The Golden Fleece: A Romance

ccurred some years before the era of transcontinental railroads: they were in the air, but not yet bolted down to the earth. The g

ut inquiringly into the Antarctic solitudes, as if it scented something questionable there. The speediest route, though open to strange discomforts, was by w

moustache of a lighter brown than the visage which it decorated, a lean, strong jaw, and a muscular neck. His forehead, square and impending, was as white as ivory in comparison with the face below; his hair, in accordance with the fashion introduced by the late war, was cropped close. But what especially moved Miss Grace were those long, lazy blue eyes, which seemed to tolerate everything, but to be interested in nothing,-hardly even in her. Now, Grace could not help knowing she was a pretty girl, and it was somewhat of a novelty to her that Freeman should appear so indifferent. It wou

nd bearing of an American school graduate. She was, in deed, noticeably artificial and self-conscious in manner and in the intonations of her speech; though it was an aesthetic delight to see her move or pose, and the quality of her voice was music's self. But Freeman, after due meditation, came to the conclusion that this was the outcome of her recognition of her own singularity: in trying to be like other people, she fell into caricature. Freeman, somehow, liked her the better for it. Like most men of brain and pith, who have seen and thought much, he was thankful for a new thing, because, so far as it went, it renewed him. It pleased him to imagine that he could, with a word or a look, cause this veil of artifice to be thrown aside, and the primitive passion and fierceness behind it to start forth. He allowed himself to imagine, with a certain satisfaction, that were he to make this young woman jealous she would think nothing of thrusting a dagger between his ribs. Reality,-what a delight it is! The actual touch and feeling of the spontaneous natural creature have been so buried beneath centuries of hypocrisy and humbug that we have ceased to believe in them save as a metaphysical abstraction. But eve

d country towns all look like sisters. The Asiatics, of course, are much more sunk in type than the Anglo-Saxons; and they show us the way we would be going. Only, there is hope in rapid transit and th

ing to California

her dead by disease, by violence, or by misadventure, or had barely escaped with life and a shattered constitution. Freeman, after emerging from the miasmatic hell and lake of Gehenna, had taken a succession of baths, with soap and friction, had been attended by a barber and a tailor, and had himself attended the best table to be found for love or money in the charming town of Panama. He had also spent

llow moustache with the thumb of the hand that held his Cuban cigarette, gazed with narrowed eyelids at the horizon, and for some time made no reply at all. Finally he sa

ust be the nature of a mystery attaching to a handsome man, unmarried, and evidently no strang

lifornia, I suppose?" she said, wi

lieve I have," F

y lived t

ally heard from a person in Panama. I

had time to get

d a smile. Grace was, in some respects, as transparent as she was subtle. So long as the matter in hand did not touch her emotions, she had no difficulty in maintaining a deceptive surface; but emoti

mposure. "But that won't make any differenc

ong since yo

at least it se

ance, but kept his profile steadily opposed, and went on smoking with

e always seemed to care so little about anythi

. "My affections are not given indiscriminately

y to explain. I'm sure I'm very far from wishin

y heart, you know, for at least six months. And though you and I haven't known each other long, I be

ve so far forgotten myself as to lead you to think me likely to appreciate anything of the kind. I assure you, Mr. Free

drawing another cigarette out of his bundle, a

dee

begun to have a little friendly feeling fo

any insults, sir. I have n

inating a woman as I have ever met; but of course you can't help being beautiful and fascinatin

which, a little while before, she had been sketching heads of some of the passengers in her little notebook. She was now handling this inoffensive object in such a way as to justify

alk to me as you are doing, when you have just told me

perplexity. "I must say I don't understand you," he observed, at len

ut words, perhaps not. But

he only woman who has bee

Fre

el

re engaged-married, for aught I know-to a w

Freeman had interrupted h

now flushed all over her f

urch of the vessel) pulling her into her seat again, "and listen

ask the c

nt with Professor Meschines, who used to teach geology and botany at Yale College, when he and I were students there. The professor had come over partly for the fu

his to do with

I am not going to marry him. I am not engaged to him, he is not beautiful, nor even fascinating, except in the way of an elderly man of

ped in her lap. She raised her hands and covered her face with them. She re

out with animation, "I believe you did it on purpose!" Finally, she sank back again, with a soft laugh and sparkling eye

r the apology, kissed it, and

ittle goose?"

ly are," rep

hold my han

to withdraw y

t doesn't fo

l, exquisite apology as this,"-here he lifted the hand, looked at it critically,

re dangerous. You ar

vey: won't you

I c

it easier if I were

s Miss

to change so soon? When I look at you, I see your n

m going to change my

e you ta

snatched her hand away and

are beautiful, Grac

making fun of me! B

es have you b

s to be engaged to

the world are men enough to be a match for you. But what have you been

onsense we are talking! But what you said

t is

fessor Me

is a most matter-of

, there were two boys there,-it was a boy-and-girls' school,-and t

tand that," p

fell in love with her, and quarrelled with each other, and had a fig

dn't marry

a childish affair, and

who got t

one who got thrashed is

essor! And he has remaine

mself in the Mexican war, and married a Mexican woman, and the Meschines boy became a professor in Yal

I trust. Is this West-Point

e's a widower, but he has a daughter--

e like

ever seen her, or Gen

y is like you, Grace. Now, will you

you're rather e

at she had never made Harvey tell what was really the cause of his coming to California. But she, on her side, had a secret. She