The Portland daily press., 1892-01-01
ROSE JAFFREY'S LOVER.

Was there ma ider little bit of beauty
IN all the town than Rose Jaffreys was?
Mad in her love oi dancing, of music, of
dress. of lovers. of life! Not that she loved
The lovers, nor one Of them She let them
love her and hover around her for want of
better But the one she might, she could,
she would have loved only looked on while
she danced.
why shouldn't dan CO." she said to her
demure cousin Mar garet, because Gordon
Penmore looks dangers at the dancers?
You should see his fGodon's) eyes as he
watches me lying in Haydon Roth's arms
In that new figure, and floating, floating,
hoatng- And Pm not really lying in his
arms at all, you know, nut taking care of
myself like piece of Gun steel. | don'U
know why Gordon Penmore should make
1t his affair at ALL Oh, how [ should hate to
be obedient to his whins-- to any mans
whinsn
And before she had we'll ceased speaking
the little sp-ite's face was buried among
the sofa cushions, and she was shaking
with gust OF sobs. The idea" she cried,
springing to her feet the next moment.
Crying for all | am worth be cause Cor
don Pcnmore isis in existencei What
should care for the great arrow pointed
eyes? will let him see tonightr'
And she did, as she danced at Mrs. Bad
don's hall-danced as the waves dance, as
lightly, as gayly, as tirelassly. She stopped
Acknowledgment just where he stood, at
the conservatory door.
ut makes one almost giddy," she said,
smiling family
Quite" said he gravely.
Thanks, Mr. Roth. Now I am going
to remember my promise for the rest of
the waltz in favor of my cousin Margaret.
If you want TO do me favor you will take
her ont. And will stay beside Mr.. Pen
more till you bring her here"
''You don't approve of all this, do your"
she said, looking up at Gordon.
Don't approve, he repeated.
"No, you don't approve Of it. And ]
wonder what you are here for. You know
you are just as-as wicked in countenanc-
ing the wrong by looking on as am in do
Ing it. Oh, what a lovely airl How can
you keep your feet still?"
you can't" he said, smiling.
"Oh, if you only knew anything about
dancing" she exclaimed, you couldn't
either. 1t is like having wings. Ali that
air is simply delicious"
".Well, let us try it," said Gordon Pen
nOEc, GILL WetlJL Ou OCEdSiOu. Leu me
see If dancing is al you say it is-that is"
remembering himself, ''if you will do me
the honor"
'Oh, honorl' said Rose. laughing like a
mischievous sprite. "You know you don't
regard it so tall. You look at it almost
as degradation. All the same, you are
dancingl And / will show you that you
have never danced before" And then
Gordon Penmore, with Rose in his arms,
her soft cheek flushing under his eye, her
sweet breath warm on his bending face,
her heart beating so that he could feel its
throbs, was whirling in the maddest
waltz Of the night. But waking from the
dream they were just beside the conserva-
tory door once more, and, neither exactly
knowing how, they had wandered down
one of <ne dewy alleys, and had paused as
If to breathe the bewidering odors in the
shadowof a group of lemon trees. Mel
ther of them spoke, till slowly, as if drawn
by an unwilling fate, their eyes met in a
long deep gaze, and his head bent, his
arms were around her. and their lips met
In the strong sweet kiss of passion that
belonged 10 the eternities.
When next morning Gordon Penmore
came, Rose crep5 into the drawing room
like q guilty child.
Il thought-oh, thought" she whis-
pered, after he had reassured her, that
you-you despised me-"
81 shall never even despise dancing
again, now that it has given me you," he
exclaimed. "How could / dream you
loved me?" he said
When be left her that day he left on her
hand a ring of a strange and fragile set
ting, that held an old mine stone of rare
brilliance. st is the most sacred thing
have" he said 'It was my mothers be-
trothal ring; it shall be yours"
"Oh," she cried, 81 am not good enough.
/ am not half good enough for you. You
should have chosen Cousin Margaret, who
is a saint, instead of a frivolous butterfly
like me, whose feet are her wings"
"You have wings" he said, "but they
are angels wings. Oh, never spread them
to leave my arms"
And how he loved her, or seemed to love
herl He would have lavished the world
upon her; jewels and all costly things, but
her cousin Margaret would let her have
none Of them, and so instead he filed the
house every day with flowers But her
dancing days were over. after that
night" said he, 81 can never dance again.
You cannot repeat heaven" Nor could he
ever see her thus in the arms of another.
Ignorant of the crown that Rose had be-
slowed on his rival, Hayden Roth still de-
voted himself to her with the ardor that
comes from love and hope And Gordon,
who was jealous of the wind that touched
her became uneasy and sometimes spoke
seemingly of him. Sometimes he spoke
Etormingly, and once he went out having
forbidden Rose to recognize the persistent
fellow when next she met him.
But Rose did not mind. "Of course he
did not mean it," she said, when up in her
room with Margaret, as she combed out
her long lovely hair-hair like spun gold.
ale couldn't mean anything so unkind as
that. Don't you see how he is reforming
me, Cousin Margaret? | shall some day
We as much Il saint rs you are. He says
am an angel now! Oh, no. he will come in
next time very likely arm in arm with
Hayden Roth"
HE is coming to take us to the opera to-
night, Cousin Margaret" she said, coming
iuto the drawing room after luncheon.
"Oh, how happy am! am so happy that
feel as if something were going to hap
pen! But suppose" she added. that it
! I. 4 ~