The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-03-05

blinded her. For all the landscape
seemed in whirl, and her visions reeled
and fell like city over an earthquake.
The slim birch trees thickened to dense
chestnut; the branches of the pines ran
up the trunks as an umbrella runs up in
opening, and set themselves in tuft
high in the mir; the wooden house with
its long verandas changed to palace
with sculptured stone balconies and
crowned with the airy arches of grand
tOHgid; and where II moment before the
savage woods had climbed the hillside, a
white flood of water came falling down in
foamy plunges, sprinkling the leaning
flowers and the masks and the cupids an
1t fell.
She saw the splcndor of 1t all, and re-
membered century-old temptation so
clearly that il seemed to be newly whis-
pered i'll her ear: "All this will l give
thee if, falling down, thou wilt worship
me-"
One bright, sweeping glance over the
whole; then, gathering up her long
skirts, she went swiftly toward the
house. The first breakfast bell had
ceased ringing, and the other would ring
in fifteen minutes. Reaching the house,
she was told that gentleman was wait.
ing III the blue satOnC for her.
: "What an hour for VISIT SIZE
thought discontentedly rs she went trail
ing thro' the empty rooms to the last,
where II tall, Observation-Disclosures man stood
mt the window looking out.
At sight of him the blood rushed to
her forehead. - am bewitched to-day
i am certainly bewitched!" she
thought, and walked slowly toward him,
not 30 aroused from her former dream rs
to have laid aside or thrown away the
bunch of pennyroyal which she had
clasped to her bosom.
He turned at the light rustic OF her
garments. His face was pale, but his
manner quite calm. "How do you do,
Margaret?" he said, us if he had seen her
the week before. - hope an not in
/ truding?"
! How IT happened she knew not, but nj
sight of him all the old mischief and
malice awoke in her heart. The intense
blue eyes which were drinking in her
face, the slight tremor in the deep voice
all the signs which told that he was to
her again the laughing tyrant Yet she
Laughed with Joy, and was triumphant at
seeing how handsome he was. Her
educated eyes found HIM finer looking
than he had looked to her ignorant ken.
=" You do intllIde awfully, John, >" she
said, giving him her baud: there are
two persons in the house who will he EN-
ragged Mt your coming"
Zone Is your aunt" he said coldly.
"And the other is-who?"
"Neyrr mind; come and get some
breakfast. The bell is ringing and am
hungry. Oh, you needn't hesitate
about the invitation: we all ask whom We
please. have had one or two persons
to breakfast. They will already have
laid plate for You"
She WAS turning away, half waiting for
him, when he took her hand: If you
are going to marry him will not sit ut
his table. Tell me the truth; don't play
with me, Margaret"
She had never heard his voice 10 pas.
sionate: it WIS almost commanding.
"What is your advice about the mat
ter?" she asked innocently, turning once
more toward him aud dropping her eyes.
81 advise You 10 marry him if you
want to" he replied almost angrily.
She looked into his face with her
sweetest smile: "And if i do not want
to, John? Ii hate to and won't?"
:" IN that case we had better not keep
breakfast waiting" h" replied, quietly.
They went out into the tent hung
were all assembled. and Miss Willis was
edited to See how very cordial her aunt's
greeting Of the new conner wis after the
first involuntary scowl Of recognition.
Az for the marquis, he was 40 truly and
gracefully courteous that Margaret added
, n few explanatory words to her introduce
ton. "Mr. Norton was II schoolfellow
of my brothers," she said 81 have
known him Ill my life"
"The poor man may as well eat his
breakfast in peace" she thought. "Of
course he will never dream that John
would have let me stay here years and
years if he had cared anything for me-"
She compared the two while they talk
ed. Tie marquis was tall, slender and
pale, and his beautiful face had that look
of mildpess which il the result of pride
and culture rather than of Il mild dis
position. The pride Of IN American or
English face is very likely to be insolent,
while that Of the Italian face IL noble
and calm; il il like the serenity of the
gods. One might have said Of this man
that his face was calm and unrufied, not
because his passions were not strong,
but because of their strength, which car
ried all before il. IL is INSTRUCTED pas
sion which graves the face, rs Obstructed
water has broken surface. Whatever
the Marquis of San Giorgio had wished
To do, that he had done, and whatever he
had wished to possess had never been
long denied him. The two gentlemen
talked little on political subjects.
John was now senator, and interested
i'll the question of the resumption Of the
specie payment. His ideas were quite
clear and were well-expressed. To be
sure, his French was not chopped quite
fine enough; he had the English accent,
and pronounced too conscientiOusly all
the little words which he should only
brushed grammatically, and, in some way,
it seemed a cOndescension for him to
speak French ut all.
must make him practice talking
with me against the time when he will be
president and have to talk with the four
winds, thought Miss Willis.
She saw with real gratitude and adj
ihiiutiol ttut tiS iihiIuiS, ptIctlNliB
that his guest did not understand readily,
spoke more slowly and distinctly than
usual, and sometimes repeated.
After breakfast they all went wandering
thro' the large, shady rooms Mrs. VIII
lis fastened herself upon the newcomer,
and confided to him the story of Mar
garet's approaching marriage.
"Whom is she to marry 2" he asked.
"Why, the marquis, of coursc. Haven't
you heard ?"
"Is she ?" he asked, dryly.
The marquis stood beside Margaret.
'"You have known the gentleman all
your life ?" he asked gently, but at once.
"Oh, yes" She was beginning to feel
the painful embarrassment of woman
who il obliged to refuse man whom
she admires, and who fears that she
should have refused him more promptly.
To be sure, she had expressly stipulated
! that her consenting to spend week ut
his villa should not be taken as an en-
couragement Of his suit; still, she was
now sorry for having come.
ellis wife is in Rome with him ?" the
marquis pursued, watching his compan-
! ions downcast face.
"Mr. Norton is not married" she re-
piled.
/ There was a moment Of silence; then
he exclaimed, How long am to wait
for your answer, signorina? III You did
not know before, you must know no,c,"
emphasizing the last word and glancing
to where Johu, imprisoned in distant
= a Il