The Irish standard., 1908-05-02
CHAPTER XIX.
A1$pAA Dau. The E1ASl>s

CHAPTER XIX.
Alfred Pays the Fiddler.
Clarifying daylight had not brought
Alfred an easy conscience the morn.
ing after the banquet. The spell Of
the fair sprite he had held in his arms
the night before had been broken with
the setting of the lop.sided moon. And
Stella, standing on the railroad plat
form, wise in staying away from him
till that morning. strong in her re-
solve which he could feel but not de-
fine-it needed but this attitude to re.
call the ardor Of his love for her, more
insistent as she grew more remote.
Alfred wrote at great length to Stel-
la, making bad matter worse by his
too ardent defense of Amabel, and by
self.condemnation that did not ring
quite true. The reply to this letter
disclosed to him a hitherto unknown
Stella.
More than a second time he read it.
He knew now that he could never do
ceive her. She would always know his
inmost heart. She might uncomplain.
ingly bear neglect after marriage.
coldness; but she would never for
give him if he married her with less
than the whole of his love.
The middle of October found Alfred
in Placerville, where had been sent to
purchase for the company large
amount of fish-joint iron originally
bought for the Placerville road. When
the river end of this road, the Sacra-
mento Valley road, fell into Central
Pacific hands, iron was no longer use
full to the defunct San Francisco and
Washoe. which was to have taken over
all track to Placerville. Yet, "Any-
thing to beat the Central Pacific" was
still the cry; and Alfred had need of
all his discretion; for the opposition
would never knowingly sell rails to the
Central Pacific company.
II have a delicate errand here" he
wrote toward the close of long let
ter to Stella, "that may not tell you
Of further than to say l am making
as much haste as possible. hope to
be one of the passengers to Virginia
City on the day the Placerville Stage
company has set to snow under the
Dutch Flat and Donner Lake State
Company's schedule. If so, l shall
complete my business there and be
with you two days later. Ill telegraph
the day leave Virginia.
"By the way, Cadwallader is here,
ostensibly looking up laborers, which
is about all the company gives him to
do lately. He is very cordial, and
claims to know of a secret big deal;'
q mine in Nevada, that he wishes me
to join him in exploiting. I'm sus-
some good men with him, and I may
look it up.
But here is the cream of my letter
for you, dear-for us. l am to have
handsome percentage of any money
that 1 can save the company in this
enterprise now pending. If the busi-
ness goes as it promises, the day when
may say Come will be a long leap
nearer"
Closing words we're penned from a
flood of tenderness that carried over
mountain and vale, and we're still
warm on the page when they met
Stella's eye.
In her favorite hillside nook,
wrapped about with the fruity fra
GRANGE of autumn, Stella read and re-
read Alfred's letter, and unused upon
the vague plans for the future that
now occupied her mind. Nothing
definite had come to her; but her
growing determination to improve her
self was augmented by a tormenting
vision Of little woman in blue, light
and dainty. where she herself was
heavy; vivacious and quick, where
she was slow; charming, where she
was dull. Stella wished she were
small, delicate, timid-a hundred
..s..::axs she was not: yet she was sen.
sihle enough to. know that assuming