Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-28

nearI oy gazing all day ut tb,t ,;t,,a
paradise pat a Of trim flower beds and lA iux s,.sie
tarv sn ~ Yet by sudden, involun-
ha ei i.n u py what met his eye>when
book, by what he heard in snits ~ ~ h; MS
t se;a' ne came to know sometime about
Snls girl-even her name. L,;s1acM ar ~;
one was not more than seyenteem siarIar
ana soft.voiced, shy, but sometimes fn1l
;n !, KITS uncertain courage, and defy-
black u XII ias slsser mx to their faces; Her long
Squent eyes; she seldom smiled. md na uro.
laughed. That there was some a" str mevea
surveillance exercised over her 80
plain. She seemed to have permission to
stay IN the garden during the hours Of
recreation, when the other scholars were
every opportunity when the garden vas
deserted she slipped out to walk up and
down the narrow path, which was niainiv
all she could steal in the way of freedo or,
Hometilnes she was caught, sometimes
she was not.
Marsden did not think it could be a love
affair that had caused Lucia to be ca loe1
up. She was very young, and. hesi1es
she did not seem sad-only sullen. Prob,
ably it was some girlish folly or disohadi
ehce. Italian parents are sometimes strict.
1t was now June, and the glorious mid.
summer moon shone. One evening. as
r.aasN :" seCNeu ululself on the loggia,
from which nc power could now tear him
ne saw Lucia steal out of the little door of
the convent and begin her restless walk up
ana down the gravel path. She had been
weeping. .Marsden heard occasionally a
suppressed sob, II in the white moon
light he could see tears dropping from her
eyes. What sight more pathetic than a
beautiful young c~reature friendless and in
distress! Marsden arose from his chair in
agitation. He threw away his everlasting
cigar, and involuntarily he held out his
arms to Lucia. At that moment she raised
her eyes, and for the first time fixing them
on the clear space in the ilex-tree, through
den's tall figure in an attitude of implor-
ing devotion. She stood for a moment
transtixed with surprise. Marsden tore
from MS coat a rose, and pressing it to his
lips and his heart, threw it at her feet.
Lucia. without waiting to pick it up,
turned and sped swiftly toward the con-
vent door.
Marsden sat down in a tumult of feeling.
He instinctively turned for composure to
his cigar cnse. AS be struck n match he
saw that his hand tre,nbled. He threw the
match away and sat perfectly still
In 81 few moments he heard a stealthy
step on Tho gravel. Lucia crept out again.
K,knew she stopped where the rose had
fallen. he turned boldly md faced her.
She saw him, and pressing the flower to
her lips, rushed away once more, this time
not to return.
Marsden spent that night walking the
hoor of his room. He had gone on with
ton was to lead him. He had called it an
ldyll, a fancy for a picture; but he found
that, instead of possessing the fancy, the
fancy now possessed him. How was he to
see her? Go straight to the convent and
ask the Mother Superior to allow him to
see the Signorina Marzio? She would
probably chase him out the door. OF
course he would communicate with Lucia,
although it would be full of danger to her.
Perhaps she would be Disseminated to
learn that he was al American. Well, for
her dear sake, he would be content to lead
in Italy that life of sweet do-nothing
which had been his for the last two
loved lS'iI her, n and o Was wifi Wing ns to AXE AL the he
chances of her love, by WHICH 1t will be
seen he was a brave man and q gentleman
as well.
OF course he was glued tothe loggia after
that. He wrote q letter, telling Lucia in
pain, manly language that he loved her,
and watched his opportunityto throw it to
out at M id-day. and walked OBSERVATIONS
ly to the opposite side of the garden, from
where she could see Marsden. He waited
until she turned a stealthy glance in his
direction, and then he threw his letter,
with the pebbles inside, after the usual
style of romanticists. boldly down intothe
garden. In all instant she few to pick it
ups. she dare not let any such compro-
missing document stay On the ground for
II moment. AS she slipped it ir her
bodice, the stout sister again ran out.
"What are you doing out here, signor-
ina?" she called out, shrilly.
Nothing, responded Lucia, with per-
foct coo1nhSS.
"Then come in at once. You know I
will not report you to the Mother, and so
you impose upon my good nature"
Lucia stood up, tall, beautiful and self
possessed. 81 love to walk in the garden"
she said, in clear bell-like tones, Of which
happy moments 1 have are here. l would
like never to leave it, and I intend to steal
here l can"
Marsden's heart beat furiously. The
sister attempted to hurry Lucia down the
path.
follow" And from behind the sisters
broad back she waited Marsden q kiss on
rosy palm of her hand.
Marsden felt his honor as much engaged
to this girl as If he had given a hundred
pledges. But as he had her welfare dearly
to heart, he mean to proceed with the
greatest caution. Evidently she did not
expect 10 ie Soon ie1uOVeu 1ioUA INC COu-
For the next few days he en-
ployed himself thinking out an elab-
plan Of escape for her. First,
to get her out Of the con-
Nothing better had ever been in
thar the traditional rope-ladder to
get outside of walls. The difficulty had
been to proceed afterward. But then
in the resources of civilization.
Love, supplemented with money, can
miracles. He strolled down to the
little railway station, learned by heart the
hours of the trains, and made friends with
the amiable and obliging person who kept
the booking office. He found that for sur
prisingly little money he could get any
body he chose-the Mother Superior her.
from the little station, without
the station mastor taking any particular
He had some American friends i'll
with whom he communicated,
and whom he prepared at any time to re-
a beautiful young creature escaped
a convent. He found out that King
Emanuel had made things much
easier for clipping couples than had once
been; also that the consent of the Church
was not impossible to gain, after the civil
marriage had taken place. OF course,
sometimes he stopped and asked himself
if he were not i'll a dream. Often he re-
garded himself with Amusement, but his
iAfatuation t%riunphed over all the
assaults of reason. He had written one
day in his choicest Italian u letter to