Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-09-10

II am very happy 10 meet you, my
dear COUSIN" lie said, earnestly, as he
pressed and released her hand.
With the long lashes dropping lower
over her dark eyes, and her rich bloom
heightened, she curtsiel slightly. and
accepted the chair that he set fer her.
Malcolm placed himself beside Aga
rtha. and glidcd gradually into CONVEX
sation with herself and the princess;
but his eyes involuntarily wandered
off to.the beautiful Asiatic girl, and
every furtive glance thrilled him with
a deeper and stranger delight.
DINER was announced, and NAL
colin gave his arm to the Princess
4 Pezzilini to conduct her to the dining
room. At dinner he sat next to the
princess, who was herself a woman of
brilliant converse ional powers: but
1 while convcrsing with her his thoughts
continually wandered to<the lovely.
dark-eged girl on the opposite side OF
the table.
~ When dinner was over. and they re-
turned to the drawing room, the even
ing was spent in earnest converse ton.
until at length, when it was quite late.
seemed mucl. ratigued, and rang for
q AAOA Ah0Id W 0ltCuu hCl W iASt SAisaAAA
i Der. Malcolm led Agatha to the door.
where he babe her goodnight and
soon after the circle broke up for the
evening",
On taking leave of Eudcra. Malcolm
again touched her hand, and met her
eyes with thrill of delight as strange
as it was incomprehensiblc.
When Malcolm reached his chamber,
he at once dismissed the old valet,
locked the door. and commenced pac-
ing thcHghtfully up and down the
room. He had enough of exciting sub
jects occupying his mind to keep him
from rest. The presence Of the mag
nificent Pezzilini in the house; the
death of his uncle:s the failing health
of his fair young cousin; but. through
all these disturbing subjects slided one
image Of ineffable lovelincss-Eudora
the beautiful Asiatic girl; and this
haunting image was so delightful to
contemplate, that as often as it glided
before his Imagination, lie paused to
dwell enchanted upon it. He would
not listen to the still, small voice that
warned him this was dangerous Wis
ion; lie meant no wrong to Agatha, his
betrothed bride, to whom his hand
was pledged, to whom lie thought his
heart was given. and he knew nothing
of the insiduous approaches of that
mastel.passion which steals first
through the eyes, then through the
imagination, until it effects an i'm
movable lct::.nent in the heart The&
field Nof his Imagination was already
occupied; .would the citadel of his
heart be occupied? NNho could tell?
1t was after midnight when he re-
tired to rest, resolving to be faithful
to his afianced bride, and sank to
sleep, dreaming Of the beautiful East
ern houri
EEdora occupied a small, plainly
furnished room adjoining her cousin
Agatha's spacious and sumptlWus
chamber, and, since Agatha had been
ailing. it was part of Eudora's duty,
night, to sit by her bedside and read
her to sleep. BIT, on reaching her lit
tie room this evening, Eudora found
the door commuEi clting with her cou-
sins chamber closed and locked on
the otter side.
''Shr wishes to be alone tonight"
said the gentle girl to herself, as she
drew low chair and sat down before
her little coal fire to fall into one of
these reveries to which her poetical
temperament inclined her. She thought
of the magnificent new relative to
/. whom she had been presented that
evening, for magnificent, indeed, to
her, he seemed in his noble, manly
beauty and grace. She dwelt upon his
image with strange feeling of salts
faction and content as upon some good