The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-02-16


an end. And BY the way, Irene Deing
on the tapis, how was this for q tea
gown for Irene, pale house nuns veil
ing, draping quite as well as China
Grape, and SO very much less expen-
sive-imitation duchese and ribbons
for decorations? Mrs. Adriance liked
to have everything about herself love
lily and delicate as might be; Of course,
as Irene had nothing OF her own, she
must be content with pretty effects
rather than costly material. For
tunately, youth had its own beauty,
| and did not need to be set off with
Jewels and brocades and pushes; and
| that vas we'll, for, even If Irene herself
married, the wardrobe o. a wonan OF
fashion would be unsuitable for her;
and as her jewels were all Of quaint de.
sign, and many OF antique workman
ship, she had made arrangements for
adding them eventuallyto the art col
lection of the Pinacotheca as the Adri.
ance jewels, 80 it would be O. pity to
accustom Irene to what she would
never have. She had q principle in
this. And for the rest, how could
Irene expect to be happy with a man
OF such q nature as Gervais'. She had
really put it to Irene. What n
of a man was it who was willing to
take her from her home of luxury
| surrounded by the beauty OF q palace,
waited on by liveried servants, fed on
all but mcfarland ambrosia, to live
in narrow lodgings, to wait on herself
and him, to dlne on the joint warmed
over, il there was even @ joint at all?
He must be q person both without
| calculation and without heart-with-
out calculation certainly toforesee the
want and work and worry to which he
should bring her-withouts heart, to
be willing to accept, such O sacrifice
from her. What happiness could she
expect in life with so selfish q creature
as that? Or, on the other hand, if he
had calculation-if he thought that,
by securing Irene, he was also putting
himself in the way OF securing q por-
ton Of her Uncle's money-well, then,
he was warned in time. Not a dollar,
uilder such circumstances, would he.
give to Irene; the whole fortune would
be applied to institutional charities;
this was irremovable, and he might
as well understand it now as any time.
He did underestimate perfectly. "You
can't think all that your aunt has
sald," he asked eagerly, "can make
any diference?"' ,.rr -
"Oh, no., sighed Irene, ooh, no;
none incur love" '''t ''-'" '"'
"In what them" he demanded, his
splendid grey eyes glittering like a
young eagles. "Does happiness de.
pend on velvet carpets and gilt chairs
and Dresden china figures? Upon q
course OF game or sweetmeats, or the
right wines? Upon%Paris hats and
dresses?"" .xa5T,. s.zf. ! .n,.G as = %
ooh, no, no., sighed Irene again.
"Why do you speak so?" ~ gs
81 am sorry to>speak SO abruptly,
my darling" he said, returning to her
: side "But if your Happiness lies IN
none of these-things, then4ours life to-
gether can be blessed enough.5My sal
ary will provide o home, and its sim.
''Would be dear to met" cried Irene.
"Oh, it's not that! It'snone of these
things! But she has been so good to
me, always SO sweet and kind and
anxious for my happiness, as every
SiO cVOf53 til'A IL llCCOo liz So-ttliur j
can not find it in my heart to pain
her, : ~ ":a zesf 49, E-
"But you can pain mel, he cried
starting to his feet again. "It amounts
to this, then, that you love her more
than mel" zg
.S"Oh, no, no." cried Irene again,
breaking down in sobs. "That is i'm
spossibleA And / can't. see-I don't
fell don't know what to dol" - 8.
She, too, it was plain, shared the
general worship and absorption. "She
haseast her eyes upon you, the basi-
~liss!''I exclaimed Gervais. And so
things drifted on, apparently remain
ing much Us before. But there are al
ways currents underneath the tide.
My eIninence as n portrait painter,
not to put too fine a point on it, al
lowed me to work unanestioned, and
at my own time. And as Mrs. ADJ
rance knew my idea concerning the
necessity Of studying the charac.
ter of my sitter, she revealed
herself on one occasion after this
semi.confidential fashion. Thus Il
did not feel called upon to show her
my sketches.for her picture, nor the
outlines Of Irene that Ihad made fur.
lively, finding it not easy to obtain
the precise transparency of tint be-
sides which the sea-shell' s pink WAS
Opaque; my pencil fascinated, too,
with the exquisite droop OF. eye and
lip where all melancholy seemed to
linger,. a& 80 ~ sf&
But while1I. was still pursuing my
studies, Mrs. Adriance was involving
newpopportunities for them. r..
ut is really out of the question,
she said, "to allow things to 90 on
this way any longer Irene. There is
no state much worse than a aprolong,
ed engagement; itswould unsettle the
mind OF a college faculty. One can
attend to no duties properly, with all
ones interest elsewhere. It keeps one
in q condition OF abristling electricity.
"fou are absorbed and distracted
i'll Geryaiss now, and-I feel. it. We all
feelit. One must & the matterto an
end, either by marriage 81 by dismiss.
AL And In this case, sIrene,sI T am sure
your good sense will direct you as to
the proper course" a 4* {
''Oh!" cried Irene, all the pink flush
mounting and deepening and then dy-
ing away.in deadly pallor, "Youcan't
mean"
"Yes, assuredly,', said Mrs. Adri-
ance, calmly opening andtshutting her
great fan of crimson ostrich feathers.
II mean that your Wlsest way is to
tell Geryais to cease to see you or
care for you"
"As if-as ii he couldF' cried Irene,
in asburst OF passion which was like a
revelations. 3a.l