Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-11-03
ASTORYOF BLOOD.
ny NJ. Z. DRADpoN.
CHAPTER T.

! Stars shining IN the deep purple of a sum-
mer sky; June roses blooming and breath
Ing sweetness on the soft cool night; leaves
whispering; low faint sounds of falling wa
tiers from fountain hidden in the foliage (;
and across the dim shadowy night the far
Ing lights and gaudy colors of painted and
gllded temple, in which the band is playing
one of Strauss's tenderest waltzes.
The melodous strain is drawing 10 its
close. The players attack the coda with
crash and hurry, The pace intensifying as
they near the end. All the walters have
fallen out of the ranks, except one couple,
and those two waltz as il 1t were impossible
to tire-as if they were the very spirit of
dance and melody, creatures of ire and air,
motion incarnate.
The girls 60 den head reclnes against
her partners shoulder but not with an AIR
of WEAKNESS; the attitude expresses only
repOse; the graceful gliding step, the har-
monious flown movements, are as natural
as the fall of waters or the waving of forest
boughs. The rosy lips are slightly parted,
the sweeteyes look Starwards with dreamy
gaze. There is far more of spirit than of
gross earthiness in the slim wllowy form,
the fair and radiant face, which the stars
and the lamps shine upon alternately, as
thOSC ANN'tNlllS HSuItS ClIClc-HOW III Tie
glare OF the. orchestra, and then under those
solemn worlds of light which are soon to
look upon stranger, sadder, darker, crueler
sights than this Sunday evening dance at
the ClOscrie DIES Lilas.
There are some who think it is a wicked
Shing to dance on n Sunday evening even
after one has worShipped at ones parish
church faithfully and reverently on Sunday
inn fhnr rl,, l. =
wicked to dance at all; and there are others
who worship in dancing, and are moved TO
wild leapings and whirlngs by the spirit of
piety; others, again, who are devil-dancers,
and worship the principal of evil in their
demOniac gyrations. But asSuredly, of all
who ever danced upon this earth, nOne ever
danced on the edge of more terrible yolca-
no than that which trembled and throbbed
under the feet of these light-hearted reve-
Iers to-night-happy, unforeseeing, reioic-
ing Ia the balmy breath Of summer, the star
lit sky, the warmth and the flowers, with no
thought that this fair Paris, whitley beaut-
full in the sheen of starlight and moonlight,
was like phantasmal or fairy city-a city
of palaces which were soon to sink in dust
and ashes, beauty that was to be changed
for burning, while iry and love fed shrek
ing from carnival of blood and fire.
Even tonight there were bystanders in
the lamp-lit garden who shook their heads
sOlemaly MS they talked of the probability
of war with Prussia. The battle of SadOwa
had been the beginning Of evil Franco had
PLAYED into the hands of her most danger
Gus rival, and had been swindled out of the
price of her neutraiH. To have allowed
Austria to be crushed by Bismarck was
worse than a crime, IL was blunder And
now all the signs and tokens of the time
pointed to the likelihood of war. TIE day
had come when the overweening ambition
of the house of Brandenburg must be check
ed, and in he opinion of the BOnapartists
the onus to fight was upon France. Opinion
among the people was divided; and there
were many who were friends Of peace. A
campaign would be a triumph for French
arms, of course; but such triumphS, how.
ever certain, are never won without loss
For France as a people there must needs be
profit and fame; but for Northumberland
even in a succession of victories some
French blood must be shed, some French
corpses must lie scattered on distant battle
fie,ds-there must be cypress as well as
laurel.
Yet the idea of impending war was not
unpleasant. 1t electrified the intellectual
atmosphere, set the hearts of men and wo-
men throbbing with new hopes, new fears
To elderly people it seemed only the other
day that the army was coming home in
triumph after the italian War; and France
was browning the liberators Of sister land:
but to the young people that Italian CAM
paign seemed to have happeneda long while
ago. 1t was time that France should arise
in her might and strike great blow.
So the middle-aged folks, mere spectators
of the evenings amusement, put their heads
together and discussed the political situa-
LONESOME arguing from one point of view,
some from another; and those two walters
circled faster and faster with the closing
bars of the coda. With the last chord they
stopped. The darll-haired young man with
drew his arm reluctantly from his partners
slim waist, and then they went Off arnl-n-
arm towards the shadow of the trees-dark-
haired youth and fair-haired youth all the
world TO each other, and infinitely happy.
Faust and Marguerite said q corpulent
citizen, who had been watching the dancers
while he talked of Bismarck and the Due
de Grafnont.
Happily see no Mephistopheles," re-
piled his companion. ''If the young people
go 70 perdition it will be their own doing"
sand tn nix have seen her lovers face
before tonight"
Gle is to be seen any day at the Cafe
Malmus. H is journalists sprig Of
mobility, believe, but as poor as job. He
writes for the papers. He ranks as an
esprit fort and something of wit"
''And the girl-do you know who she is?
She has hardly the air Of a grisette."
'She is like Nilsson in Marguerite. No,
I'll swear she is no grsette-nothing of the
Mimi Pinson there, my friend. Inever saw
her till tonight. Look yonder, just emcrg-
ing from the trees; do you seer'
as it Mephistophelesy
mo, but the spirit of evil in woman's
ehape-enyy, ha red, revenge, all incarnate
in jealous woman. Great Heaven, such
face-see, seeP'
His friend looked in the direction indl-
Gated. Yes; there, creeping from the covert
of the trees, stealthily, seEpent-lilIe, stole
forth woman-yorng, handsome, snfartiy
dressed, with a black silk gown, and bon
net all roses and lace--a shopkeoper in holi-
day attire. 1Sle face was dark with hatred
and malice, the eyes were brightwith angry
fires. Slowly, stealthily, the footsteps fol-
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