Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-10-01

Il
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 inscrutabIe reason, or
rather from my very reverence for her,
could not speak freely to her on the
matter; I could not even harbor the idea
of making him the subject of a second
thought in her innocent mind. If chances
could have killed the man, he would
have been stabbed to death; the rest I
endured in silence.
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 crowd
were with them, it always seemed to me
then that she was there on the wide sea
alone with him.
1t was concerning this accused yacht
that all the trouble arose. Mrs. Rittener
and her retinue of youths and maidens
were to 60 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
in don't know how few days, and from
truck to keelson she was altogether per-
feet. Doubtless could have gone along
had chosen, but there were not forces
in nature sufficient to have drawn me on
board the Flight.
"Not goingp' cried Stella, coming
down to me in her blue yachting dress
and broad hat, with the fair hair waving
around her sweet face "a sea nymph in
disguise. .#
"Certainly not!'' said I. "And I
should greatly prefer that you also re-
main at home"
"I?" she cried, in gay establishment.
"Why, how could I, dear? I couldn't.
you know. The sail is given for me. i
wish you would CO."
"Go" answered her in scorn.
She looked at me in amazement.
" Why do you speak so?" she asked.
"What right has that man to give
the ssil to you?-that -" paused, re-
membering myself.
"Please tell me what you mean," she
said, gently.
II mean nothing, except to insist that
you shall not join that party
cit is absolutely impossible for me
not to do So" she said with little gasp.
" If you had spoken before; but now
now it would be rude and unkind, and
he is always so kind to me, it would not
even be decent; and then you know how
Mrs. Rittener-"
"Confound Mrs. Rittener! What do
[ care TO her? care for you. I won't
have you compromised by this fellows
addresses. Twill not have the good name
of my future wife"
"Your future wife can take care of
her own good name,'l said Stella then,
softly and gravely, with lovely digni-
ty that for moment quelled me. ct
cannot see," she resumed, breaking the
short silence, the surprise not all yet
gone from her eyes, "why you will not
60 yourself. Just think how perfect it
is, DEAR" and her face began to kindle,
sweeping out under the great white
sails in the sunshine, beneath blue sky
and over blue sea, with music and dane
ing and the glorious wind-and sunset at
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 LIST,
the sunrise, after the dawning, all pur-
pie and rose, and all the dewiness of
morning at sea. I was once with Mrs.
Rittener. Oh, darling, do come!"
"Never!" [ cried, like the brute I
was, rage and bitterness getting the bet
ter of everything else as [ 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
[ shall ever make of you. I shall leave
the place, and I shall consider every
thing between us at an end" And be-
Rittener and De Luyster and Florence
and Percival were at our side, the GER
wants were hurrying down with luggage,
the horses were prancing at the gate.
There was moment of confusion, some
protestations, 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 off.
Well, what days, what hateful days,
they were, that followed! Of course
did not leave the place, and 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. I 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 sufused 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-