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Show The Bow of Orange Ribbon A ROMANCE OF NEW YORK f UV AMELIA E. DAR.R. J Author of "Friend OI.vlv. "I. Thou nnd lho Qthor 0no. E,o J CopyrlRl.t, 1680, by Dodd, Mead nnd Company. M.j..4. . X CHAPTER I. The Van Heemsklrks. It wan May In New York ono hundred hun-dred and twenty-ono years ago, and yet tho May A. D. 188G the same clear air and wind, tho snmo rareiled fresh-ness, fresh-ness, full of faint, passing aromas! from tho wot earth and tho salt sea i and tho blossoming gardens. In tho city the business of tho day was over; but at tho open doors of many of tho shops little groups of apprentices ap-prentices In leather aprons wore' talking, talk-ing, and on tho broad steps of tho - t City Hall a numbor of grave-looking men wore slowly separating after a vory satisfactory civic session. They wore all noticeable men. but Jorls Van Ileomsklrk specially so. His bulk was so groat that It seemed as If ho must havo been built up; It was too much I- to expect that ho had ever been a R baby. Ho had a fair, ruddy face, and B largo, firm eyes, and a mouth that s- was at onco strong and swoot. And n ho was also vory handsomely dressed. Tho long, stiff skirts of his dark-bluo K coat woro lined with satin, his ! breeches wero of black velvet, his ruf fe flos odged with Flemish laco, his I shoes clasped with sliver buckles, his I ' cocked hat mado of tho finest beaver. II With his head a Httlo forward, and his right arm across his back, ho jll' walked slowly up Wall street Into II Broadway, and then took a northwest-J northwest-J erly direction townrdB tho rlvor bank. His homo was on the outskirts of tho city, but not far away; and his faco m. lightened as ho approached it j Councillor Van Hcemsklrk's father ; had built tho house and planted tho jl garden, and he had tho Dutch rover- enco for a good ancestry. Often ho sent his thoughts backward to remember how ho walked by his father's side, or leaned against his mothor's chair, as they told him tho tragic tales of tho 1 old Darncvoldt and tho hapless Do ' s Witts; or how his young heart glowed 1 to their memories of tho dear fathor- I . land, and tho nrnurl march of tho Ha- tavlan republic. ijfc.s "Good evening, Mr. Justice. Good ovonlng, neighbor," and ho stood a I minute, with his hands on his garden sate, to bow to Justlco Van Qaasbeeck j f and to Peter Sluyter, who, with tholr ff' wives, woro going to Bpond an hour f'AkHn or two nt Chrlstophor Laor's garden. W "Mon can bear all things but good "lAtiMii mm A 4iyS,"J sa,cl Pot0" Sluytor, when thoy pMippPF hnd'gono a dozen yards In silence; ' Ft "slnco Van Heomsklrk has a seat in 'U' tho council room, It Is a long way to , his hat. "Como, now, ho was -very civil, i Sluytor. IIo nows Uko a man not I used to mako a low bow, that Is all." ' "Woll, well, with time, every one j gets Into his right place In tho city I Hall, I may yet put my chair bcsldo his, Van Gnasbceck." "So say I, Sluytor, and for tho pres ent It Is all well as It Is."- This little onvlous fret of his neighbor neigh-bor lost Itself outsldo Jorls Van Hecm-sklrk's Hecm-sklrk's homo. Within it, all was lovo and content. Madam Van Heemsklrk was a Httlo woman, with clear-cut . features, and brown hair drawn back- ward under a cap of laco very stlfly starched. Her tight-fitting dress of blue taffeta was open In front, and looped up behind in order to show an olaboratoly quilted petticoat of light blue camblot. Her whito wool stockings stock-ings wero clocked with blue, her high-hooled high-hooled shoes cut vory low, and clasped with small sllvor buckles. From her trim cap to her trig shoes sho was a ploasant and comfortable plcturo of a """ happy, domestic woman; smiling, peaceful, and easy to llvo with. When tho last duty of tho day was . finished, sho let her bunch of keys fall with a satisfactory "all done" jingle, that mado her Jorls look at ,hor with a smllo. Then ho asked: "Where Is Joanna and tho Httlo ono? And Dram should bo homo cro this." "I am not uneasy, Jorls. They rv' wero to drink a dish of tea with Madam Semplo, nnd Bram promised , ' to go for them. And, seo, thoy nre coming; but Bram is not with them, only tho elder." Elder Alexander Semplo was a great i j ' man iu his sphero. Ho had a rcputa- tlon both for riches and godliness and was Bcnrcoly more lospected In tho market-place than ho was In the Mid- ,' dlo Kirk. And there was an old tie 'J between tho Semples and tho Van jp Heemsklrks a tie going back to tho j days when tho Scotch Covenanters nnd , tho Notherland Confessors clasped hands as brothors In their "churches ji' under tho cross." Then ono of tho n Somples had Hod for llfo from Scot- ra, land to Holland, and boon sheltored V' In tho houso of a Van Heomsklrk; and from