Winning The Prize

"I shall go to the country wcll armed for conquest, that's certain," laughed i Lon Harding, a rich young widow, tossing a pile of dainty laces into the lap of her pau! companion with the injunction to "hurry itp and get those flounces made as soon as possible." 'Tve learned that Hugh Mansfield is to spend part of the sunmier there, she went on, lurning again to the friend who had run in to discuss with her their plans for the season, "and you know, Fannie, what a magnificent : ontli h is Rn T warn you in timfi that we shall be deadlv rivals, for of coui-se you will try as hard as auy of i us to land the big lish." "Oh, I yiekl to the inevitable at the very outset," returned Fannie Remington, banteringly; "for what eartlily chance will my poor beauty have against your gold?" And there was just a suflicieut shade of truth in the jesting inquiry to make Mis. Harding wince a little, for there was no denying that her friend Fannie had, by far, the advantage in the way of good looks, "But what will Miss Weir bc doing in the me.antime while all the rest of us are quarreling over the great prize?" j sho added, turning, with one of her cliarming sniiles, to Mrs. Harding's companion. "Oh, I shall be happy enough, never fear," said the latter, returning the sin Ie willi one equally as bright over ! her lapful of laces. "I shall not be burdened with society cares and conquests, you know, so when Mrs. Harding doesn't need me I shall be out gathering wild flowers and exploring nature"s beauties. I dearly love the country for itsclf." "Bravo!'' cried Miss Remington, gayly, while Mrs. Harding merely j arched her black brows and shrugged her elegant shoulders, as if the likes or I dislikes of her paid companion were ; several degrees beneath her notice. When the "season" was fairly ! auguratod it found the young widow ! and her party dehghtfully established in one of the quietest of the I able watering places, if there is .such i thing as a place being qniet after Fashion has once found it out. It is doubtful, however, if Mrs. Harding would have chosen it as the favorod spot whcrein to display her ravishing new toilettes liad it not been for Hugh Mansfield's presence there. For beneath her light jests upon the subject was a firm deterrnined purpose to win the handsome young millionaire in the face of all possible rivalry. And it soon began to look as if she had not made a vain boast. Lou Harding, if not a beauty, was quite pretty enough to turn a young ruan's head, and her black eyes, fine figure and coquettish airs were really bewildering in the array of cliarming tennis suits, dainty beribboned morning gowns and exquisite ball dresses, that displayed them to the best advantage. And so Hugh Mansiield evidently thought. At least he paid her many fiattering attentions, and the pretty widow's heart beat high with hope. "Didn't I teil you I meant to win the great prize?" she retorted, with a trinmphant snap in her black eyes, as Fannie, in mock indignation, bantered her upon getting the lion's share of the young millionaire's attentions. "When a young widow enters the field of conquest, you poor girls might j as wcll give up the struggle first as last," she added, with a complacent laugb. "Especially when she bas the ducats with which to back up her other fascinations," laughed Fannie, with a saucy little grimace. "Well, as I never entered the lists against you. I can afford to let you i boast a little. Anyway, Hugh Mansfield isn't the only conquest " But here the young lady checked j self abruptly, biting her saucy red lip, while a sudden vivid color flusbed her pretty cheeks. "Oh, you may as well spare your i blushes, Fan; dou't you suppose we can ! all sce which way the wind is blowing?" teased Mrs. Harding, with her self-satisfied little laugh. "Well, I admire your taste as well as your diseretion. For since you can't have tirst choice - catch of the season, you know - why. Captain Carroll is certainly a splendid substitute." Td advise younot to 'count your I chickens,' &c, Lou. You know the ' old proverb," retorted Fannie, a ; wicked sparkle in her pleasant brown eyes. "Now, Miss Leslie here has never a word to saj on the subject; yet it wpuldn't surprise me at all if the big lish were to land hiniself in her i modest net, despite all the rich widows and marriageable girls who are just dying to capture him." "Miss Rcmington!" There was a thrill of indignant surprisé in the clear, sweet tones as Leslie Weir, with an abrupt, startled ment, lifted her head from the book she had been reading, paying litlle attention to the conlidential chat which had been going on, as usual, regardless of her presence. For it seemed to be a cardinal point in the rich young widow's creed to treat her hired dependents as if they were mere sticks or stoncs. Leslie could not feel angry with the charming girl who always championed j her cause so sweetly - "spoiled her," was Mrs. Harding's version of it; but there was a proudly reproachful