The true northerner., 1876-09-01

hungarian VALUES, SWEEP anu rhptur-
o,is measure that set the blood itself to
dancing in ones veins. Why not9 One
last dance, one last moment OF ecstasy,
ere he went out forever into loneliness.
Directly he crrlmpled the bit of lace into
his pocket, and was bending before the
little Rosa, who seemed suddenly to have
lost all her light gaiety, and who put out
her hand to him with conscious burn
ing blush upon her face that his heart
reflected in melting glow. And then
there was no thought of pride, or OF ne
cation, or forgetting; the music was
swinging them at its will; they circled
in each others arms to its delicious and
delirious movement = eternity would
hardly have any bliss for lovers beyond
the bliss of this moment. Yet, only a
moment was it, few moments, brief
sweet space of half conscious time; and
then faint recognition crept through
its spell and warned Lucian of the
poison in this honey. He was in the
act of surrender; he was about to seal
his fate and that of his dear girl; to take
her away from her fathers wealth and
her luxurious ease and condemn her to
the carking cares of poverty. All his
nature rebelled; he chose not to be
swayed by this melody of horns and
strings he would have no passion,
neither music nor love, so master his
soul as to become the element in which
it swan, an exclusion of thought and
fear, of sight and sound, and all other
emotion; and, with his imperious de-
termination, lac chose to break the en-
chantment; the real world crept back
upon his senses; he heard the tune, be-
yond this cloud that wrapped them,
breaking again into its distinctive meas
ure, and, exerting his will, he controlled
their steps, and paused at last beside
Mrs. Barnetta, and with a low bow, and
without word, gave Rosa back into
that lady's care, and passed into the
crowd and out of the place, and home
to his lonely rooms.
1t was daybreak before he sought re-
pose, walking the floors till then, hardly
knowing what he did or what no thought,
but intent upon conquering himself.
He would give the world for Rosa Mer
ciers love, but he would not give his
pride. To him that pride meant self
respect; to marry her, the child of opu-
lence, meant either to sell himself for O
price or to reduce her to trouble and
WEAKNESS in which her love might soon
wear out. He did not doubt that love
now; without a syllable's speech he felt
sure of it. While it thrilled him wildly
and deeply, it cast a sudden shadow of
regret; he only hoped, and cursed his
fate that forced him to hope such thing
that presently the love would pass, and
some one who would make her happier
wsuld claim her. At length, with male
dictions in the act, he emptied his
pockets of the gloves, handkerchiefs,
aud trifles there, and went to bed, with
the sun coming througg the curtain, and,
worn out in body and mind, slept, to the
blessed and thorough oblivion of all the
world.
When he awoke it was late in the day.
All his trouble rushed over him, but in
moment all his will to repel it rose too.
He dressed himself leisrlrely he meant
to call that night on Miss Mercier, re-
store her handkerchief that he had for
gotten to give back after the dance, and
in some indirect way let her know that
he intended never to marry, and so seal
hic doom beyond hope. He went into
the next room when he had completed
his toilet, and after attending to one or
two other affairs, looked for the hand
kerchief that he remembered to have
taken from his pocket and to have tossed
upon the table there. IT was not on the
table it was nowhere in the room. In
panic he rung the bell, and when it was
answered, instituted an inquiry concern
ing the thing. Yes, indeed, Susan had
seen it, and thought it was so yellow and
soiled she would take it down and wash
it. "Lors, sir, it was the dirtiest little
rag" she said. Just straw-color. And
L thought would give it run through
the tub and blueing and make it fit to be
seen."
"Good heavens !" he cried, with a
Mortified flash of remembrance of having
somewhere heard that the yellower lace
was the more precious it was, and thatit
never was washed on any account except
by people who did nothing else. "Let
me have it at once" And in five min
utes afterward Susan stood before him
holding up little limp rag, and with
pang as from the blow of something I'M
known and dreadful, the conversation
that he had heard year or two ago,
swept back upon his recollection.
Five hundred dollars And gone to
grief in moment! And he could no
more replace it than he could fly, with.
out what was the same to him as abso-
lutte ruin. OF course, he must replace
it he could not be indebted, through
the stupidity of his servant, or through
any other means, to Miss Mercier in
that sum. Without any doubt she val
ued such bit of lace and if anything
were needed to demonstrate to him the
wisdom of the course he had decided on,
and the utter absurdity of having dared,
for single moment, to look with love
on one of these darlings of fortune, it
was the fact that her handkerchiefs
alone were items of $500. What q
shamel what wickednessl what pre-
posterous folly! How could a young
man marry? He burned with indigna-
ton then.
But to replace it; one-third of the
sum he was saving to redeem his little
property from mortgage--all the money
he really had in the world beyond that
for his daily expenses 1t was the ruin
of his hopes, his ambitions, his pride,
that scorned 30 to be anybody's debtor
it threw him back in the race how long !
1 d. l. 49, a.