Year: 1879

ing to the insults beaped upon the gen.
tie " Enid" through the jealousy OF r
husband, she closed the book, saying
angrily:


That poem always proves too much
for my patience %


All | but, If you want those brave
knights of olden times, you will have 10
wink at such exhibitions OF their lordly
requirements, and drop your modern
woman's rights idess. 1t seems they
exacted something in return for their
wonderful deeds of chivalry."


There was an air of ssrcasm, a quiz
zicsl tone, that nettled her; but she
concealed the feeling, and said, laugh
ingly:


" You and | cannot discuss this ques'
tion without quarreling. Suppose we
drop tp'


"A1d go you are not going to finish
Enid p" He reached for the closed
book. Do you ever read Maud p"


"Yes. But why do you like such
sentimental nonsense p


He turned to it and read the part
commencing:


"Come into the garden, Maud,


For the black bat, night, has flown"


She had never heard him read before,
and glad pleasure filled her heart to hear
her tavorite poet so correctly and finely
rendered rs he went on
"There has fallen a splendid tear


From the passion flower at the gate,


She is coming, my dove, my dear


She is coming, my life, my fate"


Frederetta comprehended that this
man understood more fully than she this
exquisitely wrought description of the
grand passion that sways the world as
the rich, mellow voice glidtd over the
stanzas, and a heart vibration quivered
in the words as he ended:


"She is coming, my own, my sweet,


Were it ever so airy tread,


Ny heart would hear her and beat


Were it earth in my earthly bed,


Nv heart would hear and beat


Had it lain for century dead


Would start and trembe under her feet,


And blossom in purple and red"


"There he said, find me a finer
piece of sentim ment than that. You know
the sudden transition the poem makes
from this brightly wrought ecstasy OF
passion to the depth of wild despair.
One catches rare glimpse of the ex.
tremes of happiness and misery in a
human soul. But can never iu ly de-
scribe the feelings which some parts OF
this poem stir within me-"


His face was flushed now; she had
never seen him moved to such enthusi-
asm. She did not know that apart from
the inspiration OF the poem the wine OF
love had made summers in his veins.


Day had melowed into twilight and
they in turn, had darkened into cool,
dewy night Calm and pure the moon
shed her silvery light upon husned
nature. The home OF Frederetta was
hushed into repose. The flowers slept
with dropping heads under the soothing
influence of the goddess of night, from
which the odorous kiss of the sun should
awaken them on the morrow. No sound
broke the stiffness. save the chirp of the
cricket and the occasional note of night
bird


Just as the clock in the hall strikes
the midnight hour bright, lurid square
OF light suddenly flames out in the
darkened space where the houses throw
their shadow. The windows of large
room on the second floor are one broad
sheet of flames. Next to the room on
fire was the one occupied by Everett Rey.
nolds. A premonition of danger, such as
often comes to us in peril, awakened him
suddenly from hissumbers, and dspringing
from the bed he glanced out OF the win
dow. Hastily dressing, he rushed into
the hall, crying:


"Fire Firel"


At once all we're aroused and the Gus
tomary wild confusion ensued, the ser
wants and family rushing about to ascer-
tain the locality and extent of the fire.
II WAS soon icund that no earthly power
could stay its course All that could be
done was to hurry and ssve the most
valuable articles.


Frederetta, in loose wrapper and
unbound lair, with the rest, acting
under the calm direction of Everett
for even the master of the household
seemed psrslyzed- and the servants had
begun to carry out the things of least
value, with the strange Inconsistency so
often displayed in such cases. The fire
gained rapidly, but so sctive had all
nsen under the direction OF the incident,
careless man, now for the first time
.honibg bis superiority, that nesrly
verythiug Of value had been removed