look in the large, deep gray eyes that shot such a swift glance toward the speaker, and a hot wave of crimson dved Leslie' s fair face to the very roots of her rich, tawny hair. Fannie laughed merrily in answer, i whilo Mrs. Harding shot a look at the lovely companion from her br'ght, ' black eyes - an insolent look of mingled amusement and disdain. "What an idea! You do take up with such ridiculous notions, Fannie,' she remarked, with her ever-ready shrug, and a short, derisive laugh, that was nicant to crush hl the bud any similar "notions" that might possibly I exist in Leslie's niind. The girl, however. did not deign to notico the intended slur. She simply said, with an appealing glance that went straight to Fannie's kind heart: "I trust you will leave my name out of such discussions hereafter, MissRemington." And then, in her proud, quict way, she rose and left the room with an air j of grttceflll diguity that a queen might have enviüd. Ten minutes later, with her large white Swiss-coviued bat shading her I fluslied eheeks, find hor book in her hand, she v;is p:;ring slowly up and down the beaeb; bnt lier miad and heart were too full of excited thonght to permit her to rond-, or even to notioe the lovely goene which the ransel waa painting on tlie still surfaoe of ilie sea. ' Calnily as -e had lorne it, that i subtle, barbed thrust oí Mrs. Harding's had gone straight to ts mark. It liad stung her to the very soul. It Óame home to her now for the iirst time, til a thrill of bitter sísame, how completely Hugh MansAeld had realized her perfect ideal of rnanhood and liow oft'n his imago had, of late been a part of her sweetest day dreams. Sevcral tinies, in the iirst two or three weeks following their arrival. they had met by chance - once during Í ene of Leslie's early morning strolls, when the dew was yet glistening in the hearts of the wild flowers she was gathcring and the wood was ringing with the trilla of a thousaud fluttering, 3ilrer throaled birds. Theyoung mau's quick, ürm step, as he came striding down the woodland path, switching the dew off the grass svith his light cane as ha walked, startled her so that she let fall the hatful of 5weet June roses she had gathered, and they lay scattered on the dewy grass ilireetly in his path. With a graceful apology he stopped and assisted her in gathcring up her fallen treasures; then, when he had seen the last velvety pink blossom safely replaced in the wide rimmed straw liat, he had gone on his way with her few modest words of thanks, uttered in i voice marvelously low and sweet, lingering pleasantly in his ears. Leslie did not dreani what a lovely picture she had made that morning in ihe eyes of the young millionaire - ítanding there in the tender light that n'as still half shadow under the leafy boughs, her soft white gown prettily leh'uing a lithe and graceful form, the bare head crowned with rich coils of tawny hair that waved in silky rings sver a broad, white forehead, and the ivide straw bat, with its fluttering pale pink ribbons, filled to the rery brim with blushing, dew wet roses. Nor did she know that he had secretly jarried one of those same roses away ivith him as :i souvenir of his ing with the lovely wood-nymph, as he ;alled her in his thoughts. Later, only a few-days ago, had come i formal introduction given by Mrs. Hardicg, and most reluctantly, as Leslie clearlv divined by the cold, hard glitter in the widow's black eyes and the slight, but scornful, emphasis with ivhich she uttered the explanatory words "niy companion, " carefully adled ófter Leslie's name. An araused smile was Hugh MansReld's only recognition of the little trick, and there was a light in his handionic dark eyes as he took her hand that made Leslie's beurt unconsciously tieat qiiicker. After that, in a proud, graceful little way all her own, she quietly avoided niin. With all her dreams - and Leslie was something of a dreamer - she was not romantic or simple niinded enough to fancy that he, the lionized millionaire, would think seriously of a girl in her position, and she was far too pure and proud to permit any attentions trom such as he that might be lightly miseonstrued. And now, pacing the shingly beach, she knew, at last, that another feelng, stronger and deeper than pride alone, urged her to fly fróm his pres3nee. "If I could only leave here." she was saying to herself, with a kind of passionate rebellion ajrainst her fate. "If I could only be free f rom the pain of seeing hlni, and - and knowing that he belongs to a different world from mine! If I need newr again bear that woman's petty stings and slurs. But, tliere!" checking her wild feverish longings with a grim little smile of recollection, "what urn I saying? I must earn niy daily bread, and Lou Harding, with all her mean üttlo tvrannies, gives me the chance to do that. No, no; I must stay on and continue to bear it. Where else could I go? - what could Ido? "What a pleasure to sec you at last. Miss Weir!" broke in a