Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-24

/ y
ther on. 1 fancied Raffies was listen
ing to it while he paused. He SHOOK
his head abstractedly when 1 handed
him the cigarettes. and his tone here
after was never just what it had been.
II don't know, Bunny, whether you're
a believer in transmigration Of souls.
1 have often thought it easier to be-
lieve than lots of other things, and
have been pretty near believing in ii
myself since / had my being on that
villa of Tiberius The brute who had
it in my day. if he isn't still running it
with a whole skin. was or is as cold
blooded backyard as the worst of
the emperors, but have often thought
he had lot in common with Tiberius.
He had the great, high, sensual Roman
nose, eyes that were sinks of iniquity
in themselves and that swelled with
fatness like the rest of him, so that he
wheeZed IL he walked yard; other
wise rather a fine beast to look at,
with a huge gray mustache, like n fly
ing gull, and the most courteous man.
| ners even to his men, but one of the
| worst, Bunny, one of the worst that
| ever was. 1t was said that the vine
yard was only his hobby If SO. he did
his best to make his hobby pay. He
used to come out from Naples for the
week ends-in the tub when it wasn't
| too rough for his nerves-and he didn't
always come alone. His very name
sounded unhealthy-Cor 1 sup
| pose / ought to add that he was a
count. though counts are two penny
in Naples and in season all the year
| round.
| HE had little English and liked to
air it upon me. much to my disgust.
/ If could not hope to conceal my ma
| tionality as yet, at least did not want
to have it advertised, and the swine
had English friends. When he heard
| that was bathing in November, when
| the bay Is still as warm as new milk.
| he would shake his wicked old head
and say, You are very audashuss-
you are very audashussY and put on no
end of side before his Italians. He had
pitched upon the right word unawares,
and 1 let him know it in the end.
But that bathing. Bunny. 1t was
absolutely the best / ever had any
where. 1 said just now the water was
like wine. In my own mind 1 used to
call it blue champagne and was rather
annoyed that 1 had no one to admire
the phrase; otherwise 1 assure you that
l missed my own particular kind very
little indeed, though 1 often wished
that you were there. old chap. particu-
larly when I went for my lonesome
swim first thing in the morning. when
TIE bay was all rose leaves. and last
thing at night, when your body caught
-, H.. b. A
good enough life for a change, a per-
feet paradise to lie low in, another
Eden until
My poor Ever
And he fetched sigh that took away
his words; then his jaws snapped to-
gether and his eyes spoke terribly while
he conquered his emotion. pen the
last word advisedly. I fancy it is one
which 1 have never used before in
writing of A. J. Raffies, for cannot It
the moment recall any other occasion
upon which its use would have been
justified. On resuming, however, he
was not only calm, but cold. and this
flying for safety to the other extreme
is the single instance of self distrust
which the present Achates can record
to the credit of his impious Aeneas.
II called the girl Eve" said he. Her
real name was Faustina, and she was
one of vast family who hung out in a
hova on the inland border of the vine
yard. And Aphrodite rising from the
sea was less wonderful and not more
beautiful than Aphrodite emerging
from that hole. i
1T was the most exquisite face 1
ever saw or shall see in this life-ab-
solutely perfect features, skin that
reminded you of old gold, so delicate
was its bronze; magnificent hair, not |
black, but nearly, and such eyes and |
teeth that would have made the for
tune of u face without another point. l |
tell you, Bunny, London would go mad |
about a girl like that. But don't be- |
lieve there's such another in the world. |
And there she was wasting her sweet |
ness upon that lovely but desolate lit !
tie corner of it. Well, she did not |
waste it upon me. 1 would have mar
ried her and lived happily ever after |
in such a hovel as her people's-with |
her. Only to look at her-only to look
ut her for the rest of my days-I could
have lain low and remained dead even
You about that, Bunny. Cursed be he
who tells morei Yet don't you run
away with the idea that this poor
Faustina was the only woman I ever
cared about. l don't believe in all that
only rot. Nevertheless 1 tell you that
she was the one being who ever entire
ly satisfied my sense of beauty, and 1
honestly believe 1 could have chucked
the world and been true to Faustina for
that alone.
1--WE met sometimes in the little tenn
pie l told you about, sometimes among
the vines, now by honest accident, now
by fragrant design, and found ready
made rendezvous, romantic as one
could wish, in the cave down all those
subterranean steps. Then the sea
would call us-my blue champagne, my
rt- linz cOha1f-and fbaro tyac ho |