The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-28
THE BARONEr,s BRIDE

THE BARONET,s BRIDE.
air with her two hands. her black eyes blazing II
would throttle the baby snake ana hing him dead in
alive would be far too merciful for himl'
Achmet smiled and drew her long black braids
.You Know how to hate, and You viii teach our
little one Yes the fate have f0ret0ld shall come
TO pass, and the son Of Sir Jasper viii live TO curse
the day OF his BIRTH And now will remove my
disguise and wash and breakfast for feel the calls
Of hunger. Then will see the mother"
''She has been waiting for your cOmingn Tara
said. ''She counts the moments when you are
away"
She led the way into the room-there was but One
room and a loft above The lower apartment Of the
hut on the heath was the very picture OF abIect
poverty and dreary desolation the earthen moor
was broken and rough the sunlight came sitting
through the chinks in the broken walls. smoky
fire Of wet drift wood sulked and snouldered, black
and forbidding under the pot on the crook. There
was neither table nor chairs. straw pallet, with a
wretched coverlet lay in one corner; few broken
stools were scattered ar0und few articles OF cloth
ing hung on the wall-that was all
THE little one sleeps" the man said, casting a
# SIR a. pss s
born we love our child, or haf SO well, we are
almost avenged already"
daughter cara said fercely ''ihe lion loves its
whep, the tiger its cub; but e less human than the
brute, casts or his offspring in the hour OF s BIRTH"
'Meaning yourself, my Zara" the man said with
his slow, soft smile. 'what would You have, de-
graded daughter OF degraded mother, ms toy OF an
hour And there is another daughter-a fair
haired nsipid nonenity OF dozen years, no more
Ike our beautiful one mere than fartnlng
Is like the stars of heaven.n
He drew down the tattered quilt and gazed with
shining eyes OF love and admiral at the sleeping
lace OF child, baby girl OF scarce two years. the
cherub face rosy with sleep, smiling In her dreams,
the long, silk black lasnes sweeping the flushed
cheek the abundant, feathery, jet black chris noai
ing loosely about-an exquisite picture OF DIo0m-
ing, healthful, beautiful childhood I
lara came to where the man knelt, gazing with
adoring face her wide black eyes elstenng.
"My beautiful one my rosebud !" she mnrrnnred.
"Pietro, the sun shines nothing half 80 lovely in
this lower world y,
The man glanced up with his lazy smile.
. And yet the black, bad blood or the Gltana nows
mother and grandmother before her. Nay, not her
mother, since the blue blood OF all the Kingsapds
"Neverp p cried cara, her eyes ablaze. "T
thought drop Of that mans bitter blood thr0bbed
Look at me I" she wildly cried, tossing back her
raven hair; "look at me, Pietro lara your wife!-
have one look Of him or his abhorred English
"My lara, MOI You are Sir Jasper Kingsland's
daughter but there is no look OF the great Sir Jasper
in your gypsy face, in the face OF darling one,
| citizen She is all our own ~
81 would strangle her in her cradle, dearly AZ
love her else p the woman said, her passionate
| face alame. "Pletro, my blood is like liquid fire
| when think Of him and my mothers wrongs r'
"Wait lara, wait The wheel will turn and our
| time come. And now ior breakfast Dost know
wife, sir Jasper Kingsand asked me 10 break his
bread and drink OF his cupT'
| "Tne viainl the traitorl the dastardl only
| der the very air Of his house did not stne you.
Haste, Pielro, and remove this disguise. Your
She whipped OF the pot removed the lid, and a
savory gush Of steam filed the ROOM The man
''Our poached hare smells appetizing Keep the
choicest morsels for the mother, lara. and tell hef
Will be with her presently There Achmet, the
AstrOlOger, lies In heap"
He had dertly taken or his moving cloak, his long
corner, and he stood in the centre Of the
| stalwart young fellow OF thirty thercabOu.s.
with great Spanish eyes and profuse curling hair Of
''fet me but wash this white enamel OF my face,v
he said, giving himself shake "and Petro is him
| self again. Sir Jasper would hardly recognize
| Achmet, fancy, If he saw HIM now"
He walked to a shelf on which was placed wash
bowl and towel and plunged his face and head into
| the cold water. Five minutes vigorous spashing
and rubbing, and he emerged, his pallid face brown
as berry his black hair in snarl Of crisp curls
"And now to satisfy the inner man," he said,
walking over to the pot, sezlng wooden spoon
and this meranr has made me m9sv as Sun@
s.And the hare soup is good" said Zara s'whle
you breakfast, Pietro will go to mother Come MP
| when you finish"
A steep stairway that was like ladder lei to The
the late astrOloger left alone at his very
gcian-like work of scraping the pot with wooden
the contrast between Achmet, the Asfrooger read
Ing the stars and Pietro, the tramp, scraping the
bones OF the stolen hare, he laughed grimly ~ HIM
self.
"And the world is made up Of just such contrasts,
he thought, land Pietro at his homely breakfast }.
more to be dreaded than Achmet casting the hOrO-
scope All Sir Jasper Kingsland, it Ia q very fine
thing to be a baronet with fl5,OO0 year, a noble
ancestral seat wife you love, and you adore.
And yet Piero, the vagabond trawp-the sunburnt.
gypsy. with stolen hares to eat and rags to wear and
a hut to lodge in-woud not change places with yoa
this bright March day. We have sworn vendetta 10
you and all of your blood, and by -" he upfted his
arm and swore fearful oath, 1--WE will keep our
His swarthy face darkened with passionate vndic-
tiveness as he arose, devil cleaning IN either fierce
black eve.
"As man sows SO shall he reap" he muttered be-
tween his clenched teeth, setting his face towards
Kingsland Court. "You, my lord OF Kingsland, have
sown the wind You shall learn what IL ia TO reap
the whrlwindw
papa Pietro take Sunbeamp'
The little sleeper In the bed had sat mp, her bright.
dark face sparkling two little dimpled arms out
The man turned, his vindictive face turning ra-
"Papa Pietro's daring his life his ANGEL And
how does my little Sunbeamp
He caught her up, covering her cherub face with
''My love my life ! my darling When Pietro In
dead. and lara Is old and feeble. and Zenith dust
eyed beauty to perpetuate the malediction. When
his son Is q man you will be woman, with all y
oe w be- b anr M AMI
his biaht as his father has been ours WIN you not
yes papa-yes, papa p' Isped the little one, pat
ting hrs brown checks and kissing them lovingly.
sunbeam Is papa's own girl, and will do what papa
'Fietrom called the voice Of his wife above, ir
you have done breakfast come up Mother is awake
and would see you"
.Comng, carrissmaln
He kissed his baby girl, placed her on the pallet
and sprang lightly up the steep STAIR
The loft was just shade less wretched than the
apartment below. There was bed on the noor,
more decently covered, two broken chairs "A table
with some medicine bottles and cups, and y white
curtain on the one poor window. BY this window
lara Stood gazing out over the sunit sea.
On the bed lay woman, over whom Pictro bent
revercnty the moment he entered the room. II WAS
the wreck OF woman who, In the days gone nv,
must have been gorously beautiful-who was beau
and poverty and despair had wrought. The eyes
that blazed, brilliant and black, were the eyes o.
lara, the eyes Of the baby Sunbeam, beow-aRd this
woman was the mother OF one, the grandmother of
the other.
him wild and wide.