His Sad Love Story

"Her beauty was peerleps. As I muse on the witohery of a glanco froto her wonderful eyes lt seems thnt I can feel her very presenoo as though sho wero at my side. " The rêverie In which Uncle Rupert was lndulglng was audible to me, though I was half the distance of the lnrge room away from him. I cnught the words eagcrly, too, for they seemed to be the feey to the great mystery of hls baohelorhood. "Nelliol Princesa! Your silenoe is eloquent to me, and I know you love me, though your proud hend rises high in the air to oheck a guggestiou of famlliarity. "Coquettef Kvery inoh of her, and ns oouscioue of her benuty and her power to conquer as any lovely daughter of Eve oould ever daré to be. "You broko my heart, girlie, with your Irresistible charme" - Onde Rupert had doubtlesa become obÜviouB of my presence. Hls eyea were rlveted on the burning loga In the great flreplace, and hl8 thoughts were evidently following the wild leadership of the flamea aa they leaped In the dnrk corner where he at. Even a sympatbetlo -word would probably brenk the peil of hia retrospect, whlle a rustle or other raovement by way of retnlnder of my unfortunate presenoe would be a rudo n wakening froin suoh a dieam of past realitles. I cropt gently to hlra, and, kneellng beslde him, but wlth nverted gaze, lest hls face mlght betray more than he Intended me to know, I took up the thread of hlfl tutnarkg. "Ia lt all over, ünole Rupert?" A gentle hand was placed under my chin and my face was lifted so that he oould look at me. Thus encouraged, I no longer turned my eyes from hls and was relleved to flnd a gemblanoe of a smlle on the familiar face of my unole, whereaa my aentlmental fanoy had made me almoat apprehenslvo of tearg. "Yes, chlld, that belonga to tbe past, when I, llke yourself, was young and lmprosslonable and oould love with the ardor of youth and bealth." "You have never spoken on thla subject beforo, and iiow I would libe to hoar all about it - how you lost ber and why, slnoe you loved and admlred her so muoh." " Why, yon would have loved her, too, Marinn, little witch that she was. There was not a part of ber boautlful body that would not have satisfled an artist, for, wHb perfect gymmetry and bearlng, she was an arlstocrat, a thoroughbred. The purest blood coursed tbrougb her veins, and, you know, wa denlzena of a Jeinooraoy are panotlllous about pedlgree." "Teil me wbat or whom she looked Uke." "A raging, tearlng beauty, ohlld, baughty as a queen, treadlng the eartb aa though sbe dlsdained to touch her dainty feet to the dust, whioh was for meaner mortals. And her flesh 1 Why, you oould thlnk of nothlng but satln wben you saw lts Incomparable luster, whlle the touch of lt, wlth lts myrlads of hlghly trung nérvea, sent eleotrio thrllls through your whole belng." I bogan to feel tbat my unole was taking 100 luto hia confidonoe boy oud my calculation or nnticlpatlon. The tbought flasbod throngh my miod, Well, mine was the age of aoting before thinking. So X rushed to tbe climax of the story. "Why did yon Dot marry her, üncle Hnpertf Was sbe not kind and good aa she was beautlfulf" A Bllgbt start was peroeptible, and I began to fear tbat I bad gone boy on d my prerogatlve as sympathetlo Interlocutor on the subject of my uocle's romantlo hlstory. Had I not known that he was serlous beyond all questlon I would have fanoled, too, that I detectad blm ehaklng with fiuppressed laughter, but he was not a cynlo, and 1( be had loved thla perfect oreature tbe notion of matrlraony would surely not excite derlslon, even after the lapeo of years of unhappinoss and separation. There was just somethlng In nis .manoer of epeaklng of her that onnoyod me anddid not quite eatisfy roy rigid requirenenti in a lover. It could only ba excuscd on the groand of her churaotcr and disposition not oorrespondlng to her physlcal perfeotlon. On the other hand, I was not prepossessed by even the flattering plotnre whiob had been drawn of thls beauty, for I reeented her obvlous lack of appreoiation of my Unole Bupert. Whlle I was making this summary of the situation Unole Bupert was evident ly making one, too, and at tbis point he relamed bis eulogy. "Yes, dear, her disposltlon was as matohless as her body - gentío, kind, ambitlous, untlrlng- and I never even trled to replace my bonny mare Nellie, and ha va mourned for her all these years." How I gloried in the inky darkness of that room, whioh partly hid my oonfuslon. An arm stole around ïny walst and lts gentle pressure seoracd to ask a mufce forKlvcnosa for thus trifling witb my flight of 8But I could only feel the huraorpusness of the situation whercby Unole Bupert had been enabled to peer into ray nature whlle koeping the depths of hls own oomnletelv auardcd from visión as lneipert as w ■ mine.-