The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-14

Meantime Rene de Ronville had de-
livered Madame Roussillon's letter with
, due Dromptness. OF course such a
service demanded pie and cIaret. What
still better pleased him, Alice chose to
| be more amiable than was usually her
custom when he called They sat to-
/ gether in the main room of the house
where NJ. Roussillon kept his books,
his curiosities of Indian manufacture
| collected here and there, and his sur
plus firearms, swords. pistols and
knives. ranged not unpleasingly around
1 the walls
OF course along with the letter. Rene
/ bore the news. so interesting to him
self, OF the boats tempting cargo just
discharged at the river house. Alice
! understood her friends danxer-feft it
| in the intense enthusiasm of his voice
and manner. She had once seen the
men carousing on a similar occasion
| when she was but a child, and the i'm
preston then made still remained in
/ her memory. Instinctively she resolved
to hold Rene by che means or another
| away from the river house, if possible.
| So she managed to keep him occupied
7 eating pie, slipping wateredi claret and
chatting until night came on, and Mad
anne Roussillon brought in a lamp.
Then he hurriedly Snatched his cap
from the floor beside him and got up
to go.
Come and look at my handiwork,"
Alice quickly said; my shelf of pies.
/ mean" She led him to the pantry
where dozen or more of the cherry
pates were ranged in order. Il made
/ every one OF them this morning and
/ baked them; had them out of the oven
before the rain came UP. Don't you
| think me wonder of cleverness and
! industry? Father Beret was polite
I rob, e.
Just eat what you want and say moth
ing! You are not polite. Monsieur
/ Rene de Ronville.''
I've been showing you what I
thought of your goodies" said Rene;
eating'S better than talking, you
know; so I'll just take one more" and
he helped himself. Isn't that COM
pliment enough?"
"A few such would make me another
hot days work" she replied, laughing
Pretty talk would be cheaper and
more satisfactory in the long run.
Even the flour in these pates 1 ground
with my own hand in an Indian NOR
tar. That was hard work, too
By this time Rene had forgotten the
river house and the liquor. With
softening eyes he Sazed at Alice's
rounded cheeks and sheeny hair over
\ which the light from the curious
earthen lamp she bore in her hand
! fiickered most effectively. He loved
her madly; but his fear of her was
| more powerful than his love She
gave him no opportunity to speak
What he felt, having ever ready a
quick, bright change of mood and
manner when she saw him pIucking
| up courage to address her In a senti-
mental way Their relations had long
been somewhat familiar which was
but natural, considering their youth
and the circumstances of their daily
| life; but Alice somehow had kept a
| certain distance open between them
so that very warm friendship could
not suddenly resolve itself into a trou-
blesome passion on Rene's part.
| We need not attempt to analyze a
young girls feelings and motives in
such a case; what she does and what
/ she thinks are mysteries even to her
/ own understanding. The influence
| most potent in shaping the rudiment-
airy character of Alice Tarleton (called
! Roussilion) had been only such as
lonely frontier post could generate.
| Her associa tons with men and women
i had with few EXCEPTIONS been I'M
profitable in an educational way, while
her reading in NJ Roussillon's little
library could not have given her any
| practical knowledge of manners and
| life.
She was fond of Rene de Ronville.
and it would have been quite in ac-
cordance with the law of ordinary hui
man forces. indeed almost the inevita-
bic thing. for her TO love and marry
him in the fullness of time but her
/ imagination-was oufseeSxing her sur
| roundings- Books had given her a
world of romance wherein she moved
| at will, meeting a class of people far
! different from those who actually
shared her experiences. Her day
| dreams and her night dreams partook
much more of what she hao read and
| imagined than of what she had seen
| and heard in the raw little world
around her.
] Her affection for Rene was inter-
| fered with by her large admiration for
! the heroic. masterful and magnetic
knights who charged through the ro-
manees of the Roussillon collection.
For although Rene was unquestionably
brave and more than passabiy hand
some. he had no armor. no war horse,
no shining lance and embossed shield
the difference. indeed, was great.
Those who love TO contend
against the fatal drift of our
: age toward generalization could
; find in Alice Tarleton, foster daugh-
ter of Gaspard RoussiIIon, print
! tive example. an elementary case in point.
! What could her book education do but
| set up stumbling blocks in the path of
| happiness? She was learning to prefer
the ideal to the real. Her soul was de-
veloping itself as best it could for the
enioyment-of conditions and things abso-
! lutely foreign to the possibilities of her
4 lot in life.
! Perhaps il WAS the light and heat of
| ina ginatiOn. shining out through Alice's
4 face which gave her beauty such a fas-
| cinating power. Rene saw it and felt its
| electrical stroke send a sweet Shiyer
! through his heart. while he stood be-
| fore her.
/ you are very beautiful tonight, Alice, =
he presently said, with a suddenness
which took even her alertness by surprise
| A flush rose 10 his dark face and i'm
| mediately gave way to "A grayish pallor.
! His heart came near stopping on the in
! slant he was so shocked by his own OAR
/ ing: but he laid a hand on her hair strok-
| ing il softly.
Just a moment she was at loss. look
/ ing a trifle embarrassed then with a
merry laugh she stepped aside and said:
| THAT sounds better. Monsieur Rene de
| ROnvilie, much better; YOU will be as
! polite as Father Beret after little more
training.