The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-22

would havb invoiced "a a fair sample Of the
middle class German woman. healthy. comfort
| loving. hOme-abiding. the very genius OF do
mcsticity-with the future wholesome matron
forecast in all her virgin outlines. from tho
curves OF her broad hips to the lines OF her
back and shoulders. or the vino he WIS to
Judge later. That required an even more do
liberate ana unimpassioned intellect.
She placed two bottles before him on the tn
bic. One. the traditional long -necke !. amber
colored Rheinfdsche: the other an odd. quaint.
discolorcd, amphoral- patterned glass Jug. The
first she opened.
This" she explained pointing to the other,
" Ia only to look at"
Mr.. Clinch first paid his respects to the
opened bottle-a better quality Of Rudesheimer.
With his intellect thus clarified. he glanced at
the other.
9" 1t il from my great grandfather. It is old
rs the wall"
Mr.. Clinch examined the bottle nttentively.
1t had no cork formed OF some obsolete. almost
Opaque glass its twisted neck was apparently
Theoretically scaled by the same material The
maiden smiled as she said. I" It cannot be
opened now without breaking the bottle. II is
not good luck to break glass. My great-grand-
father and my father would not"
Mr.. Clinch again examined It. The neck was
nattened toward tho mouth. but. on closer in
spection. he became satisfied that II was closed
by some equally hard cement. but not by glass.
" II Ican open II without breaking the bottle,
have l your permission"
An interested. half mlschievous glance came
in the maiden's eye. She colored Ms she replied.
"Ishall not object: but for what will you do it2"
ITO taste It,"
You are not afraid ?" nsked the maiden.
There was just enough evident admiration Of
Mr.. Clnch's audacity in the girls manner to
spur him on to any risk. He replied by taking
from his pocket small steel instrument.
Holding the neck Of the flask firmly in one
hand. he passed his thumb and the steel twice
or thrice around it. near its mouth faint
rasplng. scratching sound was all the wonder
ing maiden heard. Then with a sudden. deN-
ferrous twist Of his thumb and finger. TO her ut
ter astonishment he laid the top OF the neck
neatly cut ofI-in her hand
There's q better and more modern bottle
than you had before" he said. pointing TO the
clearly divided neck. and any cork will 1T il
now"
But the girl only regarded him with a slight
degree Of anxiety And you still wish to taste
! tho wine2"
With your permission"
lie looked up in her eyes. There was per-
mission; there was something moro that WINS
luNltEluk 10 MS VANITY no TOOK VINO klilSS.
and slowly and in silence filed it from the flask
The wine fell into it. clearly. transparency.
heavily. but still and cold as death. There was
no sparkle. no cheap ebulliton. no evanescent
bubbel Yet It was so clear that but for its faint
amber tinting the glass seemed empty There
was no aroma; no ethereal diffusion from its
equable surface. Perhaps IL was fancy. per-
haps il was from nervous excitement. but sligh'
chill seemed to radiato from the still goblet
and bring down the temperature OF the terrace.
Mr. Clinch and his companion both shivered.
But only for a moment. Mr.. Clinch raised the
glass TO his lips. As he did so. he remembered
seeing distinctly. rs in picture before him. the
sunlit terrace the pretty girl in the foreground
an amused and Interested spectator OF his sac
religious act; the outlying iyy-crowned wall.
the grass-covcred ditch. tho tall factory chin
neys rising above the chestnuts. and tho distant
poplars that marked the Rhine.
The vino was delicious Perhaps n trine
only a trine. heady Mr.. Clinch was conscious
OF n certain exatation. There was. too. half
smile upon the girls lip, and a rogush twinkle
| In her eye as she looked at him. Archness was
certainly becoming TO her.
" Do you find the vino good ?" she asked.
/ Fair enough | warrant" said Mr.. Cinch.
gravcly, hut metlinks Us nothing compared
/ with the nectar that arrows upon those rosy lips.
| Nay. by SL Ursula / swear H."
Scarcely had tho unfortunate man uttered
this solomnly ridiculous speech than he WIS
convinced OF its ahsurdity. Ho would have
given worlds To recall it. He knew he must be
intoxicated. That the sentiment and language
were utterly unlike him. and insulting to
the girl he was mlscrably aware; that no did
not even know exactly what il meant he WAS
also hopelessly conscious OF. Yet feeling all
this feeling. too. the shame Of appearing before
her rs n man who had lost his senses through
single glass Of wine. nevertheless he rose
| awk wardy seized her hand and through sheer
force drew her toward him and kissed her.
With an exclamation that was half laugh and
half a cry. she fled from him, leaving him stag
Rering alone on the terrace.
For moment Mr. Olinch supported himself
against the window. leaning his throbbing head
on tho cold glass. Shame modification, a hys-
tercal. half consciousness Of his righteousness
and yet n strange undeaned fright through all.
by turns possessed him. Was he ever before
guilty Of such perfect idlocy2 Had he ever bo-
fore succumbed in this way? Was it possible
that he. Mr.. James Clinch. the coolest head at a
supper party, he tho American who had drunk
Frenchman and Englshman under the table
could bo transformed into a sentimental. high
flown idiot by q single glass OF wine2 He wes
conscious, too Of asking himself these very
questions In n sttcd sort OF rhetoric and OF n
rising brutality Of anger that he could with dill
fculty repress. Suddenly everything swan be-
fore him. and he seemed TO lose all conscious
moss.
But only for n moment. Tho next instant
with strong effort Of his will, he soomod 10 re-
call himself his situation. his surroundings
and above all, his appointment. He hurrcdy
descended the terrace steps, and before no we'll
know how, found himself again on the road
Once there hs faculties returned in full vigor
hn was himself Ito strobe brisky forward
toward the ditch no had crossed only n fow mo-
ments before. but was suddenly stopped. 1t was
filed with waterl He looked up and down: II
was clearly the same ditch huta owing stream
thirty feet wide now separated him from the
other bank
Tho appearance OF this unlocked for obstacle
made Mr. Clinch doubt tho complete return OF
his reason. IIo accordingly stepped TO the
brink 10 battle his head in tho stream and wash
away the last yestges OF his rotations. But as
no approached tho placid depths and knelt
down, he again started back. and this time with
a full conviction Of his own madness. For re-
heetcd from its mirrOr-like surface WAS "A figure