The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-09
CHATTER II.-(ContinuedO

the Shru Dbery Wnere td4i trees rose le-t
a small radiant area of illumination
like that OF a lime-light in JheateT,
its brilliancy intensified by the DARK
foliage behind. II was open TO view
only from the bench by which she
stood. and appeared. indeed. ike the
stage Of a little theater, a stage occu-
pied BY a bizarre figure. For, IN the
center of this shining patch, with the
light strong on his face, was standing
a fair-haired young man. dressed IN
yellow coat, a scarlet and white SlTlp-
ed waistCoaI. wearing Jauntlly cooked
black hat on his head. And even 10
the last detail, the ribbon laces above
the ankle and the gold buckled shoes,
he was the sketch of Georges Meilhac
sprung into life
About this slender figure there hung
a wan sweetness like fine mist, al
most an etherality in that light; yet
IN the pale face lurked something
reckless. something OF the actor. too;
and though his smile was gentle and
Wistful. there was a twinkle behind II,
not seen at first. something amused
and in pish. small surprise under
meath. like q flea in q rose-jar.
Fixed 20 the SPOT by this apparition.
Miss Betty stood wildly staring. her
sIrainins eyelids showing the white
q bove and below the large brown iris.
until. between her parted lips it be-
came v0CsI in q quick sound like
SOB. Al that he spoke
Forgive me- The voice was low,
vi5ral-- and 50 exceedingly musical
That II might have been accused OF
coolly selecting his best tone. and IL
became only sweeter when. even more
softly in q semi whisper, OF almost
crucial pleading. he said, "Ah-dOn't
80 away
In truth. she could not go: she had
been TOO vitality stirred: she began %
Iremble excessively. and sank back up
on tle bench. motioniug him away
with vague gestures Of her shaking
hands
ms was more than the Incroyable
had counted upon. and far from his
desires he started forward with an
exclamation.
Don't come near me- she gasped.
who are you2 Go away"
Give me ore second TO explain" he
began. but with the instant reassur-
auce Of this beginning she cut him of
short. her fears dispelled by his COM
rnonplsce. Nay. Indignation displaced
them so quickly that she fairly flashed
Up before MIN to her full hight.
You did not come in by the gate,"
she cried What do you mean by COM
ing here in that dress2 What right
have you in my garden?''
Just one word" he begged, quickly,
but very gently. You'd allow street
beggar that much,"
She stood before him, painting, and,
as he thought. glorious, in her flush or
youth and anger. Tom Vanrevel had
painted her incoherently, but richly, in
spite OF that. his whole heart being in
the portrait; and Crailey Gray had
smiled at what he deemed the exagger-
=
able man who had fallen in love "at
first sight" Yet, in the presence of the
reality. the Incroyable decided that
Tom : cOlors had been gray and hum
bic II WAS not that she was merely
lovely. that her nose was straight and
her chin deXtsr0usly wrought between
square and oval; that her dark hair
lay soft as a shadow on her white
brow; not that the trembling hand she
held against her breast sprang from a
taper wrist and tapered again to the
tips Of the long fingers: nor that she
was of that slenderness as strong as il
is delicate: not all the exquisite regu-
larity OF line and mould. nor simplicity
Of color. gave her that significance
which made the Incroyable declare to
himself that he stood for the first time
in the presence of Beauty. and that
nov he knew the women he had been
worss TO call beautiful were but pretty.
And yet her beauty, he told himself,
was the least Of her loneliness. for
there was a glamour about her 1t was
not only the richness of her youth
but there was an ineffab bic exhalation
which seemed 10 be made partly OF
light. partly Of the very spirit of her
and. oddly enough. partly Of the scent
Of the little fan that hung by ribbon
from her waist. This was a woman
Ike a wine. he felt, there was a bOu-
cuet-
In regard 20 the bouquet of the
young man himself. il ne possessed
one. IL Is pertinent 10 relate that al
this very instant .he thought skipped
across his mind 0il1e the hop Of a flea
in a rose-jar) that some day he might
find the moment when he could tel
her the truth about herself-with a
half-laugh-and say: The angels sem
their haloes in a sandsl-wood box Il
be made into a woman-and il was
you"
IF you have anything to say foi
yourself. say ii quickly" said Miss
Betty.
You were singing a while ago" he
answered. somewhat huskily, and
stopped on the street to listen: then
came here 10 be nearer. The spell OF
your voice He broke of abruptly tc
change the word The spell Of tho
song came over nett is my dearest
fayorite-so that I stood afterward in
in the silence. The stolen heart, like
the gathered rose. will bloom but for
a day" I did not see you until you