cherry maseuline voice upon her excited rêverie. And, tnrning, she was face to face with Hugh Mansfield, who extended his hand with a frank, glad smile that lit up his dark face most winningly. "What must onc do,"' he went on, in a tone half je.sting, half serious, "to obtain an occasional audience of your majestv? I wilt do anvtlrng- only teil me. Do you know," (juite earnestly, "that you have not allowed me the chance to speak one word with you in three whole days?'" "Indeed! How you must have suffered!" she rctorted, lightly, her carelo.ss tones just tinged with irony, and she hastily withdi-cw the hand she had permitted to merely touch his for an instant, "líut I ana not in society, you know,'' she added. fearfnl that he might guess the real trut li, "and I have duties whicb keep me iiiiie busily occupied. Even now," she added, glancing toward the widow's cottage, "'I must be golng. Mis. Harding- - " "What! you dou't meftu to say you are going the moment I am so fortúnate as to lind you?"' hc interrtipti-d, with a rueful counteiianoe, indeed. "I must,'" she retorted lightlv, as she moved away. 'llieu, glancing )ack indifferent ly, she addetl, with :i careless smile and nod, "Good oveung, Mr. Mansfield." "Jove! how she does manage to eut ! me short whenever I try to talk with her," m uttered the young millionaire, i gazing after the light vanishing form, ' with u puzzled frown on his handsomc. j dark face. 'Why does she do il, I'd j liko to know? Js it pride, or - what? No other woman ever tried, or caved, to kee)) me at such an icy distance, I'm 1 sure. But she is go different from all Others, in every way! Just a glanco from those deep, cool gray eyes, and then she is gono. Ah! my fair, proud Leslie." He walked up and down (he beach lor a time, half-hoping slie might return. But she was not visible again; and three hours later Mansiield was smiling and uttering his meaningless j compliments to the fashionable women who thronged about him with their sweetest smiles, while his thouclits were forever drifting away to a fair, proud face with gray eyes that seenied to be gazing upon him with their i mocking light from the far-oft frozun i pinnacle oí an iceberg. Mrs. Lop. HariWng had chanccd to witncss that brief interview on tho beach anl a Btartled, uneasy look flashed into her glittering black eyes. "l'll have to get rid of that girl, I Bee ihat," she mutlered vindictively drawing her breath hard as she watclied them froin her window. "She is lovely in her old style - dangerously so; and it'll be impossible to keep her in the background any longer, now that he's msisted upon liaving an introdueüon to her. 1 won't mention this afl'air, of course, bilt l'll íind some good excuse for diseharging her before two day's have passed. I would ilie before I would admit that I looked upon her as a rival." Mrs. Harding kept her word. And when, after several days had passed without a glimpse of Miss Weir, Mr. Mansficld made some inquiries concerning her, the young widow put on a pretty air of injured innoeence. "She left me very unexpectedly, and I must own that 1 feit rather hurt over it since I had kept her so lonr in my cmploy and had done so much for her," said she, with a charming little pout. "But she said sho expected soou to be married and hinted at some old romance which had just ended all right, as an excuse for leaving me so suddenly. So I suppose I really ought not to blame her, after all." The look that swept over Hngh's dark, handsome face andsettled gloomily in the depths of his beautiful dark eyes, as he heard the startling news, couvinced the pretty little schemer, that she had not sent Leslie away one moment too soon. But the watering place suddenly lost all attractions for the young mUlionairc. He left at once, not caring particular! v whither he went; and, by some strange fate, found hiniself at the end of the first day, in the very same hotel, at; which Leslie Weir was stopping On her way to take a hew situation. In the shock of the sudden meeting, Hngh blundered fortli the story of li e honest love, and Leslie, having heard it, threw aside her eoldnëss aiul reserve, and then the whole truth carne out. "Sinco you have no relhtives or friends to consult, my darliag," plcaded the impassioned lover, "let u.s be married here at once, and we wil return to tho fashionable wateKng plaee we have just left to spend our honeymoon." And Leslie allowed the happy fellow to plan the whole affair iust to snit hiinself. When Fannie Remington reeoived their wedding cards, she smiled and nodded her sincere apptoval. When Mrs. Lou. Harding received hers - which chanced to be at the breakfast table, in the presence of a dozen olher guests - she fainted dead away. Within a week the beautifal Mrs. Mansfield was the reigning b.'lle and fashion; whilo Mrs. Harding who had lost not a moment in packing uj her bewildering wardrobe and lleeiug to new fields of glory, listened in bitter silence to the hated ccboes of her rival' s f ame.