The San Francisco call., 1904-03-06

ment OF distaste and irritation against
his second daughter. who had sup
planted In his home and in the worlds
regard his elder and fairer child.
The carriage turned in through
lofty gate and rolled at q slackened
pace up a long winding drive. Jacob
Shackleton's Msnlo Park estate was
one Of the snowy ones of that gathering
place Of rich mems mansions.
The road wound for some half mile
through a stretch of uncultivated land.
dotted with the forms of huge live
oaks. The grass beneath them was
burnt gray and was brittle and slippery.
The massive trees, some round and
compact and so densly leaved that they
were as impervious to rain as an UNI
brella, others throwing out long,
gnarled arms as II spellbound In some
giant throe of pain, cast vast slanting
shadows upon the parched ground.
Some seemed, like trees in Dore's draw
ings, to be endowed with a grotesque.
weird humanness of aspect, as though
an imprisoned dryad or gnome were
struggling to escape. causing the
mighty trunk to bow and writhe, and
sending tremors of life along each con-
marked them all. due to their own
richly subdued coloring and the long
garlands of silvery moss that hung
from their boughs like an eldrich
growth Of hair.
A sudden greenness in the sward and
brilliant glimpses of f1ower-beds
pieced in between dark tree-trunks,
told Of the proximity Of the house. 1t
was a massive structure, architecture
ally ugly but gaining sort Of majesty
from its own ponderous bulk and from
the splendor of lawns and trees about
1t. The last level rays Of the sun were
now flooding grass and garden, piercing
bosky thickets where green's melted
into greens, and sleeping on stretches
OF close-cropped emerald turf. From
among the smaller trees the lordly blue
pines-that with the oaks were once
the only denizens Of the long rich val
ley-soared up, lonely and somber.
Their crests, stirred by passing airs,
emitted eolian murmurings. infinitely
mournful. as If repining for the days
when they had ruled alone.
At the bend in the drive where the
road turned off to the stables Shackle-
ton alighted and walked over the grass
toward the house. The curious silence
that is so marked characteristic Of
the California landscape wrapped the
place and made 1t seem like an en-
chanted palace held in a spell of sleep.
Not leaf nor pendent fiower-bell
stirred. In this hour Of warmth and
stiffness evanescent breaths of fra
GRANGE rose from the carpets Of violets
hot hoU RI hInOro a ah0IIt
the roots of the ffve-oaks.
AS. he reached the house Maud and a
young man came round the corner and
approached. him. The girl was dressed
in a delicate and elaborate gown of
pale pink frilled with much lace, and
with the CLINT of falling ribbons gleam-
ing here and there. She carried a pink
parasol over her shoulder, and against
the background of variegated greens
her figure looked modish as fashion
plate. It was very becoming and ele-
CANT costume, and one in which most
young girls would have looked their
best.
Maud. who was not pretty, was the
type Of woman who looks least we'll in
handsome habiliments. Her irremedi-
able commonness seemed thrown into
higher prominence by adornment. The
softly tinted dress robbed her pale skin
of all glow and made her lifeless brown
hair look duller. She had round, ex-
pressionless face, prominent pale blue
eyes, and a chin that receded slightly
She was not so plain as she was with
out vivacity, interest or sparkle of
youth. With her matter-o man
ner, heavy figure, and large, unani-
mated face she might have been forty
instead Of twenty-one.
She was somewhat laboriously CO.
quoting with her companion, a tall,
handsome young Southerner, some six
or seven years her senior, whom her
father recognized as one of his supe-
rior clerks and shrewdly suspected Of
matrimonial designs. At sight of her
parent a slight change passed over her
face She smiled, but not so spontane-
ously; her speech faltered, and she said,
coming awkwardly forward:
"Oh, Pepper! you're late to-day; were
you delayed?"
Evidently, considering I'm an hour
later than usual. Howdy, Latimer;
glad to see you down."
He stopped and looked at them with
the slightest inquiring smile. Though
he said nothing to indicate 1t. both.
knowing him in different aspects, felt
he was not pleased. His whole person
ality seemed to radiate a cold antagon-
ism.
Its good you got down anyhow" /"
said Maud constrainedly; this is much
nicer than town. isn't it, Mr.. Latimer?"
All the joy had been taken out of
Latimer by his chiefs obvious and
somewhat terrifying displeasure. Had
he been alone with Maud, he would
have known we'll how to respond to her
remark with Southern fervency Of
phrase. But now he only said with
stiff politeness:
"Oh. this is quite ideal!" and lapsed
into uncomfortable silence.
WAS It some one interesting that
made you late?" queried Maud, as her
father made no attempt to continue the
conversation.
Very he responded; handsome
and interesting"
Wont you tell US about them?" the
girl asked, feeling that the word
aha ndsome" contained a covert aII1,sior