The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-12-10

1
be wondered at, as young girls very fire.
auently find themselves in this position.
| She is betrothed to poor young mana
workman; we will say he is-a gardener.
| Well, these two-the girl and her lover
cannot marry yet, because they are by
no means in suitable circumstances; for
she is quite as poor as he. All, they
must be content TO waltz
| He paused and regarded her with a
curious smile She looked up, her eyes
sparkling with fresh-streaming tears.
| 'Ah, monsieur! you are telling me
| my"
The good marquis kissed her.
| Il am telling you about two people
whom / once knew, my child. l will pro-
coed. Our young gardener, we will say,
| goes away; and the girl, who meets with
| some slight change of circumstances dur
ing his absence, continues to remember
| him. But for some reason, which is,
doubtless, in this case, an extremely nat
ural one, she neglects to inform certain
friend, or friends, of hers, that she has
promised to marry this young man. For
this neglect she presently begins to re-
proach herself. Now, listen again, Rose;"
and he grew quite serious; IF this young
girl-if you, Rose, had been really about
to bestow your hand upon a poor, low
| born peasant, who had no desires, no as
pirations, above his condition; if you had
become the bride of such one, and for
saken us and our love and care for you,
after we have all been so happy here to-
| gether, and cast away from you all that
| belongs to you in your present position;
| had suffered that finer mind, those quick
| sensibilities, that loftier, that more ele-
waited and refined nature, to mate with
| the coarse, gross, blunt composition Of
mere tiller of the soil, rude, uncultivat-
| ed peasant then, my child, confess that
| it would have been a bitter, bitter thing
| to me. 1t would have been the hardest
| blow this heart has borne for many a
| long year, Rosev' And his voice grew
| husky, and faltered, and the tears, de-
| spite his manhood, gathered in his eyes.
Il have learned to love you, my darling"
| he said, with fathers affection. l had
| little child once, Rose, and l lost her.
| You seem to bring to my mind what she
would have been; you grow more like
| that ideal daily--hourly. You have taken
her place in my heart; you are dear to
me, Rose, as she would have beenv'
He clasped her tenderly to him; and
| the young girl, most deeply touched by
| his words and manner, wept silently up
on his breast.
But, my child" he continued, when he
| had become calmer, lit was no clown
whom you promised to wed. You have
been always sensible of that"
"Oh, yes, monsieur she responded,
raising her head and speaking earnestly
seriously. robin was different from
those about him. He was better-mOre
noble than they. He was" She broke
off in the midst of her words, blushing
and confused at her own animation.
what, then. will you say, if / assure
you that Robin himself told to me the
greater part of it all, and that OWNED
only very little bitch, Rose?' he ask
ed.
robin, sir? ah, then you have seen
him. said Rose, with hardly suppressed
joy.
"Quite lately" he returned, pleased and
amused at her innocent betrayal of de-
light.
MAY ask when it was, monseur?"
"It was yesterday; nay-I have seen
him as lately as to-day"
To-day? ah. then, he is very near!'
and with her eyes bent to the floor, as
in meditation. Suddenly raising them,
she asked: Where was it, monsieurW
TOO many questions, Rose" laughed
the marQuis-"too many questions.
must keep his whereabouts a matter of
secrecy for a short time"
"Ah, monsieur said Rose, gently, and
with pretty air of depreciation.
Iii - xx,.I IL
no harm. Wait till tomorrow, only to-
morrow. and l will tell you where he is;
nay, more-you shall see him. You will
grant me until then?'
Willingly"
"Now you can easily tell how guessed
at the object of your errand thither to-
| night"
"Since Robin told you all about this"
she said. with slight and charming
blush, you must have had little difficulty
in divining my purpose, when, at your
questioning this morning, l acknowledged
that it was to say to you something i'm
mediately connected with myself that /
desired to meet you here"
Exactly, Rose" said the marquis,
gaily. We'll my darling, we have made
our confessions-have we not? and they
were not such terrible confessions, after
all. Robin, honestly declare to you,
like, and am proud of. have invited
him here tomorrow. But, Rose" and he
took her hand in his, ''you must not ex-
pect to behold the linen blouse and SER
viceable garments in which you were
| probably wont to see him. Robin is no
longer a gardener, and, therefore, you
must anticipate quite an alteration in his
| personal appearance"
How ?-no longer a gardener, mon