Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-04-16

it naturally occurred to Charley Guer-
don that so excellent a sister as Ida
horatine ought to make a perfect wife,
so that when he had known and loved
her about month he began to hint
umidly at proposal, but she always
parted these advances merrily, as
though he were joking. II he sulked,
she smiled at him with irresistible arch.
ness, and sung him ballad about a
miserable Russian peasant who had fall
len in love with Lorelei, or water
witch, who persisted in asking him at
the end of every stanza whether he
! could change his nature and live under
the water with her?
well, but you are not Lorelei,
Miss Ida" Guerdon exclaimed impa-
tently when he had heard this song
twice.
perhaps | am Pyrie, though" she
answered with smile.
what is a Pyrt7'
"A iire-witch. in the modernized form
a girl who delights in firearms, shells,
petroleum and other horrid engines of
revolutionary warfare" saying which
she laughed with rather forced gay
ETY..
Guerdon made no answer, but hoped
that time might work for him. 1t thus
befel that he remained two months at
E. seeing Ida every day, and he
was Just beginning to feel displrited by
the consciousness that his suit made no
progress when unexpectedly he receiv-
ed summons to hurry back to Eng
land on account of his elder brothers
illness. AS the younger son Of peer,
Charley Guerdon might be said to have
Expectations in case of his brothers
death: but he loved him too we'll to
think Of that and was on the contrary
sincerely grieved at the news. He
fastened to pack his traps and then said
goodbye to the koratines. He found
them both in the garden, looking sad,
for he had sent MS servant to appraise
them of what had occurred. Ida es-
pecially was pale, and there was ust
the slightest quaver in her voice as she
said: Goodbye, Captain Guerdon; we
are sorry to lose you"
"But shall return" he replied 81
hope my brother will recover, and then
shall hasten back to F.. You will
still be here, will you not?'
Perhaps" she answered evasively.
"Well, but you are surely not going
to leave E. just as he summer sea-
son is beginning. lie: me go away with
the hope that we shall meet again"
Perhaps" she reioined anew. Then,
as if TO take the chill of desponGenc..
out of her words, she piucked branch
of tree and handed it to the English
man. Take that TO your brother, and
let it carry health to him." she said. 81
have the superstition of flowers, SO you
see | am not quite Nihilist."
Guerdon took her hands, and at an
approving sign from her brother, drew
her to him and kissed her on the brow
1t was chaste kiss. and hope was re-
kindled in his heart as he s gave it.
The illness Of Charley Guerdon's
brother turned out TO be serious affair.
1t lasted more than SIX weeks, and dur
ing that time Charley was unremittlng
in his attendance at his bedside. In
such spare moments as he could snatch
he wrote severa! times to the koratlnes,
and once he received an answer from
the count with postscript in Ida's
hand; but after that he got no more re-
plies. Charley had never been news
paper reader, apd the world might have
gone all wrong without his hearing any
thing about it. He sometimes glanced
at the Field or at one of the military
periodicals to look for army promo
tons, but into the Times he never Dip
ped, and thus he was kept from learn
ing the grim reason which prevented
his Russian friends from writing to him.
He was not fatcd to ascertain it Tor a
long while, for when Lord Guerdon be-
came convalescent his doctors ordered
him off on a yachting cruise and Char
ley accompanied him. Charley spent
two full months sailing over the seas
and receiving no news, till at length
they put in at Cadiz and landed. 1t
was in this city that Lord Guerdon, pc
rusing baton of London papers one
morning, while his brother sat at the
open window looking out listless'y over
the waters Of the harbor, exclaimed:
~ say, Charley, didn't you tell me you
had friend called Count Koratine?"
"Yes. What of him?" answered
Charley, turning round with sudden
flush.
"Why, your friend is going to be be-
headed for an attempt to murder. Read
thatW
Charley rose, doubling whether he
was awake. He took the newspaper,
and with Keeling senses read the &C
count of an attempted political assassi-
nation about which all Europe had
been talking for the last three months.
An exalted parsonage of the half
dozen who hold the destinies of Europe |
in his hands-had come to E, and |