Carrington's Picture

The picture hung over the fireplace nnd hnd a fascinition for me forwhirh I could ucver account. It vrasn't by any nieans a work of nrt. Bertie Carrinjrton liad painted it wlth liis own hond, and Uertie, at best, was only a socoiid-rate amateur. It wasn't, tben. its artistic merits, yon perceive, and vet I enteréd Camnïtoii's rooms without drawing my chair in front of tliat rudo productipi) :n oil, an4, staring at it throujrh the smoke of my mePi'sohaoiu by the liour togothcr. Tlie picture was this : A spacionB, sunlit sea, lyinsf like gilded ainss beneath a pky of cloudless ultramarino. A hnpn black ship rrouiidrd on a reef. go iilled and sunken tint the oily slippery waves were just softly glidhig oxw the deeks. Arminil the doonied vessel dozena of dark objeota moved, stealthilywmting. ÍSharks! On the deck a long file of ïnen, drawn up as if on parade, in the shadow. And out where the brilliant light of the sim feil ful lest, a man and woinan together. It was the ,"■■ r.u' thewomaS,] think, tlial cination for rac. Thefofagirl m rlhood, or ; ifiBliue.il by the arlist. Her loose huir blow back in the srale. Her face lav on tlïe marrt shouWler nplifted to thesky, andon Unit ffcce lay a uiiartlily expression of joy and peace, uch as 110 words of mine can describe. )eath was at her side, but love had obbed death of its sting. Th was -vvhat that radian t transfigurad gaze lid to yon. One arm of the man held iep close, the other lay on the ship's side, hihoad bowed thereon. Tliat was the picture. '1 like pictures that teil a story," I said, the ftrst time 1 saw it, to Carrington. "This one does. lts the best thing you've done vet, old man. And Can-ington, usually the freest and most genial of good fcllows, had turned away, his face changing and darkening so suddenly Uiat 1 saw at once 1 was on forbiddan ground. The picture ha. a story, tlien- a painful ono to him ; and thoughl tooR ï„„ ot.,tinii hfitoi-G it. everv time 1 itèd liim, I nevor tricd praiso or criticism more. . liutouc Christtnas Eve,M o sat alono together, the tragic story at my eaniest entieaty was told. It -was a wild and snowy Decemboi evcning, 1 rethèmber, ft High gale Bbi-oad,ajid black Loudon lying all whito and frozen under the Chnstmas stars, as I made my way to Camngton's house. , , 1 fbund him alone, as I expected to flnd him, his Livonjn woHhouud curled at his ffcet, lying back in an finav-chair befovc a huge flre, smoking, mí gazing, as I was vront to uo ai ms ictuve over tho mantel-shett In the ,,.,„,, red light of üie fire, thebeautiul iiicc oí' the girl alione out feirdly ifelike from tho canvas. dniinu' yoúr own handiwrk, Bc.tie,n.y boy?" 1 lid as 1 fl elf into tho opposite chan-, and i teR ""X.a'lrxtiy," Carrington answcd, p-viilUv 'Tve dono anyüung m toe nüint-brush lino worth admU-iug Inave- and I snppose ít lias so me, oí oving to ite trítli. Ilamilton, I eh vou-1 often wake at night and seo that ;,i,-l's face bclbrc lúe, with just that expression, aa 1 saw H last, poor child, before it went down toi-eycr '1 Bhpuld liketo beau tho story Carrington, if you dou't mimi, said I, wbile tiie red flainoa lcapecl andglowcd, lighting up the lovely puuied dC"Ü is t-wenty ycavs ago," said Carriugton. "It Beema only yustcnbv as I git hei-e and tUink of it. rnty I yeors ago, and before yonr me, voun"ster,he Lone tí uu-, a transfprt UèlUciupioycdU.ecn.td, iljfillts tü Vitnous ic;jlL"-" ." wtb. Üie wivcs aud chüdren, saiid tVom Southamptori. 1 was an ensfc at tl.o time, iny.coiumissiüii as npv , my uniform, wy zeal as burulag , thafiery cliiate to wüicU we wo o deel cöiunandig ollkcr wa Coioncl Borésford, hls Bocoud m ïoni nnnd Cantaiu üawloy, cm ol th Lr 4t a ui best lookíng felo U outinipiiitljeworidexcepthis ay, a ui nota single .hadow ÏP%tions. Ue was the best oí good 1. caL,italSlory!ago,,djoUOn-UA olí a son ' ni uib nuii wum - - -- i weweroouta-weektho yet ot all ü , w?meTon bdavd. Thci-e wen tód Hawloy was a favorilo wlth tho a üo 'un.s i ih Bteerage, as well as Üc ladies in the cabiu-prime fc shuri i!) offlcera, men and al , ana so vLcnpivttyMBilaiH.brook, ook itïuto her bewitching hoad to & " ove wiüi Uii almost at algbt, aobodv O.ily, il wou kin' t do ; au l so iiawley knew as well as any of us. "jhe was, 1 think, Hamilton, without excepción, Wie prettiest g'irl 1 ever : B.nv, ml I've .