Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-10-02

ing and the glorious Wlnd-and sunset 1t
sea-and the little young moon sailing
along beside us; and then the starlight,
dear, when the dark is overhead and un-
derneath, and we seem to be floating sus-
pended in mystery! And then, at last,
the sunrise, after the dawning, all pur-
pie and rose, and all the dewiness of
morning at sea. was once with Mrs.
Rittener. Oh; darling, do come!"
"Neverl" I cried, like the brute l
was, rage and bitterness getting the bet
ter of everything else as 1 thought of her
with that wretch in all those scenes
"neverl And if you persist in going, I
warn you now that it is the last request
I shall ever make of you. I shall leave
the place, and I shall consider every
thing between us at an end" And be-
fore another word could be said, Mrs.
Rittener and De Luyster and Florence
and Percivai were at our side, the cor
wants We're hurrying down with luggage,
the horses were prancing at the gate.
There was moment of confusion, some
protestations, l fancied, some cutlery,
and then, whether she would or no, sur
rounded by the others, and, all taken
for granted, she was in the carriage, and
they were of.
Well, what days, what hateful days,
they were, that followed! OF course !
did not leave the place, and I spent the
time incoming about the island with my
sketching book. But all the glory had
gone from nature, all the satisfaction OF
beauty from my soul; the sun shone and
the skies were blue, but the world was
wilderness. could see nothing but
the great yacht bending and bowling
over the waters, shining phantom by
day, a pale ghost by night; visions of
the luxurious life, the dance music, the
flowers, the feasting, and in it all my
Stella and that man; when the sunlight
softened, when crimson suffused the
waves, when the deep delicious dusk shut
! them in, rocking on from billow to bill
low under the towering of the great
shadowy sails, under the powdery splen-
dor of the stars, Stella and that man to.
gether.
By the end of the third day l was
wrought to pitch of madness. I felt
myself justified in nv wrath-npenly
defed, my tenderest feelings outraged ;
l said should never see her again. l
abandoned her to her fate. I began to
paint then impetuou-ly. Such sea scenes
as swept across my fancy such Colors as
seemed to ripen on my palette! Such
reefs wrapped with foam-wreaths of
summer seas glimmering beyond them in
the half-risen moon, like the paved way
into heaven, or those same reefs when
their horns tore the angry waters into
fleece, stretch after stretch of storm
drowning out the horizons and the stag
gering masts, or yet again the placid
dawn of ruddy day about them as long
waves creamed up the curving shore,
and broke in rainbows round the naked
babies wading in, and the dipping wings
of seabirds. My pencil seemed possessed
of magic; Fame danced before my eyes
a respondent shape. Stella should
lament the day she forsook the painter
of picture, for that imbecile wealth.
And all at once turned the canvases to
the wall-my heart was breaking.
The Flight had been due on the mid
night tide. OF course, had Stella signi.
fed the wish, she would have been
there-would have been there even
earlier. The day drew on to nightfall.
Other sails few budding in, pleasure
boats and stately ships and fishing fleets
made anchor, and found haven from the
gathering storm; but there was no sign
of the Flight. The roaring east wind
came driving all the mists across the
land; the world was wrapped in rain.
All night the tempest ragged, swept across
the gardens, and beat down the blossoms
on the terraces of flowers, sent great
boughs flying through the air; all night
hearts stopped with its every fresh gust;
all night the land shook with its shock !;
all night the sea replied; and when at
last day dawned, great racks of pearly
cloud lay off in the low eastern sky, 3
zephyr only moved from the south, and
al! the sapphire blazed above and blszed
below, as if the storm had been an evil
dream.
But it was no dream-the coast was
strewn with wrecks; more than one
corpse among the rocks and weeds looked
up with blank eyes to the morning light.
There was glorious sea on, and crowds
were out surveying its splendor. Crowds,
too, were wasting their wonder on the
Flight. Where was she7 Who had
spoken her? Had she foundered and
gone down? Had she blown off the
coast? Would any one ever see her
again come sweeping into harbor with
all sail set, tower of snow and light,
with the music and the dancing? There
were none to say. No one had spoken
her; aud search the horizon with burn
ing eyes, no sign of her white sails, her
golden pennOn, was to be seen.
And dav followed day tie same. And
thrill of horror went to more hearts
thar one at the thought of the gay party
going down with flags flying, and the
world that had known them Suspended
for a. little its festivities, or turned its
mourning into pleasure by yachting ur
and down the coast in search, putting
into harb0r every shutdown. But when
ten days had passed, with most doubt
had settled into certainty, and the little
world was taking on its old ways again
Op'v they missed the tawny beauty Of
the Percivai eirlupon the drive, the reck
less dash of Da Luyster, thesolemn stiff
nees Of old M0ntmorenci-they r:ssed
indeed, that airy vision Of unreal beauty
whose absence made the place desert;
at least, it did to me-, The Rattenel
villa, dark as any jail, no longer with
gay groups upon its lawn, seemed to
mock the blooming of the flowers that
lifted their, scarlet and gold and AZURE
gayly as ever to the Indifferent skiesfrom
bed and vase and urn. - ; ~, -:
And SO they're giving up the Flight
I hear" said old Simpson, the Lobster
man, as wandered down the beach ]
hunte d all dayblong, and who're be had
looked UP 1T me % often with 1Eeaasurine
eyes, az he mended his nets or tumble
out bis vriggling load, "fWell, don't