The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-28
: THB BARONErv.x nRIDE. ,


Fright |" he said. 'Yoa know nv age GO on r'
"Your noynooo you passed here-quiet. eventless
y yeond satSer Scm donpace mother and dull
grave; at twelve the late Sir Noel followed her. At
tn, ir va were lonely orphan, removed from
Sate@ 70 London IN the chargeof GUARDIAN you
3. "YoI are. Pray, 60 onw
"At fourteen, you went to Rugby, TO school, From
passed In public schools and universities harmessly
and monOtonOusly enough. At twenty-one you lett
Cambridge ana i, started 70 make the grand tour;
brilliant things. You were tOlerabiy cleyer-you
were young and handsome and heir to a noble in.
herance. Your life to be the life OF great and
good mana benefactor OF the human race Your
memory was to be magnificent mementO, for a
whole world to honor. Your dreams were wild and
vague. and sublinely impracticable; and ended in
Sir Jasper Kingsland listened and stared. like a
mist before sunrise. Achmet, the astrolOger, con-
tinued to read the palm, with fixed stony face.
"And now the lines are crossed and the trouble
begins. AS usual woman is at the bottom Of it.
Sir Jasper Kingsland Is In love-"
There was pause. The baronet WINGED little.
and the astrOlOger bent lower over the palm.
at is in Spain, - he continued, In the dreamy, far
of tone Of man who sees vision, glowing gor-
geous SPAIN and she is Of Its loveest children.
The oranges and pOmegranates scent the burning
air. the vineyards glow in the tropie sum- and golden
summer forever relgns. But the glowing southern
sun Is not more brilliant than the Spanish gpsy's
flashing black eyes, nor the pomegranate blossoms
half so ripe and red rs her cheeks Her step is light
ds TIC stcp VI al anteOpt, ntT NOIcc SWcCt 40 tio
harps Of Heaven. She is Zenith, the Zngara, and
you love her."
"In the fend's namer' Sir Jasper Kingsland
cried. snatching away his hand, "what Juggery IS
this 9''
He was asben white, and his steady voice shook.
Calmly the astrologer repossessed himself OF the
zone moment more, nv lord OF Kingsland,' he
said, land nave done. Let me see how your love
dream ends All the old, old stOry-surely might
have k.s1wn. She is beautiful rs the angels above
and as innocent-and she loves you with mad
Nhats 40 tAAlof nfllu
ever love. And you-you are grand and noble-a
Mi-ior Inglese and you take her love- her crazy wor-
ship a. demgod might with npll a,,v grace era as
hour, and then, careless and happy, you are gone.
Sunny Spain, with its olives and It's vineyards, its
p0megranates and its Zenith the Zitana, is left far
behind and you are roaming happy and free,
through Belle France And lO Zenith, the fOrsaken,
lies prone on the ground and tears ont her hair by
the handful, and goes stark mad for the day god she
has lostl There, Sir Jasper Kingslandl-the record
is black onel wish to read no moref'
He dung the baronet's hand away ana once more
his eyes gl0wed like the orbs OF demon. But Sir
Jasper, pale as dead man. saw It not.
'Are you man OF devil ~ he said in an awe-struck
tone. "No living mortal knows what you have told
me this night.n
Achmet, the Astrologer, smied--a dire, dark smile
His eyes shoDe upon the speaker full OF deadliest
.'Man in league WITH" he pointed downward
"the dark potentate YOU have named il you like
Whatever am have truth fully told you the past
as VIII truthfnlly tell your sons future"
''By palmlstryr
shine ~
world wrapped in q winding sheet OF dead white
and up in heaven the silver stars swing, crystal
clear, spark ling bright.
'Take me to an upper ROOM" the astrOlOger eX-
claimed, in an inspired tone. land leave me. Des-
tiny is propitiOus-the Fate that ruled your sons
birth has set forth the shining stars for Achmet to
read. Lead on ~
Like man In a dreamy swoon Sir James Kings
land Obeyed. He led the astrolOger up the grand,
- n
house, to the lofty, lonely battlements Coudless
spread the wide night sky; countless and brilliant
shone the stars; peaceful and majestic slept the pur
pie sea- spotless white cleaned the snowy eartn-a
weird witching scene.
"Lcave me, !" said the astrOloger, s'and watch and
wait. When the first little pink cloud Of sunrise
bushes IN the sky come TO me- My task VIII have
ended"
He waved him away with a regal motion. Ho
stood there gazing rapt nj the stars as king looks
upon his subjects and the naughty barOnet without
q word turned and left him.
The endless hours wore on.-two, three and four
and still the barOnet watched and waited and looked
for the coming of dawn Faint the silver light broke
in the orient rosy flushed the first ray Sir Jasper
mounted to the battlemens, still like man i'll a
daZed dream.
pale frosty sunrise had blanched his white face
with livid hue of death. In one hand he held a
folded paper, IN the other pencil. He had been
''IIave you done p, the baronet asked.
al am done Your sons fate il here"
He touched the paper he spoke In voice of awful
sOlemnity; his eyes had wild, diIated look, from
which Sir Jasper shrank. They looked SO horribly
ike the eyes OF u man who has been face to face
with disembodied spirits.
ais that for mefr he asked, shrinking palpably
from It, even while he spoke
'This is for you.r The astrologer handed him the
paper as he spoke at Is for you to read-to do
with after as you see NJ. | have but one word to
say-n0t |, but a mightier power traced the words
you will read-yOur sons irrevOcable fate. Don't
hope to shirk it; fate is fate; doom Is doom. My
task il ended and go. Farewell"
mo, no. the baronet CRIED mot so Remain
and breakfast here The morning Is but just break