So the plan was carried out. The delicate, drooping girl was sent to
Rosemont with her brother and the good nurse Norah, and Ethel drew a
long breath of relief when they were gone.
"Two months of relief from their silly worship at least, for I shall
not go to Rosemont any sooner if I can possibly avoid it," she cried
angrily.
One thing that pleased her well was that Lord Chester and Precious had
not yet met, for the young lord had gone away from the city as soon as
it was announced that Precious would recover. Washington had lionized
him after his heroic act, and in sheer bashfulness he had run away
to travel round a few weeks until his fame blew over, he laughingly
explained to his friend Earle.
Perhaps there was more in it than he had confessed.
Lord Chester regretted with a bitter pain that he had given Ethel
Winans cause to expect an offer of his hand and heart.
From the day that he had first seen the portrait of Precious his heart
had turned away from proud, queenly Ethel to her gentle younger sister.
The strange chance by which he had saved her sweet young life only drew
her closer to his heart.
Yet in all honor his fealty belonged to dark-eyed Ethel.
In desperation he went away to try to forget the blue eyes that were
luring him from his honor.
And he remained away until he received a letter from Earle Winans,
telling him of all that had happened since he left Washington.
"We are here at Rosemont--Precious and I; the _mater_ and Ethel are
still in the Capitol City. Precious is improving slowly but surely in
the fine mountain air, and I--well, I fear I'm losing my heart to a
village coquette, the daintiest fairy I ever saw. Rosemont is a very
gay little town, with some nice people--old Virginia stock, you know."
Then Lord Chester resolved to go back to Washington and see Ethel
again. Perhaps now that Precious was gone his heart might return to its
first love.