The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-07-31
WHOLE NO., 34S.

and L was no nearer the mystery of the
girdle eyes, Lord Jemappes' might
mean anything Lord Jemappes' in his
cups or his coffin. Confound it all, why
did L take passage on this particular
steamer of the Peninsular and Oriental
liner"
No, my lady did not commit suicide
in the rock galleries of Gibraltar. Yes.
we dld have the salute. And again we
were plowing our way through the
Mediterranean. Night had shut down
in sudden fog one memorable night. I
shall not soon forget that night.
couldn't sleep. The ship was rolling,
and the old china in the pantry was
promenading with cracked voice I was
restless and alert for every new sound
that might intrude itself.
What was that?
sprang from my bunk and listened.
low, rustling sound which l can
only compare to the slow oozing out Of
some creature through a lush thicket
growth. The sound formed again and
faded, and again rustled forward.
thought. But could not move. / am a
man every inch of me, but l could not
bulge. / believe waited three good
minutes
Hello, Caithness, is that your" 1
called
Only the silence answered and the
heavy swash of water against the roll
ing of the ship.
threw on my clothes and was in the
saloon in moment. Far along in the
dim light the Lady Jemappes was stand
ing at the door of her stateroon,, dress
ed as we had left her at the late supper.
Her glittering eyes held me through the
dark. Her hands clasped the girdle. It
was not around her waist
Is it to be a Storm" she said. "This
must not 60 down" She held up to
me the long, long belt. Her eyes gilt
tered again.
Il think not, Lady Jemappes,
stammered as reached her side. Ah,
how beautiful she was! The flush was
upon her cheek; her ripe lips were part
ed; her bosom heaved. II think not.
my lady. Ii is only small blow"
Thank you," she said and was gone.
l heard her stateroom key turn in the
lock.
could not sleep the rest of the night.
What was that noise which 1 had heard?
her step! But no one was moving save
the watch before the compass on deck
and the sea of china in the pantry.
Again through the black l seemed to
hear that strange rustic oozing out on
the silence. The darkness was but
framework for it. The night was it's
track. 1t ringed itself in a spiral of
shaking color The great night held its
breath before the jewel dazzle of bad
eyes
1 sprang, lest that cone of gathering
power whose apex shot upward in "a
thin streaked tongue of flame should
reach me. l sprang, and found it was a
dream, and l went ON deck and stamp
ed out the dream along the cool caress
OF the early morning air, and saw it
fade and trail away and thin and van
ish III the great fresh leap of waters and
the measureless brilliance of the blue.
Caithness and l agreed we would
solve this mystery, however, or-the
gods take u.s.
The Christmas on the Mediterranean
was bowling success. We sang "God
Save the Queen" and l added from
The Star Spangled Banner until I
was hoarse. The captain decorated our
plates with holly, from whose branches
the old lady with the frisette plucked a
piece Ito adorn my hair with a smile
Of the vintage of eighteen odd that al
most upset the sobriety of everybody.
The dance on deck went into the small
hours. My Lady Jemappes had never
looked so beautiful. l thought She
seemed to have forgotten her weird
alarm of the dark night She was all a
wltchery OF blue gauzes and foamy laces.
Around her waist, as Caithness had
prophesied, the inevitable belt. 1t was
not locked. Had she forgotten?
1 Withdrew into the shadow of the
awning stretched above the deck and
watched her. Caithness was claiming
his waltzes, and she floated away on
his arm. Her motions were graceful as
Greek. The belt slipped in long, sup
pie symmetry, wreathing itself to her
circling grace. Her brilliant gauzes
seemed to breathe glances. Across the
night and across its radiant dream ON
which the moonlight fulled her strange
eyes reached. AS the whorl of the dance
brought her near me I again noticed
those eyes. They were dilating in power
in the deepening waltz-whorls of mel
ody which the band tossed off. They
were rhythmic to the circling beat Of
music. The light within them arose in
coils of ascending brilliance. held my
breath as the belt slipped by me. a thin
smear of silver moonlight.
When held her at last, my prisoner
OF music, and moved away with her
breath upon my lips and the fragrance
OF the pomegranate blossoms gathered
at Gibraltar upon her breast, it was
only the woman, das ewig weibliche,
and the dream of the night was now
herself alone, and the great white rose
OF moonlight along heaven, starring all
earth with its petals and pulses of love.
"HeavensP' said Caithness to me
about O'Clock a. m, as we paced the
deck for few minutes pull at pipe.
The dance was over, nearly everybody
gone below. The stars were paling,
pink streak of dawn was widening off
there on the horizon line of water.
There's no more telling what's in that
belt than in the train of comet. AsI
,yaltZpd with the heautiful craafura T