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

Rent is the chrysalis hid in the sod,
All the dear tenantry dwelling abroad.
Gone through the gate of the glory of Godi
STELLA.
Just at that moment there was moth
ing in the universe between Vega Lyra
and me. Hay out there among the rocks
at the foot of the shrubs that the wind
WAS blowing the other way, the sea rust.
ling up the shingle far below in the soft,
melancholy summer night.
Summer nights should not be melan-
choiy, except as melancholy always fol-
lows on the trail Of exceeding beauty in
our sensation; with the effort of the
finite to approach the infinite, perhaps.
But all nights, in effect, and days, too,
were melancholy then to me; the world
was desolation since Stella went to sea.
If she had not gone as she did, said
to myself when the first fire fell; but
what was one to expect of young girl
suddenly launched on the luxury Of the
most luxurious seaside life! She was q
village maiden, and had not been so
much admired in the country town,
where redder color and blacker eyes and
thicker hair were more to the rustic
taste. But when went to Hillside as
the headquarters of my sketching
ground, it seemed to me that fairer hues
and finer lines and more ethereal beauty
l had never found-delicate as some
chiseled statue, color such as that statue
might have if it just began to breathe
and blush, and silky hair soft as child 9,
with tendril-)ike rings. In three months
time the airy, perfect being had promised
to be my wife, whenever the good taste
of patrons should so increase that my
pictures would shelter two, and mean
while we kept the story of our passion
to 0urselves-the sweeter secret.
Life sped on that year with rainbOwed
wings; the future stretched bright az q
dream; the present was pure joy.
In the second year Stella went to visit
friends at Newport, once the summer
boarders of Hillside, but now the own
ers of villa al peaks and gables and
veranda, set amidst lawns and fountains
and vases overlooking with flowers, on
the ends Of the sea-a palace masquerade
ing as cottage. A shadow then seem.
ed to overspread the heavens with its
evil wings, and the gloom of it was
scarcely lifted by letters that came tell
ing OF the gay life. One day l followed
down behind her, and established my.
seif-Itawn,rt had been one of nv old
haunts, ana mad known how to be hap.
py there once. l did not know how to
be happy there now. [ had scarcely a
moment of Stella to myself. If 1 went
to Mrs. Rittener's in the morning, q
throng Of beribboned damsels sat on the
vide porches encircling Stella; they
learned song, they practiced q new
dance together, and with the groups of
dandies, young millionaires, and attaches
Of foreign legations, they did little of
the Boccaccio and Vatican life. In the
afternoon / found the horses at the gate.
Breakfasts, fs es cbon.petres, motinees dam.
santes, bathing, driving, yachting, filed
Joyous thing round which everything
seemed to circle. 1t was q new life to
her. She knew it did not belong to her;
that it was leaf borrowed from the ex-
istence of others; that she must 20 back
to quiet duties and restricted pleasures.
1t was like reading some delicious 70.
mauce; she reveled in it now, aud gave
no heed to the time when it should come
to An end.
But II, of course, did not recognize
this. saw her like butterfly lowering
over bright flowers, as light, as purpose.
less, as lovely, dancing in the bsam,
drinking the perfume all la fol;e, and
every day of it maddened me one degree
more than the last. EARLY in the morn
ing, from my own window, | could &c
her alone on the lawn in her white
gown, strolling to lean over the sea, or
filling her arms up with flowers; but it
would have been out of the question to
20 to her then; and late at night, if lin
gered till others had departed, I was
harrassed by Mrs. Rittener, who knew
nothing of any relation between us, and
who disapproved of poor artist while
there was such parti to be had as young
DE Luyster, the wealthiest 6lase young
bachelor of New York; or as the old
Count Montmorenci, who fascinated by
the beauties of America, was about to
give his jeunesse epuisee, his title, castles,
jewels, aud all the remainder" to any
one among them who CHANGED to be
lovely and adroit enough to take his
fancy; or MIR. Burleigh, the great pork
contractor, who owned half Illinois; or 8
score OF Others, in fact, to the tired ex-
perience of each of whom Stella was like
some spirit wandering out of strange
land, just ALT for moment among
them. l knew in my heart that Stella
was faithful to her love, but all of this
disquieted and kept me in turmoil;
and there was no one of all the suitors
that SO filled me with disgust as De
Luyster.
Utterly worn out in the fierce pursuit
Of pleasure as he was, and knowing all
did about him, to see him address my
little girl was PROCLAMATION; and when
furiously watched him in the waltz, the
light touch of his hand seemed sacri.
lege. For some inscrutabIc reason, or
rather from my very reverence for her,
l could not speak freely to her on the
matter; Lcould not even harbor the idea
of making him the subject of a second
Thought in her innocent mind. Ifglances
could have killed the man, he would
have been stabbed to death; the rest
onOUIoQ In 6uence.
- And it asked for endurance, to see her
flashing by beside De Luyster as he drove
his four-in-hand; to see her strolling
with him in the moonlight, and pausing
in the pauses of the music to listen to
the murmur of the sea; to see him, hand
her to the deck of his yacht as if she
were its queen-no matter if a crowd
were with them, it always seemed to me
then that she was there ON the wide sea
alone with him. -~.. -.., :.
TWAS concerning this accused yacht
that all the trouble arose Mrs. Rittener
and her retinue of youths and maidens
were to go out with De Luyster sailing
along the. coast some days. His yacht
was the last pet fancy. She had spread
her wings and flown across the Atlantic
inI don't know how few days, and from
truck to keelson she was altogether per-
feet. Doubtless could have gone along
bad ! chosen, but there were not forces