The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-07-19
THE EVIL-oMENED OPAL RING.

strip OF yellow sand, with tiny
wavsiets washing upon it; a wide;eX-
panse OF bluo-green water; tiny pier;
u yacht at anchor, with sail ffRppin z
| idly; little boat, crimson cushioned, in
| which he aspair0ol oars and a huge dog; !;
these are the objects which have been
before the unseeing eyes OF Ouida Lin
don for hours; and now, with a long,
4 shivering sigh, she awakens from her
| Iday-dream, rises slowly, gathers the
tfeecy white shawl which has slipped
Undecided from her shoulders, and, taxi
ing seat in the little boat, Is about to
push from shore, when a clear voice
ispeaks her nams:
1 "Miss LinuOnV
"Mr. Rutherford, you here? l imag-
ined you lar away; indeed, l hau II from
| your own lips that this week would tiud
| you oil your journey" 1ia
~ thought 30 tnen"-he stepped into
| the boat and sends it swiftly bounding
over the waters-"but fate decreed
otherwise. L shall not travel just at
present"
| The girl lifts her eyes and meets his
searching gaze, and as suddenly drops
them again, scorching flush dyeing her
face. And, as she sits. vuiceless among
tne cushions, one perfect hand trailing
through the water, the other caressing
the dog at her feet, the man quietly
watches her his fierce eyes tixedlon her
lace with: strange resemblancetol some
animal wa ching It's prey, He is hand
some but1or those eyes, Which have in
lhemLsall the seeming Of demon that
is dre%ming" and even they hold fas-
lfc1nation for the giEl opposite, who feels
rather than sees them. Those eyesno
llgleam with desperate determination;
and anyone VINO has seen that look ON
Erie RutheEf0rd's- lace knows he will
nave his way.
i He Knows luH we'll, has known all this
Hong spring time, that Ouida Lindon
loves HIM, and is lighting her love with
true Woman's strengtn;, Tor 10 she not
IN honor bound to another? Aud size is
trylhg to- 10 right; it is easy, too, when
he is away, and she can'liye her accus.
TONED lonely life, with only Clyde, the
Iuog, to share; but when Erie is near
her, and wakes-as he only can-wjth a
caressing touch OF his hand, or glance
OF his eye, all those passions whion seem
Lo sleep III his absence, she feels that
some times he will conquer.
Il Two years before Ouida Lindon had
linever seen Erie Rutherford, and was the
IIhappiest glri that lived, she ChoughC.
when Tracy Wilde had asked her to
share his heart and nome. Hers has
been strange childhood. Her mother.
widowed soon'aiter Ouida's birth, burlc,i
llwlth her dead husband all the love she,
had gwen him living. She knew that
|Ouida was clothed, fed, and taught; be.
yond the fnltlliment OF these duties sue
jseemedto have no interest. The child.
IIWhen her lessons were done. would
roam the sands for hours with her dog
clyde, living utterly in the realm OF her
own dreams. Her only knowledge of
the world was gained through books,
land, as her library contained only the
Ilpurest OF literature, what wonder that
she believed with Implicit faith in all
mankind, and deemed the noble heroes
0f whom she dreamed the same as the
men OF the nineleentn century?
Then had come that bright spot in her
life when the woman who had been her
mothers companion in girlhood came to
their home: and, finding something in
The girPs narvetous eyes, which, as she
sail, quite .bewitehed her, persuaded
Ouiua 10 spend some time IN town. Ma
rion Wilde carried her new tayorite
home, to daily companfonship with her
ldoliZed son.
| And Tracy Wilde was handsome and
cniYalrous TO personate one OF Ouida's
heroes well, and when he told the girl
how he loved her and wanted her al
ways with him; thatj life without her
would be dreary; and pictured the
home they would make themselves: the
mystery ofl was still SO sealed to
hery she doubted not that the pleasure
sf18ielt In his presence was love. So
they were engaged; and when, in the
spriagtime, Ouida went back to the sea-
side and the old pursuits, there was
still about her the happy restfulness
which had enveloped her since her tu-
ture had been settled.
The summer passed swiftly, and one
early autumn day the woman, who had
SO long mourned her dead, was carried
10 place beside him, ana Ouida was
motherless. The Wlldes wanted her,
lhen; but her determination to spend
this last winter in the old home could
not be shaken.
50 it happened that, wandering along
the beach one dreary October day, she
met Erie Rutherford. He was struck at
once ny the wondr0us beauty Of Oulda's
dark lace, with it's great brown eyes and
frame OF taWny nair, the grace Of her
movements, and above all charmed by
tue frightened look which she gave him
when he addressed her. He, so we'll
used to charming others, was himself
captivated at last, and made the most of
his opportunities to cultivate the ac-
quafnLance Of this girl whom cruel
ate had thrown in his way. She wrote
Tracy OF her new acquaintance, and ia
turn received the Information tnat her
Oetrotheu knew the gentleman slightly.
Later, when Erie had at last gone back
to town, and Tracy and his m other had
come to spend a brief time with Ouida,
they carelessly mentioned Mir. Ruther-
ford In her presence, but they did not
note the crimson flush that burned her
dark cheek, nor guess how wildly her
heart throbbed al the sound OF that
name. .
And the spring came. One of It's
dreary days wien the great waves
moaned along the beach, found Ouida,
ecsCatlcally happy'in her dreams, slum-
bering before glowing 'tre; ana Erie
Rutherford, entering the TINY room in
the familiar fashion of by-gone months,
with a world Of love in his dark eyes,
bent over the luxurious chair and the
far dreamer, and pressed passionate
kisses on her full red lips, crying softly {;
"Ouida, my darlingl"
The girls dreamy eyes opened; her
lips smiled on him. her whole face was
glorited; she put out her hands, mur.
muring-
"My love, my love-at last but it has