Amador ledger., 1904-01-15
! AMARYLLIS
By MARTHA
McCULLOCH-WILLIAMS
Copyright, 1903, by T. G. Mcclure


Outside it was raw and gusty, with
white, high lying clouds scudding SO
thickly across q pale sky that only
wan and watery sunshine strained
through the breaks between. Inside
there was the balm Of May, especially
in the south parlor, where 1 knew I
should find Myrtilla.
Myrtilla is tall and twenty, with a
child's foot and turn of the head and
neck that would become an empress.
She has coral red lips, fine, straight
nose olive skin, dark almond eyes,
heavily lashed and ndded, and low,
straight brow, deeply shadowed by
dusky floss silk hair In virtue of all
this she reigns as a queen over most
men. We had been engaged until two
weeks ago-to be exact, until the date
of the Verinews' ball and the episode
of the Grantley girl.
The ball is ancient history now; be
sides, it has really nothing to do with
Grantley girl at 4 a. m.-to fling myself
into tweeds and set forth upon a
weeks journey. Coming home from
it, 1 found my table numbered with
my letters to Myrtilla down to the
most fragmentary note-those of the
last week unopened-my ring, my
books, a bracelet or two, the locket
with my picture and litter of those
idiotic things one sends at Christmas
and Easter and on birthdays. 1t was
this litter that saved me from utter
despair l reasoned that if Myrtilla
had cared enough for me to keep it all
this time she could not give up caring
for me in a moment
Still, 1 knew there was a tough job
ahead But I did not dream she would
go to the length of refusing to see or
hear me or even to listen to my side of
the case through Aunt Bah, most tact.
full of Intermediates. Her people back
ed her, too-all but Dicky. Dicky is
fifteen and owns the distinction of be-
ing the only thing in trousers Myrtilla
has found herself unable to subjugate
l cannot fatter myself that Dicky's
advocacy Of my cause was wholly dis
interested. Dicky has q fine taste in
terrier pups and relish for stolen gal
lops on my hunters At home he is al
lowed nothing more hazardous than a
steady going cob. However that may
be, it meant a lot to have any sort Of
friend at court. Otherwise, how should
the hall door have swung open at my
approach? The servants had strict or
ders to shut it civilly in my face.
'She's in there. 1t beats me why you
want her, why you want any girl, when
you've got heaps of dogs and horses"
Dicky said, grinning, as 1 shot past
him. "She's been real hateful polite;
no good for even a fight this whole
week." Dicky's voice pursued me down
the hall
The SOUTH parlor is square jut, open
upon three sides to the sun, with walls
more than half windows, iron barred
outside and full of green growing
things within. There is big fireplace
Myrtilla stood in front of it, her eyes
intently fixed upon the smoldering logs.
At my entrance she started ever so lit
tIe, turned her head the least bit and
Kept on staring in the fire.
"Myrti!la." | ventured irresolutely,
my hand still Oh the doorknob.
She sat Gown and took up her en-
oroidery, her face still further averted.
Then | knew | had won half a point.
If she had been as angry as she be-
iieved herself to be she would have
marched away with her nose In the air.
| began aSain formally, ''NIiss Grey"
but stopped short. She had begun to
whistle ever her work softly, medita-
, lively, as though she knew herself to
be alone.
Something happened then. am nei-
ther poet nor romancer, but my ranging
eye saw in the south window a crea-
ture of tropic charm, slim and tall,
green gowned as a wood nymph, with
wonderful golden tawny eyes and a
crown still more wonderfully red AS
| went to her she shivered and set all
her green gown fiuttering defensively,
but paid no heed to it, only said joy
0usly, barring my head:
"Amaryllis! You are a real godsendl
was never so glad to see any one in
all my life"
Myrtillas head came around so that
| saw her profile out of the tail of my
eye. | fancied she stared, but dared
not make sure of it. My wood nymph
barely nodded; her tremors were all at
rest. 1 bent toward her low enough to
look into her golden tawny eyes and
ran on:
what have you done to yourself? =?
You are so beautiful, so strangely, so
rarely beautiful, it makes me desperate
that did not keep my heart for you,
or, rather, it would make me desperate
If hearts were things that could be CIV
en- or kept at will"
Certainly the wood nymph stared !;
the golden tawny eyes looked at me
unwinking. Myrtilla's head had turn
ed little more. Her lips were the
least bit parted, as though her breath
came hard. 1 Strengthened and stuck
hand in my pocket as added:
'"The pity of it! There's true heart
gone to wastel True hearts are none
so plenty, Amaryllis."
Certainly they are not" came scorn-
fully from the fireside. I affected not
to hear and went on manfully:
1--WE played and lost-lost so mis-
erahly Listen-then tell me If you
think I quite deserve what I am get
tingY
II am going away" came family
from Myrtilla's chair, but Myrtilla her
self sat still and even made q pretense