The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-03-11
TESTING THE SPELL.
BY X. t.

Almost uncanny, in her fresh, gypsy
beauty, looked Vivienne Harcomt that
hight, when she came down the velvet
sarpeted stairs and into the long, luxu-
iious drawing-room of HOLLYWOOD.
The little groups. scattered there in
he brilliantly-lighted rooms, looked up
It her as she entcred-a tall, q~uecnly
Iirl, in a plain, tight-fitting dress Of
worry serge, that fell in heavy, creamy
iolds behind her; a dress that few wo-
men dare wear, unless they have statu-
ssque beauty to challenge its severe
simplicity.
A gold cord and tassels we're passed
around her waist, and hung, loosely
Snotted, at her side.
All her blue-black hair was careless
~ coiled in a Grecian knot, low, behind
her shapely head, with a jeweled dag
ger thrust through its dusky waves.
Well, Vivienne, down a. last?" her
aunt cried, a the girl came forward,
with a little, sweet, naughty bow to all
present.
Eyes. You must pardon me; l was
1navoidably detained"
She moved round from one guest to
another in her stately. graceful way,
now with a smile like sudden sunshine,
. few merry words, or q clear, Ginning
aaugh.
The gentlemen gathered Ground her
eagerly, full of admiring homage, but
only daring to lay at the shrine of this
lair young princess polite, c%oaversa-
ional remarks.
Only n fingered apart, content
with her first sweeping bow-only one
man. who loved her madly. passionate
ly, but whose heart was full of the bit
lcrness of blind, unreasoning jealousy.
1t had been but a lovers quarrel af-
ter all. She had only worn another
mans flowers in preference to his
Lord Neston's, who was old and wrink.
led, with false hair and false teeth, but
with a real title-Lord Neston. who had
offered her the honor of his name, but
Tor whom she cared no more than for
he bronze s~tatuette on the mantlepiece.
Perhaps the flowers suited her toilet
better than his; perhaps it was through
= little girlish vanity; but most assured
ly 1t was not because she cared q straw
Tor the title or the Neston diamonds.
Still. little by little the chasm had
widened between her and her lover, till
now they were almost as strangers; and
the more that miserable pain kept tug
cling at her heart-til she grew almost
mad with misery for the touch of Ar
thur Beauchamp's hand. tho glance of
Arthur Beauchamp's eyes-tS more
bliihely sweet her laughter rang.
And he. her lover. %scs'ss it u--shcd
back the hard lums N as dlroat. the
muttcrcd word 'hrartlcss." on Ids lips,
aud. t%urnin.. left The room.
A moment later, Barbara Morton, hel
little, saucy, red-lipped cousin, came NJ
to Vivienne as she stood by the piano
"Vivienne." she called out gaily, .'dc
you know what Major Forsyth is say
ingf"
WHAT" she asked, a trife listlessly
at is an infamous libel, which VIZ
must promptly resent! He says tina
women-aIl women-are towards, ant
that not among the-two, five. ten
fourteen-among tho fourteen ladie.
present would dare to go alone to-nigh'
to the Witches Wellr"
ssThe Witches Welt"
my dear, you forget Vivienne is {
stranger here, and does not under
stand" her aunt interposed.
They all gathered round her in a mo
ment, eager to explain.
"You see, Miss Harcourt," Majol
Forsyth said, ION a hill about a quarter
of a mile from here stands an old ruiz
"a tumble-down, deserted place. With
in there is q great, round, common
looking well; but the superstition is
that a girl brave enough to gaze alone
into its prophetic depths at II o'clock
precisely of any night-not Hallow Eve,
reflected in the CLASSY mirror below the
face Of her future husband. The peas
antry have q blind terror Of it, and
there is never q soul to be seen j n the
ruin from years end to years end. Il
is very easy to discuss in q well-lighteG
.rawing-room, and all that sort of thing,
.ut the weird reality of that uncanny
spot is something to shudder at, ever
in the blessed sunshine"
The valiant major paused, quite ex-
hausted by his oratcrical effort.
Viviennc raised her head, a quick,
scarlet glow on her checks, a blaze oi
feverish ea-crness in her eyes, and they
all shrank back amazed, rs she sail,
resolutcly-
81 will go!" ,
Then there was n general iau@n.
you are ohiy iokinc!' they said.
But the giri-lasing I'll her cool com
nonsense, in the asony of this bitter
parting from her iovcr-glad of any cx
citement to drown the pain ut her earl
was proof against their ridien!c, tari,
fears, and their pleading, aud dcsper
ately determined to have her own way,
''Not that l believe in such nonsense,
of course she said; ''but am rcsolv.
ed to vindicate the %impeachcd courage
Of my SEX"
She laughed with almost unnatural
merriment as she said it, and Barbars
looked up at her in surprise.
tn you must 60, Vivienne, we will
all wrap up and go with you-to tho
foot Of the hill at least"
"Agreedr' they echoed, unanimously.
your dress looks cold; you had bet.
ter get . shawl. Vivienne," some one
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