The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-12


| you see 1 have no inclination. I don't
look at it from the moral point Of view, be-
cause 1 don't believe in morality. have
no creeds, but 1 don't think it would
amuse me the least to be wicked"
Presently We waded ashore. She dried
! her feet, or rather | dried them for her,
on a dainty lace handkerchief. They
were very lovely feet. At the contact of
! her warm, white flesh my fingers
trembled. She saw they trembled, and,
| gently pushing me away, she finished the
task herself, and then looked up at me
with q smile. She invited me to enter her
carriage with HIS and 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 q tone which sounded
concillatory A little further on we met
| my carriage. We stopped and with a
| pretty air of command Mrs. Whitworth
sigrified her intention of changing car
| riages. We 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 sat watching her. AS
watched her, a madness seemed to come
| over me. | have never in my life eX-
| perlenced anything like it before or since;
It was like magnetism. Perhaps it was
| due to the suitry heat, the utter stiffness,
| the slow progress of the carriage through
]
| still, the back-thrown head the sensitive
and fine profile, the parted crimson lips,
| the regular breathing, the underlined
! languor of pose, and the peculiar per-
| furne that hung about my companion,
| that fired my ardent spirit At last l
softly took possession of the hand near
est me. 1t was warm and pulsating: the
very touch Of it seemed to bring into life
all the feelings that lay dormant in me.
bent forward cautiously; in another mo-
| ment l should have kissed her parted
| crimson lips, when suddenly, swiftly, the
strange eyes opened, wide and full, as if
she had not been sleeping at all
An, she said, softly, what were you
| going TO do?''
| l, flushing scarlet was murmuring some
excuses when she interrupted me:
Never mind. l am not angry But you
were very bold
| was gong to answer when, in quite a
| different mood, she inquired the use Of a
! strong black box that lay on the seat op-
poslte US. l replied that it was nv dis
| patch box, containing my papers NV
passport, my valuables in the wav of
| JeWelry, and all the money ana pronis-
| sorry notes ! possessed at the moment.
| But before had nearly got through NV
! nst my friends interest had faded and
she was leaning over the carriage look
| Ing at the stream-the IlsenfcIs. | heard
| her name it,
BY this time I had arrived at the door
OF the apology for hotel, which was then
! the only hosiery on the Broken l Of
| 1ered to assist Mrs. Whitworth, but she
turned away with her courier. and I oc-
cup1ed myself in having my things stow
ca away In the room 1 had engaged over
night. 1t was tiny apartment with
walls no thicker than paper In fact
the whole place was like a rambling and
hn int
was not and stuffy, so, after inquiring the
hour Tor table dhote, [ lit my cigar and
strolied outside. AT some distance on the
IeFeI hill top, where the hotel was placed.
could see my new friend and her courier
walking up and down, engaged in an an
mated discussion L turned off short,
not wishing them to know saw them
infatuated as 1 was by this stranger. I
could not help feeling her position was a
peculiar one. Perhaps the romance and
the mystery only served to enhance the
charm.
AT table G'hote I saw no sfgns OF my
friend; afterward I went out TO look at
the sunset. The place was crowded with
tourlsts-English, German, Swiss-au mn
interesting to my eyes, so avoided them.
went round toward the back, and some
one pointed out to me the curiosities of
the piace-Where the witches assemble on
w aIpurg1snachtt the DEVILS Well the Dew
II Pulpit. Rough stones of volcanic strata
thrown up years before strewed the
pare and rugged mountain top In one
place they We're heaped about in oraa+
masses; among them was a hollow ca;ied
ochneefeIs, where in the winter. the
snow IS said to be thirty-five feet deep.
among these barbara rocks [ found Svl
Via wentworth. l asked her how she had
dined enc I1''o
/ dined here she said, as if her rocky
seat mad been her boudoir table. There
were SO many people in the hotel al
ugly and all old; and cant eat wban ~ 7
my dinner --'o
ne sun was setting in pomp and splen-
oor. From our high point of view we
could see all the simmer and color and
al the varying tints of glowing August
sunset pointed it out to my Tread:
she did not turn her head.
Il don't care for vieWs.'' she soid con-
of them" an VI gu
looked In her face. Her eyes had
caught some strange luster from tho
beautiful cloud land of color abont nc.
mere was vague disquiet visible in her
manner huttering in her voice It
seemed 10 me that she was under the
mastery OF some profound impression.
The warn night crept onWar9 We NOR
Cnr0hhi1sr
sky, with the clouds and the heave,,s
around u.s. 10 eiis
ms uncuVely, when I spoke, 1 spoke I'm
Whisper, How near we are to heaven,
l murmured, 'fn this high place. How
lar better than heaven it is to he wifi
you, like this ~ NC Win
"a soIt' warm bleeZe passed over our
idces' and blew struggling curl of her
loosened hair across my lips: her soft
chng1ng draperies lay close beside me.
her presence seemed to grow more and
more compelling. -0
s+4s smiled slow, languorous SMILE
snille mat intoxicated and led me on. She
Iald her hand uon my arm.
heaven she said, in low rapt wh1s-
PC heaven is Whatever we like to make
aoi ourselves on earth; when we die we
go out-so land she pouted her two ner-
feet lips, and blew a sudden sbort
nreath). When I Think she continued
mat life and life only, is ours SOME
times wish to do more with NV davs-
crime or good; or wicl1edness or virtue.
II wou!u not matter to me, If I could bnt
enjoy It, whatever it was"
But L whispered, awe struck "crinoo
IS round out, and then comes punish
There are some crimes" she said
Wnich leave no trace. What trace does
snip leave in the sea five minutes after
she mas passed over it?''
M, JUST tnen her surly courier approached
icy TAXED exc1tedly for a few moments
ano then she turned to me:
This is pleasant! 1 hear there is ~
room for me. The last room was given ~
you Not corner left anywhere. ana
am to sleep la belle etoile.''
Or course this was innnoSSit,1o uy.,,,