Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-24

+o itself wings ard vanish in thin air
What? Ga without seeing her once alone
without tEankiLs he" for her KIND thougn'
90 him, her mission, CT m1nistratlon 10 Ills
relative In his absence? 1t would be a
truly u,henrti-of thing to do. He even
chose to forget me swiftly advancing mar
riage--the betrothe,i lover who was doubt.
tnss now up6n the ocean, speeding as fast
as steam cou.I bring him to make SWEEP
Posey his. Nothing weighed nothing
counted, beside Ciandonalds strong, over
towering desire t. look upon her race. 70
toucn htr Land again. to have her clear
eyes search the r. cesses OF MS soul.
In two words, he had come down on ms
high horse and was now madly anxious tt
get Inside tho Rene des Fees garden on
tn, chance OF finding Miss Wfnstaniey sit-
ting alone In the spot INDICATED Dy ms
nun. as her favoritr retreat at that hour
of the day-the orange walk, near the
fountain with the broken-nosed Triton.
Il was one of the most secluded spots
about the grounds. he remembered ANY
thing might happen there and the fnhabit
ants of the villa be none the wiser for 1t
What good fortune IL he should have the
luck to find her aicne and undlsturDeo IN
this sequestercd nook! And even II miss
C,arsfn,rs should be with Posey. he would
trust to her Woman's tact TO leave them
alone for little talk. q.
W;-h an ertful afsee tation of going to-
ward the towi.. he proceeded to stroll down
the walled street for a bit. then turning.
doubled on his tracks and went in at the
large gate OF the Villa Refine des Fees. in
curing Of the woman who sat In the vine
weathered doorway Of the lodge playing
dominoes with an Old. oid man A., ana h Mno
"the ladies'" were at home. Upon receiving
from her a smiling assurance that she
knew them to be somewhere about the
grounds since her husband. the gardener.
had lust then called to Miss Winstanley
where she sat in the orange walk. to re-
ceive some orders about new flower bed.
bowed thanked his informant. and took
i,is way to the desisnated spot.
Clandonald had regained his boytsh beau
ty after SO many days In the saddle and
nights under the stars. His complexion
was we'll with healthier blood. the bag
gard look had fed from his eyes. his mag
heart beat like q schoolboy's beneath .his
summer hannels. AZ he walked on with
q rapid. springing step. he brandished In
his hand Makila stick OF tough Pyrenean
a single rounded pebble. and having ut the
lower end an iron spike-one OF the danger
Gus canes fabricated by the Basque peas
ants. dear to the heart o. northern ; spain
ana left hanging by its leathern loop In
his aunts entry, where, as relic Of her
nephew, 1t was religiously preserved. His
hat. of fine Panama braid. shaded his eyes
from the too-glaring ardor of the Provincial
sun after the middle Of the day.
The gardeners wife, looking after him,
smiled appreclatively. She knew bis hard
luck story. and. like everybody else, hoped
that Clandonald had at last emerged again
from under the shadow OF the undeserved
cloud OF Ruby Darien. When he had dis
appeared behind the shrnbbery.T and was
well out Of hearing. the good woman curv-
ed her hand around her mouth and re-
marked to her ancient sire. in a patois hard
for an outsider to understand, that she
hoped at last the Bon Dieu was going to
make up to this poor young Milford for the
troubles He had sent to him-juat. for all
themselves!
Clandonald did not notice her further, nor
other inhabitant Of the enchanted garden
than himself. until he arrived> through a
fiowery arch directly in the presence Of