Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-07-07
TIadegaI's ulstake.


at Dippington that Gordon Melrose
met Lady Sciva on his return from
japan after an absence of nearly two
years. Lady Sciva was the youthful
widow Of a sexagenarian peer. and
Gordon Melrose - we'll. everybody
knows Gordon Melrose. The two were
old friends-but friends who had seen
very little of one another for years.
There was almost spice Of strange.
ness to season the friendship.
Melrose secured dance and beg.
ged that they might sit IL out.
1.-The terrace is beautifully cool,'
he said. land this room Is so terribly
hot-and, truth to tell, am no great
dancer"
And Lady sciva consented readily
enough.
And so. when the time came, the
pair left the noise and riot OF the
ballroom for the fragrant silence and
darkness OF the terrace.
How very dark it Isl" said the
beautiful widow after awhile-and
she peered out ut the night and its
thousand frets Of fire. They were
seated ut the end Of the terrace,
which overlooked the bay. where in
Vulnerable fotilla Of yachts lay
smoothly ut anchor under the mid.
night sky.
II love darkness" replied Melrose.
1T Is like the enchanter's wand,
which can invest with beauty and
mystery even the most commonplace
Of things. remember once, In the
Tavundra Valley. some engineering
person had run an iron bridge across.
Commonplace people call this a tri.
umph Of something or other. But to
me 1t was n mere modern abomina.
ton. clumsily shaped in iron. night
mare Of rivets and girders, destined
to end In mere rust-that IL, by day,
But Mt night-when the magician
waved his wand-the clumsy brick
towers stood out like giants on the
heights, and they seemed to be
swinging huge chains across the
abyss for Titans to skip to. 1t was II
wonderful sight. I never shall for.
get it,"
He paused awhile, and then con.
tinued:
But there Is one dark place on
this earth which Is not made beauti.
full by darkness, and that Is the cor.
ner where they keep the reasons why
women do unaccountable things.
She shot glance at him, but his
face seemed inscrutable In the dark.
ness.
What do you mean:" che de.
manded.
Il will tell you story. II you
have heard 1t before, or don't like 1t,
stop me. Once upon Il time-it Is n
fairy tale, only fairy tale, you un.
observation-disclosures were man and
agirl-in Japan. The girl was the
most beautiful thing that the world
had ever.seen-a fair, delicate flower
grown In the very garden OF Venus
own self. And the man was devoted
to her;
The lover. said, FOR one touch Of hel
Iworld give Balkh,l would give samark
and,
30 sweet she ISL The Bulbul sang be
tween,
Rose o. rare sweetness. Shirin. Shirin"
us that the way you used to tall
to the japanese ladiss!
Not quite thlt way. In tho frs,
place, they would not be worthy.
And the man -"
"Was he u beautiful thing, too?'
struck in Lady Sciva with sarcastic
note-''a poetical prince OF fairy
land"
NO. He was real man. Not
like me, you understand, who am moi
real, however attractive, but u req
man, who did things, and wished Il
do things-the kind Of man like
though ! don't do things myself
and who fell in love like raging
madman-of six feet two, with mus
tache-furiously, unreasonably, wa
vering between breaking somebody
else's head and blowing out his owl
brains on the slightest provocation-
or none, for choice-quitc regardless
of the inconvenience to others. Does
the story bore you?"
NO" replied Lady sciva, In {
faint voice.
For three months he vas the de
voted slave OF the girl now madly
exulting in the belief that he wa.
loved, and anon thrust down in tn,
blacklist gulf Of despair, when III
thought he was being played with.
know this because the man had on
friend, whom he contided in and eyel
consulted-though only with tn
view OF rejecting advice-and thi
was an aged man, who lives on tn
slopes OF the great mysterious noun
tain Fuji-in a fiat-and hr mentione
the story to me-
Continue" said Lady Sc.va, il
hushed tones.
This man Tradegar came to IN IN
aged friend one day, and said, with
ghastly face and eyes that glittere
like points OF ice, and voice like tn
spectre OF dead voice, 1T IL a
over. She has sent me to the RICH
about. Led me on, encouraged IN
in every way, told me that she love
me In everything but actual words
and now she tells me that she cnnno
marry me, and is going to marry oil
Lord that is, d great Daimit
who was potent in wealth and venel
able in years. II was terrible scene
Tradegar was nearly mad. His frien
watched him closely, took him home
and remained with him hours till tn
fit had worn itself out by its ow
hs. y.