The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-23
From Harper's Bazar.l
ALL NIGHT AFLOAT.

ALL NIGHT AFLOAT.
Few people have their lines cast i'll
plcasanter places than the Odiurncs had,
so far as house and household affairs
Were concerned OF emiuCnt rcspccta-
blllty, and Of considerable wcaltI-each
of the daughters having Il comfortable
settlement. and the mother quito for
tune, all rather comedy and accomplished.
living III one OF the loveliest spots along
one Of the loveliest of rivers, their home
the rendezvous of gay friends-littlc was
needed To complete their contentment.
The house was a large old-fashioncd
affair, furnished rs their great grand
father left il, and il stood on a woody
point that ran far into the river and CAV
lovely hill and water VivwS-viaws that
were nf some value t. Agatha, the cnu-
sin Of OdiornCs, who had no other home
than theirs, and who had dressed herself
on the little money derived from the sale
of her water colors. II WAS very little
money, and Vet she cOntrlvci - secure
with il vastly pretticr toilets than her
cousins did with al thric expenditures:
for her summer camhrics and little
punches Of flowers, her plain winter
stutis and bright bits of ribbon were
much more effective than all their silks
and diamonds. Perhaps they rccog-
niZed AGatha's advantage. ana felt some
what aggrcvod by Ii: fol. although they
never treated hcr with ANYTHING bat gen
tie manners, there were scores Ot things
that could have been done for Agatha,
which remained mdunC; and Mrs. obi
orne herself often thought of her a, the
rival Of her daughters, aud did not always
entirely conceal her dislike al he. nus
band niece.
Little was needed Ia complete the
OdlomCS content, ii Was SAID, hut that
little WIS very slow III coming. 1t was "a
wedding in the family. Non did il mai
ter which one played the principal part;
only mothers ANA daughters felt that
they We're not exactly as other people till
some one among them had Joined the
procession OF humanity by WY of the
church alslr and altar, and had sep4-
rate establishment, and could be- spok. n
of 10y the rest as MY sister" or " Ny
daughter, Mrs. So and So" They
feared Of all things the reproach OF being
called a family of "old maids" and
although Agatha's marriage would have
lifted the reproach, that was the last
way III which they would have preferred
to have it taken of, and they quietly
kept their cousin in the background.
They had not great deal OF difficulty
III the work, for Agatha WIS proud and
sensitive being, who held herself aloof
from the possibility Of receiving sights
as much as possible, and only lived now
with her own cousins, because her health
had been impaired III teaching, and she
was ordered to regain II by rest. Her
dark aud quiet face, although beautiful
TO some, would he uulookelat by others:
she never exhibited her drawings social
~, never touched the piamn unless Re
quested to play for others "a dance, and
never let her royal voicv have full play
unless she was far away "u, doors, or
found herself 10y any chance alon" in the
house, as it haI ned on the day Viii
Mastineux came home with Roger for
some weeks.
Mr.. Odiorne had gone Ia drive with
Maria and Helen, and George was pecu-
harly happy i'll being out on the river
alone with her cousin Charles. w.ile the
lately arrived guests, Miss Harvey. and
the youug widow, Mrs. Julian, were in
Inc woods gathering ferns. Roger stay.
ed n moment playing with the dogs,
which ran out IL greet him. while Viii
MastiYrlA Strobe over the turf, and
paused suddenly struck 10y the volumes
of sweet sound that filled the air about
him, and rose beating from one sweet
tone TO another, like birds flight in the
heavens. And there it suddenly broke
off, and when he went into the parlor
CHANGING up, had seen III the distance his
towering stature and dark countenance,
and had rvtreatel without even con-
Guiding her cadcnZa rs she went. She
supposed it was Colonel MastincuX, con-
corning whom she had heard the girls
exclamations, ai!d Who, she supposed,
had nothing huj his ',talth to recon-.
mend him to them. Handsome, yes; and
so was Lucifer. YET, as She looked back
and sdw him holding back Rogers
great wulf-hOund, that had broken his
chain to reach his master, and had sprung
upon this intruder, she did, perhaps,
feel the throb OF admiration which most
women feel il the presence OF great
strength; but she sad to herself that
conscious vitality made man every.
body's master, and for her part she liked
duieter people. And as she knew very
well that her aunt intentions were IN r,
MastincuX, she felt Il sort Of mild pity
for Helen, or Maria, or GeOrgiana, sh,
did not know exactly which, and then
thought no more about il.
Yet nobody could he more quiet than
Colonel Mastiueux; his very loneliness
was born of repression; it always seems
as though there were III him II vast re
serve OF power, mental or physical, if h,
chose TO put forth; but except for som,
singular exploits on Indian warfare be
fore he resigned bis commission, In
seemed 10 have maintained the re
serve" Roger adOred him, but the mel
often did; for her part, thought Agatha
again, as she observed him listening Il
Mrs. Julian's remarks while he stooC
turning over Helcn's album Of water
colors, she liked man to have som,
manners. Manners or not, apparent,
Colonel Mastineux endured these re
marks us long as lie could. "Amd you
really have killed people p she was say
ing. Glow extraordinary it seems, {,
be talking on equal terms to persol
who really has killed people and hasn'
been taken up, or who has told Othe
people what to do III order to kill! How
did il feel / wonder? Do You remembe
any particular sensation at the moment
Icertainly-" And there Colonel Masti
neux had cody walked away, and lief
Mrs. Julian addressing the empty air.
"Are those your water colors ?" said
sudden voice beside Agatha, as she sa
with her embroidery by the lamp in til
back parlor. She looked up, of course
amazed. "Ah" said Colonel Mastineuz
az forgot that we had not been INTRO
duced. Although it may be suppose
that people under one roof"
"Those at which you were looking
she said, paying no attention TO his La
words. They-they are Helen's."
was true that she had given them
Helen long ago, Oh that young woman
demand.
"Then Helen is a genius. Unfortl
nately for the supposition, though,
have seen some of Helen's, and they
they are not the same. Is it Helen wi
sings?"
"Helen sings"
"And you"
81 embroider," said Agatha, categor
cally.
''m the highest style of Kensington-
Colonel Mastineux," said Mrs. Cd
orne, coming to the light, "are you il
terested III art work? We have son
beautiful specimens from the nuns {
Crown Hill"
"Thank you, not in the least" he r
n