■ecu some prelly girls 1,1 tliu i'urty odd years of wy life, mina yoii. Sun was e-vceptioaally prutty, iülUct. No.youuoeditlookat tliat daub ; it doei her lid soia oí justice. Slio had your real goldeu háir - none oi the coppsr-coloreU stuft' tlicy pilu mouutaiuously uu their Ueiuia iiow - oyes sappune blue to their very. deptlis, luughuig aud lovely, i couip ex-ion o1 pcarl, aud a iiiuuth liio sweeiest ever was kiSsed. SliO was tall and_{raoeful,acoomplished beyoud ail tollina, and just unieleen. Xhe previuus seasju slie had 'couie oui,' been pi-esouttd, rau the round of Vaaity Fair, and Lhe best men of tlie day liad been al lier ieet as BUitors; she liad lauglied back '2so' to one and all,' eme out of the ordeal unseathed, aud now, tinuer the protecting riujj of fcLrs. Colonel Jieieálbrd, was guin out to join 'dear papa' in India. "Deur p.ipa wasgeueraJ Kainsbrooke K. O. l!., ih'xi heii tu uu eurldüiu, aud wjtii tlte pride of Lucifer üicaruat. Tlie man wlio won tiio fair Alexia, vrith her birtli. and lier beauty, nnd her dowry, mustwrite his name high in the pcerage indeed. Royalty itself woulil not have been one whit too high for Jliss Alexia Rainsbrooke, in the eyes of the sternest, haughtiest martinet of the service. And with Fnuik llawley shc liad fallen in love, as 1 say, almost at sigbt, and he with lier. And it was love, Hamiltón - none of your modem, iilver-gilt shains, but the pure gold. They loved eaoh other, aud if ever two we'ro made for each other they were- that was the unanidious vörClict on board. ■ 'But it won't do, llawley, my lad,' said Uolonel Bere.sibrd, soft-hearted as a xvonian. 'You don't know oldEainsbrooke - I do. Ile'd see her dead flrst. Aud you're too tino a íellow to have youi' lile spoiled by any woman, were she Venus herself. Alexia's au angel, but angels with llinty íeathers don't niarry young men whose fortune lies in their sword blade. tíhe"s an angel, but ehe's not for you, so give it up belore il'.s too late.'" "Frank llawley looked at him with a smile. '"Too late,' he said. 'It's that now, Colonel. (Jome what may, 1 shalí love Alexia to the last day of iny lile, and she will love me. AU the l'athers in Lhe world cannot alter that. My wife he can never be - that 1 know; but she does love me, and. come what will, 1 have been blessed." "bhe knew it, too - knew that the end of the voyage would be the end of her life's l-omance - and vet in the present they could still bc happy. Il' iie had asked her, she would have promised to brave all things, and go with him to beggary, but it would have beun easier lor him to have diüd than have asked it. '■The weeks wyui.iiuwffWf'already. 'fwas awakent'd one morning just as clay was breaking, by an odd era-uiiu"- sound beneath, Uien all at unco inoÜou coatied. and the ship stuod still.- Iinniediately thcrc folio wed wild upruar.ai.d tumult, shrioks of womcnand ghoutó of inon. 1 sprang; up. dressed, and rusued ou dock, and m ono inmute know whai had happeued. We liad crot out of our líititude and liad struok. a "The sun rose as 1 stood there- the sun of Christmas Day-and sliowed us ourdaugeríullf. We wei-e near _ bimoou Buy, and lar otï in the horizon the land lino was visible, bilt wo nnght (Lswcli have boon a thousiuid miles olf, for already the ship was flllüig and siukiiig fast. Boforenoon of this radiant Christmas nioruing the Lonc Star would be at the bouoin. "Out of the confusión order came at last The soldier wore drawn up on doek by Colouel iSorosford, standing flrmlv as if on parado, the boats wore Inwfired and ïnauned, the womoii and child.