The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-20
Maruska, a Modern incident.
tale from BIackwood's Magazine. II
Seven Parts.)

t4dle from BldCkWOOu AdSdLiiAc- III
Seven Parts.)
PART ".
s'wer, I am sure you must be begin
ming to weary OF my long story, so need
not innict on you an account of my dreary
visit TO Alexaudrovsky," continued Mrs.
Pierrepont. al shall never forget the ugly
monotonous country stretching endlessly
around it-no trees to be seen but fT, al
der. and birch The nearest neighbor
was thirty miles off. and he was mad
There were no tennis parties. no visits, no
drives. no old women to give flannel petit
coats to.
"Gogors description of the sleepy coun-
try life al Oskantino, where each door
had a separate sound as it turned on its
hinges, conveying a distinct articulation
10 those who could comprehend it. would
have done perfectly for AlexandroNsky-
l have often thought that Noah and MS
party must have led much the same sort
of existence on the Ark as we did at that
old castle-cxcept that they had, L sup
pose. the amusement of feeding the ami
mails in sort of gigantic Geological Gar
dens way, while we fed nothing and no
body.
Very quickly Maruska completed her
conquest over my heart. I found that
suited my British go-out-in-all-weathers
habits She was so fascinating in her art
lessness, and her ignorance and innocence
were ike a childs. Her beauty, too. was
so enthralling You admire her hair now,
but I only wish you could have seen 1t
during the summer. 1 don't know why
it is. but as the weather has got colder
it has seemed to lose something of its
ripple and also of its color. You will call
me fanciful but it looks to me tonight
like a stream that is beginning to run
slowly before it Is actually frozen.
LAS the time approached for me to bring
my visit 10 an end and to return 10 Eng
land. the thought struck me to ask Ma
ruska If she would like to come with me.
l felt sure the best return l could make
to Prince Oustreloff for his hospitality
was to rid him for little of the presence
Of his daughter-in-law. He never altered
In his dislike of her-never spoke to her,
and never went near her"
Il suppose this princess, whom you in
vest with tidal tresses, which wax and
wane with the seasons or the sun or the
moon or something. jumped at your offer
like trout at a May-fy?"
well, she Gid and did not" answered
Mrs. Pierrepont. She paused a long time
before replying, and then asked the
oldest question: Is there any running
water close TO your chateau? 1 laughed,
and assured her there was brook which
ran almost under the windows on one
side, right through what is left of the old
moat; and promised her that. If she would
come. she should have rooms on the rheu-
matte side of the house, as you always
MI. .-l,o of CVona
danced with pleasure like child, and be-
gan to sing as she always does when she
is happy. So here she is,-sweet, lovely,
fascinating; but we are, 1 fear, on the
brink of a disruption. OF course, intend
ed her to stay with me all the winter, and
as I am going to Berlin in the spring.
would take her there, thought, and send
her on, carefully escorted, to Petersburg.
I said something of this casually 10 her
the other day; in an instant l saw her
face change, and a look almost of horror
come into it. Then. just in the same OBJ
stfnate way as l had heard she had spo-
ken before both to poor Alexis and to the
old prince, she declared she must go back
10 Russia for the winter l coaxed and bull
lied her, all to no purpose. and then
begged for her reasons. All she would say
was to repeat the very words she had
used before-I could not live shut up In
walls. and l must rest during the win
ter"
What a strange woman she seems to
be-" said Lord Bulverhythe, so set on her
own way, without any sense or reason.
That alone is so very unlike women IN
general" He turned and looked long and
fxedIy at the princess as if trying TO dis
cover the mystery of her actions from her
face.
She was lying back in a large arm
chair, languidly watching the dancing.
she had no desire herself to
enter 1.-The maZes of heat and sound, for
70 each entreaty to do so she gave a pref
" but very decidedly No. Mr.. Dallas
came up to her and politely tried to shake
her resolution. He bore her refusal with
much fortitude, and the next instant he
was beside Lady Molly. eagerly persuading
her to consent to some nefarious arrange
ment connected with throwing over the
other fellow
Maruska followed their movements with
her eyes. some of her Ianguor seeming, as
she did so. to drop off her. Now they
were dancing together. and Geoff was tell
ing Lady Molly confidential story which
obliged him to bend down his tall, fair
might safely reach her ear.
Sometimes she looked up at him. laugh
ing and interrupting him. 1t was a pref
ty picture but It seemed to have Curl
Gus effect on Maruska. She moved uneas-
lily from her indolent position and sat up
right The dance ended and the dancers
themselves in different direc-
tions. Some time passed, and then sud-
denly Maruska got up and walked, with
the rapid gliding step that was peculiar
70 her. 10 the other end of the room She
pushed aside the heavy curtain that hung
over the doorway which separated the
oak parlor from the little winter parlor.
Then she softly turned the handle OF the
door.
Some one tried to 90 the same from the
inside: the door was pushed open. and
Lord Bulverhythe came hastily out OF the
room, almost knocking over the princess.
Il beg your pardon he sad: Il did
not know any one was there Can l take
you 10 the drawing-room, or back 70 the
oak parlor? I would not go in there. II
I were YOU" he went on, significantly
Jerking his head backwards; you will or
~ be thought nuisance, and Two fools
will heartily wish you al Jericho-or Pc
tersburg! I strolled in innoceatly. on my
way 10 bed, but soon saw l had better
stroll out again
The princess listened imqat!ently. but
made no answer n this speech. which in
deed she seemed hardly 10 understand. for
as soon as It was ended she moved for
ward 70 the door again She opened &
gently and went into TIE little room, I
which Lord Bulverhythe had just de-
scribed as coasecrated TO Love and