The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1879-11-29


care for herr care for YOU | won't have
you compromised by this fellows addresses.
l will not have the good name of my future
wife"
"Your future wife can take care of her
own pood name," said Stella; then softly and
gravely with lovely dignity that for mo-
ment queled me. II can not see" she re.
sumed, breaking the short silence, the sur
prise not yet all gone from her eyes, "why
you will not go yourself2 Just think how
perfect il 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 dancing and the glorious wind
and sunset at sea-and the little young moon
sailing along beside us; and then the STAR
light, dear, when the dark is overhead and
underneath, and we seem to be floating sus-
pended in mysteryl And then, at last, the
sunrise, after the dawning, all purple and
rose and all the dewyness of morning at sea-
| was out once with Mrs Rittener. Oh, dar-
ling, do comet
"Neverl" cried, like the brute l was,
rage and bitterness getting the better of
everything else as L thought of her with that
wretch in all those scenes. "Never And
if you persist in going, warn you now that
thing between us ut an end" And before
another word could be said, Mr.. Rittener
and De Luyster and Florence and Percival
were ut our side, the servants were hurrying
down with luggage, the horses were prancing
at the gate. There was moment of confu-
sion, some protestations, fancied, some out
cry, and then, whether she would or not, 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 NOON
ing 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, 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 deep, delicious dusk shut them in, rocking
on from billow to billow, under the towering
of the great shadowy sails, under the pow
derry splendor of the stars, Stella and that
man togetherl
BY the end of the third day was wrought
u
in my wrath-openly defed, my tenderest
feelings outraged. l said l should never see
her again. / abandoned her to her fate. 1
began to paint them impetuously. Such sea
scenes as swept across my fancy Such color
as seemed to ripen on my palette! Such
reefs wrapt 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 staggering masts,
and yet again the placid down of the r,lddy
day, about them as the long waves creamed
up the curving shore and broke in rainbows
round the naked babies wading in, and the
dipping wings of the sea-birds. My pencil
seemed gifted by magic fame danced before
my eyes, a respondent shape. Stella should la
ment the day she forsOok this painter of pic
lures for that imbecile wealth. And all at
once l turned the canvass to the wall; my
heart was breaking.
The Flight had been due on the midnight
tide. OfcOurse, had Stella signifed the wish,
she would have been there-would have
been there even earlier. The day drew on
to nightfall. Other sails drew nuddling in,
pleasure boats and stately ships and fishing
fleets made anchor. and found haven from
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 bows 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 of in the low eastern sea, a zephyr only
moved from the South, and all the sapphire
blazed above and blazed 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 a
glorious sea or, and crowds were out sur
veying its splendor. Crowds, too, were
wasting their wonder on the Flight. Where
was she? Who had spoken to 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 dancing? There were none to say.
| No one had spoken her; and search the
horizon with burning eyes, no sign of her
white sail, her golden pennon, was to be
seen.
And day followed day the same. And a
thrill of horror went to more hearts than
one at the thought of the gay party going
down with flags flying, and the world that
had known them suspended for while its
festivity, or turned its mourning into pleas.
ure by yachting up and down the coast in
search, putting into harbor every shutdown
BIT when 10 days had passed, with most
| doubt had settled into certainty, and the
little world was taking on its old ways again
Percival girl on the drive, the reckless dash
of De Luyster, the solemn stiffness
of old Montmorenci, they miss
ed, indeed, that airy vision of un.
real beauty whose absence made the place
a desert; at least it did to me. The Rittenel
villa, dark as any Jail, no longer with snowy
clouds blowing from the windows, no longer
with gay groups upon its lawn, seemed t.
mock the blooming of the flowers that lifted
their scarlet and gold azure gaily as ever tt
the Indifferent skies from bed and vase anC
urn.
"And so they are giving up the flight,
hear" said old Simpson, the lobster man, "a
l wandered down the beach l haunted al
day long, and where he had looked up a
me so often with reass Iring eyes, as b.
mended his nets or tumbled out his wigglins
load "Well don't you be any mans fool
sir, and follow such suit" he said. "Bel
Burnharm was never at the hellum 70
nothing. When Ben Burnham piloted il
Boston Bay, and knew he couldn't max
Highland Light, he put her hellum har
down and scud for Squan
He was in blue water befor
/ tho Grcf xphicnor &c fhaf Oola sir an