-cn put i, and sent rale 1} tO thO land 1 sec it all- the bnlUant tropic Bun in the cloudlcss moruiug sky, the softbreezo blowing-, the sea a sea oí .rl'iss the loiiLí line ot' men standing fli-mly erect awaïting their doom, the Bobbmg hcartbreaking cries ot the Avives who would nëveï seo thcir husbanda more, the ship siukiag inch by inch, and the black dovUa oí shai-ks gvriinmiñg slowly round and round, knowiiigin gome horrible way what had happeued, and waiting for their pi-ey. üiMve men, I teil you, lad, Btood on that deck, but the bravest Uicrc llinehed as tucy looneü at uien deadly maws. Beibre aight tho womeii and children would safoly reacu the land- bulbro 110011 the Loue Star would go down. "Captain llawley was one oí the niüii wuo helned the women into the boats. As Mrs. Bereaford descended he asked after Miss Rainsbrooke. ün]y ouco since the accident had lie oaught sighl of lier. But the Colonel's wife terrïfied and liystcrical, knew nothing. i. .ti 1.1 om of otli.M' hoate - she couldn't teil whlch. She hfid coim: and wished her good-by. And tlien, incoherent and wild, Mrs. Bcresford was in her placo. lío could not leave his jiost. No doubt she was in me of the othcr boats, only she might kavé come to say good-by. A dëepev swdnpss than aiiy 8,adness death could poduce lay on his lace. To part like this foréver - without a word! 'Then the order was jriven and the boats pushcd oll'. One iong, last wailiii'-ccry ol' larewcll from the widovred wivcs, and we stood to wait death on the deek of the Lone Star. 'Frank llaw ley stood with. set lips, a littte apart, iray.itvj: al'ter tho boats, growing mere spoot now on the sunny sea, when a low and inepreasible cry from every man 6n board shnuHaneously mode liim turn round. And up ïroni tlio cabin and gliding l'orward, a smilo on lier lace, camo tho gcneftl'a daughter, straight into tho anus of HawJey, " 'Did yon think T liad gone, Frank ?' she asked, with that smile. 'Did you' thin!; 1 had let't you?, '11e gazed at her- wo all did- lu horror. " 'Great heaven, Alexia 1 You here?' "It Was all ho eouid sav. "Slic pat hor arms around his iieck, ai her golden head on lus shoulder, in, looked up in lus agonized face. ''H'itli you, Frank- nevcr to part ■oi% uovr. " 1 íuii not afraid to dio likc ii. H i so niucli easier thari to say bdby forever; and to-morrow it t have been, Now H néed never Sud death is muro mcroiful than x sank down, and drcw lior to lus you bco tliwu thcrc, his foce bo wed, without a word. The loving, wistful eyes sought bis. "'Frank, lovo, you are ïiot angry? - Dear, beliove me, it. is the happieat Christmas of my lile.' "Only she heard his answer, as lic held her close, but hor t!ac took that transflgured look of love aud Joy, and kept ii to the end. The slow sunlit liours TTOre on. - Without word motion we stood there, ourColonel at our head, fas ter mul taster our fated ship sinking beucath us. Stil! slowly round aml round the black fiendish sharks swam. O heaviui! whut ii death lor her! "Slie did not fear it. I stood watching her - 1 could watch nothiug else - all thought of ïny. own fate, lost in uuutterable pity lor her. As the sliip gave its last troniendous heave and aoath-throe - as the cold, glassy waters caine ruauing over the deck, I saw hiinijlasp lier in in embrace that death itséll' wight not Bever- saw her bury her face in his bosoin, then we were all in the tuinultuotis ocean together, and i saw no more. "Ten men Trom the Löhe ar reached the shore and were saved. 1 wa ono. Clining to a portiou of the wreek, how, 1 uever knew, 1 reached it. For yards aron nel tlie blue water was crimson witll blood, and the frenzied shrieks of our poor t'ellovrs, as the savage jaws of the sharka closed upon thein ring in my ears yct. "lier tace has haunted me all these years Iike a ghost. ïo exorcise it I painted that picture. And every Cliristmas there comes back tome that Chris tinas, and the angellc face of Alexia líainsbrooke, as she went down in her lover's anus on the wreek of the Lioiie Star."