Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-17

shoulders. and her arms were bare. She had
her elbow resting on the window sill, and her
chin was was nestled into her palm, her fingers
clenched on her lips. Her brows were con-
tracted into scowL The face was no longer
set naughty in its beauty, and yet with con-
descending smile; it was now even haggard, and
over it contending emotions played in the star
light altering its expression, unresisted, un-
disguised.
She thought of the admiration she had ex-
cited in the schoolgirls and in their elders the
two ladies in deep mourning. A flicker OF con-
tempt passed over her countenance-
What was the admiration of three half-grown
girls to her? Salome had attracted her notice
more than Janet. She had observed Salome,
while unseen by her, and thought she had made
out her character-ordinary, duty-loving, con-
scientious, narrow. A character of all others
most distasteful to Artemisia. She put her
hands to her brow and pressed them about 1t.
$50, So" she muttered. ITO have always an
iron crown screwed tight around the brain.
Insufferable."
Then she shivered. The night air was cold in
the Alps at that elevation. She fetched a light
shawl of Berege wool and wrapped it round
her bare arms and leaned both elbows of the
folded arms on the window. Her thoughts
again recurred to Salome, and she tried to
scheme out the sort of life that would COM
mend itself to such as shea snug Engllsh
home, with a few quiet, respectable servants,
and quiet. respectable gardener respecta-
BILE and quiet husband and pony trap, in the
shafts of which trotted quiet and respectable
cob; improving magazines and sober books
read in the house;occasional dull parties given
at which the clergy would predominant, and
sing feeble songs and talk about their parishes;
and then one or two quiet respectable children
would arrive who would learn their lessons ex-
actly and strum on the piano at their scales
Artemisia's lips curled with disgust.
Her hands clenched under the shawl and
she uttered an exclamation of anger and
loathing.
And what, she considered, had she herself to
look to? She gazed dreamlly at the stars, and
tears rose in her eyes and trickled down her
cheeks. Then, ashamed Of her weakness, she
left the window and paced her room-up and
down, up and down-and it was as though
through the open window, out of the night.
streamed in dark forms, ugly recollections, un-
comfortable thoughts, that crowded the room,
filled every corner, occupied every nook-came
in thicker and darker and more horrible, and
she went to the window with gasp of fear and
shut out the night wind and the CLEAN of the
stars, hoping at the same time to stop the entry
of those haunting memories and hideous
shapes.
The street window would not shut them out:
the room was full OF them, and their presence
oppressed her. She could endure them no
more. She struck light and kindled the can
dies in the room.
What was that on her dressing table? Only
little glass full of wild strawberry leaves and
fruit one Of the admiring Labarte girls had
picked and gwen to her and insisted on her
taking to her room.
Artemisia laughed. She took the straw
berries out of the water. She unclasped
necklet that was about her throat on which
were Roman pearls. She put it around her
head. and thrust the strawberry leaves in be-
tween the pearls, then looked at herself in the
glass and laughed, ard as she laughed all the
shadow figures and ghostly recollections went
tumbling one over the other out of the room by
the keyhole, leaving her alone laughing part
ironically, part triumphantly, before the glass,
looking at herself in her extemporized coronet.