Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-23

II she had married i'm that young dream.
Meanwhile Senator Belfair himself was not
idle Yesterday he had called with new novel;
and the day before with box of bOnbons,
and to-day he had sent basket of Orchids and
all to no avail. Maria had no time for the
novel. she never ate bOnbons, and she had
plenty of flowers of her own. Then lie came
with his superb team for her mother and herself
to drive. She was on the point of declining.
when Mrs. Won Luitphen declared it was the
very thing. and the doctor had long since told
her that driving and fresh air would be her
Mrs. Won MISREPRESENTATION. And so they
went; and SO Maria, plying her mother, and
not feeling that she had the right to deprive
her of such enjoyment. went over and over
again, till at last it became unsuppOrtable. She
could not bear any more to meet that mans
glance; it made her feel like worthless thing.
II can't, mamma" she said: ''indeed can't
again. Don't you see what he means? He is
going to ask to marry me-
''And what if he dOes?" said Mrs. Won Luit-
| phen. Il only wish he might. l haven't seen
| so agreeable a man since your dear father"
Mamma! mammal"
'.And when / think Of such a possibility-of
| your taking your old place, Of my living in the
he needs feel as if it were leading of Provi-
dence"
'Oh, mamma! how can You say so? How
| can you think so? That terrible man,
''Maria.' cried Mrs. Won Luitphen. 81 really
| am shocked at you. To call a Senator of the
United States terrible mani And she re-
cOiled as if it were species of blasphemy.
Mamma, you know he is. And as for mar
| rying him, would rather We all go to the poor
house together"
1.-The poOr-house is very dsagreeable place"
whimpered her mother. IF you had ever been
there and seen the miserable wretches. some of
them with their feet done up in rags. YOU
would think better of the most sumptuous
house in washington and an unlimited bank
account"
We'll, mamma, we will end the matter
will never marry Senator Belfair. We are very
well as we are, and we will stay So" And she
turned. winding back into place a heavy lock Of
her hair, and more beautiful than ever in her
determination and resentment.
"Oh, you selfish, you wicked. you ungrateful
you abominable girl" cried her mother. after
all have done for you. To condemn me to
poverty and suffering, and your brother to ig-
And just then Senator Belfair confronted
| them, his ring not having been heard and Maria
faced him, with her fallen hair and the stain on
her cheek and the glory in her eyes.
,. You must pardon me-" said he then, gently,
IF, coming i'll. l could not help Overhearing
part of your conversation. My dear girl" and
he took Maria's lifeless hand ''when have
talked OF marrying you? Wait till do before
You revolt And till / do. let me look on YOU
as dear Child that warns my heart and brings
back to it the tender memories of DAYS that are
long lost In the past"
1t was very adrOit. What could Maria do?
He had begged her to take the place of a lost
daughter and he was wonderfully kind:and she
pitied him little to think he was so helplessly
repulslye. Plainly there was nothing else but to
let him come when he would and listen to her
singing, and drive with him on SUNNY after
Moons, and wonder what satisfaction he fOund
Ill the society of one so silent and distract as
she, and go with him, under her mothers
charge. to the theater, and feel that it was
wholly reprehensble in her, but that she dis
liked him more every day.
When he sat in the low chair and gazed at her,
as she sang with her delicious voice. so modu-
lated to the little room that one hardly dreamed
It's power, 1T grew beyond endurance for her to
feel his gaze glOating over her; and when
driving through the may roads round the
Soldiers Home, and meeting the ewes of one
and another unconscious of the daughterly
compact. with something i'm them testifyinc,
to their different view of the matter she would
declare to herself that she could never 90 out
with him again Once at her mothers urgency
they dined with him at WeIcker's and the
crimson did not leave her face for week:
although everything had been so perfect. even
TO the presence Of presidential candidate and
an English earfs daughter with him at the
little dinner, she had regarded herselfas GeOr-
glan girl in a slave market. Then again. to
stimulate her vanity, the man would procure
her leave of absence from her desk and take
her up to the Senate and put her in the diplo-
matte gallery, as il no other were good enough.
and servants would bring trays of daintes-a
thing almost unprecedented in the dignifed gal
Ierles OF the first assemblage of the world-tO
her and Mrs. Shurtleft, if it happened to be Mrs.
Shurtletf, or to her and her mother. if it hap
pened to be her mother sitting there and preen-
ing and pluming herself as the possible mother
OF one OF those dignitaries below. But it only
abased her to see the baldheaded men turning
and adjusting their glasses to admire her, and
laughing at Belfair as sly dog
Yet by one device and another her repur-
nance was kept from outbreak, between Mrs
Shurtleh and her mother and the kindly old
general; she was fairly beleaguered, and felt
Ike some wild thing at bay. Those were Sena-
tor Belfair's words. but these were Senator Bel
fairs looks and acts. Was trap closing round
her: and she with nowhere to turn? Sometimes
it seemed to her that it had just sprung. when,
instead OF driving from the Capitol after these
little trunphs of his, they walked encounter
ing half the town; and then not all the beauty
OF broad avenues and enchanting skies. not the
Dlue Vistas opening down these streets and
those. not Arlington sitting On its heights nor
the monument, with the shining through
the nag that blaZed atop liked great flower,
not the picture of the Treasury facade-nothjng'
in fact closed her eyes to the view of her own
degradation if she took another step beside that
man.
Yet as the spring was deepening, she often
went on long walks by herself after office hours
to avoid the prosecutor at the time OF his usual
coming. And many time. when her thoughts
were all in a ferment, she would slip into some
open church on her way and sit down in the
shadow till the quiet seemed to fall upon her
like a mantle. and she could 30 her way i'm peace
Often she paused Oh the threshold of st. Ceoiia's
at some vesper service or stole up where the
choir practiced the old Latin chants
and where the voice of an acquaintance
OF hers used to send its soft and rich
contraltO tones through the arches of
the empty place-empty then but so frequently
thrOnged with gay bridal parties. whose pomp
it suited we'll Often, too, she joined with her
friend and found comfort in that old music
which had brought comfort to so many: and
just as often she paused in kind of fright
when she found it was Father Bianchi himself
drilling the singers in their parts-Father BIZ
anchi. who had such wonderful name for the
Christmas and Easter music here that his peO-
pie had vague idea the songs of cherubim and
seraphim would not be complete without him.
1t was heavenly old music they were singing
under his direction, though, written by men
with Heaven and its worship in their souls; and
listening to it. and joining i'm it with her fresh
voice when she dared. always left her in peace
People were going from the city by this. how
ever. the Shurtleffs at last among the rest Con-
Hress had adjourned late in the July heats But
not Senator Belfair; he still remained and his
horses came prancng to the door every night
And how could she refuse her mother the relief