Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-12-03

were more go. Like an American? No
What countryman of hers, however
noble and loving, could be so chival
rous, so romantic? The background of
q long and interesting past, the tradi
tons of an old race shone about the
man pleading with her like a child.
She had always been enamored OF these
things, and now she found every cOndi-
ton fulfilled in his person. They had
reached the grass-grown courtyard of
the castle, and as they paused there,
the gray ruined walls about them and
the canopy of blue sky above, the young
man began to tell her of another castle
"a ruined medieval castle that was his,
and that he would have restored for
the abode of the woman who might love
him. Again Migncn listened with a
changing color. All about them there
was silence; the rest of the party had
dropped behind.
How did it come about? Neither
ever knew But abruptly Mignon had
looked up and met the young mans ar
dent glance. And then he stopped,
and taking her tenderly, reverently in
his arms, he kissed her
From the spell of that sudden unex
pected, inefable moment both were
shaken by approaching steps aud voices.
Was it the rest of the party that had
Jagged behind and now tardily joined
them?
Mignon, crimsoning and trembling,
kept her eyes on the ivy-colored wall
in front of her and her shoulders
turned But Count Holm looked in the
direction of the advancing steps and in
continently stood as though petrified.
Through the half-ruined arch of the
great gateway there came, not little
Miss Fitzgerald and the residue of the
company, but a portly traveller, ac-
companied by guide, and who at the
sight of the young man smiled broadly
and recognizingly under his grey beard.
Hello, Rob Well met. my boy
greet your guardian, you little rogue,
and don't stand staring there Yes, |
took a berth on one of the German
lines Just week sooner than [ expect
ed. Found l could get off and here |
am"
AS he talked Mr.. Massey had been
looking from one of the young people to
the other, and the smile had begun to
fade from his face and to give place to a
puzzled frown. What was amiss with
Rob Beckwith? He stood there, white,
speechless, with evasive eyes, not the
frank fellow he knew him to be at all.
And Mignon had passed from the
dreaming child as which her guardian
remembered her into a stately woman
whose glance seemed to wither the
young man to the ground.
"Uncle p she said slowly, and she
pointed to the suppositious Teutonic no.
bleman. "Do you know who this is ?"
"Do 1 know who Rob Beckwith is?
l should hope so! And am glad that
you seem to know, too. You've heard
of the Beckwiths long ago, heaven
knows. They've been my neighbors at
home for years. | had no idea that
Rob was knocking about this part of Eu-
rope just now, however"
The last word expired abruptly, for
Mignon had turned from them without
a sound and vanished through the cool
shadows of the gray and broken arch.
"I don't say that uphold him, cried
Mr.. Massey impatiently. Il repeat
that it was a knavish piece of deception
only proving how lost TO the laws of
what is honorable and what is not a fell
low can become when he has the mis-
fortune to fall in love with one of you
women. But do say that Rob meant
no harm. It's true that he loved YOU
before ever you laid eyes on him. He
used to see you coming to my house at
home, and one day he wrote to me, just
before you came abroad, telling me how
he felt about you. | replied that your
head was so turned with nonsensical
European romance that / believed he
had not the shadow of chance. So L
suppose he took the matter In his own
hands. You had made up your mind to
marry title, historic name, the scion
of an old family, and he played Claude
Melnotte to the Lady of Lyons. Pre-
sumably he thought if you once learned
to love him for himself you would not
mind when you discovered that he was,
after all, only plain Rob Beckwith-
who is possessed of a very fair fortune
of his own, by the way
"You need say nothing more, uncle"
Mignon spoke coldly, collectively, i'm
pressively. "You need not excuse Mr..
Beckwith to me- He knows his own
offense, and know it. We will leave
the subject"
In silence they descended the stairs
and entered the carriage, where Miss
carriage behind carried their lug
gage. They were going, Mignon had
said always with the same strange
calmness, but they did not care where;
they must 60. Rob Beckwith's re-
peated prayers for an interview, a
hearing, she had absolutely disre-
garded.
81 have nothing to say, nor has he,'
had been her one remark.
Down the town street they now rat
tied at brisk pace. Mignon had her
white set face turned away, speaking no
word. Near the railroad station another
street crosses the one on which they
were driving, and a momentary con-
fusion of hurrying carts, carriages and
drays occurred. Still wrapped in her
icy absorption. Mignon heard sudden
shrek that pierced the air. Miss Fitz-
gerald sat bolt upright with pallld
face, Mr.. Massey sprang out just as
their carriage halted. and then Mignon
saw Rob Beckwith's tense visage in the
crowd. saw him throw himself forward.
1t was like dream to The girl. Slow
ly the truth cam to her benumLed per-
ceptions. A chlld-a pitiful little street
waif-had fallen under his horses
boots, and Rob Beckwith, in the des-
perate attempt to save the child, had
been dashed senseless to the ground.
They raised him softly, and bore him
to the nearest house. Then Mr.. Massey
turned upon the girl, face as white as
that inanimate one, but thrilled by