The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-01-20

God bless you, my child.' he said,
solemnly: "Take care of your soul"
II will willr' And the tide of
emotion swept over her, which seemed
to come over warm seas from afar, and
rise in holy spring out of her father S
grave.
In the week which ensued, Irene's
little craft was ever touching upon for
cign and enchanted shores, Her expe-
rience might have been confined to Mrs.
GordOn's select circle, had not an I'M
foreseen incident widely spread its
boundaries.
A talented artist sat near her one night
at the opera, and fascinated by the pos
sibilities of her facd, with ready pencil
caught it on his libretto. Soon after, q
highly suggestive picture appeared at
the academy; called, "A Charm against
the Evil Eye" 1t represented a woman
in the soft clinging draperies of the
Orient, and wreathed about her were the
tender-hued blossoms of the sacred lotus.
She was standing in the columned shade
of a banyan tree, through whose branches
vivid red CLEANS fell upon her face and
form. The white silk folds of the
"chudier" were thrown back from her
head, disclosing, not, as one might eX-
pect from the surroundings, the dark,
dreamy lineamentS of the East, but the
fair, golden-haired beauty of Irene Van
Wyck, idealized to an almost supernal
lustre, such as might be hers in some
rare moment of exaltation. 1t had the
effect OF a glorious sunrise out of trop-
ical midnight Round one of the rooted
branches of the bauyan, serpent was
coiled, and the woman with an angelic
gesture of command was holding up a
warning finger, on which was recog-
nized the ''Brahmin's ring" then on
eXhibition at the bazaar. In the very coil
of the serpent, the expression of his dire
full head, the artist had subtly depicted
awe and submission. The genius had
contrived to suggest to the mind of the
imaginative observer, not only the spell
of the talisman, but the idea as old as
the world, of beauty's power to subdue
all things unto itself, and to disarm even
the most malign influences. The artist.
besides increasing his own fame, had
inspired every one with desire to see
the original of his picture.
Miss Van 'WSck became the romance
OF art circles in New York.
She paused sometimes in her delight
ful course of art receptions, AFTERNOON
teas" and "'evenings at home" to Won
der why Elmer Paulson did not come to
see her, he who had the first claim upon
her-Philadelphia SO near, too his
letters were growing fewer and colder.
"What has came over him?" she asked
with a.proud instinct of self-apprecia-
ton. She forgot to measure the tone of
her own letters OF late, 1.-The wind
bloweth where it listeth" could not
be responsible for the atmospheric
changes it created.
Meanwhile Mr.. Seabright, the guard
ian she had appointed to the ring, was
not destined to become its possessor.
Young Vandergrift was making up a
choice regalia for his bride, he saw the
famous ring and learned that the price
was steadily rising; last week it could
have been bought for $4,000; now
the owner must be consulted to see if
he could have it for $4,000. I'm
willing to risk the chance of higher
bid from some one else, 81 will make it
$4,000, and let that close the bargain
he said -what were two or three extra
thousands to him when he wanted
thingP
This offer was accepted; the ring be-
came his.
''lrene will have enough at least to in
sure her az linst absolute want and the
horrible drulgery of governessing," re-
marked her cousin, Mrs. Gordon, COM
placcntly to her lord. ''She mist m trry
wealth; of course she will not make us
so poor return as to do otherwise
1t was true that Mr.. Z. Bruce Syming-
ton was already acting the role of an in
cipient sutton.
"Don't tell me that he is not hand
some nor specially brilliant" said Mrs.
Gordon to Irene; he is SO comfortably off;
worth halfa million. maybe more now,
in his own rig 1T, with pro ;p3ct OF a fort
une at his IN others death She can't
live forever and he is really unusually
gentlemanly; don't you think so?"
80, yesr' responded Irene. rea lily.
''Wear that white Grape dress the
Hindus embroidered to the Symingtons'
ball tomorrow night, AMI will lend
you my garland of water-lilie'. want
your costume to suggest India keep
up the lotus illusion"
| Irene smiled dreamily.
The next evening she went to the
Sym'ngtons'. About midnight the sir-
apparent lured her away from the ball
room into an adjoining conservatory.
Here the rich, exotic plant-ife was
lighted by colorei silk lanterns, Gun.
ningly arranged with reference to mir
rors, so that they saw themsel wan
dering through long vistas of azaleas,
cam elias and palm trees.
J He began with the usual common
places about the evening, the d ln,e, the
Italian opera; but the aromatic air, the
ro'eate light, the mysterious sha lows
which envelope I'd the young girls eihe'
re Il loneliness; more than all, the wine
he hi taken 50 FIRE Ay with his guests -
were tod much for his senses. Tne com
binedinflence crept over him with an
overwh Ginning power.
His grasp closel upon her ungloved
hand, which rested lightly on his arm.
with avig ptous. m ming pressure. She
drew it away with quick, indignant
cry of rebellion,
Stay, beautiful Irener' he im0lored.
cit is Paradise WI IN you are here"
Then the song bir Is, whose home
among the palm branches, started a
I