Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-04-19

humi lity. Ii seemed as though SD
were trying to conciliats me, who wa
only too eager 10 be pleased; her hus
band. who evidently worshiped hel
kept glancing my way to see if I sha:e,
bis enthusiastic admiration Of her wi
and beauty. He must have been salts
ned with what he read in my expires
sion. for. indeed. I thought had new
or seen any one so lOvable, so sweet
at the same time so fascinating. for
think perhaps the last adjective is moi
always quite compatible with the first
two. ~
VIM. 3 =: ! seSsly Of her spirils bad infsc,
ted us. and when we had adjourned
to the tent had constituted sitting
room q merrier trio could not be
found; yet once or twice. watched
her so closely, not with a thought OF
surveillance, but literally because my
eyes could not leave her face-I
thought ! noticed a strained look in
her eyes. an expectant turn of her
head toward the door, which might
have been explained by casual OBJ.
servation from George that they hoped
to get a telegram that evening from
the man they had left in charge OF
Lawrence Dane. But afterward, when
Beryl came to say good. night" the
passionate fondness with which Mrs.
Anstruther caught her, and strained
her to her breast, seemed an equally
reasonable excuse for her restlessness,
for, now that the child was in her
arms she was quieter and more COM
posed, presently dropping out of the
conversation altogether.
Ten minutes had gone by, when I
was seized by an inexplicable sensa-
ton that something strange was hap
pening near me. At intervals had
heard Bsryl's voice conversing in an
undertone with her mother, but now
she was speaking out aloud, and, look
ing around, I saw that she had slip
ped from Mrs. Anstruther's knee and
had wandered over to the door of the
tent, where it was in shadow; the light
Of the lamps, chastened by draperies
of rose and white, had not reached so
far.
There she stood. her face upturned
so that the loose faxen hair fell from
1t like an aureole of light; her eyes
big with intense surprise, an awe that
she herself did not understand, but
that kept the smiles from her usually
laughing lips and made her voice
treIab!e as she repeated gravely:
Il am very glad you have come.
Are you better now"
Only silence in reply; and as /
!eant forward, trying to pierce the
darkness beyond, l could see no one
to whom her question might have been
addressed.
: No one. But even as said so to
myself, before my eyes there hoated,
or seemed to float, subtle presence
something intangible as air, almost
as formless; and yet from that mo-
ment l was almost certain that we
were no longer four in the tent, but
five, and the fifth
l turned hurriedly to see the effect
of this strange visitation or halluciua-
ton upon my companions, and natu-
rally my gaze fell on the woman who
had so deeply interested me from the
first. She was intensely still-not a
breath seemed to move her bosom, not
a sonnd fell from her parted lips, and
the light from a near lamp, falling
aihws-t her face and dividing it as
with sword Of fire, must have re-
vea!ed the slightest tremor. Over her
mouth and finely nodded chin the
rich color lay like fame; but her eyes
were in deep shadow. though some
how knew-guesssed from her atti-
tude as she sat rigidly upright, both
hands tightly clasping the arms OF her
low chai--that all her soul was in
them; that, more anxiously than l had
done a moment before, she was strain
ing her sight to solve the mystery in
that dark corner near the door.
Slowly turned to her husband.
Strangely enough, he had not glanced
in her direction; he had been engaged
in relighting his cigar, which, in the
heat OF discussion we had had mo-
melt ago-or was it q year had
gone out
But when Beryl spoke again his at
tea,ion was also arrested, and all three
sat staring at the child, as, moving a
little further away from Us, she said
REALISTICALLY, Where are you going.
NJ Dane o / wish ynn would not