The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1898-05-05

49, the town arc giving
grand ball in
celebration of the departure of an Arc
Tic expedition from their port. The
SHIPS or the expedition are two in mum
ber-the Wanderer and the Sea- New
They are to sail Tin search Of The
Northwest Passage) on the next dav
with the morning tide.
Honor to the Mayor and CORPORATION,
III rs brilliant ball. The band is com
plete. The room is spacious. The
large conservatory opening out OF il is
pleasantly lit with Chinese lanterns
and beautifully decorated with shrubs
and flowers. All officers of the army
and navy who are present wear .heir
uniforms In honor OF the occasion.
Among the ladies the display of dresses
"a subject which the men don't UNI
'derstand) is bewildering, and the aver
age OF beauty Ca subject which the men
do understand) is the highest average
attainable in all parts of the room.
For the moment the dance which is
In progress is quadrille General aG-
miration selects two of the ladies who
are dancing as its fayorite objects.
One is dark beauty in the prime of
womanhood-the wife of First Lieu
tenant Crawford Of the Wanderer. The
other is young girl, pale and delicate,
dressed simply in white, with no orna-
ment on her head but her own lovely
brown hair. This is Miss Clara Burn
ham-an orphan. She is Mrs. GRAY
ford's dearest friend, and she is to stay
with Mrs. Crawford during the licuten-
ants absence in the Arctic regions
She is now dancing. with the Licuten-
ant himself for partner, and with Mrs.
Crawford and Captain Helding Com
ndnding Officer OF the W.aue-cr) for
vis-a-vis-in plain English, for oppo-
site couple.
The conversation nstween Captain
Helding and Mrs. Crawford, in one of
the intervals of the dance. turns on
Miss Burnham. The Captain is greatly
interested in Clara. He admires her
beauty, but he thinks her manner, for
young girl strangely serious and sub
ouCu' 10 ShC III
Mrs. Crawford shakes her head, signs
mysteriously, and answers:
I'm very delicate health, Captain
Helding''
"CoEscmptive?"
Not in the least
~ am glad to hear that She is a
charming creature. Mrs Crawford. She
interests me indescribably IL I was
only twenty years younger-perhaps
tas am not twenty years younger) l
had better not finish the sentence? Is
it indiscreet, my dear lady. to inquire
what is the matter with her."
1T might be indiscreet on the part
of stranger" said Mrs. Crawford. IAN
old friend like you may make any in
'quiries. | wish l could tell you what
is the matter with Clara It is a mys-
terry to the doctors themselves Some
of the mischief is due. in my humble
opinion, to the manner in which she
has been brought up"
Aye. aye. A bad school, I sup
pose?"
Very bad, Captain Helding. But
not the sort OF school which you have
in mind at this moment. Clara's early
years were spent in lonely old house
i'm the Highlands of Scotland The ig-
norant people about her were the peo-
pie who did the mischief which have
just been speaking Of. They filled her
mind with the superstitions which are
still respected as truths-especiaily the
superstition called the Second Sight"
God bless me" cried the Captain.
you don't mean TO say she believes
in such stuff as that In these en-
lightened times, too"
Mrs. Crawford looked at her partner
with gatirical smile
In these enlightened times. Captain
Helding, we only believe in dancing
tables, and in messages sent from the
sother world by spirits who can't spell,
BY comparison with such superssitions
as these, even the Second Sight has
something-in the shape of poetry-to
recommend it, surely? Estimate for
yourself" she continued seriously. the
effect of such surroundings as have
described on a delicate, sensitive young
creature-a girl with a naturally mag
inative temperament, leading a lonely
neglected life. Is 1t so very surprising
that she should catch the Infection of
the superstition about her? Aud Is IL
quite incOmprehensiole that her nsrv-