Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-11-17

and her eyes were fixed upon the moon.
Had she hidden it pause in its course,
and had it obeyed her, Casaban would
have felt no surprise. 1t seemed to
him that such woman might control
the universe. For several minutes she
stood there, motionless, in the yellow
sand by the silent river, in the bright
moonlight, within three yards of the
man who so madly loved her. She
seemed, more than ever, the Woman of
Bronze.
$50 Cleopatra.might have.stood some
night on the banks of the Nile,"
thought Casaban; "only Cleopatra was
softer, weaker and less Queenly."
Lucette, all unconscious of Casaban's
presence, crossed her bare arms over
her brown bosom and sighed. Instantly
the coldness went out of her face, a
smile came upon her lips and soft,
tender light into her eyes. Her whole
personality underwent an entire change,
and from regal statuesqueness she was
transformed and relaxed into all that
Is Indicative of yielding womanly gen.
| tlenesS. Casaban watched her In wrapt
amazement; sooner would he have ex-
pected one Of his marble figures, cut out
of the cold stone with his own chisels,
to soften and relax.
Still smiling, and with another sigh,
Lucette knelt slowly, and leaning for
ward seemed to be tracing characters
in the sand with her fingers. Then she
again looked at the moon, kissed her
fingers to it, sprang up and darted
away, leaving melodious ripple of
girlish laughter ringing in the air after
she had gone.
For long time after her departur re
Casaban stood as if in stupor. He
could not believe his senses, and
thought at last that he must have been
dreaming. That naughty woman could
never 50 unbend! Then he hastened
forward to the spot where she had
knelt, and looked down TO see if she
really had traced characters in the
sand. He read his own name, Casa
ban, and he staggered with resistleSs
and incomprehensible dizziness What
strange woman she was-more than
ever a marvel to him. Still he felt that
he must hold some small place in her
thoughts, else she would not have writ
ten his name in the sand. Could 1t be
that she loved him? He dared not
hope that. And then-her kneeling
and kissing her hands to the moon; was
that pure accident, or was It part OF
her religion? He thought 80 powerful
and magnificent creature must have
some religion unlike that of other NOR
tails. Throughout the night his head
was full OF Lucette and her strange
caprice. A thorough artist, he set:
about weaving a curious labyrinth oi
capriclous whims and fancies, centering
them all upon Lucette and her varying
moods, and so completely were the two
blended together that it would be diff
cult to decide whether the part sht
played in his dreams was more fantastic
and irrational than that which sh'
played IN his waking moments.
The next day they met in the vine
yard, and she was once more the cod
naughty Woman or Bronze. Gazing
upon her face then, it seemed lmpossi
BILE to Casaban that she had ever smiled
or that she ever could smile. Agar
and again they met, her cold face nevel
once relaxing into the meerest sem
blance of a smile; and her voice wa
ALWAYS ice itself. At last, when he
could restrain himself no longer, he
told her that he had loved her eve
sincs the last vintage time, and that hi
had come back to France to ask her Il
become his wife.
He watched her all the while he wa
speaking, but there was no sign in hel
face to betoken that she was IN any
way moved by what he had said.
"You do yourself an injustice, OF
else you intend me one," she said il
that same icy, pitiless voice, "and il
either case can only refuse what yol
propose. No man in your station shoult
so far humble and forget himself as tt
offer honorable love to a peasant
daughter, and there is at least one
peasants daughter who will not suffer
herself to .be made the toy and wanton
Of even royal lover. Go hack to your
family, your friends and your art, ant
leave me where / am and what am
peasants daughter and a grape-strlp
perl'
.sNo other woman shall ever be my
wlfel, l swear, he exclaimed impet'
uously. sT offer you honorable mar
rage and the first love of my life
Family, art, everything should be pu
aside for you, were it necessary, but II
is not. My family will receive nay wift
without criticism, be she peasant OF
princess, ami you will do my ract
credit. You will be the inspiration
which will make me glorify my art,
glorified by me it ever is. once NOR
/ ask you to be my wife,"
"And once more must decline tn
honor YOU offer me. / do not forge
nv lowliness now, and neither will yo'
forget it in the days to come-when th
mention of 1t would CRATE harshly upol
nv ears. Theni too, woman should
love the man whose name and ham
she accepts. ,
"You care nothing for me, then?"
show strangely you ask that queS
!, ton! do not understand you."
81 saw you write my name In tn
sand one night and it made ME hop
that you at least sometimes thought o
me-"
For a moment her face softened ant
her ewes glistened more kindly. Blu
! sbe soon controlled herself and an
, swered as coldly as ever.
"a woman writes the name Oh Tn
man she loves In her heart-not in th
treacherous and ever shifting sand"
"You are willing, then. to blight m;
life and blast my hOpes!' he cried
"Oh, God. If could only move 70
to compassion.
She stopped and faced him.
s.If you are really so much in carr
est" she said, slower yourself to m
level. Put off your gentIeman's dres
, for the peasants blouse. Toll IN tn
, vineyard as l do, and when the vintag
is done, if you are still faithful, WI