The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-05-22
UNTIL SEVENTY
TIMES SEVEN. "


M UUNu the mum Tain AVAN A-A
shading her eyes with her hand
the better 10 watch the figures Of
two men who were slowly climb
iEg the steep ascent = the little
Swiss farm far up the mountain
side. And as Lisa watched her
heart was in a utter Of excite
meEt; first because Ludoyie0 was
one Of those two men and she vas
engaged 10 Ludovieo and bis com
ing meant all that could break
the dull mOnotony Of her seelrbAed
life; next because with LidoEieo
came his friend, Rudolph a BaVar-
ian and a singer of whom she had
heard so much bur had never yet
seen To Ludovico Rudolph was a
paragon among men and the good,
simple-hearted Ludovico sang the
praises Of his friend to Lisa till
she was half in love with Rudolph
without ever having seen him-
LudoTic0 with all his erudinon.
-erudition which had gained for
him at last an appointment in the
College at Geneva,-was yet so
ignorant Of a maiden's heart that
he did not hesitate TO bring this
wonderful friend, whose whole at
! mOsphere seemed TO breathe Of
romantic charm, TO stay with the
vain susceptible mountain beauty
who had given all there was Of her
shallow affections TO the earnest
student simply because a mar
riage with him meant freedom for
her. Not that Ludovico so read
her assent to his ardent suit, far
from it; be ideaIised her in all
things and around her image he
created a halo of fair thoughts
1t was surely an iii omen that
Lisa's first look rested on Rou-
dolph and as she noted the well
formed figure, the graceful poise
Of the head, the classical regular
ity of the features, the crisp curl
ing chestnut hair, the laughing
blue eyes so full of life and pleas
ure she recalled the description Of
Ludovico when he had said that
Rudolph might have sat for a mod
ei itothe Greek sculptors. Andfrom
bis face her eyes travelled almost
reluctantly TO the honest, kindly
face Of Ludovico with his dark
eyes ard olive skin and features
that were almost hOmely save for
the bright kindly smile which
lightened the intense earnestness
of his expression.
And then the eyes Of Lisa and
Rudolph met for one brief mo-
ment and the girl blushed and
lowered hers with the thrill of a
strange newborn fear, and the
man sighed and said TO himself,
'Iudovico was right, she is beau
tiful enoCghto be the heroine Of e
poets dream. Why, alas!'is she
already the promised bride of Lu
dovico?"
And Ludovico;-Ludoyico wa
so happy in the great news Of his
appointment and all that il meant
TO him, that he was blind,-blind
as a mole in sunshine.
So Rudolph the Singer, and Lu.
dovico the learned who with al!
his learning knew so little Of the
mysteries Of love- and Lisa the
vain coquette, restless and seek
ing ever for excitement that she
never got, all played with fire and
told themselves, each in the secret
communion of their own hearts,
that there was no danger, for
we're not Rudolph and Ludovico
as brothers and was not Lisa the
betrothed Of Ludovico.
And then there came a long
bright afternoon Of sunshine
which was to live in the memories
Of Lisa and Rudolph for ever,
when those two sat under the
flOwer-cIad porch alone, with the
soft pure petals Of the blossoms
futtering to their feet with every
passing breeze, and the veil fell
from the eyes Of both and each
knew that the other loved. And
that night Lisa sat up till day
broke watching the silent stars
and thinking, thinking, always, as
lisa in all her frivolous life had
never thought before. And Ru-