Daily Republican., 1884-08-23
1.-THE SONG or THE SEA-"
BY CLYDE RAYMOND.

Have You seen the new beauty
who arrived yesterday? They say sLs
IL something wonderful in the way OF
female loveliness. All he fellows al
the 'Clif' are raging about hel
already"
No." was the Indifferent answer
have not seen her. nor do l care 10
particularly. Raving over beautiful
women Is not ex> city in my line"
And, looking ut Mark Stiathwood,
as he paced slowly up and down the
sands at his friends side, smoking his
favorite cigar, one could readily be.
lieve that assertion. That dark, hand.
some face of his, far from expressing
any interest In those of the fair sex
whom other men were accustomed To
rave about" usually took on n cold,
almost c0ntem ptuous Indifference " hich
had discouraged many lovely belle
from attempting his conquest.
That same look swept over his coun.
tenapce now at the mere mention of the
new beauty.
81 know that. Mark" veplied his
friend, half sadly, as he noticed 1t ;
and moTe's the pity. don't know OF
any man who would be more success.
full with the ladies than yourself, IL
you cared to try. 1t would not surprise
me, at all, II you were 10 carry of this
psw star of loveiin ess, Mrs. Cremorne;''
he did not notice tho slight start which
Mark gave at the name; "she is n
widow, hear, right before QUE eyes.
That Is, mean, II y0u should conde-
scend to enter the ist against u.s."
Thanks, no, returned Mark, With
n shrug OF his nue. shoulders. You
will have nothing TO fear from me. If ]
were going To marry, at all, should
never choose handsome woman"
Nonsense, man 20 began Harry
GARRISON, laughing. "Why shouldn' I
you, the same as-ah 7" he broke of
abruptly, In that hushe<i, hnlf.startled
way one does who suddenly remem bers
that he may have touched upon some
hidden sorrow.
For though he had known him but a
few months, Harry remembered GER
tain vague ruinors which had reached
Lis ears Of Strathwood's having once
been married 10 a beautiful woman
who had, In some way, wrecked his
happiness,
But, as Mark never opened his lips
concerning his past, it might have
been only romance concocted by some
fertile brain to account for his other
wise unacc0untable Indifference to the
sex.
SO Harry had thought but something
in his friends face just now, as the
bright moon light fell upon It, made
him suddenly relapse into silence, and
afterwards adrOitly changed the sub.
ject
But those few words had been enough
TO send Marks thoughts drifting back
into the past.
While absently replying to his friends
lively conversation, he was bitterly
thinking of happy home he once had,
wherein fair and gracious woman had
reigDed very queen.
God how he had worshiped Der, his
beautiful wife beautiful as a dream,
with her yellow hair and lovely, smil.
ing sea blue eyes.
Would that he had died before be
found her to be false AZ she was fair!
For he had left her, seven years ago,
in n passionate outburst Of anger and
jealousy, believing her false as Del ilah
and he believed so still.
In all that time he had never seer
her, never so much as heard her name
and he had always thought OF her al
spending those Sears no intolerably
lonely and bitter to him, in the con
genial society of lis hated rival, per
haps In some fair foreign land.
Long after Harry Clarkson had talk
ed himself weary and gone up to thu
hotel did Mark Strathwood pace tn
sands, buried in his own gloom,
| thoughts.
Cremorne - he muttered to him
self, his mind going back to the charm
ing woman who had, unconsciously
started his bitter reflections. He
name before married her. A strang
coincidence !"
His last cigar had burned out lonl
ago, and the waves were beginning 4
| boom with mournful sound upor
the beach, when, at length, he turnet
his back upon the ocean and sought hi
room in the hotel.
1t was late, but he could not think oil
sleeping. Lighting fresh cigar, b.
stepped out on the piazza aud paced uI
and down, as he had paced the sands
thinking and smoking, smoking ant
thinking.
| The loud boom of the waves ca me {,
him, as they dashed against the desert
cd beach, and mingled with their rest
less sount, came the soft, ripping mu
sic of piano AT the other end of tn,
piazza accompanied by woman's voic
singing the mornful strains Of Tenny
sons exquisite" Song of the Sea.
Mark moved toward the sound
drawn on by the thrilling voice, tn
ieurious blending of the song with tn
murmuring waves, and above all
something strangely familiar in til
voice Of thu singer.
Where had he heard it before II
passed his hands, with bewildere
movement, across his brow, as til
, sound came nearer and nearer, and h
stopped and leaned breathlessly again.
the railing az these words. rendere
with infinite feeling and pathos, wer
borne distinctly to him
And tho stately ships 20 on
To Their haven under the hill
But oh! for the touch OF vanished han
And the sound Of . voice that 10 still !!
| Break, break, break,
On thy cold, gray stones, oh, sea!
But the tender grace of a day that 10 dea
VIII never come back to me !"
i He was opposite the very window
now-the long, French window o
what seemed to be aprivate parlor, and
as the sweet, heart breaking strain
died away, he stepped close to the opel
easement and looked in.
He conld not have helped that actiol
II he had died for 1t. And one glanc
showed him that the fair singer WAS th
beautiful stranger, and his own wit,
Yes, although her face was PARTIAL
turned from him, he could see the shir
ling of her golden hair, the graceful
curve of her proud, white neck, and tn
|, queenly figure In its clinging, cream
white drapery, and he said to himsel
there could be but one woman In tn
world Xix that.