Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-09-19

ceeded to the oarieh sunlight OF the
mo MOI ping The Lake ny ssa Was not q scrap
OF blue to be seen in the sky. All around
profound silence was reigning. And tnere 1870
ioungine contenteSiy on a the wall olivia lesnt
back and sighed with dreamy en(0s sn nSa as3
she ielt strangely at peace with hesse anu 81
they came TO her. Her life had not been
tragic one, but it had had its compilGas,onT.s;;
r sas nos to too
both as regarded its pains and Its pleasures.
And though she did not realize 1t at the mo no
comparison to ada keennees to her present en'
his halfdozen pockets. Il want to show you a
with rather uneasy carelessness 81 thought l
swerins it, Olivia a looked at him questioning.
| ~, then suddenly lowered her eyes: 1T was
Wene fellows sb at ST. mig
In the Bernese Overland"
them than Olivia wished the words recalled
Ihat depends entirely on YOU" There was
had ceased to play about his face; the brown
Leaned forward, taking both her hands in his
and looked across the wide smooth lake to the
| plne-ciad hills and snow-crowned peaks bathed
in the still, warm wilderness of the mystic after
bright, her heart was beating with unusual ra-
pldlty; she did not draw away her hands. How
| misgivings at times, but there was no doubt
| about it: it was a fair and well-ordered world
terday, the last three weeks! And this kind
| handsome, high-spirited young man at her side
WHO looked at her SO lovingly with his beau
tful eyes; who listened so attentively to every
word that she spoke; who was SO thoughtful in
| a hundred ways-hOw far was he responsible
for this new calm happiness? Would not life,
| a mi
| deed? How beautiful the mountains were, and
the lake! How kind, how gentle, how clever he
| was.
And so it came to pass that Olivia Longcroft
| and sydney Tresidder between them decided
tnas NE latter should not make the
ton OF that walking tour in the Bernese Ober-
| L shrink from conjecturing how long those
| two young people might have fingered together
| on the wall, if Miss Medium (who, happily,
slumbered through a certain interesting crisis,)
had not woke with q start to find the afternoon
considerably advanced, the sky like lead and
| the atmosphere suggestive of nothing SO much
parade, shading her eyes from the glare and
holding out her watch towards them: "Mss
| LOngcroft. Mr.. Tresidder! 1t i halfpast five;
| half an hour later than we appointed to meet
the others at the landing-place. have been
wondering when you would feel inclined to
| make move"
| emily following in Miss Meldrum's wake along
the parade. But 10 and behold! when they
reached the landing stage there was not a trace
of the rest of their party to be seen. 81 have no
| doubt" said Tresidder, "that they have gone by
the five-o clock steamer, and left us to fate
I'm not sure that we don't deserve it, are you,
! Miss Meldrum?' Caroline tossed her head; she
| was beginning to suspect that that afternoons
Slesta of hers had not passed unnoticed; but in
! deed her suspicious were grOundleSS. A dark
! eyed young man, in picturesque bOatman'S cos
tune, came up to Tresidder, pouring out tor
| the Englishman's bewlderment Sydney
turned away, half laugh Ching, and addressed him
self to Carolne indeed there was something
| quite like rudeness in the way in which he COM
plefely ignored Miss LOngcroft's presence
throwing her never so much as word or a
absurd cOckleshell of his" he said lone of those
ridiculous sham gondolas with two gondoliers.
What do you think OF it. Miss Meldrum?''
Caroline hesitated and objected: it would
| dhote.
;. The lake is as smooth as glass, We shan't
be more than three-quarters of an hour at the
utmost, the fellow says" Tresidder distinctly
inclined towards the boat. Nobody had con-
suited olivia, perhaps because she was keeping
in the background, dreamy-eyed and silent:
put she did not seem TO notice the omission.
Well, the end of it was that they yielded to the
boatman's wiles and were soon well out in the
| middle of the lake. the light fiat boat moving
rapidly across the still surface of leaden-hued
sturdy, skilfully yielding the long poles;~Tre-
slider sat opposite the ladies, talking vigorously
to Miss Meldrum. while he inwardly recalled
the smile in Olivia's eyes, the touch of her fin
gers when he had handed her into the boat a
few minutes before. Suddenly Caroline paused
in the midst OF a sentence.
II am sure 1 felt drop of rain"
by Jove! SO do now" Tresidder looked up
at the sky as he spoke
1--WE all felt drop of rain, like Goldsmiths
ney spoke lightly, but bis face had grown
grave.
1t was the work of moment; a transforma-
ton scene-a deed of magic The sky had
grown purple, and seemed as though it would
descend and close around them. The gray still
omnous white line Gould be- deserted sare ~men an
its way in the direction Of the boat. The fair
lake was horrible, monstrous, swollen out of all
shadowy, insignificant; the lake. the sky had
swallowed up the landscape.
And now the rain and hail came pouring
dowE-a hard singing sheet; the lightning
Mashed, the thunder rolled and crashed among
the bills; stiff breeze sprang up, lashing the
-fat-OOttOmed, ill-trmmed. light as she'll
rocked and plunged, leaped and swirled. The
boatInen, with faces Set in grim smile, pulled
at the oars like a pair OF furies. Miss Mel.
drum began to grow hysterical, and attempted
making Jokes. Tresidder, leaning all his weight
main force with both his hands. Only once
he stretched out a hand and touched Oiivia's:
but it lay stiff, cold, unresponsive in her lap.
pale face and dilated eyes, the very embodiment
of cold and silent horror. Once Sydney man
aged to whisper, Whatever happens, we are
together; but the words were either lost in
the rush and roar of wind and water, or they
fell on Indifferent ears, tor Olivia made no
sign. The men pulled and strained at the
oars, striking out for the nearest point at which
to laEd but the boat was making no percepti-
BILE way. What tragic ending was destined for
the day so jOyously begun?
To make q long story short, and put an end
to the readers suspense, will say at once that
our travellers were not drowned; only drenched
to the skin, and at least an hour late for that
table dhote which, for Miss Medium at least.
constituted SO important an item in the davis
work.
ibid you know" said Tresidder as he lifted
Olivia, wet and trembling, from the boat-"did
you know that there was great danger?"
"Yes, knew" she said, in q low voice; then
they plodded in silence along the wet shore till
the Pension SOnnenthal was reached.
their clothes, dined, described their adVen-
lures, and been duly liOnized by the Pension
later on, Olivia and Sydney stole out together
on to the verandah which overloOks the lake
The storm had passed, and a flood of silver
moonlight lay on the peaceful scene. Now and
then distant report, followed by a rather
feeble shower of sparks, told of fireworks at
the big Pension up the mountain opposite
They stood in silence a moment: then Olivia
spoke.
Mr.. Tresidder, want to tell you some
thing"
'Miss Olivia Longcron, am at your SER
vice."
"Do you remember the wall at Lucerne this
afternoon, and what we said there?"
20, have forgotten it compile tey! My dear
est Olivia. is anything the natter"
He took both her hands, and drew her toward
him, smiling down at the earnest face uplifted
to his.
80, Mr.. Tresidder, forgive me! I have been
rash, foolish. / have made promise it is i'm
possible for me to keen. cannot marry Won