The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-09-12
jassamine and roses.
Then in the later sveuing, when tue
stars were out and the

smiling. i can tell fortunes too.
Papa, do you hear what the count says?
He can tell fortunes.
HE has certainly spent them land made
them, so I've no doubt he can tell them,
too. Does he foretell the nature of the
canal?"
s.Cela "a sans dira." retorted Narcissa;
besides, monsieur is not expanding his
millions upon our canal. America is able
to provide for her own"
'.She does not provide in this case, made
moiseIle; but if / were obliged to exspend
my money upon my ventures / would do
it without hesitation.
even upon the great canal?"
Monsieur she returned. reproachfully,
at is the giandest undertaking since the
building of the pyramids''
They laughed at her enthusiasm.
But tell me OF France, she continued.
my child" said De Chalusse. things
are sadly changed since ~. Look at Lor-
ralne."
ssPars," she said. gravely, '.you should
not complain. Before ~ you bad lost
the battle of Waterloo, now you have won
it,
/ "Tha. is a consolation that never occur
red to me. said her father, amused; "but
just at present happen to be an Ameri-
can"
Il shall be the happiest woman in the
world said Narcissa, when Can go to
France, look about me, and say; SO this
is my country; here my fathers family
for centuries past have lived and died,
loyal subjects of the soil"
"Subjects Of the soilf" repeated Saint
Cyr. "After all. Edmonde, the feelings
<.f Ia nj nd nf tho In
even the adscripti gleb@, fluid the same
expression. 1t is the love of country that
is the great want of the middle classes"
The conversation drifted to the discus
sion of the great social problem. The
engineer had his own views of the SUBJ
iect, and gave them eloquent expression.
Narcissa sat beside her father and listened
as Desdemona sat beside Brabantio and
listened to the Moor.
Saint-Cyr though. of the fair Venetian,
and wondered If she were falrer than his
countrywoman. ~
The next morning he rose before the
sun, and stepped upon the stone balcony
adjoining his room. A figure in white
moving among the flowers in the court
yard caught his eye. 1t was Narcissa
with a watering-pot in her hand. She
looked very lovely in her cool garments of
thin white stuff. her favorite iower-poor
Josephiue's Souvenir de Malmason" lin
the loops of her heavy dark hair. She
looked up presently and caught sight of
him. smiled and with s'honjour, mon
sieur," invited him to descend. She
showed him her collection of rare plants
and flowers, and when he paused before
the gem of all, she offered him the single
bloom 1T bore, and bent to cut it off.
MANY thanks, mademoiselle, but |
believe [ would rather not have that one.
She paused and turned her splendid eyes
upon him, disappointed.
why, monsieur. it is the rarest flower
have"
Pardon, mademoiselle; the choicest
one you have you have not offered me"
She locked seriously at him.
sIs it possiblef Where is it? Show it
to me, monsieur"
He put out his hand and touched the
rose in her hair. She smiled brightly.
lis the Souvenir your favorite rose, also,
monsieur? 1t is mine, as you sec; but you
are no botanist. 1t is by no means the
choicest flower 1 have. Will you have
tbis--or this?" indicating the buds on the
bush.
ct Us the rose in.your hair, mademoi-
selle, that ask for"
She unpinned it, and loosened her hair
at the same time. 1t fell upon her shout
ders 10 thick curls.
lob, how awkward / amp she ex-
claimed, laughing. See what you have
made me do, monsieur. You don't deserve
the rose"
Z "But you promised it to me-"
s'And a Chalusse should keep her word
-. &C. t,sc
She was goodly height; he did not
dwarf her at all, although he lowered
above most men.
"Brunehilde," he murmured.
Am l so sallY" she asked. "Therei |
have decorated you, monsieur; you are
now knight of the rose; it should be a |
feur-de-lys instead.
And she went off, holding back the |
food of hair that hung from her shoul- |
ders far below the waist. He followed |
her with his eyes, thinking deeply.
A week passed. delightful week to |
the Chalusses, but more particularly to |
their guest.
One day little package and letter.
postmarked 'Presidio del Norte, came TO |
Narcissa. She opened the letter first, then |
cried out:
FROM Victor, mammal He is on the
Rio Grande."
What does he send your"
ssThat is a secret" said Narcissa, blush |
ing slightly and going out of the room.
'.Vic.or Rembert is my nephew" ex- |
claimed Nine. de Chalusse to Saint-Cyr.
"He is travelling in western Texas"
''And MademoiseIle-Na rcissa-"
The lady was sharp-witted, if a trifie |
near-sighted, and replied, readily:
s'Narcissa and her cousin are brother
and sister, monsieur. do not approve
marriage between cousins; the Church
forbids it,"
Salut-Cyr and Nine. de Bhalusse were
alone, so he took courage.
Madame" he said, earnestly, what
am going TO say may sound absurd. The