The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-05-17
NONE so BLIND.

When Capt Thompson built modest
| seaside dwelling he had no end of wife S
sisters coming to stay with him. He
liked it, or rthem-some of them. If on
ly one would come at time! He was
getting too old to enjoy the stiff breeze
such company created. He preferred
Bella. prefer her myself. She may
be 26; a sensible, gracious woman
Where pretty sisters are, somebody 8
nice brothers will be. Older men and
graver came to smoke with the captain.
One of them was certain Royal Nc
MILAN, who, from crude youth, had
mellowed into rare kind of man,
they said who knew. The tide in his
affairs that leads to fortune had not long
been flood; but he took frequent periods
of what more ambitious men would call
spendthrift recreation. Being home
less man, without ties, he was easily
persuaded by merry-hearted Mrs.
Thompson to stay with them awhile;
| then another while; then all the while
he pleased. He was certainly a pillar
of support where the girls were con-
cerned, one to whom nothing was a
trouble or a difficulty-a born man of
affairs. The girls, admiring his stately
figure, charming temper, and-the in
come, were inclined to love him also;
even the more, when he evidently de-
tected this disposition and was amused
by it. But at last, drawn off in other
ways, they left him to himself, unless.
when ne now and then fell to the COM
panionship of Bella. who chaperoned
the parties when Mrs. Thompson did
not 90.
Well as they knew each other it was
a rare occurrence to be walking, as they
were Il certain superb morning, on the
hard sands. the long, green rollers
breaking twenty feet away at their right,
five miles before them Of delightful foot
ing, the lighthouse the goal. They were
friendl, enough 10 talk or not, as they
pleased, and Us Bella was the only one
no had not sought or avoided him, he
felt easy in her pTeSence; so easy that,
like his old jacket, he didn't think aboutit
At first they talked of the West. and
Mcmillan. who was sometimes retro
spective when he could get anyone to
listen. had been rather uumerciful in
anecdotes of his boyhood, when he
suddenly broke long silence by say
inG:
is there anything more idiotic than
the behavior of two people under the
Gelusion called love? Look at the couple
before US. They have forgotten we are
behind; or. do they suppose they are
acting like civilized people?"
IAN old maid is idyllic," she said
ITO me it is touching" But she sud-
denly gave suppressed exclamation Of
contagious mirth. in which he joined.
''Is it anything particular, Miss Sum-
mers?''
Il was reminded of something"
$50 was /; do you know | feel con-
victed by secret guilt. | suspect we have
both been fools. If you will not laugh
much, l should like to tell a kind of ad-
venture of my own"
81 can sympathize to any extent in a
romance"
II suppose you will call it a aromance.
wonder myself how it ever could have
happened. 1t was at the Centennial. /
had been lounging about the grounds all
day-I delighted in the people-and
was resting on shady bench, when
there appeared remarkable pair-fath-
er and daughter, l concluded. They,
too, sat down to rest. He was dis
tinguished-looking man. with white mus
taches; she the most beautiful girl l ev-
er saw in my life. Your pretty sister
Eve reminds me of her sometimes; but
this was creature divine. sat and
devoured her with my Western gaze,
while her companion asked me some
questions. And when she turned her
eyes full on mine, as she did, presently,
l went down-under the waters.n He
stopped.
$50 on" said she.
MAY 1 have cigar, Miss Sum-
mers?n
Il was going to suggest il"
well, do not know how to 90 on
without giving you the idea that she was
too easily wooed You Northern women
are frosty and-perhaps You cannot I'M
derstand?'r
Il do. perfectly"
Il was able TO be of some service TO
her guardian and we were constantly
together after that first day. He soon
found out all about me, and he even
left me with her for hours. Preached a
desperate point that week.
The old gentleman gave me his card.
and though | have it yet l have never
been able to read that name. It was
foreign one. and scrawled abomina biy.
! said something as near as | could 60
and was never corrected She took the
card and wrote 'Sybylla;' and Sybylla
| called her. l made few attempts to
find ont about them; but our time was
short, and she plainly told me she did
not wish me TO know who they were. /
was to take the present and be patient.
1t was useless 70 love her, she said; she
was bound by obligations she could not
break. Ii ! would be obedient, she
would explain before we parted. So
one day we left Monsieur sitting in the
Spanish Office and with his consent went
rambling off by ourselves.
''She was studying to be a singer
She had voice that promised to be a
fortune. Her step-father was educating
her as speculation, l think, and was
taking care of her family. She had
signed papers binding her to certain
promises. Any consideration of love
was a breach of contract. | must see it
would distract her; for that reason l
must know nothing about her. She was
ambitious, and believed she had mag
niicent future before her; and / believ-
ed it, too. When the goal was reached,
shs ND, 4 wished, 10 wuuld ~ n