Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-09

together, for Miss Martinez did not return.
Nov, i" SAID the young grass-widow,
whose very pretty chin was cushioned on
abundant furs, 81 am going to make you
| happy. But first Of all L must tell you
you are in love"
"Oh, really?" said Vincent.
"Oh, yes, yes, yes," she said, with a
charming insistence "I have watched you.
1 know. You keep apart; you look far
| away: you speak to no one. And then L
said to myself that would make you happy.
How? By asking you to tell me all about
her."
Whereupon Vincent said to himself,
YOU'RE very impertinent woman
although you've got pretty eyes" And
again he said, "But after all you are
woman; and perhaps from you may learn
something more about Maisrie." So he said
| aloud
''The deck of steamer is hardly the place
for secrets"
"Whv not ?" she protested. Besides, it
| is no secret-to anyone with eyes. Come.
| tell me all about her-and be happy. L
wish to interest you; wish you to interest
ME; and so let US talk about the only thing
that is worth talking about-that is, love-
! No, there are two things, perhaps-love,
| and money; but love is so full of surprises;
| it is the perpetual miracle that no one can
understand; it is such a wonderful, une1-
| pected, desperate kind of thing, that it will
always be the most interesting. Now T.
| "Well," said he-for there was something
catching in the mad audacitv of this young
matron-"it must be secret for secret. My
story for yoursp'
| She laughed long and heartily-until her
merriment brought tears to her eyes.
"Why, I'm an old married woman r she
exclaimed "Ah, 1 see what your bargain
means. You only want to put me of. You
think the time and place are not romantic
| enough; some night-out In mid-Atlantlc-
| with perhaps a moon-and you'll be more
communicative, when you forsake the
smoking room for half an hour, and send
me little message down to the saloon.
Very we'll Perhaps there are too many
| people tramping up and down. Shall we
| have tramp, too? Sitting still so stiffens
one. There-can you pull off the rugs, do
| YOU think? They've swathed me up like
mummy. Now, give me your arm; and
mind you don't let me go hying-1'm never
steady on my feet for the first day or two."
Well, he found the grass-wIdow a most
charming mpanion-bright, loquacious
and happy, until, indeed, they steamed into
the entrance to Cork HarDor. Here, AS most
of the passengers were going on board the
tender, for a scamper ashore, while the ship
waited for the mails to arrive, Mrs. de Lara
began to look a little wistful. Ali of
sudden it occurred to him that he ought, ii
only in common gratitude for her marked
condescensiou, to ask her if she would care
to go also.
"Oh-Mrs. de Lara" said he, wouldn't
YOU like to go ashore, and have a look round
Queenstown"
Her face lighted up In an instant; but
there was a curious, amused expression in
her eyes.
"I couldn't go alone with you, you know"
said she.
"Why not?" said he.
She did not answer that question.
''If you like to ask Miss Martinez as we'll
as myself,'' she continued, "1'm sure we
| should be delighted-and it would be very
| kind of you"
"Ot course willr' he said-and at once he
went off in search of the needful COM panion.
| A lew minutes thereafter the three of them
were on board the tender, along with the
rest of this crowd of eager, chattering pas
sengers.
And a very pleasant visit it was they paid
! to the picturesque watering place and its
| wide stretching bay. First of all he took
his guests to a hotel, and gave them an ex-
cellent lunch, at which Mrs. de Lara made
merry like an enfranchised school girl; then
be got an open carriage, and they were
driven ali ABOUT lne pldcS, duu ne DOupuI
them such fruit and flowers AS he could find
until they were quite laden by the time they
got back to the tender. They were in plenty
of time; the mails were late. When they
eventually returned on board the steamer,
Vincent was on the whole very we'll pleased
with that little excursion; only he hoped
that the new acquaintanceship that had
been formed had not been too conspicuously
displayed, for people are given to talking
during the longueurs OF an Atlantic voyage
| And indeed it very soon appeared that
after this little adventure ashore Mrs. de
Lara meant to claim him as her own. When
she came on deck for the usual promenade
before dinner, she sent for him (though
there were plenty of gentlemen only too
anxious to wait on her) and she took his
arm during that periunctory march up and
down. Then she said to him:
"Would you think me very rude if /
| asked YOU TO come and sit at our table? The
fact is, L want somebody to be good to me,
! and to look after me; and the Captain,
although he is a most delightful man when
away, on duty, no doubt. I hate sitting
next an empty chair-that throws me onto
| Miss Martinez, and she and 1 have e1-
hausted all our subjects long ago. You've
no particular friend, have you? Come to
our tablep'
"But couldn't think of turning ANYBODY
outI' he protested.
"Oh, that's all rightr' she made answer
cheerfullv enough. miss Martinez will
get place somewhere else-Mr. Collins will
J arrange that-I dare say she will be rather
pleased to be set free"
And SO it came to pass that at dinner Vim.
cent found himself in the seat that had beer
vacated by the useful Isabel; and perhaps
his promotion provoked a few underhanG
comments and significant glances at certain
OF the other tables, for very small trifes ar,
. noted on board ship. At all events he only
knew that Mrs de Lara was as engaging
} and complaisant and loquacious as ever; anC
that she talked away with very little regarC
as to who might overhear her. Nor was sh,
! any longer the merry, rattle-pated creatur
of the Queenstown hotel. Oh, no. He
3 conversation now was of quite superior or
I der. 1t was literary; and she had caugh
7 mp plenty OF the phrases of the rococo school
e she could talk as well as another of environ
ments, conditions, the provincial note, styl
t charged with color, and the like. Nay, sh
adventured upon an epigram now an,
again-or, at least. something that sounde
e like an epigram. England" she said
o twas shop; France a stage; Germany
: camp; and the United States o caucus.
: And again she said, "There are thre
It human beings whom I wish to meet Wit
e before die: pretty Frenchwoman, mod
g est American, and an honest Greek. But
a am losing hope" And then there was
TRADE against afectation in writing. "Wh
; should the man thrust himself upon me?
Y she demanded. IT don't want to know hir
at all. want him to report honestly an