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Show I I THE MAID af MAIOEM UANlf H Sequel lo " The Cow of Orange Ribbon." H A LOVE STORY BY AMElllA E. BARR H (CupHieht, I'WO by Arietta H. Dnrt) H CHAPTCR VII. H Arenta's Marriage. H For n few weeks, Hyde's belief Unit H tlio vory Htarw would connive 'with a H truo lovor seemed h reliable ono. H Madamo Jnoobtis, nttrnoted nt tholr H llrHt mooting to the youth, soon gnve H llin an astonishing afiectlou. She ut H unhid hor nephew's claims with hardly H n thought, and pleased herself day hy H day In bo managing nnd arranging H events thai Hyde nnd Cornelia met, as B n mnttur of comae. Arei.tu was nut. H howovor, deceived; she understood B every iiiunonro, hut the success of hur HB own nfTnlrs depended very much on hor mjm mint's cooperation and generosity, and H i.o sho could not nfTord, r.t tills time, to H interfero Tor her broinor. j "Dul I shall alter tilings a little as H soon as I am married," tdie told her- M HOir. "1 will take caie of tint." H Aronta's feeling were In hind and H mensuru shared hy oeeral other peu- H plo; Or. Moran hold them In n far hit H . torcr mood; hut ho, also environed hy Hr circumstances nn could neither niter H nor comuinuil was compelled to sat H Iflfy bin disapproval with promises of H a futuro chunge. For Iho wedding H Aronta Van Arlcns had assumed n H ;;rent social Importance. Aruntu her- H self had talked about the affair until H all classes were on the tiptoe of ex- H poctntlon. The wealthy Dutch fninl- H Ilea, the exclusive Amerlraii set, the H homo and foreign diplomatic circles, H wcro allko looking forward to the H Bplendld ceromony. nnd to tho great H breakfast nt Peter Van Allen's house, H and lo tho ball which Madame Jacobus H was to give In the evening. Hj Ono morning, as Dr. Moran was ro- H turning homo nfter a round of dls- H agreeable visits, ho saw Cornelia and H Hyde coining up Broadway together. H They wcro sauntering Bide by side tu H all tho In.y happlncBS of perfect love H and as ho looked at them the sorrow H of an limnonso disillusion tilled him to H tho lips. Ho believed himself, ns yet, H to bu tho first and the denrest In his H chlld'H lovo; but In that moment his H eyeH woro opened, and ho felt as If he H had been suddenly thrust out i.'om It H and tho door closed upon him. H Ho did tho wisest thing possible; R ho went homo to his wife "Where. Is H Cornelia, Ava?" ho asked tho question H with a quick glance round tho room, H an If ho expected to Unci her prcsont. H "Cornelia Is not at homo to-day?" H "Ih sho over nt homo now?" H "You know that Arcntn's wed- H ding " H "Aronta's wedding! rtless my soul! Hj of courso I know. I know ono thing H nt least, that I have just met Cornelia H and that young fop George Hydo com- H lug up tho street together, as If thoy H two alono wcro In tho world. They H novor saw me, thoy could sco nothing H but thomsolvos." H "Men and women havo dono such a H thing before, John, and they will do H It again. Cornelia in u beautiful girl, Hj nnd It in natural that she should havo B u H "It Is vory unnuturnl that she should iiB ( zr- rrr: 1 B Arenta lifted the pearls. M chooso for her lover tho son of my iHH worst cnomy." B "I am sure you wrong Gen. Hydo. m Who n was he your enemy? Ho H could ho be your enoniy?" M "When was ho my oucmy? Kvor M ilnco tho Irst hour wo mot. And you B want mo to give Cornolla to his son! Yes, you do, Aval I tieo it In your face. You stretch my patience too far. Can I not sea " "Can an angry man over sec? No, ho cannot. You feci1 your own sub- pluloiiH, John. 1 think Hem Vun BJH Arlcns has as much of Cornelia's Ilk- lnu as Gocrgo Hydo; and perhaps Hj neither of thorn havo enough of It to JH win her hand. All lovers do not grow EC to husbands." Wm "Thank God, they do not! Uut what you uny about Item is only cobweb stuff. She Is too friendly, too pleas-antly pleas-antly familiar, I would HKo to see hor moro shy nnd sllert with him." "Dinner Is waiting. John, nnd whether yen cnt It or not, Destiny will o straight to her mark, l.ovo Is rtcitlny, nnd