Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-24
A STEP IN THE DARK,


homelike house. He had met Lucretia the
summer before, and some symptoms Of a Wig
orous Irritation had developed themselves at
that time, which, however, had been arrested
by interested parties in season TO prevent
rious consequences Lueretia and Lucia were
own cousins. they re>embled each other in form
and feature in a remarkable degree, but LUCIA
was a brilliant brunette, with a warm color rip
ping across her cheek and touching her saucy
little chin, with ewes of infinite depth and duski-
ness, with a torrent of waving dark hair: while
Iucretia was, a. some Of her friends remarked,
a Lucia done in light cOlOrs; some of the dis
affected said, Lucia faded out. Lucretia's eyes
were large and light, tender and serious, and
fringed with heavy lashes; her hair a skein
of gold that seemed alive in every thread: her
color was lie the flame in the opal restless and
uncertain, but always beautiful Ii her face
was not 20 effective a Lucias, 1t was one that
would wear better. You NAV believe that Luz
cretia had not forgotten ROssillOn nor the symp-
toms. she had never met any man who so COM
pletely fitted into the niche OF her ideal as he.
During the time since they had parted she had
received two offers of marriage, but he had
stepped between them and dmmed their glory.
Very likely she might have accepted one of
them II she had never known RO~sillon, but
Rossillon once known was net to be ignored.
am 80 glad that We meet again, he said,
coming to her side after his tea. - Introduce
me, pray. to this cousin of yobrs. She startled
me half an hour ago. when L came upon her
and suddenly in the shrubbery, she is so like and
.sAh? Malicious folks call me Lucia's mega
tive; do you think it's 50 bad as that?' she
laughed.
the case"
But after the introduction she saw little more
OF Rossillon during the evening, or of Lucia
either.
Considering that he was so glad 10 meet
again." she thought, "'he might have staid for
word or two" She went to her room early and
waited for Lucia, who came up later, thrilling an
air from the Magic Flute.
Who is he, Lucretia? Why didn't Won ever
speak of him. she asked, taking the butterfly
ont Of her hair, and regarding herself in the
glass a. she spoke. .. l. he any body in par
tieularP Isl desirable Farti.'
% He i ROssillOn," said her cousin, sleepily;
''isn't that enough?''
'.It is a. if yos said he is a Bourbon with
out mentioning If he had throne
80 The ROssilons made OF gold. if YOU
mean that John RO>>illOn has profession
and brains he can sing and dance and sketch"
And fiiIt.'
every well; forewarned is fore-armed. Take
care of yourself, then"
s.And yOu?''
Goodnight"
work in ROssillOn's presence, Lucretia had
found 20 her cost-as she was finding day by
day. Though to others she had proved difficult
Of approach, Rossillon must have seen that the
little devOtIOns which he was in the habit of dis
pensing literally and thOughtessly TO whatever
pretty girl happened in his way had seemed to
her 10 be the very words and actions for which
she had listened and waited all her life: and
perhaps Rossillon had not the heart To dispel
the IllTsiOn for the uOnce, especially as there
might be no need OF 4, since they were certain
to part before many weeks, and time would be
equally sure to dissolve the enchantment with
gentle touches. But how many things of
which we are certain prove themselves 10 be
the baseless fabric of dreami
To the unwary heart RossiIlOn was a danger
Gus friend. his approaches were 50 like Fate's.
HIS manners possessed gracious familiarity
which nattered without offending, in virtue OF
which lIuereta had seemed the favored tcoak-
dante OF his ambitions and creed, of such sor-
rows as he had tasted-a trick OF nature, de-
mandng sympathy in his pursuits and pros
poets, 10 which she responded In diapasOn. 1t
had never occurred 10 LuCretia TO observe that
he had required no return OF confidence ON her
part; that he entertained no curiosity about her
modes OF thought and being, that her soul, ex-
cept 20 far "a accident had revealed il to him ,
was mystery which he had never cared 10
penetrate.
