Jacqueminot Roses

It all carne about in thia wy. Of course it was wicked, and outrageous, and uusrrateful, and all tliat. hut, t.hpn ff was so sudden that she really did not know what had happened. And then, why in the world should the professor object to Adrián, in whom there was neither spot nor flaw? The man sellishly wanted to keep the cliild himself, and after, the deluge. Yes, it came about in this way : He had adored her so long. At first at such an awful distance - "the desire of the motil for the star," her Uncle Redmond used to cali it in his evil waj ; but another person might liave said it was the pure ardent passion of a young soul for its counterpart. And certainly that exquisito being, so fair, so frail, half lutman, half seraühic, wasonlythe counterpart of this flery, turbulent boy, for all the vehemenee_ of bis impulses, so noble and so lof ty in his ideáis. Of course no young girl of Ella's age could have looked at his face, could have heard his voice, and not have feit a strange attraction, for his beauty was as extraordinary as the sweetness of his tones. "Beauty I" growled the Uncle liedmond, when some ene said so. "He looks like the cluld of an oigan grinder. Doubtless lie was fllched by some padrone from some peasant." "And what of that?" said the Aunt Redmond, f ully in favor of the affair. "Some people might prefer to be children of ltoman peasants, with all thflir Bomao hiatqo: aml aut'cstry benina tnem, rather than to be the olul dren of paryenus here." HTO0ral-lUUlcl!" ,.-- H. mulv ) customary one in such a case, But little did Ella care wliether those long black lashes darkened the eyes of Roman or Saxon- they were Adrian's eyes, lier lover's, the only eves that had ever looked into her s, aiidthelight of the world was m them. It was not his beauty, af ter all, thattouched her heart; it was his personality- hhnself. . As for Adrián, he had seen the girl coming into church, had met her at uilege festivals, had watched her walking in the gardens. He knew her name. and often strolled under her Windows; once, indeed, he sent a band there to breathe out music in the soft dead dark of the night, and Uncle itedinond growled something about throwing the Revised Statutes at their heads. till the aunt propitiated him by wondering if the serenade were on account of his great work on the Civil Code. But all this was at a distance. He had not dared reproach her; had not dreamed of following her. But eme sunset, in crossing a public square, with the shadows of trees darkening the walks alinost to twiight, he saw her moving hurriedly alung just bef ore him, themselves the only people to be seen on the square 'She does not touch the earth, she floats," he said, But as he thought ït a dranken creature started f rom the shadow and reeled up, leering into her face, while she shrank back with a slight sudden With a bound Adrián was there: his arm feil, and the offender assuredly touched the earth, whatever Ella did not. Then he bent with bare head before her half an instant, stood aside tor her to pass on, and folio wed again, only at a respectable distance. She was coming down the steps f rom the Presidents reception when he next saw her, lier uncle waiting for her below- her aunt seldom going out in the college society. President Rex al ways gave rather gorgeous receptions though, so far as tiowers and music went; he feasted the spiritual part, at any rate, for the rest, let weak tea and ltmonade go as far as they would. Flowering plaats lined the passage and stairways; and as in her pearly guazes she descended all alone into the dark, she looked to him, ascending, like the spirit of the flowers and of tlie music behind her. She held a spray of white roses in her hand. She never knew what made her -she thought of Ltafterward, shocked and horrilied at herself, at her want of maidenliness and modesty, and her face reddened, and her tears started in the tonely night- but she held the spray of white roses, and gave it him with an enchanting snuif, and went down as he went up. And he- he also never knew what brazen boldness, what wild daring, possessed him when he stepped to her side as she walked home trom church next day, and said : -May I give you my name in exchange tor yourrose?" " And although he had but introdueed hiniself. he somehow took to her words, and in a wild, eager, silent way, considering himself engaged to her from that moment, whether she wei e engaged to him or not; and grown bold thenceforth, lie always called her in his thoughts, his Rose. One day, speaking with her- for alter thatday they of ten met- he called her aloud, and she was in no wise startled; it carne so naturally, aa if she had known, of course, that the sun was going to rise, and this was the first rosy gleam of dawn. Yet followihg it eame little alterations of joy and terror. "Perhapa he would not have dared to cali her so," she thought, in her shamefaced humiliation, "if I had not been go forward. Perhaps he does not respect me, aftr all." And theu, in spite of the trouble, her heart would bouöd with gladness tothink that sii