the heart Is Its own fate. Rid I not know thee. John, tho vory moment Hint we mot?" She spol.c softly, with a voice sweeter sweet-er than music, nnd her husband was touched and mimed. He took tie hand she stretched out to hltn nnd kissed it. and she added: "Let us be pntlenl. l.ovo has rcn-sons rcn-sons Hint reason does not iiudorHtnnd. nnd If Cornelia Is Hydos by predestination predes-tination as well as hy choice, vainly we Mini! worry nnd fret, all our op position will come to nothing. In n 'few days Areata will have gone away, anil ns Ur Hyde, any hour mny summon sum-mon him to Join his father In England; Eng-land; nnd t.ils summons, as It will Include In-clude his motner, he can neither evade nor put oh". Thou Hem will huvo his opportunity." "To he patient to wait to say nothing It Is to give opportunity too much scope." "Time nnd absence ngalnst nny love affair that Is i.ot destiny! And If It be destiny, there Is only submission, nothing olso. Uut llfo has n 'mnybe' In everything dear; a mnybo that Is just as likely to please us as not." Then Doctor John looked up with n smile. "You nro right, Av.i," lie said cheerfully. "I will take the maybe. Muybes have a deal to do with life. Yet, take my word for It, there is, I think, no mnybo In Item's chances witji Cornelia." "Wo shall see. I think thcro Is." Hem, with tho blunt directness of his nature, watched with Jealous dislike, dis-like, and often with rudo Impntlence, tho familiar Intercourse which his aunt's partiality permitted Hyde. He wns, Indeed, often so rudo that a less sweet-tempered, a less Just youth than George) Hydo would havo pointedly resented re-sented many offences Hint ho passed by with that "noblo not caring" which Is often tho truest courage. Uut wrath covered carries fato. Kvory ono wns In some measure conscious con-scious of dnnger nnd glad when tho wedding day approached. Even Arenta Aren-ta had grown n llttlo weary of tho prolonged excitement sho had provoked, pro-voked, for everything had gono so well with her that sho had taken tho public very much Into her confidence. And, ns If to add tho last touch of glory to the event, Just a week be-foro be-foro Aronta's nuptlnls a French armed frlgato camo to Now York bearing dlsputches for tho Count do Moustlor, nnd tho Morquls de Tounnerro was selected to hear hack to Franco the .Minister's mchsnge. So tho marrlago was put forward a few days for this end, and Arenta In tho most unexpected unexpect-ed way obtained tho bridal journey which sho desired, and also with It tho advantngo of entering Franco In a semi-public nnd stately manner. "I am tho luckiest girl In the world," sho Bald to Cornelia and her brother when this point nau ueon nodded. no-dded. They wero tying up "dream cako" for tho wedding guests In mndamo's queer, uncanny drawing room us sho spoko, and tho words woro.yot on her lips when nindamo entored with a sandnl wood box In her hands. "Item," alio snld, "go with Cornolln Into tho dining room for a fow minutes. min-utes. I havo something to say to Arenta that concerns no ono olso." As soon ns thoy wero alone madamo opened tho box nnd upon a whlto velvet vel-vet cushion lay tho string of oriental pearlo which Arenta on cortnin occasions occa-sions had heon permitted to wear. Aronta's eyes flashed with dollght. With an intense desire nnd Intorest sho looked nt tho beautiful beads, but mndame's fuco was troubled and somber, som-ber, and sho snld almost reluctantly: "Arontn, 1 am going to nmko you an orfer. This nocklaco will bo yours when 1 die, at any rate; but think thoro Is In your heart a. wt have It now. And ns you aro going vhat Is loft of tho Fronch court, I will give It to you now, if tlu gift will bo to your mind." "Thcro Is nothing that could bo moro to my mind, doar aunt. You always know what is In a young glrl'a henrt." "First, listen to what 1 say. No woman of our family has oscaped calamity cal-amity of somo kind, If thoy owned thiso bends. My mother lost hor Iiub-hand Iiub-hand tho year sho received thorn. My Aunt Hlldogardo lost hor for tun a as Boon