Maruja

r's will further bequeathed to her his entire property, after payment of his debts and liabilities. It was given in recognition of her ta

otives where there is disparity of wealth. Had Mrs. Saltonstall been a poor widow instead of a rich one; had she been the Doctor's housekeeper instead of his business friend, the bequest would have been strongly criticised-if not legally tested. But this combination, which placed the entire valley of San Anton

with a certain dull, pained vacancy of perception and an expression of frightened bewilderment which also went far to establish his reputation as an unconscious seer and thaumaturgist. "Thou seest," said Sanchez to the partly skeptical Faquita, "he does not know more than an infant what is his power. That is the proof of it." The Dona Maria alone did not participate in this appreciation of Pereo, and when it was proposed that a feast or celebration of rejoicing should be given under the old pear-tree by the Indian's mound, her indignation was long remembered by those that witnessed it. "It is not enough that we have been made ridiculous in the past," she said to Maruja, "by the interference of this solemn fool, but that the memo

er?" said Maruja, with a sudden impression of

nded of the mutability of their hopes by Koorotora's bones and the legend. But with the explosion of this idea of a primal curse, like Eve's, on the property," added the Dona Maria, with a slight bitterness, "thou mayest have thy citas-elsewhere. Thou canst scarcely keep

n, my mother," sa

d preserved. That is what I meant, silly one; this Cap

looking down with an air of embarrassed thoughtfulness, which

not know that I shall object to her liking for Raymond. He is very clever, and would be a relief to some of thy relatives. He would be inv

upid as a gentleman could be. I wonder that he has not blundered in other things as badly as he has in preferring me to Amita. He confided to me only last

the Doctor's?" r

et, little mother. I could even bear that Amita should precede me to the altar, if the exigencies of thy 'business' require it. It might also secure Captain Carroll

disappearance of Maruja's slightly rebellious shoulders, and added to herself, "And this is the child that Amita really believes is pining with lovesickness for Carroll, so that she can neither sleep nor eat. This is the

party that drives over to see the wonders of Aladdin's Palace to-day? It would

he day he was disrespectful to my mothe

enses, child, it is much more crushing to forget than to remember. As long as he has not the presumption to APOLOGIZE, I see no reason why thou mayst not go. He has not been here since t

a. "He will not say what passed betwe

d not be reminded of it. Fear not but that he will b

ect of being unaccompanied by Captain Car

I think I have shown it once or twice before for your master. Indeed," she added, turning to her party, "I have been already complimented on my skill as a cicerone." After a pause, she continued, with a slight exaggeration of action and in her deepest contralto, "Ahem, ladies and gentlemen, the ball and court in which we are now standing is a perfect copy of the Court of Lions at the Alhambra, and was finished in fourteen days in white pine, gold, and plaster, at a cost of ten thousand dollars. A photograph of the original structure hangs on the wall: you will observe, ladies and gentlemen, that the reprodu

the threshold; the fan fell

tessellated pavement, he came forward, picked it up, and put it in her rigid and mechanical fingers. The party, who had

the crowding grain in the San Antonio field. But here he was appareled and appointed like

manner in his half-resentful sidelong glance. "I hear that you offered to dispense with my services, but I knew that

had seen at Dr. West's was equally distinct. The silence became embarrassing. Two pretty girls of the party pressed to Ami

a slight wave of her fan, "this is Mr. Prince's private secretary. I believe it is hardl

by him, taking her companions to the other end o

and? We leave a picturesque tramp at the edge of a grave; we pass over six weeks and a Bridge of Sighs, an

s, "but if you were really clever you'd find out what it a

" said Raymond, slipping Amita's arm through his.

awn to allow the party to precede him before he returned to the other building through the conservatory, which he was just entering. In turning quickly to escape, the black lace of her over-skirt caught in the

heir ungloved hands touched. Maruja stopped in her efforts and stood up. He continued until h

d: "You are thinking, Miss Saltonstall, that you have seen me before, are you not? Well-

tter-which you seem to have found-you didn't care

tuitous kindness-at whose grave I afterwards met you. I foun

proachfulness that seemed to arraign her, with the rest of the world, at the bar of his vague resentment, held the delicate fibres of her sensitive being as cruelly and relentlessly as the thorns of the cactus had gripped her

as the intention of my employer, Mr. Prince, to introduce me to you and your mother. I suppose he considers it part of my duties here.

