The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-08-24

e have known that she too was only school
}. ing herself to duty that hourly grew les
r and less congenial, he might have hat
r something more to say about the atfecta
4 tions OF women.
r Meanwhile things began to 90 on vefl
: pleasantly, to all appearances, under thu
friendly roof of the Fletchers. Viole
and her companions had arrived, anc
l Violet seemed as if she could not show
/ enough of tender Difference to Reginald's
/ every wish and word. Alexandra and
) her mother scented to enjoy themselves
} very, mitch. Capt. D'Anglare came tc
} London to see the Exhibition, and met
J the whole party there, and made the ac'
quaintance of the Fletchers, and became
: frequent visitor at their house.
II suppose Reddy is really very much
in love with that girl" Mrs. Fletcher said
J to her husband one night when they were
alone. II can't understand it. There's
4 nothing in her-nothing at all"
My dear" Mr.. Fletcher replied, "the
one thing women never understand is how
women seem in the eyes of men. Do you
fancy that because this little woman doesn't
interest you, another little woman, she
must necessarily fail to interest man ?
Perhaps you don't interest her; but you do
interest me-" tsr* ~
Eyes; but then can talk about some
thing-about many things and she can't
talk about any thing"
"Some men, dear, may like a woman
just because she can't talk about any thing.
But you say Violet can't talk. Can't she,
though? Ask Capt. D'Anglare whether
she can talk or not
Mrs. Fletcher looked up suddenly at
| her husband with nor
haps half-frightened glance, but his
face seemed unconscious of any special
meaning.
" l can't understand why Reddy should
be in love with her, she quietly said
again.
"You have heard the story of Charles
the Second and the dead fish and the living
philosophers-or perhaps you may not
have heard of it. Well, then, Charles
the Second asked the. philosophers why a
dead fish displaced more water than a
living fish"
"Oh yes, of course I've heard the story
ever so often, and how nobody thought of
asking first whether it was so at all ; and it
wasn't, in fact"
Exactly. Well, there's your answer"
Answer to what, dear?"
"The question you We're putting to me,
or to yourself, just now" -
| "Why Reddy is in love with Violet
Oh yes, sec." And Mrs. Fletcher be-
came grave for moment; and then looked
up and asked, "Are you quite serious,
| Octavius?"
"Quite, my DEAR
"You don't think he really does love
herr"
II don't believe he does"
"Then l can tell you one thing of
which l am certain: She does not love
him."
do you think so-are you certain !?
How do you know"
Il know it by hundred signs that I
can't we'll describe. l know that when
he comes into room where she is her ewes
don't light up and turn to him in the way
that every girls eyes do when she sees her
lover. Oh, no, she does not love him."
''Strange. She is 80 quiet and sweet
and calm, perhaps she is not capable of
feeling what we call love-
Oh, yes, Octavius, she is. She is in
love-with Captain D'Anglaire."
"Good heavens!' exclaimed Fletcher.
"Ihis is a bewildering piece of business
if it Is true. What are we to do?'
~ don't know; but that's true-quite
true, Octavius. Does it not seem shock
ing thing that these two should marry and
mar their own lives and the lives of 9TH
erS ~
ION this theme they talked quietly and
earnestly for long time, and tried to see
their way and to resolve whether they
could do anything to extricate the lives of
their friends from ENHANCEMENT.
All meetings of business, pleasure or
pain, come to an end. So with the gath
ering that seemed so pleasant under the
roof of the Fletchers. 1t was coming to
an end. The group was breaking up.
They had had many pleasant talks and
many secret thoughts, and some of them
had had many bitter reflections and keen
pangs of regret; and it was time to 60.
The ldens were returning to Nice. Capt.
D'Anglare was going back to Paris; per-
haps from Paris to be ordered off nobody
knew where, for these were days when
Caesar was mighty yet, and Mexico had
not proved itself Moscow.
1t is a soft and lovely evening without
moon, and the windows of the house that
look on the lawn are open down to the
grass. Many friends are assembled in the
house who do not belong to the group of
guests so soon to be dissolved; and people
wander in and wander out, and sing and
play the piano, and walk in the little
shrubbery behind the house, and make
themselves agreeable and happy just as
they please. Reginald Poyntz is not in
a remote walk (if anything within so Inn
tied boundary could be called remote)
of the shrubbery, and lounges there weari-
ly, and laments that he has made all ass of
himself Ay, an ass! Such, and none
other, is the word he keeps saying to him
self, in his bitterness, oyer and over again.
For he now knows only too we'll that he
still loves Alexandra Iden, and that sweet
little Violet is sweetness and nothing else,
and that he never could love her. But he
is resolved to do his duty all the same If
the happiness of little Violet is bound up
with him, she at least shall not suffer.
All the mistake has been of his own max
ing, and he means to bear the conse-
quences manfully. He will do his duty,
he resolves, whatever may be the cost to
his own feelings. Still it is sad begin
hing of married life for young man
when he can only resolve that, come what
will, he will endure his marriage.
| 1t was great misfortune, poor Regi-
maid thought, that he should have been
brought into any manner of renewed asso-
clation with Miss Iden. Things might
have gone we'll enough but for that. Every
time heasaw her and spoke with her the
memory Of the dear past days and their
hopes and their loves came back upon
him with greater power and fresher pain.
II wish never had seen her!' he ex
claimed. And that moment, looking up,
he saw her again. She was approaching;
she was in the same walk. There was no
escape or turning away possible now. He
/ felt that his face was growing red and he
saw that she. was blushing and confused.
He hardly knew what to say, and natu-
rally, therefore, he said the very worst
thing that he could we'll have got out:
$50 you are going away tomorrow,
Miss Iden?" e..
Yes; the whole party is breaking up,
apparently" She tried to look easy and
lcareless.
"We-some of us, I mean-are not
likely to meet again for very long time. :"
II suppose not" These words came
out in very faint tone.
~ hope you will be very; happy,