The Iola register., 1891-04-17
CHAPTER TX. CONTINUED.

ShAfIEh TX. CONTlNCED.
For the rest of the day 1 was yer
much aIone. The captain of the bri
spoke cheerily to me now and then, bu
we were met by light contrary wind
that necessitated his giving most of hi
attention TO the management of his YES
sci, so that he could not permit himsel
10 yield to the love of gossip that wa
inherent in him. The weathe
was perfect, and notwithstandin!
our constant shifting and tack
ing about to catch the errati,
breeze, the gay little brig made merr!
and rapid way over the sparkling Medi
terranean, at a rate that promised ou1
arrival at Palermo by the sunset OF tht
following day. As the evening came OF
the wind freshened, and by the time the
moon scared like large bright bird into
the sky, we were scuddlng along side
WAYS the edge of our vessel leaning over
20 Kiss the waves that CLEANED like sill
yer snd gold, fierked here and there
with phosphorescent flame. We skinned
almost under the bow of a magnificent
yacht,-the English flag flOated from her
msst,-her sails glittered purely white
in the moonbeams, and she sprang over
the waters like sea-gull. A man. whose
tall athletic figure was shown off to I'd
vantage by the yachting costume he
wore, stood on deck, his arm thrown
around the waist of girl beside him.
We were but a minute or two passing
the stately vessel, yet / saw plainly this
loving group of two, and pitied
the man! Why? He was English un-
doubtedly,-the son of a country where
the very soil is supposed to be
odorous of virtue,-therefore the
woman beside him must be a
perfect pearl of purity; an English
man never makes mistake in these
things! Never? Are you sure? All, be-
lieve me, there is not much difference
nowadays between women of opposite
nations. Once there was,-1 am willing
TO admit that possibility. Once, from all
accounts received, the English rose was
the fitting emblem of the English woman
but now, since the world has grown so
wise and made such progress in the art
Of running rapidly down hill, is even the
aristocratic British peer quite easy in
his mind regarding his fair peereSs?
Can he leave her TO her own devices
with safety? Are there not men, boast
fnl too of their "blGe blood" who are
perhaps ready to stoop to the thief's
trick of entering his house during his
absence by means of private keys. and
stealing away his wife's affectionS?-and
is not she, though a mother of three or
four children, ready to receive with
favor the mean robber of her hus-
bands rights and honor? Read
the London newspapers any day and you
will find that once moral England is
running neck and neck race with other
less hypocritical nations in pursuit of
social vice. The barriers that once ex-
listed are broken down; professional
beauties" are received in circles where
their presence formerly would have been
the signal for all respectable
women instantly to retire; ladies
OF title are satisfied to caper
on the boards of the theatrical stage, in
costumes that dislpay their shape as I'M
disguisedly as possible to the eyes OF the
grinning public, or they sing in concert
halls for the pleasure of showing them
selves of, and actually accept the vulgar
applause of unwashed crowds with
smile and bow Of gratitude! Ye gods!
what has become of the suberb pride of
the old regime, pride which dis
dained all Ostentation and clung to honor
more closely than life! What striking
sign of the times, too, is thiS:-let a
woman taint her virtue before marri-
age, she is never forgiven,-her sin is
never forgotten; but let her do what she
will when she has husbands name to
screen her, and society winks its eyes at
her crimes. Couple this fact with the
general spirit of mockery that prevails
In fashionable circles,-mockery of re-
srtA #
Of all that is best and noblest in the hu-
man heart,-add to it the general spread |
of "free thought" and therefore of con-
ficting and unstable Opinions,-let all
these things together go on for few
years longer and England will stare at
her sister nations like told woman in a
demino,-her features partly concealed
from pretense at shame, but her eyes
glittering coldly through the mask, be-
traying to all who look at her how she
secretly revels in her new code of law
lessness coupled with greed. For she
will always be avariciouS, and tie worst
Of 1t is, that her nature being prosaic,
there will be no redeeming grace to cast
a glamor ebout her. France is uRvirtu-
Dls enough, God knows, yet there is
sunshinny smile on her lips that cheers
the heart Italy is also unYirtuous, yet
her voice is full of bird-like melody. snd
her face is a dream of perfect poetry!
But England unvirtuouS will be liase
calculating, somewhat sh:ew-
ish matron, possessed of unnatural eS1
friskiness, without either
laugh, or song, or smile, her one gsd,
Gold. and her one commandment, the
suggested eleventh, Thou shalt not be
found out!"
1 slept that night on deck. The
captain offered me the use of his little
cabin, and was, in his kind-hearted man
ner, truly distressed at my persistent re-
fusal to occupy it.
''It is bad to sleep in the moonlight. |
Signor," he said, anXiously. 1T makes
men mad, they say"
/ smiled. Had madness been my des- |
tiny, l should have gone mad last night,
thought!
''Haye no fear" / answered him gent |
ly. The moonlight is JOY to met
has no impression on my mind save that
of peace. / shall rest well here, my
friend--do not trouble yourself about
me"
Ese hesitated and then abruptly left me,
10 return in the space of two or three
minutes with thick rug of sheep skin.
He insisted so earnestly on my accepting
this covering as a protection from the
night air, that, to please him, l yielded
10 his entreaties and lay down, wrapped
in its warm folds. The good-natured
fellow then wished me a "Buon riposO,
SignorI" and descended to his own rest
ing-place, humming gay tune as he
went. From my recumbent posture on
the deck stared upwards at the myriad
stars that twinkled softly in the warm
violet skies-stared long and fixedly till
it seemed to me that our ship had also
become star, and was sailing through
Space with its glitterinu companions