The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-31

travelled! Now, there is not a day of
my life that 1 do not expect to hear
| of the Spanish squadron out in the
bay, and am fool, but my teeth chat
ter with every light 1 see on the sea at
night!'
MY dear Miss Hilary. forgive me,
! but it is childish fancy. You have
your own warships patrolling the coast
And the Spanish squadron, believe me,
has other work cut out for it,
why doesn't 1t do it, then? Why
doesn't it show its head? 1t would re-
lieve me 50! Where is 1t hiding?"
Miss Hilary, II it is hiding 1t is be-
cause it has reason to hide"
do you suppose it is on its way to
Manila? 1t must be, if it isn't coming
up here to ravage us. And then that
other fleet at Cadiz-"
Mr.. st. Maur laughed again. IT sup
pose nothing about It," he said. TITS so
far off it hardly concerns us and our
play and pleasure here. They call
Cervera's the phantom fleet but for
most of a phantom. 1 don't believe
there is any Cadiz fleet"
| You will, when it Is bombarding
| Boston ana way stations.
Il don't think it will ever Lombard
anything"
Perhaps you know" said Hilary
suddenly, looking at him searchingly
Perhaps"
Perhaps I am Spanish spy myself
Why not say 1t as we'll as look it?" And
the grieved pride, the angry affection
of the dark. smooth face explained the
falter of voice that hindereG speech.
And of course the impulsive Hilary
threw out both hands with a gesture
of begging forgiveness; and Mr.. St
Maur took them the little white hands
heavy with their rings and looked in
her eyes a moment and dropped his
own, and kissed them.
MY mother was Andalusian." he
! said. Il cannot but feel tender:y to-
| ward her country-her poor country
| once mistress of this western world
| and now so poor there are none to do
| her honor. l cannot but regret-but
hate-yet spy--I should scorn--''
| And then Hilary sprang to her feet
And l, too. hate this war;" she cried.
And she began singing:
"A War-song, war-song,
A war-song for brave men,
For seventy million people
Who go to fight with tent
Hillary! Hilary! " exclaimed her
father, leaving the library and his nap,
you will be arrested for treason.''
| and high treason!' said Eugenia,
| coming through the window.
And high time day treason" said
Mr.. st. Maur, gayly
FOR IA rbOrinO Snonicb
spy" whispered Hilary, in an aside to
| st. Maur.
Confusion to Spanish spies!" ex-
claimed ST. Maur
II don't believe there are twenty peo-
pie on the Shore who don't feel just as
1 do" said Hilary.
| "They have the gracs to keep 1t to
themselves" said her father. AMI then
as the five O'CLOCK: tea-tray vas brough.
out, and he took hi; cup. they ali drank
confusion to Spanish spies. and Hilary,
only hal. convinced trusted that M.
| the Chef-who was often somewhere in
waiting when he had sent in anything
so novel or rare as the dish of curious
bonbons that came with the tray-might
hear of the toast and profit by it.
| 1t was an evening some days after.
ward that Hilary perplexed in a way
by her own feelings sat rocking in one
of the fleet of boats that were always
anchored in the cove with Mr.. Sey-
mour's sloop, the TOP of the Wave"
and the shining little naphtha launch,
and in which she had rowed out to be
| alone. She was very uncertain about
herself and about affairs on the whole.
Louise and May had confessed to her
sundry doubts regarding Eugenia and
| their fathers too evident inclinati ton
in that direction, and by some ineXplic-
able sympathy she was well aware that
NJ. the Chef and Mr.. st. Maur had
something in common; and what
could that be, she reasoned, in such a
crisis as this, but service to Spain?
There had been the Senior Du Bose in
| Canada, and the man that had de-
stroyed himself in Washington, and
Carranzas letter was just published
and take it all in all her fancy was
afre with fear of Spanish ships at sea
| and Spanish spies ashore. And here
she was with houseful of unknown
people-for after all, sha did not know
if any of the legations vouched for
| Eugenia, although. to be sure, they
countenanced her. But that was quite
another thing-who doesn't counter
ance beautiful woman, with elegance,
with grace, with money, with a rumor
| of good ntroductions? And as for st.
| Maur-who had come to town, as 1t
was said, with some of the South
Americans-why should those people of
the legations, summering here in the
| neighborhood, the Chanfers, the De
| Whites, take him to their hearts? Ger
| tainly they We're civil enough when he
accompanied her, going over for after
noon tea: and he had dined there only
yesterday-for he came home and told
her of the "convives." OF course he
could have called there in the evening
and would have seen the company; but
that hardly seemed like st. Maur. And
then he had called Eugeria Dona-and
there Hilary caught herself up indig
nantly and asked what sort of a suspi-
cious wretch she was becoming.
Why, the first time she had ever seen
st. Maur, but a few months since, he
was walking down the outside of the
market, and was stopping to do kind
action to an old colored woman who
was selling her tiny heaps of sassafras
and cherry-bark, her mint and her
May-1owers, reeking with poverty, and
cajoling the passers-by. And he had
emptied all his small change appar-
emily into her long, lean brown hands,
| and had MT n bunch of her dark mr.