, 1873-03-30

| hard, cold, brilliant as an icicle-
Faultily faultloss, ieiy regular, splendidy null,
Dead perfection 10 more.
The night Of our grand hop Mrs. King m.de
| her appearance for ) few minutes only, Quaint
picture. In her reivst vest and SNOWY laces; the
eoft white curls-strange framework for that
Young face-ratle her Reern like some
Pow Tered 3d., beauty . Of Kipg Louis {.; time; me;
was so happy, SO petted, that her mother left
boys room to see il he slept.
I grew weary watching the doncers and
| stepped cut on the balcony. pacing back and
forth farther and farther Til rounded the cor
ner. Ear away thought discerned . womans
| figure bowed ne,plossly, the face buried in the
hands, just visible in the shadow.
am always privileged character, an
old man, and doctor Too. thought it
might be pretty Mrs. Harwood, whose baby
| WAS 80 IL, and drew near to comfort her,
laying my hand upon her shoulder. She started,
raised her face: Twas Mrs: King. Oh, such
face! No need now to ask if misery aud pain
| had boen ut work 10 need to ask II that cold
| exterior hid d warm, th1obbng heart. Trouble,
SORROW, anguish beyond words to paiut. wero
written On that face; on t:le quirering lips all
eter1lity Of bitter memories Of more bitter fore
| bodings, VAS imprinted
s4Ah, MT poor, potr cl1lld,' I said, ''for-
| givo me! l do not ask your secret; let mo
help you to bear it." l folded her in my
arms, and aho laid her weary hcsd: with its
|
! upon zij heart az OIL q fathers Aa we'll she
| might. for the years between us.
| knew then that The voice was true, though
| tho daily masI: she wore was false. l know I
| could trust her through that, though I might
never now the whole. do not know how long
t I stood there, mutely care5si,g ths dear head.
till the force passion Of weeping had 3iyen place
I to quiet aillness ths. allowed her self-control
| had returned.
| II will 80 to. my room. Send Marian to
| me-" She wr11ng my hand then passed quietly
| and swiftly to her chamber.
| In the morning thero was no trace OF the
| evenings agitation rave n deeper shadow over
| tho eyes. II 1ad thought to give her q word
of help or sympathy, in tho presence Of that
calm, still, paseionlcss face the words died upon
my l1s. could almost fancy my remembrance
! d drea!a, . creation Of lny OWN brain.
| Tint evening, a. I was taking my usual 6r1lts5t
stroll osuf Long Beach. on tho highest summit
| OF Pinnacle Rock stood q figure almost gigantic
in the fading light. Something understandable, AZ
| all personality il, sent my thoughts away to the
Alps and pleas:nt travelling companion, al
| Euglshmsn whom met Oh tho -Glace,
| afterward at Vienna, where the LicLtenstein her
| eelf lost her heart to the handsome stranger,
who scattered money like water. had not in
memory got cut Of the gay masquerade where
q hearty i Vic geht'sf Iroug gut mo faco to faco
with the subject of my thoughts.
| did you drop from tho clouds p cried.
'No; I am restless wanderer, hero to-day,
tuGTe LD-lHOrlUHs "A4hS'l AAOAA l4S A41A
took the rocks instead Of the road"
| We linked arms and strolled toward the
house, passing the merry groups at croluet, too
I intent on their game and too excited even to
| notice the advent OF q stranger. On the piazza
sat Mrs. King, tia thick vines concealing our ap-
proach till wo wore close upon her. 1 thought
it strange lad never before noticed the effect OF
the sunlight through the green learea. She look
| ed absolutely pauid, like BoucicauIs'a Phantom.
"Allow me. ny dear Mrs. King, to Introduce
| {rfn %rat linn = T-fhn
name had slipped from my treacherous memory,
! but the gentleman suppl ed the OMISSION AIR.
Wentworth !" but it did net so11nd familiar to me
after all, though repeated it to myself twenty
| times
yery stately always in her manner toward
{; strangers, Z thought I detected q tinge of
satire in Mrs Kings silent acknowledgement
| OF the introduc. .oE. They we're o handsome
| couple as they stood FOR that instant togeth-
| or; but there was one odd tbing-uo other man
| greeting and Withdrawn it without seoming
awkward; nc other woman could have so quiet
| " ignored an ontstretche3 hand without SEEM
ing rude.
/ King PASSED into the horse, little to my disap-
| pointment il not tc Weutwortlls.
Handsome. isnt she?" said, very stupid
=. '.There's something go remarkable in
brows.'' -
I" Her eyes are gray" he answered.
It struck me than Is strange that he should
| in that instant have discovered what I had
| failed to in six weeks: but / replied, testify
enough, - You are such keeu observer, per-
! haps vou can solve our enigma N sl1 minutes,
though we have bean six weeks ascertaining We
| knew nothing"
"Ah? is there anything remarkable about
the lady beyond her white lair and young face :
For my pnrt, prefer little gollen-haired fairy
| like this !" and he spatched up little Marian
King us she came running in from the lawn.
| Tie child vns very beautiful, but quite unlike
her mother. Absurd as the thought Was,
could not help comparing her Saxon beautT with
t;,at OF the typical Engisllman, who held her
aloit for moment, then sElathering ler With
kisses. placed her on her feet
s'What is your 1samo?'
"Marian King"
! do not know what possessed me, but laugh
ed and said. ait ought to be Marian Wentworth;
she looks moro like you than her mother"
Tho little one .an away, shaking her gilt
laush-a shade Of bitterness in it, I thought--as
he nna II am alone in the world no living be-
ing claims kinship with me-
His words echoed sadly enough in my OWL
in these few weeks the enc woman in the world,
before whom / would have laid my love- my
heart, my life -pe.taps not go worthless,
either, as :ly plain exterior and gray
hair might imply; for, by Gods d. grace;
clean as hehts one WHO believes tho body to bo
the temple OF the living God.
AlrB. King seldom left her room after this.
tsChristie was not Eo we'll" Marian said.
visited Tho child several tirncs. It was evident
he was failing rapidly. !elt sure he would not
see the mcryy ChristulaF-tile OF which be loved
to sing Ii,cre was an iulefiaablc change, too.
in Mrs. King. Often us I looked ut her I
thought OF snow-crowned vo1tanoe5 and
dreaded the devastation that might
bo BODIED. An indefnabo terror scem-
cd closing in upon u.s. without the least Bus-
pcryn OF the truth, I resolved to wait. to bido
nv time. and either shake or the morbid fancy
OF an idle brain, or stand ready to help and COM
fort the woman whom 1 loved in the trial before
her.
lily room WAS on The lower floor, tho only
sleeping apartment tn,re. the offices, dining,
and billiard roons occupying tho remainder
I lad just walked FROM my afternoon nap,
and lay there revolving al manner OF posi-
bilities and ;rnposBibilities wondering II the
boating party lad returned; where Mrs. King
might be whether she would accept an old
mans hesrs and homo thankful that my simple
habits had Allowed tho fortune Of earlier days to
accumulate 10 absolute wealth, valued now only