The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-01-16

She came into the garden and found
Ferrier sitting there. 1t was a carna-
ton garden, just sheltered and inland
enough to get none of the freshening
breeze from the sea. The air was warm
and languid and thick with scent--the
scent of carnations that spread for
acres upon acres away; of the hello
trope that hung mass of purple redo
lence above his head; of the honeysuck
le that loaded the roof of the green
house near by; of an orange grove in
blossom to windward somewhere.
There were humming-birds hanging at
the fower-cups, bluebirds and black
birds drifting about. Ferrier watched
them with heavy eyes. The love-tale
he had brought with him lay neglected
upon his knee. He was recollecting po-
etry. He murmured drowsily, half
aloud, of "beds of amaranth and moly,"
of "warm airs lulling, blowing slowly,
and half-dropped eyelids STILL"
And this was, in the nature of things,
the time for Eve to appear. She floated
into his line of vision by way of the
gravel path. She wore no garments of
leaves, but sky suggestion of cloud
white and faintest blue. She was hat
less, her parasol hung low over her
shoulder, and her brown hair cleaned
in the sun.
Ferrier watched her coming toward
him between two rows of La France
rose-bushes in full bloom. He was
sure that she would stop there
where she was and sit beside him
upon the bench. Which was exactly
what she did; but, lest anyone
should suppose that she was not
thoroughly nice girl in every way, be
it said--it was not by any means the
first time she and Ferrier had met.
They had spent mornings together
upon the beach, and afternoons upon
the verandas of the hotel, and their in
timacy was just one degree short of
where Ferrier thought it necessary to
make her acquainted with any of his
purely personal affairs.
''Shall i tell you"-said Eve, apd her
voice, like the voices of the poem, was
thin and far away-"shall l tell you
what you were thinking about? You
were thinking that all the ties of the
past are as frail as cobweb strands, are
nothing stronger now than thread of
mist--like that up there" She raised
her eyes to one faint line of cloud that
lay upon the sky.
"Yes," said Ferrier, drowsily, as one
who is under a spell, "but how does it
happen that you know?"
For pSNyar 81 a turna6 ba. ayas
him. After which that happened
which happened iii Heaven once; ssiere
was silence for the space of half an
hour, or rather less, perhaps.
blackbird, FURNISHED and glowing
I'LL it's wings and breast flashed prism
hues again, lighted among the pink
branches of the oleander-trees and
preened its wings and considered them.
A mocking-bird sang from far away in
the heart of the orange grove Then
Fsrrier spoke at last, "Why should it
matter to either of u.s." he said, that
there has been yesterday"
Her hand was lying upon the bench.
4 His own closed gently over it, and she
n did not draw away. He drew her closer
n to him, so close that it lay, at length,
n against his shoulder, the head with the
q glinting brown hair. He looked at the
lips. They were warmly red, and it is
II with lips even as with wine, there is
4 danger in looking upon them when they
n are red.
n There was cheerful human whistle,
N the scrunch of clumsy feet upon the
IN gravel of the walk. The bell-boy from
N the hotel-glaringly out of place in his