as thoy woro hers. As for my-solf, my-solf, thoy vory day tho becamo ralno 6ur Undo Jacobus sailed away and ho has uovor come back. Aro you not afraid of such fatality?" "No, I am not. What power can a fow beads havo over human Ufa or irppl'ess? To gny so, to : W i. Is foolish r ess." "I know not. Yot I baVe heard t1 8 both pearls a .d upn.o have tho povn to attract to tnemselvcs the III lo. ttfno of their woarers." "Do ou bcllove tich tales, a'mt? ' do not. I snnp my flngors ut sut. fables." "Give them lo you. 1 will not, Ari ta; but you mny take tt'in fiom in box with your own I uiius." The it n tame left the room nt I Aientn lifted t'no box nnd ennied il nearer to tho light.. And a llttl? shlvei crept through her henrt nnd hc closed the lid quickly and said Irr: tahly: "It Is my aunt's words. S'.ie I always speaking dark and doubt'ul things. However, Uip pcaiis nro mli.e nt last!" aril sho fa rlcil them wif.i iier downstntra, throwing ' hack her head ns If they wore round her whita throat and as was hor way sprcal-ing sprcal-ing herself ns she went. All lire weddings nro muc'i alike. It wns only In snvh ncldentuls as costume tlint Aiontn's differed fr,m the fine weddings of. today. New York wns rot than too bnsy making money to take nn Interest In such a wedding, nnd Aronta's drle through Its pleasant streets wns n kind of public Invitation. For Jnrob Van Arlcns was one of a guild of wealthy merchants, and they woro nt "It Is the curse of Adam." tholr shop doors to express their sympathy by lifted hats and smiling faces! while tho women looked from overy window, nnd tho llttlo children followed, tliolr treble voices heralding and acclaiming tho beautiful bride. Then camo tho breakfast and tho health drinking nnd tho speech making nnd the rather sadder drive to tho wharf at which lay ha Uclle Franco. Then tho nnchor was lifted, tho cablo loosened, nnd with ovory snll set La Hello France wont dancing down tho river on tho tldo-top to tho open set. Van Arlcns nnd his sou Rom turned silently nway. A great and evident depression had suddenly taken the plnco of their 'assumed satisfaction. They had outvvorn emotion and know Instinctively that somo common duty was tho best restorer. Tho samo fooling fool-ing affected, In ono way or nnothor, all tho watchers of this destiny. Women whoso household work was belated, had used up their nervous strength In waiting nnd feeling, woro now cross and Inclined to belittle tho affnlr and to bo nngry nt Areata and themselves for tholr lost day. And men, young nnd old, went back to their lodgers and counters nnd manufacturing with n senso of lassitude and dejection. 1'etor had nearly reached his own house when ho mot Doctor Moran. Tho doctor was moro Irritable and depressed. de-pressed. Ho looked at his friend and Bnld sharply, "You havo a fovor, Von Arlcns. Go to bod nnd sleep." "To work I will go. That Is tho host thing to do. My house has no comfort In It. Llko a milliner's or n morcor's Btoro it has been for many wooks. Ho Biiddonly stopped and looked nt tho doctor with brimming oyos, In that moment ho understood tlint no putting to rights could over mnko his homo tho snme. Ills llttlo saucy. BolflBh, nut dearly loved Arenta would como thoro no moro; nnd ho found not ono word that could ox-press ox-press tho tldo of sorrow In his heart. Doctor John understood. Ho remained remain-ed (pilot, silon't, clasping Van Arion's hand until the dosolato father with a groat effort blurted out; "Sho Is gono! And smiling, nlso, sho wont." , "It Is tho curso of Adam," answered Doctor John bitterly "to bring up daughters, to lovo thorn, to toll and snvo nnd deny ourselves for thom, and then to iieo somo strango man, of whom wo havo no cortnin knowledge carry them off captlvo to his destiny and his desires, TIs a thankless portion por-tion to bo a father a bitter pleasure." pleas-ure." Very thoughtfully the Doctor went on to William street, whero he bad a patlont a young girl of about Aren-ta'a Aren-ta'a ngo vory 111. A woman opened tho door a woman weeping bitterly, (To bo continued.) |