Year: 1879

on the lawn in her white gown, strolllng
to lean over the SEE, or filling her arms
with flowers; but it would have been ont
OF the question to go to her then; and
late at night, if / fingered till others had
departed I was harrasssed by Mrs. Rit-
tener, who knew nothing of any relation
between us, and who disapproved OF a
poor artist while there was such party
to be had as young De Luyster, the
wealthiest young bachelor of New York;
or as the old Count Montmorenci, who,
fascinated lv the beauties OF America,
was about TO give his ,jeatnesee elouisee,
his title, castles, jewels, and all the re
mainder," to any one among them who
CHANGED to be lovely and adroit enough
to take his fancy; of Mr.. Burleigh, the
great pork contractor, who owned half
Illinois: or a score Of others III fact, to
the tired experience of each OF whom
Stella was like some spirit wandering out
of strange land, just ALT for moment
among them. / knew in my heart that
Stella was faithful to her love, bnt all of
this disquieted and kept me in turmoil;
and there was no one of all the sultors
that so filled me with disgust rs De Luy-
ster


Utterly worn ont i'll the fierce pursuit
of pleasure as he was, and knowing all l
did about him. to sec him address my
little girl was proclamation; and when L
furiously watched them in the waltz, the
light touch of his hand seemed sacrileSe.
For some inscrutable reason, or rather
from my very reverence for her, L could
not speak freely to her Oh the matter; [
could not even harbor the idea of making
him The subject of second thought in
her innocent mind. Ii glances could
have killed the man, he would have been
stabbed to death; the rest / endured In
silence.


And it asked for endurance, to see her
flashing by beside De Luyster rs he
drove his four-in hand; to see her stroll
ling with him in the moonlight, and
pausing III the pauses of the music to
listen to the murmur of the sea; to see
him hand her to the deck of his yacht as
If she were its queen-no matter if a
crowd were with them, it always seemed
to me then that she was there on the
wide sea alone with him.


It was concerning this accursed yacht
that all the trouble came. Mrs. Rittener
and her retinue Of youths and maidens
were to go out with De Luysier sailing
along the coast some days. His yacht
was his last pet fancy. She had spread
her wings and flown across the Atlantic
in [ don't know how few days, and from
truck to keelson she was altogether per-
feet. Doubtless | could have gone along
had [ chosen, but there was not forces
in nature sufficient to have drawn me on
board the Flight.


''Not goingl" cried Stella, coming
down to me in her blue yachting dress
and broad hat, with the fair hair waving
round her sweet faca-a sea nymph III
disguise.


'Certainly notH' I said. "And I
should greatly prefer that you also re-
manned at home"


81 % she cried in gay astonishment.
why, how could I, dear? [ couldn't
you know. The sail is given for me.
wish you would CO."


$50 !" answered her in scorn.


She looked at me in amazemont.
"Why do yog. speak so ?" she asked.


"What right has that man to give the
sail to you THAT" | paused, remem-
bering myself.


'sPlease tell me what you mean" she
said, gently.


81 mean nothing except to insist that
you shall not join that party"


cit is absolutely impossible for me
not to DO So" she said with little gasp.
"If you had spoken before; but now
now it would be rude and unkind, and it
would not even be decent; and then you
know how Mrs. Rittene-"


"Confund Mrs. Rittener What do l
care for her? I care for you. | won't
have you compromised by this fellows
addresses. | will not have the good
name Of my future wife"


"You future wife can take care of her
own good name," said Stella then, softly
and gravely, with lovely dignity that
for moment quelled me. 81 can not
see,' she resumed breaking the short
silence, the surprise not yet all gone from
her eyes, "why You will not go yourself.
Just think how perfect 1t is, DEAR" and
her face began to kindle, sweeping out
under the great white sails in the sun
shine, beneath blue sky and over blue
sea, with music and dancing and the
glorious wind-and sunset ut sea-and
the little young moon sailing along be-
side US; and then the starlight, dear,
when the dark is over head and under
meath, and we seem to be floating sus-
pended in mystery And then at last,
the sunrise, after the dawning, all pur-
pie and rose, and all the dewiness of
morning at sea. | was out once with
Mrs. Rittener. Oh, darling, do come ~


Never p cried, like The brute I was,
II
everything else as / thought of her with
shat wretch in all those seenes-never
And if you persist in going, l warn you
now, that it is the last request I shall
ever make of you. 1 shall leave the
place, and | shall consider everything
between Us at an end - And before
another word could be said, Mrs. Rite
ner and De Luyster and Florence and