Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-12-17
by. CHRISTIAN. REID


Of the kind for him in those magic
iays-days of literal as well as meta
phorical sunshine and flowers, When
sver he recalled them, he would see the
deep sapphire sky looking down, he
would hear the musical plash of foun-
tains and inhale the fragrance Of opening
blossoms. Pictures would rise before
his eyes, now of cool. shadowy rooms
with shining floors and arabesqued
walls, now of the courts with their pill
Jared arches and the oriental looking
servants who glided back and forth, of
the shadowy vistas of the gardens, of
the rich splendor of the chapel, and amid
all these varied scenes one central figure
always visible-a graceful, gracious fig
ure, with noble, princesslike ways and
hand ever open to help and to give
For this may be said for him, that if,
despite his valiant resolutions, he was
soon hopelessly in love with Dona Zarifa,
it was less with the enchantment of her
beauty though this grew upon him day
by day, as only real beauty does-than
with the deeper charm of character
which was revealed to him in her life,
like the open page of a book full of no
BILE thoughts and poetic words He had
never imagined anything at once so sim
pie and so elevated as this character ap-
peared The communicating influence Of
the world seemed hardly to have breathed
upon it, and the lowering standards of
the world had no place in a mind which
had been trained in the highest school of
thought and feeling. Indeed, somewhat
to his surprise, he found the whole at
mosphere of the house unworldly in the
extreme. 1t was evident that to Don
Maurizio his great wealth was chiefly
valuable for the power it gave him OF
doing much good-how much it was
only through chance references of Padre
Francisco that Derwent learned-while
Dona Zarifa seemed to give no thought
whatever to her brilliant social position
with regard to the opportunities which
it offered for pleasure and adulatiOn.
The pride, almost verging on hauteur.
which had struck him as expressed by
her face when he saw it first was, he
found, not that ignoble pride which is
allied to vanity, but the higher pride
that, dwelling in elevated regions of sen
timent. can stoop to nothing lowering
or even frivolous.
And yet how simple and charming
she was! Trained chiefly by her father,
and accustomed. therefore, to more lib
erty than falls to the lot of most Span
ish bred girls. she was frankly and
entirely at ease with one whom she re-
garded as a stranger with a special
claim upon their kindness from the fact
of his having come to harm at their
gates 1t was kindness that not even
a man of duller perception than Der
went could for a moment have misun-
derstood. and he had no desire to misun-
derstand it. II am fool, he confessed
to himself ruefully, when the conviction
of how it was with him dawned fully
upon him. but no one save myself shall
know of my folly. will simply enjoy
this ideal life as long as | may, and
when go | will at least have the mem,
DRY of one perfect woman to carry with
me through life. A man should be
grateful to have known such creature
even though he can only worship he1
from afar."
Meanwhile, with a happy faculty O.
living in the present and forgetting al
possibilities or certainties of pain tina
the future might bring, he enjoyed he
which every one at Mirafores showeret
upon him. When he grew stronger
| Don Maurizio placed horse at his dis
posal, and then his dream of riding witt
Dona Zarifa found such realization a
not many of our dreams do, 1t was tru
| that they did not ride alone. Do
Maurizio always accompanied them
or. to speak more correctly, they accom-
panied him, together with a moZo O
| groom. But there was nothing in thi
companionship to detract from Del
vents enjoyment. More and more ever
day he liked and admired his genial host
and while listening to his graphic az
counts of the country and its people,
could look at Dona Zarifa, as she So
erect and square in her saddle, her habi
correct enough for Hyde park. but veal
ing broad. sonbrerolike hat to shiel
her face from the rays of the tropics
sun Never, he thought, did she look 6
beautiful as on these rides, when, after
long. stretching gallop across the mes;
she would turn and say, with a laug
like child, WAS not that delightfuli
while pomegranate flush came into he
cheek, and her eyes shone like dark di;
1
Then there were times when Do
Maurizio would leave them, when /
would bid them ride on while he pause
with a group of laborers in the va
fields, or stopped to discuss the cond
ton of his COLTS with their tall, dan
browed trainer; although when it was
question Of anything so fascinating
horses neither Dona Zarifa nor Derwel
was always willing to be dismisse
Miles of pasture on the green hill slop
of Mirahores were devoted to the stot
which was it's owners chief pride, al
nothing interested him more than il
| proving the breed of his horses. De
went, with the passionate fondness f
horses which was part of his ifelol
training, soon knew the beautiful, gent
creatures as well as Don Maurizio hin
!, self. The rides We're, therefore, full
interest as well as pleasure, and a pa
Of every day was spent in the saddle.
One morning, as they We're about