San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-10-04
GRAZ Is AND RIOS ES.
By LILLIAN N. THOMPSON.


BI LILLIAN n. THOMPSON.
A large sunny carriage house; the
broad, rolling doors thrown wide open
to admit the golden autumn sunshine,
framed lovely picture OF woods
dressed in their gorgeous robes OF red
and gold; orchards and wheat fields
and shining glimpses of a lazy river
flashing through trees; inside, the
walls were lined with boxes, baskets,
and crates of grapes, and long table
in the middle of the room was piled
with the luscious clusters.
Beside the table two girls were
perched on inverted barrels, trimming
and packing the fruit,-just such
brown haired, happy, mischievous
girls as may be found in abundance
anywhere.
"Say, Rose, let's write our names
in these baskets, will you?" suddenly
asked the taller girl.
why, yes; but who will ever read
them?" queried Rose taking out her
pencil, and writing on the inner side
of the small basket, Rose"
The other wrote Packed by Bertha
M" then the baskets were filled,
Bertha's with delicate, pink-tinted
Delawares, and Roses with great,
dusky-purple lsabellas; and then the
girls covered them and laughed mer-
rily at the droll pictures which their
fancies painted and which were as far
from the truth as such fancies usually
are.
An artist sat alone in his studio;
sketches, paintings and draperies
were scattered about in picturesque
confusion; ar easel stood before him
with its empty canvas blankly waiting
for the brush; on a small table by
hls side stood a grape basket, from
which hehad just taken the last clus
ter. He was young and handsome
artist, but there was a troubled, far
away look in his eyes, and lines of
care and perplexity were already Wis
IDLE on his brow.
He finished the bunch of delicious
purple grapes with no thought of their
delicate flavor, and mechanically
reached for another; finding the bas-
ket empty, he took and absently ex-
amined it. The bottom and sides
were stained here and there, where a
wounded grape had bled its life away;
presently something on one side of
the basket caught his eye and wrought
o curious change in his manner.
He started up, his eyes full of eager
anticipation, his whole face aglow
with joyful excitement, but only for a
moment, then he sank back with a
sigh, the light faded out of his face
and leftit pale and weary.
what fool I ami" he muttered,
there are other Roses in the world
beside minel On! if had stayed at
home instead of going to Italy! if her
grandfather had not died! if the news
of his death had come to me in Swift
erland instead of wandering over
half of Italy in search of mel if she
only had stayed at Glendale instead of
going to the city! if only could find
her! if-if-
He rested his elbow on the table,
leaned his cheek upon his palm and
gazed, with wide-Open vacant eyes,
upon the panoramic pictures which
memory conjured up. The first
scene she presented was vineyard in
all the glory of an early October DAY;
the naples in the wood near by waved
their leafy arms Just touched with
gold and scarlet, CLOVIS cawed III the
pines, for, in memory's pictures, mo-
ton and the sound furnish their share
of beauty; the vines drocped from the
stakes with the weight Of rich fruit
age. Beside one vine, was girl
crowned with golden curls, and near
her stood himself yes no. himself, for
in this handsome, languid, dispirited
man, where was tie breezy, boyish
vigor and undaunted hopes of the lad
his fancy had painted.
Il am gong tomorrow, Rose, he
seemed u Ee4r tie Joyous, Triumph
ant voice say. Il shall see all Italy
and Switzerland, ana study hard al