Maruja; "but you have the advantage of us-

would have given worlds to have recalled her words. But he said, "That's so," quietly, and turned away, as if to give her an opport

r.

said the

rince has said nothing of introducing you to

hers with a sudden f

quickness in her breathing and her speech which was attributed to the same grave reason. "But, only

said Maruja

private

c secretary," s

re. Since then Prince has been so interested in him-it appears he was somebody in the States, or has rich relations-that he has been telegra

es

em abst

m hu

rlier than at home. Aladdin would f

vagueness, as if the possibility w

to see the mysterious unknown

hem with a large maternal

ully this act of the daughter, which rehabilitated him. It was with more than his usual extravagance-shown even in a certain exaggeration of respect towards Maruja-that he welcomed the party, and made preparations for the dinner. The telegraph and mounted messengers were put into rapid requisition. The bridal suite was placed at the disposal of the young ladies for a dressing-room. The attendant genii surpassed themselves. The evening dresses of Maruja, Amita, and the Misses Wilson, summoned by electricit

ity at him while he was eating, and was relieved to find that he used his knife and fork like the others, and that his appetite was far from voracious. It was his employer who was the first to recall the experiences of his past life, with a certain enthusiasm and the air of a host anxious to contribute to the entertainment of his guests. "You'd hardly believe, Miss Saltonstall, that that young gentleman over there walked across the Continent-and two thousand odd miles, wasn't it?-all alone, and with not mu

Prince some things which he seems to think interesting to others. That is all. To save my life on one occasion, I was obliged to show myself as good as an Indian

the less thrilling that he did it reluctantly, and in much the same manner as he had answered his father's questions, and as he had probably responded to the later cross-examination of Mr. Prince. He did not tell it emot

g the guests testified to his powers as a caterer to their amusement,

Carroll, who knows all about Indians, isn't here to have enjoyed it

who, lost in some intricate pattern of her Chinese plate, was appar

, and said, gently but audi

ne had not that delicate straw line in the a

ing up the plate. "What eyes you have,

question fall with a half-parting salutation on Guest as she rose. It was the first exchang

om a few especially rare exotics. When Maruja received hers, she said, laughingly, to Prince, "Will you think me very importunate if I ask for another?" "Take what you like-you have only to name it," he replied, gallantly. "But that's just what I can't do," responded the young girl,

a spot of blood drawn by one of its thorns. He

iving," he sa

w that," she retu

-wh

rude to

wi

of La Perdida; once in t

, only saw in you a beautiful girl intent on overriding me with her merciless beauty. A

ty in the selection," she said, pertly. "But since when have you gentlemen become s

respect," he returned, brusquely. Then, in a

n you came here this afte

or Dr. West-my m

ry becomin

ething better than that; he said mourning was not necessary for me. I h

ty as he is fortunate,

parently simple question that Guest looked in her eyes for a suggestion. What he saw there for an

said Guest, i

ht to be?" she found

of this profound silence a voice that was like and yet unlike Maruja's said twice, "Go! go!" but each time seemed hushed in the stifling silence. The next moment the palms were pushed aside, the dark figure of a young man slipped like some lithe animal through the shrubbery, and Maruja found herself st

and tradition, seeing with her father's clear eyes the practical meaning of any divergence from that conventionality which as a woman of the world she valued, she returned again and again to the trembling joy of that intoxicating moment. She though of her mother and sisters, of Raymond and Garnier, of Aladdin-she even forced herself to think of Carroll-only to