Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-10

son. Tomorrow the band would leave,
and thereafter. for the two weeks before
the final closing of the hotel, the remain
ing guests would dance in the parlors
to the sound of the piano and one violin.
Lucy Alston found herself feeling melan-
choly, and somewhat sentimental. 1t
had been a happy summer, the happiest
of her life. She was we'll aware that
much of her joy was due to the society
of Horace S~turdivant, who was, to her
mind. thre most charming man she ever
had met. Her experience of charming
men. however, was small. Mrs. Poin-
dexter took one of her nieces away with
her every summer, and this year the lot
had fallen to Lucy. Mr.. Sturdivant came
down to the Beach every Saturday. to
stay over Sunday, and from the first he
had singled her out as the especial OBJ
ject of his attentions. More than one
person had warned her, more or less
good-naturedly, as people will, that such
attentions on his part We're rarely Sc
tious. Her aunt, especially had cau-
toned her. Horace Sturdivant thinks
himself a pauper," Mrs. Poindexter had
said. He has about So 900 a year, which
to a man of his tastes. spells poverty.
And everyone knows that he will never
marry any woman that is not an
heiress."
Five thousand dollars a year seemed
wealth to Lucy. She failed to attach due
Importance to her aunt's counsel. Mr..
Sturdivant was assiduous in his courte-
sizes: he waltzed delightfully."- and had
"a tongue which might vile the lave
rock from the cloud.' All the other wo-
men adored him; therefore,, how could
poor. unsophisticated Lucy fail to feel
his destinations? With Youth at the
helm. and Pleasure at the prow,' how
can love be always on the lookout for
rocks and shoals?
Much practice had made Mr.. Sturdi-
want postmaster in the art of love-mak-
ing. His eyes were YIN of affection,
his Voice a caress, his whole manner elo-
quent of tende and delicate admiration.
Yos he had never spoken one word to her
which might not have been proclaimed
frecn the house-tops.
Tonight Lucy felt vaguely uneasy. and
bethought her of the wisdom which had
been whispered into her ears. His air
was sad and distract, with an indefinable
chill everything its accustomed tender
nses. They had danced together, the
last waltz OF the year, and the well
known music had a wonderfully mourn
full cadence to her sensitive ear.
'Oh, you girls, you frivolous girls
waited viol. vioVins, and cornet in uni
sea-. Somehow it all seemed a dream
ana Lucy gave a little sigh when the
melody ceased and the dancers stood
still. h could have gone on waltZ.n5
forever, her hand on his shoulder, his,
o.asping her waist, and his eyes looking
into hers.
Get a wrap, and come out on the
terrace, the tide is in and the moonlight
~, 4,a y,-o tnr ic hopor,tifnsl VIZ nit yynJ1 ~
see it." Mr.. S%turdivant commanded rath-
er than asked. She obeyed without ques-
ton. and was back in a moment, with
a f1eecy shawl wound about her head and
shoulders. HOW pretty she is" he
thought. The damp sea air, whfih made
other Women's locks hang lank and
limp, caused hers to curl in b~ewitching'
rings about her forehead. He gave her
hand a tender pressure as he drew vt
through his arm, but he did not speak,
and for a while they stood on the ter
race in silence, watching the waves as
they charged the shore and reiterated,
baffled always. How hike it is to lise,"
sighed Mr.. Sturdivant, with his eyes
looking cut to sea. Always the same
vain striving for the untattaina1ble."
Lucy bravely choked down the lump
in her throat. II feel tonight like Ctn-
+ QeTGIid, Sl SdtO. II OSuii 10 oNNAb otASA
in a little while 1 shall retire to my nook
and take up my humdrum life again."
Mr.. sturdivant gave a little start. He
had not expected the idyl to end so soon.
How so?' he asked. Mrs. Poindexter
has taken rooms at the Alhalnlora for
the winter. You will find that gayer than
this
IT Shall not be with her. Auntie takes
her nieces in turn. there are ten of US
all counted, and I had my turn this
Mr.. Sturdivant experienced an unpleas-
ant shock. He had already taken care
to hunt up the will of the late Aaron
Poindexter, and discovered, to his regret,
that his widow had only a life interest
in hts large estate. However, that in
terest was absolute, and gave Mrs. Poin-
dexter an income greater than an ex-
traVagant woman could easily spend.
Surely she might be expected to do
something for a favorite niece. He
would be content with comparatively
little. Now this house of cards fell to
earth.
81 am very sorry. This, then, is pr3b-
ably our last evening together. l must
go back to town early tomorrow morn
ing. on business" Oh, the infinite ten
derness and sadness of his tone! 1t
held the cadence which the French call
tears in the voice."
Lucy pulled herself together with a
mental jerk. She felt as though she had
taken a plunge into cod water. This,
then, after all that had passed during
the last few weeks. was his farewell.
But. no, h could not mean it.
Not necessarily. South Stamford is
not au..e out of the world. 1t can be
reached by rail from Boston, she ven
tured to say.
us thta where you live? Child, it is
as far away from my world as the anti
podes, Besides, when a man knows him.
serf too weak to resist temptation. what
can he do but fee"
.How can a man measure his strength
unless he tries t?o