goneratlon to generation tho mf frlondshlp had been continued. So fcj there was much real kindness and W very little ceremony betweeu tho fnml- PCM Hob, and tho older met his frlond Jorls Hfe '' with a pleasant ''good evening," and HErfc' i&t down in front of tho blazing logs. TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTt Joanna tlod on her whlto apron, nnd at a word from her mother, began In take from tho cupboards various Dutch dainties, and East Indlnu Jars of fruits and Bweetmcats, and a caso of crysta. bottles, and somo fine lemons. She wa3 a fair, rosy girl, with n kind, cheerful face, a pleasant voice, and n smllo that was at onco Innocent and bright. Her lino light hair was rolled high and backward; and no ono could havo imagined a dress nioro suitable to hor than tho trig dark bodlco, tho quilted skirt, and the whlto apron she wore. Her father and mother watched her with a loving satisfaction, and Elde: Semplo was quite sensiblo of Joau-na's Joau-na's presence, and of what she was doing. , At this point Katherlno Van Hcemskirk Hcems-kirk came Into tho room, nnd the older slightly moved his chair and Bald. "Como awa my bonnle lassie, and Tel us hnc a look at you." And Katherlno laughingly pushed a stool towards the flro, and sat down between tho two mon on the hearthstone. She wns tho daintiest Httlo Dutch maiden that ever latched a shoo vory diminutive, with a complexion like a sea-shell, great bluo oyes, and such a quantity of palo yollov hair that It mado light of Us ribbon snood, and rippled over-hor over-hor brow and slendor whlto neck In bowllderlng curls. Long beforo supper was over, Madam Van Heemsklrk had discovered discov-ered that this night Elder Semplo had a special reason for his call, and when tho meal wns finished, and tho girls gone to their room, sho was not astonished aston-ished to hear him say, "Jorls, lot us light another pipe. I lino Gombthlng to speak anent Sit still, galdowlfe, wo shall want your word on tho mat-tor." mat-tor." "On what matter, older?" "Anent a marriage between my son Nell and your daughter Katherlne." ThO WOrilH foil with n ohnrri din. tlnctness, not unkindly, but as If they woro more than common words. Thoy woro followed by n marked silence, a silence which In no way disturbed Semplo. Ho knew his friends woll, and therefore ho expected It. Jorls at last said slowly, "For Kath-orino Kath-orino tho marrlago would bo good, and Lysbo and I wpild like It. Howovor, wo will think a Httlo about it; thoro Is tlmo, and to spare. Ono should not run on a now road. Say what you think, Lysbet." "Nell is to my mind, when tho time comes. But yet the child knows" not perfectly her Heldolborg. And there Is more; Bho must learn to manago a houso of her own. So In timo, I say, It would bo a good thing. Wo have been long good friends." "Wo lino been friends for four generations, gen-erations, and wo may safoly tie tho knot tighter now. Tho land between this place and my place, on tho riverside, river-side, Is your land, Jorls. Glvo it to Katherlno, and I will build the young things a house; and tho furnishing nnd plenishing .we'll sharo between us." "Thero Is moro to a wedding than houso and land, older. A young girl should bo wooed before sho Is married. mar-ried. You know how it is; and Katherlno, Kath-erlno, tho Httlo ono, sho thinks not of such n thing as lovo and marriage" "Wha kens what thoughts are under curly locks at seventeen? You'll hao noticed, madam, that Katherlno has como malr ofton than ordlnar' to Semplo Sem-plo Houso lately?" "That is so. It was becauso of Col. Gordon's wlfo, who Hkca Kathorlno. Sho Is teaching her a now stitch In her crowol-work." "Hum m ml Mistress Gordon has Hkowlso n nophow, a vera baud-somo baud-somo lad. I hae seen that ho takes a deal o' Interest In tho crewel-atltch likewise. And Noll has seen it too for Nell has set his heart on Katherlno Kather-lno and this afternoon thoro was a look passed botwoen the young mon l dlnnn llko. We'll bo haolng a challenge, chal-lenge, and twa tools playing at mur-dor, mur-dor, next" "I am glad you spoko, elder. Thank you. I'll turn your words over In my heart." But Van Heemsklrk was un-dor un-dor a certain constraint; ho was beginning be-ginning to understand tho situation, to seo in what danger his darling might bo. IIo was apparently calm; but an nngry flro was gathering In his oyes, and stern lines settling about tho lower part of his faco. "My Lysbet Is tho finest lady in tho wholo land. Let her daughtors walk in hor stops. That Is what I want Now, there is enough, and also thoro Is somo ono coming." "It will bo Noil and Dram"; and, as tho words woro spoken, tho young men ontored. "Again you aro Into, Bram"; and tho fathor looked curiously In his son's faco. It was Hko looking back