The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-05-29

ohC oiu hot iOpiyi UuI pldycu
with the tassel of her peplum.
Later on said, Have you visit.
ed our small picture exhibition YETI
Yes" she answered, her face
lighting up. II am very fond OF
pictures; my father was an artist. y
/ noted that she spoke in the past
tense. He was dead, then.
"You are here with your mother2'
] suggested.
II am an orphan, she said
quickly. II am here with friends. "
Here my friend came up to claim
her for a dance.
Later on in the evening l again
found myself alone in the veranda,
clear Indian sky above me and my
thoughts in an English home. My
young friend came up to me. They
are playing the last dance, he said.
Let us go home"
"By all means, gladly rejoined.
"Have you enjoyed your EVENING"
Pretty well. What do you think
of Mariquitta Gonzalez"
"She is very handsome and charm
ing. Is she English9"
Her father was Spanish mer
chant and painter and left her 6
very large fortune.
you have known her some time
I hear2''
'Some months. / am glad yor
admire her. l really like the girl
and her fortune is worthy of old In
dian times.
l was not prepared for this. "And
SO you are going to make me the
witness of an engagement, l sup
poser" l said, with smile.
"Not likely!' he answered, with
a laugh that somehow struck me
unpleasantly.
sOh, well, only thought from
what you said"-
mo, no; not for me-, he rejoined
"They are all very we'll to talk to
perhaps you may say to fiirt with
/ do not say no, but marry woman
with-well-dark blood in her an
cestry-neverl''
/ heard a slight noise, and, turn
ing, saw Mariquitta Gonzalo in the
doorway. The next minute she was
gone.
"She heard, faltered.
"Well, well, it cannot be helped, >
answered my companion and turned
to depart.
My friend left the next day.
constraint seemed to have faller
Upon us.
.
1t was cool, pleasant evening
when / stopped my carriage at the
corner house knew SO well. 1t was
not the usual calling hour, but the
one at which l thought my friend,
were most likely to be found assem-
bled.
1t was some time before discov
cred man, who looked as if hi
might belong to the place, as he sal
reading and, seemingly, by no means
inclined to understand me. When
at last, he appeared to have grasped
the situation, he took my card and
vanished into the house. Anothe,
man appeared, very untidy man
whose would be white clothes looked
somewhat ashamed of themselves
He led me up bare staircase to 6
still barer landing place, and from
there into a sitting room which Ger
tainly was not bare.
The walls were covered with
brightly colored prints. All the ta
bles, and there were many, had
brilliant cloths thrown over then
and were Uttered with bright orna
ments, photographs, and, incongru
ously enough, signs of a meal in the
form of plates that had not yet beer
cleared away. Of birds there seemed
quite collection; but, like the fur
niture, they seemed chiefly to have
been selected for their gay coloring,
and certainly not for their melo
dious voices.
Some moments elapsed before the
mother" entered. / knew her well
from my observations of the family
as they sat on the roof. Over 6
loose white wrapper she had thrown
bright crimson shawl, which made
one feel uncomfortably warm
though doubtless it was meant as 6
reception costume. l asked after
Miss Gonzalo, on whom l had come
to call. Thereupon this lady called
Floral" Flora, appearing, bore 6
great resemblance to her mother
and was also attired in white, but
her dress was tidier, and she proved
decidedly pretty.
Flora, this gentleman wants t.
see Mariquitta2''
"Yes, she is in, ~ was the reply
and the damsel vanished.
Miss Gonzalo is your niece2"
ventured.
"Oh, dear, no! She is staying
with us because we knew her wei
up country before her mother died
and we wanted her to see the towr
and enjoy herself, SO we have beer
taking her, about.
II was happy enough to meet hel