had given him the spray, to think he bad called her his Rose. It was winter as they carne to that, and the skaters were making merry. She had come down to the lake with her uncle, who was a f amous skater ; had bound on hor skates.and slid away with him ; liad left him to tighten a strap, had lost him, and had found by Adrián, and together they liad glided away ; and then the late afternoon reddened into sunset and purpled into twilight and they were skating up the streani, and leaving all the cries and fires and flashing forma behind them. IIow soft and fresh was the vigorous air! how rich the violet of the gatbering night! how great theglow of the wind-shaken stars! ïTow it was 110 longer hand in hand that they went, but his arm was about her! they swept out on long curves together.and moved as if the pulses of ene heart impelled theiii ; ana now tííey turnea tne corner ol a oma ; now, rar out of sight of all the world, they paused, and there, in the wintry dark, they were folded heart to heart. and mouth to mouth. If the snows had fallen around theip there andclothedthem with a garment of death, if the ice had parted under their feet and plunged them into the drowning waters, they would hardly have asked any more. Their passion wrapped them, solike Depanira's robe of llame, from all the frostlness of death, that the coming of eternity apon them in each tüers arms, would have seemed btit its sacramental tseal. And suddcniy a iuil-. Huarse er uiokh in upon the sphere where they were resting - thegreat rough voiceof Professor Redmond, and Ella was snatched from Adrian's grasp, and a dozen, stinging words were whirled at him, and the uncle had carried her off as the wind carries off a feather. Adrián skated back alone. He scoraed to move till the Professor's heels cutting the ice could be heard no more. Where had all that splendor of the night gone ? It was the darknesa and coldness of desolation now. He took a terrible grind at mathematica that night, and the next day presented himself bef ore the professor and asked of him thepromise of his niece in marriage, only to receive in return the flattest and curtest and most insulüng of orders never to darken those doors again. "For all that," said Adrián, stoUtly, "I shall marry my wife." ïhe professor looked at him and barst hito a fnrious, roaring laugli. "Tooral-looral!" sang the professor, "liegone!" lie thundered. The winter wore away at last, and if the professor kept the Rose from her lover, he could not keep the color from her velvet cheek if she was near the glow from the darkling eyes il she were there, the smile forgetful of all tlie rest of creation, on the lips of bot.h. He would have been glad to mark hini out of existence, if marks could have ■p-rnn ii ahí. í)J' hi í'.oIIppta p.-x istexico at any rate; but the boy gave him no chance, he deserved no repriraand, and -- uvi he tortured into shape for him. He stuuicu . - - . . - - ■ "■ He covered himself with laurels- all the more he would rather they had been roses. " Who is the beggar'i" the professor growled, one spring day, when they met him in the square again, and the bare-headed silent reverence ended, he hadpassed on without greeting. "Who is the beggar ?" growled the uncle Redmond, "to whom you choose to give a glance when I forbid it- I. who stand in your dead f ather's shoes ? A fishing merchant's son, indeed! One miglit suppose that, reared as you have been, the verv thought of such connection would smell to heaven." "He never touches fish, said KU&, feeling obliged to answer, altliough if lie had been a fisherman on the Barador coast, it would have made no diflerence with her. "He sits at a deskin a eounting room, miles away from the warehouses, and his elerks write in booka all day. And Adrián will do so, too." "He is rich, then, I suppose? "ishe?" she asked innocently. "I never thought, indeed." "He is not rich enough to have you, , was the reply." " Yes, únele, lie surely will, said the timid thing, solemnly, with her heart in her mouth, but ready to die tor her faith. Then something in Greek exploded, loud and angry, irom the professor's throat; and he never again let his ward out of his sight when he has crossed the threshold. Love laughs at locksmiths without doubt; but this locksmith was very skillful. It was almost midsummer, and not one word had Adrián heard from the lips oí his ltose, and letter after letter had been returned to him unopened. But his ardor was unchanged ; his love burned with the satne white name. although there were only smiles and glanees to feed the fire. And now at last the college life was drawing to a close and Adrián was the class poet. Peihaps his passion had warrned genius into life ; there had never been such a poem uttered before ; but no other poet had had those tender yearning eyes before hiin with the tears suspended in them, that face so like a flower in the fresh dew. "More organ grinding," growledtke professor. The lovers met in the press, for one instant, not long afterwards. as that portion of the exercises ended. And when he left her side a great bunch of rd roses was in her hand, the mostdelicious dewy rosea, whose perfume swept around her like an atmosphere. But the professor had relieved the guard. His lynx eye caught sight of a white gleam ainong the roses. He took them suddenly out of her hand, abstracted a little note, and gave the tlowers back to her. Then he Blipped the note into his coat pocket. It is a pity tne protessor did not read that note before next day. This is what was w-ritten there: "My Rose.