The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-05-20

forgot what Dr. Watts tells us of oui
hands not being made for the purpose of
tearing out each others eyes, forgot that
the only weapon society allows lady
is her tongue, forgot indeed what
society says lady is and what it main
tains size should always be, and a
great wave Of fury swept over her. The
fiery blood of Indian and Spaniard
rushed into her face, the fierce spirit of
her Castilian forefathers, who had con-
quered world with Cortez, burst once
more into life With the closed fan in
her hand she struck the smiling face a
singing blow The fan sticks snapped;
the bronzed skin beneath them Grim
soned. Smothering a furious ejacula-
ton, the man threw hand up over his
cheek and eye, and Miss O'Shea, pant
ing and darkly flushed, swept down the
stairs.
Then, as she hurriedly descended, he,
smarting with pain, his anger surging,
hurled himself on tho baiustrade and
looked over at her All he saw was the
top of her red gold head, the wavering
pulse of diamonds that trembled through
her hair, the long sweep Of her pale
blue, trailing dress, the ivory nape of
her neck where the pearl necklace fas-
tened with sapphire clasp. The next
moment she had passed out of sight,
and he heard her rapid, decisive step
ON the balcony below.
He turned back, intending to watch
her from the veranda, but in the door
way met a friend who accosted him
with jocular:
"Hullo, Beverwyk, what have you
been running into?"
ooh, turned suddenly to look at
that woman just go down the stairs and
ran into that door. Thought both doors
were open-hurts like the devil, " re-
turned the other glibly.
And arm in arm they passed down
the veranda, murmuring together and
laughing.
When Miss O'Shea got back to her
hotel, her breath had regained its usual
evenness, her color had gone down, but
her eyes were brilliant under their low
cred lids. Her father sat in the darkened
sitting room in his shirt sleeves, with his
high hat on-his habitual costume when
at ease in the house. When she came
in, tossed her cloak ON chair and stood
silently pulling off her gloves, he re-
garded her for o moment or two, then
said, as if the idea had just struck him:
"Where've you been all this timer"
sob, I just went back to return that
lady's cape. l gave it to waiter. 1t
was all right" She tore off her gloves
and stretched and bent her plump fin
gers, turning round her rings.
Look here, pop" she said, twisting
the ''marquise" on her little finger back
into place, 81 guess we'd better leave
this place.
''Well, 1 guess so, too" said the old
man mildly. Guess you don't like it
much, Espy?"
81 don't belong here" she said, with
a sort of rough shyness. "I'm differ
ent."
The old man extended his hand and
drew her up to him.
You'll do, =" no said, fondly patting
the velvety hand.
maybe I will for you," she an
s~-reG, with the same air of logged
embarrassment, "but I'm too different.
is's not comfortable.
Whether Mr.. O'Shea understood CT
not, he queried no further. He patted
the smooth hand in silence. Then he said:
"Well, what do you want to do?'
81 want to go to Europe for a long
time-a year. l want to know things.
don want to be so different.
well, now, Espy," said the old man
deprecatingly. Then, as two soft arms
went round his neck, he added, But
you can go if you want. +"
Two weeks later the O'Shea family
sailed from New York on the Umbria
Once arrived in the effete monarchies
Miss Esperanto O'Shea went seriously,
if little blindly, to work to recon.
struct herself She went to school il
Paris and staid there all winter, study
ing hard. Her companions showed no
surprise at her presence. They had heard
that she was an American from Cali
fornia, which in the effete monarchies
explains many things In their refining
society Miss O'Shea was gradually re-
stored to her original self Her red gold
locks went through as many changes
of hue as the dying dolphin, but
at length arrived safely on the
homeward path to the deep dark
brown of nature. She put away all the
little pots of red and white that had
made her dressing table look like that
of an old belle who dies hard. A very
demure phenix began to rise from the
ashes of the once gorgeous Esperanza
O'Shea.
With the native shrewdness of the
women of the west, who make their
own positions and fight their own for
tunes, she was quick to see and to adopt
the style and manners of the young girls
about her. By the spring the elaborate
beauty who had created q sensation at
the Narragansett casino had passed from
phase to phase of subduing process,
and compared to her old self was as a
wren to peacock. Instead of looking
like woman of 80, she now looked like
what she was-a girl of Goa tall, ivory
pale, velvet eyed girl, with a thick coil
of smooth, unourled dark hair, and q
stately carriage, such az romance writers
are fond of ascribing to princesses. The
farlslans tAouAAV l-er Ne-y foreign and
picturesque She looked like Dona Sol
droop of the mantilla shadowing the
warm pallor Of her checks, black curl
on her temple, a red rose in her hair.