Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-24

Tell me whether dark or bright,
 Or little loved, or loved aright,
 Is the face of thy 1adie.
 It was splendid spectacle, that famous masquerade ball, which was given as the val edictory of the old and the salutatory of the new year, at the opening of one of the most brilliant seasons our national capital had ever seen.
 A great war had ended.
 A renowned military commander was at the head of our government, with council selected from among the most eminent states men of the nation, and diplomatic corps of the most distinguished ministers from for eign countries
 Certain illustrious personages of royal rank or Hneage-a Brazilian emperor, a Russian grand duke, and Bourbon prince-were among the transient and honored guests of the city.
 Besides these, there were gathered at the capital the usual winter multitude of noted politicians, fnanciers, authors artists, ,beaux, beauties, leaders of fashion and queens of society.
 Conspicuous among these bright lights of the world, were two who were termed-one the ''lion," and the other the ''belle" of the season.
 They were both young, handsome, gifted, and one was wealthy.
 The name of the first mentioned was Tudor Hereward. He was an accomplished scholar, an eloquent orator, rising statesman, and although but twenty seven years of age, he was already an able party leader in the na- tional House of Representatives. In person he was tall, fair and stately.
 His dress was always faultlessly neat, and even fastidiously dainty.
 His manners were reserved and cold, ex- cept when he was warmed up in debate on the floor of the House of Representatives, when he would often seem to be transfgured III -.-T oquence. Men predicted for him an illus trious future. He was now, as has been said, the 'lion" of the season.
 The "bellen of the winter was Leda Von Kirschberg, the only child and heiress of Jacob Von Kirschberg, head of the great banking house of that name
 She was beautiful, stately blonde, with a brilliantly blooming complexion, sparkling, purplish blue eyes, small aquiline nose, pointing ruby lips, and shining, ripping an- burn hair.
 Her dresses were the happ1est e.inspira- hons'' Of Worth and of Pingen, and the en- " and despair of her rivals Her manners were at once dignifed and gracious
 So much for the social status and personal appearance of the tslion" and the "belle" of that resplendent scene and season.
 To say that nearly all the young ladies were more or less infatuated with the ~l1on, D and that quite all the young men were in love With the belle, would be but faint statement of the situation.
 And that these two were utterly devoted to each other was too apparent to all
 But ah! for ''the course of true 1ove''- there was an insurmountable obstacle in the way of it's happy termination in marriage
 The belle of the season was a betrothed maiden
 The fact was not generally known, for it had not been ostentatiously announced in the RnnIAEV n0IuT11v1 of fba hut Von Kirschberg was really engaged to be married to Mir. Nicholas Bruin a millionaire much richer and very much older than her own father.
 So you see!
 The ancient bridegroom -expectant had not come with the widowed father and mother less daughter to Washington, so that few in the city knew of the great mans existence, and none knew of his relations to the beauty and heiress.
 Least of all did Tudor Hereward, her de- voted knight, suspect the truth. For if he had done so, be sure that his fine sense of honor would have forbidden him to trespass on the sacred rights of the betrothed lover by too marked attentions to the betrothed maiden.
 No! Tudor Hereward was ignorant in seek ing and innocent in winning the impassioned heart of Leda Won Kirschberg
 Why she had concealed the fact of her mar riage engagement, and why she had encour- aged and even invited the exclusive atten tons of Mir Hereward, is, perhaps, not diff cult to understand.
 In the first instance it was probably noth- ing more than vanity prompted her to seek to attract and monopolize the attentions of the most brilliant society man at the capital. Possibly she meant no harm at all, and had no ultimate object in view. But she who plays at flirting" plays with fire.
 Raf0rn lha SrxoJ1 | had not only captivated the famous young statesman, but she had irrevoeably lost. to him, her own heart
 But that she had no intention of giving him her hand was soon quite apparent
 The night of the last day in the old year, the night of the masquerade ball, given by Senator s., in his splendid new mansion in the northwest quarter of the city, was des- tined to decide their fate
 Miss Won Kirschberg and Mr. Tudor Here ward were, of course, among the invited guests.
 He took no character. It would not have been in harmony with his proud, fastidious nature to play any part, or, at least, any con- spicuous part in such harlequinade.
 He merely covered his usual evening dress with an inscrutab1e black domino of fine cashmere, and his handsome face with a black mask of fine velvet.
 Shelby some subtle sympathy diyining his thoughts and intentions on the subject also eschewed the queens, gipsies, peasants nuns, and nights and mornings, into which the ladies would try to transform themselves for one evening only, and over her dress she wore white silk domino, and over her fair face white mask of satin and lace
 Neither had received any intimation of the others disguise, yet the same subtle sympa- thy which had directed their costume for the evening brought them together through the immense crowd of maskers that filled all the reception rooms, dancing rooms, supper rooms and conservatories, and overfowed into the halls, balconies, piazzas, and even into the glass -roofed winter garden on the grounds.
 Dazzling light and deatenine music were streaming through every window of the crowded mansion when the Black Domino. our hero, passed out of the conservatory. en- tered the winter garden, and looked about him.
 Here were no lighted lamps, for the moon- shine pouring in through the glass roof flooded the wonderful, beautiful scene with a soft, bright radiance
 The Black Domino stoop peering down the lovely walks, bordered with everereens aud hardy roses in full bloom. Hisseyes were searching for the t'swan, as he mentally called lovely white form whom he had been watching all the evening, and whom he had seen glide through the crowded room out of the house, and in the direction of the winter garden.
 He had followed her slowly and with difi- culty, ,he could not slip through stiamn as easily as she had done.
 Now, in this freer space and purer air, he hoped to find her.
 But she was nowhere to be seen. There seemed to be no one in the garden.
 Nevertheless, he walked down between the hedges of blooming roses until he saw, in corner of the rear hedge, an arbor of climb ing roses, in the midst of which his eyes caught gleam of silvery raiment. He hastened directly to the spot, and found her there.
 She was reclining on the rustic seat, and had taken of her mask for air, revealing the fair, proud face of Leda Won Kirschbere.
 He had not expected this revelation of her identity, and he felt that his presence at this moment might be considered an inexcusable intrusion upon the privacy of the lady.
 'Leda," he said, deprecatingly, as he stood before her and removed his own mask, please to pardon my indiscretion, but I have been trying to make an opportunity for speaking with you all the eyening-in fact all the day-but have not succeeded even in