The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-08-18

italian boatman of a disreputable
/ class than anything else. In his coarse
ears hung silver earrings. and on his
dark. greasy hand was a silver ring.
He approached his mistress with a
familiar air that appeared to me most
offensive, and spoke to her in Spanish.
She answered in the same language.
not imperatively. as 1 had expected,
but in a tone that seemed to imply
confidence. friendliness. After shrug-
ging his shoulders at her answer. he
lounged away, and sat down some
where in the shadow of the road.
do you mean to say you travel alone
with this courier?"I said. where are
you going, and where have you come
from"
Yes. 1 trave. alone with my cour-
Ter. l have come from Spain. and ]
am going somewhere, Idon'tq quite know
where. What does it matter? l would
like never 20 know where l was going,
nor what the country is. nor the day.
nor the month, nor the year. l wish
l had never learnt these things. What
is the use of CHASING to-morrows and
yesterdays? Isn't it enough that
every day is to-day"
came over her face. her lashes fell,
and covered. and hid away her peculiar
eyes. her bosom heaved feverishly,
and her breath came and went hurried
IL. Whatever she was, the woman
had feelings. and very sensitive ones.
An hour went by. questioned her,
and learned some curious details of
her life. Her name was Sylvia, her
husbands name Whitworth. He was
a merchant, but he failed and deserted
her. Il don't think | minded UGH
she said with her wonderful smile.
He was never true to me. Perhaps
he is dead
Had l been in my sane senses, as L
now am, y years later. | should have
laughed in my sleeve. As it was. l was
not in my sane senses. and l fell in love
with her. She was travelling. she didn't
care where. For the night, at least,
she was to stay at the same hotel as
myself. at the Broken. From me
she gathered my sight history, my ma
tionality. my appointment at Berlin.
my family. my age.
81 suppose" she said frankly that
some people might wonder at my go
ing about so independently, but l dom
care a button what people think. /
suppose if 1 had any ~inclinations to-
ward wickedness 1 should be a very
wicked person. but you see l have no
inclination. 1 don't look at it from
the moral point of view, because l don't
believe in morality. 1 have no creeds,
but 1 don't think it would amuse me
the least to be wicked"
Presently she waded ashore. She
dried her feet. or rather 1 dried them
for her. on a dainty lace handkerchief.
They were very lovely feet. At the con-
tact of her warm. white flesh my fin
gers trembled. She saw they trembled.
and. gently pushing me away, she fin
ished the task herself, and then looked
up at me with a smile. She invited
me to enter her carriage with her, and
l did so. As we got in. the courier
muttered something rather savagely,
and my charming friend bent her head
down and conversed with him eagerly
in a tone which sounded conciliatory.
A little further on we met my carriage.
stopped. and with a pretty air of
command Mrs. Whitworth signified
her intention of changing carriages.
got in, and l arranged my rugs
about her feet, my cushions at her
back. She shut her eyes and went to
sleep. while 1 was watching her. As l
watched her, a madness seemed to
come over ne. / have never in my life
experienced anything like it before or
since; it was like magnetism. Perhaps
IT was due TO the su.try heat. the utter
stiffness. the slow progress of the
carriage through the most beautiful
scenes; or. more likely still. the back
thrown head. the sensitive and fine
profile. the parted crimson lips. the
regular breathing. the underlined Ian
of pose. and the peculiar perfume
that hung about my companion. that
fired my ardent spirit. At last l softly
took possession of the hand nearest
me. 1t was warm and pu.sating; the
very touch of it seemed TO bring into
life all the feelings that lay dormant
in me. 1 bent forward cautiously; in
moment I should have kissed
her parted crimson lips. when sudden
ly. swiftly. the strange eyes opened.
eide and full. as if she had not been
sleeping at all.
"Ah," she said. softly. what were
you going to do?"
/, flushing scarlet, was m%urmuring
some excuses, when she interrupted
me:
Never mind. T am not angry. But
you were very bold"
l was going to answer. when. in
quite a different mood. she inquired
the use of a strong black box hat
lay on the seat opposite us. 1 re-
piled hat it was my dispatch-box. con-
my papers. my passport. my
valuables in the way of jewefry. and
all the money and promissory notes
| possessed at the moment. But be-
l had nearly got through my list
my friends interest had faded, and
she was leaning over the carriage
at the stream-the Ilsenfels,
| heard her name it.
Z