The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-06-12

M. Duval.. You had NJ. Charles
Duval for three years:
Yes.
"Ah, what fortune. He, and he
only, teaches the stroke of rum, the
pass which pierces across from shoul-
der to shoulder, disabling the victim
for life, yet never killing him Ra-
pin spoke enthusiastically, and after
a moments pauseadded almost breath
lessly:
And you learned his stroke, Oh.
but l am overioyed; and you will
teach me to do it. All, Monsieur, |
shall be your lifelong debtor. | have
dreamed of that incompatible thrust;
l have made two journeys TO Paris to
learn it.; but, you must know. NJ
Duval is an ancient enemy OF my
father. l could not 60 to him, and
his pupils are so few and so, so. SO DIS,
tinguished and exclusive that l couio
not reach one of them.
Harding laughed at the youth $
frankness and told him pleasantly
that he should be glad to give HIM the
secret instruction. Thereupon Rapln
almost hugged him, and they We're
lust entering the Opera House.
a great curve of splendor, q flash OF
faces, Jewels, laces. eyes, fans--a be-
wilderinc horizon of corsages, colt
fures, necklaces, bracelets, rings; a
foam of airy crowns sinking and swell
ing gently, like surf froth against a
beach of fairy land. Harding gazed
in half-blinded stupidity, so he felt,
and could see no details, could make
out no individual face distinctly. 1t
all struck him as some vast spectacle
of barbarous gewgaw splendor, and
yet nothing that be had ever seen
could compare with it in unity OF
effect. The boxes We're all full, and
full of beauty and queenly costume, SO
accentuated that nowhere else could
such insistences upon decoration have
been tolerable. There, however, 1t
was the perfection of color, brllllance
and condensed, passionate beauty OF
expression such as the Greeks of Alex
andira dreamed of in their luxurious
exhibitions.
Harding and Rapin were the only
persons in their box, which was we'll
to one side ofthe great curve. On the
stage celebrated ballet favorite was
kicking neatly through one OF her
captivating passages.
I'VE will begin the lessons to.mor-
row murmured Rapin; 4 shall be
NTl,oe,o,,,,H -
Yes. said Harding, absently. He
was gazing along the great sweep OF
beauty and light.
But excuse me for moment Or
two the creole added after while,
when the curtain was down, Il am
going to call at the box of friend.
Hewent, and Harding continued his
survey. which, now that his eyes had
somewhat accustomed themselves to
the glamor, became more real and ab-
sorbingly interesting.
Presently he saw Rapin in box, a
magnificent one. near the centre,
talking with tall. young woman
and it was she. There could be no
doubt for moment. The thrill
through Harding's heart told as much
as the girls resplendeut, yet, ina way,
subdued beauty.
Harding's eyes were fixed; the trance
of that old-time love which men used
to acknowledge was upon him. His
strong, healthy, boyish nature plunged
into the thick Of passion-romance as
fervid as It was pure and sincere. And
at the very central moment she turned
from Rapin and looked straight at
him. Moreover, he could see light
of quick interest come into her face;
they were speaking of him.
The prosy fact was that Rapin. In
his enthusiastic way, had been telling
Nile. Marie de Montmartin-that was
her name-about his good fortune in
finding a master to teach him the
stroke of ruin, and he had directed
her attention to the young man in his
box. But for Mile. Marie de Mont
martin we may as we'll say that she
glanced mechanically, then looked
again. Harding was superbly hand
some young athlete, flower of per
fact manhood with face never to be
forgotten by any woman.
Rapin presently returned to the box,
bringing with him. or at least Hard
ing fancied it, a breath of that ex-
ouisite violet perfume which had been
haunting Harding's memory for days
and nights together.
"Who is she-the young lady in the
box where you've been:"
The abrupt inquiry and a certain
timbre of Harding's voice betrayed his
emotion to the quick creole.
ooh, she-that is Mile. Marie de
Montmartin. Lovely, isn't she: You
might envy me, NJ. Harding. She is
my betrothed.'
:'Ah"-Harding hesitated and
palish change passed over his face, like
a fleece cloud over some glorified
space of sky Then he coolly added:
Il do envy you. Yes, she is the most
beautiful girl that I have ever seen.
She is the one I met In the old book
store door. You are quick to find.
Rapin colored.
Thank you" he said, as the cur
tain went up and the prima donna
strobe forth with superb swing.
The next day Rapin came to Hard
ing's rooms for his initial lesson; but
the young man begged a postpone
ment; he was not feeling IN good form,
he said, and was averse to exercise.
And now Harding's powerful letters
of introduction came into play. The
only son of General Stanhope Harding
had the key to open even the exclu-
sive gate Of the mansion wherein the
ancient family traditions of Montmar-
tin were kept in an atmosphere OF
their own. Here the young man
found Mile. Marie even more fascinat-
ing than his imagination had pictured
her.
We must acquit him; he did not de-