But the first evening was hardly the KEY
note of the rest Being the only gentleman
staying in the house al that time. they took
their Pleasuring together, they gallOped through
the twilight woods, and found out new path
WAYS through green glOOIns where the partridge
was al home, and great fern frOnds tossed in the
wind and shook out their spices; where the
voices OF birds, like distant cathedral bells
echoed through the solitude, as il a hundred
chimes were ringing; and sometimes they lost
their way, and sometimes a thunderstorm
overlook them, and made the air vocal, and
blasted trees before their eyes; lighting the Sc
eret avenues of the forest; for an instant reveal
ing the flower IN the calyx, the dew upon the
thorn, the tSnge Of bOugh and brier AMI climb
ing vine, and hiding all suddenly. Or they
Pleknieked upon the Black Creek that wound
In crooked labyrinth 10 the beneath an
oyerhanging growth or spread their table on
the sand, and gathered strange hints of ro-
nance and danger from the drift that the tide
washed up II was a season of frolic happi-
ness, when neither seemed pre-eminent in RIOS
sillon's regard. but each received wholesome
share OF attention Yet, in the mean time. Fate
was silently settling the matter for them all.
One day Lueretla sprained her ankle in one
OF their excursions, and was forced to drop out
OF these 1aunts by sea and land; one might saw
that II wa an unlucky thing for Lucretia, be-
cause ittaught Kossillon, who had not Vet pene-
frated beneath the surface of her Character
IA
pleasure, which was. a. he fancied mainly de-
rived from LUCAS destinations. Very likely. ii
the sick angle had been Lucia ;, the case might
have been reversed. However, when there Was
nothing better 10 do, the two were kind enough
10 gather about LucTeta's sofa and recount
Their days adventures, leaving how much un-
Iecounted; u ey brought her bouquets of wild
flowers, sprays of red berries, keepsakes from
the beach. EOssillOn had always word of SYM
pathetic SORROW Tor her loss OF the summer
weather.
a. Ii was such a shame you could not have
Seen with u TO-DAY, he would say, regarding
her compass onately: since he had begun to
taste the wests of love himself he had more
tenderness for her share OF its bitterness All
the same, ucretias lively imagination tor
tured her with the probable result OF all these
excursions, but she firmly refused to believe in
the suggestion Lucia had a world full of
lovers, Tor whom she cared quite "a much as for
kossilloD; 10 were hard indeed NJ he should be
required OF her 10 feed Lucia's vanity. She
could not believe in any thing 80 unfair. She
was young, with infinite faith that everything
would come out right in the event; that true
owe cold not pass unrequited; that misery ami
broken hearts were dreams of the novelist
Truth 20 tell, Luere..a WAS able to move about
IN a surprisingly brief space OF time. Perhaps
sne understood the emergency without allowing
that there was any. But the danger was at its
height on the afternoon when Lucretia for the
frst time since her accident, Joined the party.
which had been enlarged by several neighbor-
1n& friends, 70 picnic at Echo Beach.
They had q happy afternoon OF H. with GRO
SSee anu nM ,x on the shore listening to the
eSno tnAt win hundred silver voices FAR be-
tn thaf-
laughter melody. as Thoreau saws which
the air had strained They cooked their sup
Per in gypsy style, with eross-sticks and cald-
ron, RO~sillon and Lueretia going shopping in
The wherry 20 the cd clam-digger up the creek
Tor wherewithal 70 Ill the caldron. Then thew
reelined laziiy upon the sands, and counted the
sails OF the mackerel feet they came in
sight, and heard the crew OF q schooner inton-
ing &C the eapstan, and the musical reverbera-
nons OF the ride Of some sportsman lying low In
MS noat among the marshes, and braided the
hours with jest and sentiment till the twilight
uemoled down, and the fading sunset reflected
ohromatic scales OF rich hues pom the eastern