- if your aiïection lor me is all it was, is all that my adoring love for you would claim, youwill hold these roses in your hand to-night as you enter the reception-room of Kex. If at any time in playing the Landler waltz, or when it is playing 'Little Buttercup,' you lift these sweet ro:ses to her sweeter face, and bury your face there for one long moment, I shall know that you can no longer endure this tyranny that parts us. My horses will await us at the gate, and when you are my wife, neither professor or ancle, nor any one on earth can part what ttod has joined togetlier." But he didn't read it. There wa not the moment j ust then; somebod or gomething occupied his time exclu sively; and when he might havs rea it Ii6.had changed his coat and could not (ind it. Being a little lamp ■■■ feslrog ooiigea Doactcua iiie receptiou of tlie college president, unwtlling to lose a moment of hls watch, he could not easily delégate, he ordered a carriage and a pair to take liim to old Rex's gate, and stamped up the stairs with his precióos prize before him. Was anythingevei lovelier than this visión in the doorway, with the shaggy old Professor Redmond behindherï 80 ethereally fair- the corn-silk hair, the eyes like starry violets: it was the impersonatlon of girlhood and of innocence. With a huge cluster ot creamy white roses pinned in her bell just above her heart, in their centre a red one blooming like the live sweet secret thought breathing in the heart beneath, and in her old pearl colored draperies, she would have seemed ready to nielt back into the outei twilight world, like the spirit of the evening star iteelf, but for the great Uuutli Of j.iwj'itniinot roooa in he] hand. What did she know of hei lover's wish? Jfothincr. He had given these roses to her ; he would be here ; of course she wore his flowers. The old President Rex had as good an eye for beauty as any undergraduate of them all; and although the young class-day poet was receivingan ovation, he left him in order to welcome this perfect creature who had just come to the parlors out of fairyland. Just then the band was softly playing the Landler waltzes, old Rex was over-povvering lier with flattering opoccii ; one inusic was enchanting; there stood Adrián before with his eyes shilling f uil upon her although across the room - she could not bear it at all. Absently she lifted that bunch of roses, and buried her face in all Lhat blaze of calor and delirium of fragrance. The next moment Adrián slipped from tlie room. She looked for him presentí jT, but he was gone. And although they staid but an hoor it seemed to her an endless period before slie stood at last upon the step in the dark and perfumed sumnier night, with the wretched tears of disappointment getting leave to overflow upon the roses that she held so near her Cace. lier uncía carne limping along behind her. "Professor Redmond's, cárriage," called a servant. "Here !" shouted a reply. Then a hand was helping her up the step, a whip was cracking, horses wer plunging, her uncle was yelling inti the universe, Adrian's arrns were about iier, she was resting on his breast and ;hey were dasldng madly away. "You ire here, you are mine," he was muttering between his kisses, "never to eave me again. You exchange one lailor for another." Before she well knew what had occurred, what it meant, slip "■■- -■--. ing in olBigymans stnoy ; papers ot some sort were being scanned, a kind, silver-haired lady was giving her a ni of water; words were being hurriedly uttered, to wMeli if slie replied slie did not know it. Somebody pui into her hand a slip that he called a to her by anotrter -iiímb"iy spoke name; the kind lady had kissed her, and she was out in the dark, sweet summer nights ag;iin ; was in the carriage whirling away and Adrián was holding her and calling her his wife. "Are we married?" she gasped. "Am I truly your wife?" And then she burst into a flood of tears. "And I've nothing but thisgauze gownl' she cried. "And your Jacqueminot roses, said he. So that was the way it all happened. I know that by this time the professor has forgiven it all ; he can't do without her. But the aunt Redmond had a sorry time of it for a week. "I don't blame himat all," declares Adrián. "JM have done the same in his place. I wouldn't have given her to the archangle Michael, let alone the son of a üshing merchant, if themerchant were ten times a milli naire, and the son ten times nearer a professorship elf." The professor has had the little atal note glazed and framed and hung p in nis den, but he has never yet een able again to endure with equanmity the sight of Jacqueminot roses.