Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-03-23
the enemY. Rosa1o said Joe. oyertaking

SCHOOL, And do you find pleasure in
the thought of slipping over our own
graves as two snakes, or creeping
through hot iungles as two tigers?
What is the verse you read 30 often -
How my heart leaps up
To think of that grand living after death
In beast and bird and flower |"
~ mean to do just as please, Joe,
and to let you do the same" was the
tart reply.
"Indeed you do not; for il you did
should take you SO far away from all
this nonsense that you wouldn't know
you were on the same planet" But
Rosa had gone without any more words,
and left him watching her down the
garden aisle, with her scant blue robes
clinging about her pretty feet, and her
scarf catching on every thorn, to where
young Rivas sat sketching on the old
stone wall at the garden foot, wearing
his bicycle dress, whose knee breeches
and jacket were perhaps something as
near the Old Florentine as no dared to
approach in these parallels. Joe could
not but acknowledge that the dark
young artist, 1.-THE and slender, and
the sylph hurrying under the arched
pathway, with her long unbraided
brown hair streaming round her and
away in the wind, made Il pleasant pic
ture. Yet it vexed him that it should
be made by his Rosa, who six months
ago had been all but his wife, planning
their house and home with him,
choosing their chairs and sofas, "till
bedeviled by this medieval idiot and
his sister" growled Joe. Then a spasm
Of humility seized him, and he didn't
wonder she preferred the italian beauty
OF the youth to his own giant stature
and Saxon tints, the novelty Of the one
to the long usage OF the other. For all
that il had occurred TO him that he
might counteract a portion of the be.
devilment by seeing il there were any.
thing in this sad sister Gladys; yet, on
the whole, he was too hurt and angry
and disgusted to try and he rubbed his
short yellow curls, and flashed his
great grny eyes at them, and strobe
away gnawing his mustache, after one
dismal glimpse OF Rosa catching up the
clinging skirts to dance down the path
more trippingly, and waving her scarf
with her arm, whose cunning disposi-
ton was the nearest that she, in turn,
dared approach to angel sleeves
Joe knew that the girl in the long,
sulphur colored gown opening over
olive green velvet, reading q book Ms
she walked with downcast head and
face, was Gladys, and he knew Just why
she walked there, and that at this mo-
ment his great figure cast q shadow at
her feet, but he would none of her. and
went back for a little solace to Aunt
Eunice.
81 saw you" said the good but con-
trary and ld-fashioned soul. Z" from the
window. And I saw sha. bilious look
ing girl making eyes at you. She
looks like the lady in the lobster. But
don't you be troubled, Joe. Only have
patience, and it will all come right.
Rosa isn't really fool yet. You go
right on furnishing your house as II
nothing had been said or done"
"I don't know that 1 want to-" said
Joe, gloomily.
"Don't know that you want to 2"
cried Aunt Eunice. "Then there IL
really more mischief done than feared.
Don't know that you want to? Joe, II
you don't want to, I'll sue you for
breach of promise myself"
1t was long summer to poor Joe
who had expected by this TO be revel-
ing in an ideal world OF happiness. with
charming wife at Niagara In June, ut
Newport in July, at the Crawford
Notch in August, and in Septem-
Der settling in their home in the
Boston suburbs, the home that was
to be nothing but a nest of love and
music and JOY and goodness. And here
was Rosa never letting him mention the
subject, planting her sunHowers over.
and rescuing but two OF them from the
birds again, going about with her little
thumb through palette patched in
dullest colorsIoi old gold and dirty
green, or spending hours over her easel
where an ethereal pot of impossible
lilies was trying TO put on--or off,
semblance of reality, draping old iron
ing blankets at her windows, and talk
ing Of the ineffable dream of dead light
blooming in the slumber of their tawny
folds, utterIng further fanfsronade of
spiritual, idyllic and realistic whims