The Press., 1895-09-12

heart endangelTng nothings may be murmured as partners promenade or finger ill alcoves of the wide, covered galleries that run round the houses
 ssThe Fire lies, as Lotty Sandilands desipnated the naval officers, were, of course, very welcome importation, and their nice white mess jackets proved more popular among the tickle young ladies than the conventional dress suits of their better known partners, who had not yet yielded to the laxity ill fashion which permits the substitution of a broad silk band instead of a waistcoat Needless to say, Fanny card was full before slle had been ten minutes in the room; but, as if the genius of propriety needed propitiating, the name of Cap tain Fane only occurred five times Five dances out of 20, however, not in- cluding the many extraF, is no mean proportion, and to the lockers on it seemed as if the pair were certainly to- gether, for i'll every set of lancers-a dance that remains in favor out in the tropies-if he did not chance to be her partner it was so contrived that Gap tain Fame and Fanny were vis-a-vis. And between the waltzes were there not walks outside-and the supper, with it's cunningly arranged tete a-tete tables? Of course it was all settled, and Fan in her white muslin and stephanotis wreath would soon have to be thinking of satin and orange blossoms and the day when Captain Fane would return to bear her away from her island home.
 But it was all over. He thought he had behaved ill the most honorable way; at least he schooled himself to believe the course he had taken was unselfish as we'll as sensible, and tried to think he had no wish that she should retain more than passing recollection of those few days of delight and imprudence. Still when it came to thinking of her as married to one of the island planters or some upstart government official with salary of 920O year, degenerat- ing into languid, drawling voiced ere ole housewife, worn out with the cares of a family, without an idea beyond the prospect of crops and the enormlt1es of negro servants, the idea was too over whelming and a torrent of vexatlOn seized possession of him for having al lowed the opportunity to pass when it would have been so easy to bind her heart to his forever, even though subse quent prudence interposed to prevent the most fatal consequences of that mo- ment of delirium.
 An, we'll, perhaps it was best as it was In a weeks time or month at furthest he might be able to regard the matter philosophically, and she There conjecture as we'll as hope refused to come to a determination; it was best not to think at all about her future, if only it were possible to refrain from so doing.
 The friends who drove Fanny home that night considered thatnothing could have been more circumspect than the farewell between the sailor and his love and had the good taste to forbear from bantering her upon the subject or ap- bearing unduly curious as to the result of the evening" The other officers at a hint from their superior had taken leave short time before him, as he wanted few minutes quiet talk with Colonel Sandilands, and it was arranged that they should all meet at the Princetown club, which on the occasion of any large entertainment in the neighborhood gen. erally remained open all night. Fane had nothing that he really wished to say to the administrator it was merely ruse to be alone, to calm his excited feelings with solitary walk, instead of being rattled down to the shore in crowded buggy with his spirited and possibly chaffing friends, and after his lingering handshake and conventional "Goodby, Miss Crofton, he did not go back into the house, but finding his cap, and conventionally accepting a light for a cigar which the administra- tors black factotum handed to him, he slowly wended his way down the wind ing carriage drive in the wake of the vehicle that was bearing away from him the one and only being he could ever love. Nol time would never efface her memory from his heart He was not selfish enough to wish to make her his own, but he could never forget her.
 The glorious moon had set and the sky had an even blacker and overcast appearance than the usual darkness that precedes the dawn. Suddenly some large drops of rain which were the pre- cursors of one of the drenching West h. dian rainfalls and a threatening rum- ble of thunder warned the captain that it would have been better if he and his companions had hastened to get on board ship.
 Poor little Fanny meanwhile had crept silently up the gallery stairs into the room she shared with her cousin, who in common with the rest was sim ply devoted to her. She had no light in the desolate blanness of her heart she did not want to see, had not even energy enough to undress and lie down. She groped her way to the open window at one corner of the room, from which in the daytime a glimpse of the sea was visible, and gave herself up to mis- erable repinings and self reproach. Was she not 8 despicable, silly creature to have lost her heart to a gay deceiver who would sail away at daybreak and never think of her any more?
 Her melancholy strivings after phil osophical frame of mind were interrupt cd by the furious breaking of the storm that had been for some minutes gather ing. Deafening peals of thunder seemed to explode right over her head and the flashes of lightning became so terribly vivid that she could DO longer keep he: place by the window, but drawing dowr the blinds crept timorously to the far ther side of the room, and sinking on her knees beside her cousins bed hid her face in her hands, while sobs ol nervous tremor and excitement shook her whole frame.
 Lucy Haslett was heavy sleeper, and, occupied as Fanny then was with her own emotions, scarcely more than vague hope that the invalid would not be disturbed and frightened had found place in her thoughts, when-she could 11rr dnror.i ho afta,111 ard 1xrlat it