upon his own youth; for Brnm Van, Heemsklrk had all tho physical traita f his fathor-r:hls jrcat size, his com- iniidlng presence nnd winning ad- resu, his largo eyes, his deep, sonor- us volco and slow speech. With tho advent of nrnm aml NoI1 he consultation ended. The older, (rumbling at the chill nnd mist. vrnppcd himself In his plaid, and eanlng on his son's arm. cautiously ilckod his way home by tho light of a antorn. Van Heemsklrk put aside his llpo, nodded gravely to his son, and .vent thoughtfully upstairs. In his own room he sat down on a jg oak chest; and, as he thought, his wrath slowly gathered. Semplo knew hat gay young KnglUh ottlcors wero omlng and going about his house, and ho had not told him ' until ho feared thoy woiUd lnterforo with his own plnns for keeping Nell near to him. Ho remembered that Semplo had spoken with touching emphasis of his longing to keep his last son near home; but must he give up his durllng Kathorlno to .furjjier this plan? "I like not lt,"-ho muttered. "God for tho Dutchman made tho Dutchwoman. Dutch-woman. That is tho right way; but 1 will not make angry myself for so much of passion, bo much of nothing nt nil to the purpose That Is tho truth. Always Lhave found It so." Thon Lysbet, having finished her second locking up, entered the room. Sho came In as one wearied and troubled, trou-bled, nnd said wljji a sigh, as she untied un-tied her apron: "Jorls, tho elder's words havo mado trouble in ray heart. What did tho man mean?" "Who can tell? What a man says, wo know; but only God understands what ho means. But I will say this, Lysbet, nnd It Is what I mean: It Semplo has led .my daughtor Into tho way of temptation, then, for all that Is past and gone, we shall bo unfriends." un-friends." "Glvo yourself no kommcr on that matter, Jorls. Hove not some of our best maidens married into tho English Eng-lish set? There Is no harm, I think, In a girl taking a few steps up when Bho puts on tho wedding ring." 'Mean you that our little daughter should marry some English good-for-nothing? Look, then, I would rather seo hor white and cold In the dead-chambor. dead-chambor. I will have no Englishman among tho Van Heemsklrks. Thero, lot us sleop. To-night I will speak no more" But madam could not sleep. Sho was qulto sensiblo that sho had tacitly encouraged Katherlne's visits to Semplo Sem-plo House, even after sho understood that Capt. Hyde and other fashion-ablo fashion-ablo and notablo persons wero fro-quont fro-quont visitors there Lysbot Van HcemskJrk.jiaw'Aj.roij.soiwhJ' .hor yo'ungof Jchildreirliould not move with tho current, when It might set them among tho growing aristocracy of tho Now World. Sho tried to recall Katherlne's demeanor de-meanor and words during the past day, and she could find no causo for alarm in them. Sho could not remember remem-ber anything at all which ought to mako her uneasy; and what Lysbet did not seo or hear, sho could not imagine Yet tho past ton hours had really beon full of dangor to tho young girl. Early in tho afternoon, somo hours beforo Joanna was rady to go, Kathorlno Kath-orlno was dressed for hor visit to Semplo Houso. It stood, Hko Van Heemsklrks, at thojbead of a garden sloping to the riverftand thero was a good deal or pleasant rivalry about theso gardens, both proprietors having hav-ing Impressed their own individuality upon their pleasuro grounds. Tho spaco between tho two houses was an enclosed moadow; and this afternoon, af-ternoon, tho grass being warm and dry and full of wild flowers, Kather-Ino Kather-Ino followed the narrow footpath through it, and entered the Semplo garden by tho small sldo gate. Near this gate was a stono dairy, sunk below be-low tho lovol of tho ground a doll-clouslycool, doll-clouslycool, clean spot .even In tho hottest wcathor. Passing it, sho saw that tho door was open, nnd Madam Semplo was busy among its largo, shallow, pewter, cream-dlshos. Sho was beating some rich curd with eggs and currants nnd spices; nnd Kathorlno, Kathor-lno, with a sympathetic smile, asked delightedly: "Cheesecakes, madam?" "Just cheesecakes, dearie." "Oh, Iamglnd! LaJ mo fill somo of theso protty little patty-pans." "I'll do nnethlng o' tho kind, Kathorlno. Kath-orlno. You'd bo spoiling tho bonnlo silk dress you hae put on. Go to tho houso and sit wl' Mistress Gordon. Sho was asklnj, for you no' nn hour ago. And, Katherlne, my bonnlo lassie, las-sie, dlnnngio a thought to ono word that black-eyed nephow o hers may say to you. He's here tho day and gano to-morrow, and tho lasses that hoed him will get salr hearts to thorn-sol's." thorn-sol's." Tho bright young face shadowed, nnd a sudden fear camo into Madam Somplo's henrt as sho watched tho girl turn thoughtfully and slowly away Into tho house. (To be continued.) |
