Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-01-25

I see in our colder cline, where scarlet
and purple flowers grow wild and lux
uriant, where the vines trailed their
slender branches, and the green myr-
ties grew tall and wild. Grounds
where, in the midst of a grove of
orange tres, one caught sight of stat
ues of rare beauty-a Hercules, a
Cupid with his bow, a Venus full of
seductive beauty, Apollo with godlike
proportions. There, under the spread
ing shade of large sycamore trees,
chairs and seats were placed; where
the pale, passionate magnolia flowers
blossomed, a chair and stand for read
ing had been stationed.
Every visitor who came to Florence
made point of calling at the Villa
Pisani; the guide-books all pointed it
out as one of the show places of Flor
ence the Beautiful.
One bright morning in August, when
when the rich, glowing loneliness of
the summer had reached its height,
ad the grounds of the villa were one
bewildering mass of fragrance and
bloom, a lady stood looking, with a
| far-off glance, over the Arno to the
hills beyond. Near her grew a gladi-
Olus, all scarlet and gold; the bees
had buried themselves in bells, hum
ming for very JOY in the bright sun
shine; the blossoms around her were
musical with the songs of the nightin-
gales. She herself was beautiful as a
poets dream; but there was an ex-
preston of WEAKNESS on her face,
shadow in the violet eyes, a nervous
compression of the sweet. tender lip,
that was not in harmony with the sun
shine.
Lady Violante has gained in beauty.
and yet she has lost.
The slender, girlish figure has de-
veloped into perfect beauty. She
looks now like the ideal of a young
wife and mother. There is, too, a
deeper gold on her hair, fairer flush
on her face, and yet something has
died out of her loneliness that is never
youth. and the hope are gone; in their
place has come an expression of pa
tience-half of fear, as though she
lived in the habit of depressing every
thought and every word.
Her dress was simply perfection; of
white shining material, that falls in
deep, graceful folds, and is fastened by
band of FURNISHED gold. She wears
ne matronly headdress; the golden
hair falls in ripping waves over the
fairest neck and shoulders that the
world ever saw.
As she looks across the Arno there
steals over her perfect face an express
sion OF unutterable sadness. The per-
fumed air and the singing birds bring
no gladness to her.
A few minutes more. and Lord Wv
ian Joined her.
still looking for Rupert, Violante?"
he asks. How much trouble you give
yourself over that child. He is six
years. old now, remember. You can
not expect him to spend all his time
in the nursery"
She sighed Like all mothers, she
knew the time must come when her
nursling would take flight and pass
from her gentle, tender care; yet she
dreaded the time She longed to keep
him, to shield him from all the
dangers that would beset him; to keep
him TO Heaven and herself
Then her face frightened, and a
beautiful. color flushed even her brow,
"a beautiful light flashed in her eyes;
for. far off, amid the tall myrtle trees,
she heard the clear, ringing voice of a
child.
There is Rupert" cried Lord Viv.
IAN That is Beatrice with him."
Then by the golden gladiolus,
through the grove of silver-howered
orange trees, comes a woman whose
beauty is as gorgeous as a passion
flower in the sun; a woman with
face that would have charmed a
Titan, with its glorious coloring; her
dark, radiant eyes. straight brows,
and magnificent features, her clips
like crimson flowers" her marvellous
loveliness gladdening all who looked
upon It. A woman whose every move
ment was full of imperial grace and
dignity for Beatrice Leigh was in the
springtide of her life, and nature had
lavished every charm upon her.
She made a superb picture as she
passed the shimmering orange trees,
and Lord Vivian's eyes frightened
with admiration. With one white
hand Beatrice held fast the little
finger of a child, evidently a naughty
and somewhat refractory child, for he
seemed most unwilling to comply with
her wishes.
Where was he, Beatrice?" asked
Lord Vivian, as she came nearer.
Il will tell you myself, papa" cried
the young heir of Selwyn.
You have been lost for more than
two hours, Rupert" said Lord Vivian,