One Day

enska and Opal Ledoux spent that most delightful of voyages on the Lusitania. They were not often alone. They did not need to be. Their intimacy had at one bound reached that point when every word

trait of character-each unfolding that particul

eir intim

the Boy enjoying himself. He knew his chances for

rplexed, but he saw no chance, and in

t he kept his thoughts to himself, hiding his annoyance, and h

ple thrown together for a time, and yet no one could fail to realize the undercurrent of emot

outh. They talked of life, with its shade and shadow, its heights and depths of meaning, and altogether became very well acquainted. Each day anew, they disco

or him. To be sure, he had known that, subconsciously, the first time he had heard her voice. Now he knew it by force of re

weakness and defeat, her utter freedom from petty malice or spite. Rail at life and its hypocrisies, as she often did, she yet felt the tragedy in its pitiful shor

righteousness closely about us lest it become contaminated. Perhaps we couldn't! Why? Because our temptations do not happen to lie in that particular direction, that's all! But we are all law-breakers; not one keeps the Ten Commandments to the letter-not one! Attack us on our own weak point and see how quickly we run up the flag of surrender-and perhaps the poor sinner we denounce for

he whole creed

had become, they yet knew compara

s and ends of conversation. But beyond that, she had no idea who he was, nor whence he came. She would not have been a woman had she not be

d not put aside-and he grew to associate this shadow with the continued presence of the French Count, and his intimate air of authority. Paul knew not why he sh

yes flashed at the girl, and he noticed many. He saw Opal wince s

Paul

ought, writhing in secret rage. "How can she permit it? If she were my-my sis

hough conscious of the double barrier between them, tried to forget

n the spring-time o

girl as he had never talked to an

thought and emotion, a facility of speech which he had never known. She stimulated every faculty,

vitable command of Fate! All Nature seems to tell me at times that there is a purpose in my living, a

laughed, "as wild

ams! It was a dreamer who found this America you are so

fatalis

to a greater or a less extent,

say, Paul, about the power of the h

. I'm not the same to-day, at all. An

l-what makes Fate? I have always been taught

elf, after his own pattern-but after all, Opal, that is Fate. For what we are, we put into these world

ve so many noble

e grew trouble

ave taken a hand in the game and my theories are cast aside like worthless

e ever,

otence of the human will to make life just what one w

superstitious, Paul? Do you know that opals bring bad luc

the bad l

he sm

piquante, captivating face, her dark, lustrous, compelling eyes, her significant gestures, which despite many wayward words and phrases, expressed only lofty and majestic thoughts! Her whole regal little body,

mpare her, even in his own thoughts, with a king's mistress? He meant

ied that

moral' in the present day, but they possessed power, marvellous power, over men and kingd

ue deliberation, "I'll risk the

I

alw

ittle love-tale, they say-just the thing for two to rea

hair, heightened all the little glints of red-gold till they looked like living bits of flame. Oh the vitality of that hair! the i

ver them both as they followed the fate of the unhappy

th a quick thrill

n," Paul whispere

they looked, and ag

she faltered, a real fear in h

"It's true-too true. R

Paul. It

d it, Opal, and

and, and read until the sun was smilin

the waves, and the fury of the maddened spray wa

se I, too, am capricious and full of changing moods. If it is tender and caressing, I respond to its appeal; if it is boisterous and wild, I

ience a cyclone," said the Count,

d she did not smile. "I echo yo

oked, and list