| Show HER do I 1 bellevo the opal is 14 P gelt eto atif ill omec ado 0 o I 1 liell iw in me iffe in if J lore in 1 in asir i I 1 adf any little pet belief th that t is dear ta my soil tit let me acu jou youa a story for answer achen let us go out and stroll on chiff xen piazza it la Is plea pleasanter santer there than thiu here fiere 3 in ia the ballroom ball room roo m and nd autly better for con hersul n asides Bs ides I 1 thana yoa cu are tired of C s no ver tire of that the waltz is the path dath to ti paradise tor for ins boti bot I will go 96 outside with you for it t is v very 9 ry warm cere I 1 1 abs tbs loag ong piazza faced acea f the beach and the matisic mt ic and lapping waves ming with tle strains that came floating boating out fro from where the dancers gayly circled the air from the sea blew warm and the moon and the stars shone arsha 0 do down wn with a soft adlancy iid i lance yet miss merton shivered vered a s little as ag the salt gait wind to touched uch d yer her and drew h her i mantle closer aboa abbit he her white shoulders we wail go inside if yra are cold 11 said ier her companion noticing the u berha perhaps ps you are no abot t the night air no tt it always make mails me cold to think of an opal they can call the light in them fire are bat it chills ine instead c cf t NiMMA Eg and they are cl changing Langing and as the fhe sea yonder the d has been mr very good friend wd said the others other 11 1 1 I 1 lave found thaties that thA tits its changes chang es rests ale 7 a that Is all vry well for fora a man lieutenant I 1 ailt a woman needs something different from men there 9 should hould b be no nothing th nf in their lives to disturb its i salm im that is why opals one 64 did that for 91 a friend of ottrine mine the young officer laughed gently tancy fancy will do mua 16 or a woman i he sail saidi 0 it if you are goan to ia laugh ugh and fling ding nt at our sex chive fh alve doner bonef said miss mirton merton mirat to T r can find better amusement than being laughed at in the ballroom ball room 1 1 I be bey your pardon I 1 will be very goodr good he answered contritely for a few moments they walk walked edan n sile silently until they were at atthe the farthest end of the pm piazza then Miss merton began her story her voice folce was low and musical and at first phelps wh who 0 had long b been een b gohd hafi the sound onomy womans comans rolce ce whatever was to listen to it its s smooth VOW rrt but she had only spokes spoken afew words worda before he 16 began to find emd her story of absorbing interest a c this MIS opal said aid mis melton met zon was given by a man to the woman wo man whom he said he loved the man maii believed in the eyll power of the sto saosi 3 bow sir you mi may L i I augh aua ans have hat f your gyug at us ua he wi was s bif afraid jad of if it bat she was wag r rol not OL when ahr n he told her to ceroo se sha asked for that and hega veit to her with many a ci caution ution if any harm comes of it harm will come to us he told her tos must nev never er let it be the hand of 0 another r i for of then ien that oue one will come between cs I 1 she promised of curse hut but she he was young and carle swan d did dad not believe in looking at the serious parlous side of life there A nas as a brighter and better one to see the stone was very la in its depths it held beld an all the g growing colors clors or of the furnace it was changeable as the chameleon it fascinated ms me vreen it but ghenes me because it ads was so Ili inconstant AS T told you Y ou my friend wc was s young xoung Mo hadt had tbt yet learned how very tery serious a matter life is the ring ing kept other men away from her curtailed ur b be pleasures J 5 her companion beZant be sansome I 1 some protest but miss merton ailin yes I 1 know what yeii yon are going ta sa say y that she should have reckoned upon tipon that tbt that sheil would not have haie cared jf she really loved him biro but you y olk cannot change the nature of a girl giraja in a day da Y she found that the ring fir narrowed ro wed her 11 life fe ai and nd so one lay day she he pil it away if ste she wl was sot not willing J to ahr wear it she should have given it asick ta t a ck to the man who jair eit e it to her wad 1 sai rt the lieutenant eu he ha misunderstood it 1 said cald miss merton he would have ve said idd that she did for him t she had never 16 coved vid him tj that i al 1 sha bad played him false falge aird the other I 1 things me natell te tell the women they lof 0 whenever r their point ofviey of new happens to be different so the poor girl did ahat she th thought was best and laid the ring at fay and me met t 1 him im one night without jt it adon her hand I 1 font dont know what he hex her buthe wai was so bruj til tal about it that the girls aroud aroud spirit rebelled as it should have done then she brought the ring to me t helen she he said 1 11 now fore vi roe me 1 incan an trust trus you he said that it if a any mthr r wore k that one one would adjie oaie between us N now ow I 1 want nant to ti show aim i how bow silly his superstition Ss is I 1 want ahe ring buti but ido I do not want if irto to be my tyr tyrant int take it II I 1 and wear it to night and let him asee ee lan it n yar liand and miss If Mer lons ertons voice grew very soft af you on wont come bet between iTeen us bayot osha added lining me niss miss merton paused and they both stood at cod silent 4 lent abid looked 0 out wa uton upon ane in sea kea bath bachal d iu ift its im glorious r ta foia for a long on time the lady stole a glance at atthe tale mans face to ccok an any interest in her fiory torr vat it if told ra n sacra than the white walf sit if the hotel hotd in ins shadow they tood stood she ned her L jos lost alts niell and had taken I 1 in n tit cada hard thac hat t wed grated 03 c his out of tuner 11 1 I did not 13 be filse false lo 10 t 0 her I 1 should not be lehing boti ibis it if I 1 raould nor cor say that honestly hoa estly but I 1 1 hen she icv 0 zw man th opa opal 1 afie ne temp tempted tid plen in she aie said 9 yep how ow hel like ira asre I 1 blank he be 18 9 lilke like that if tam lam not liot careful I 1 will ifil g get et la the mime re e 1 I 1 had nefer never been beau without wen about t IP icv 4 buts but they were little men ahw vai rol ali was i ao ara anthem and I 1 th I 1 should at lasit uke bolay tolay fo j au with the iiii e fiame Y I 1 linew lt draeb for im otner en s j thai etcel 1 I ware ft N I 1 ring nag and harry germai nim x lc it da on my ilind ibold t told hini bun whoa host st it 1 1 gyore it iff 0 4 s z w ns 1 capital lie ailo let me 41 mid asa I 1 as b better htiu illif he ies nie nie garelt lie ah wall MI ae jealous jea loos rl eil h hesitated bated but bat a binom moment ent and if id hlin I 1 I 1 f J it w ba si lam I 1 phelps 0 wa tin 1 1 d i juiia 1 kl hand that hn had A 0 leq a rest in g i on hislip I 1 r nd d leaded back ii aisi the ki allar of the 0 piazza z i 11 kaev fenew fc new entla f MES 31 arton i ithe aw ift pious jealous 1 gitlia A flays id lo 10 1 ar esq ta play r etli 1 feihl M X 1 I cad abot bolh n aliat liat M might SC saw uie ring sid aid it at vod to A sacs ial IE 0 V A dlila ic u haw ved ohp th print ring to rai harry I 1 T Y I 1 J t said rio 9 ul rat Vs dw hai ariee speeches kiy 0 y ai iy b i sal d ZT b ie jt m t igei lt 1 a aa i iii liiaS ghr chere th pre waa ame oia T 4 W ff tir CT u wy 1 benow it now 1 aliv 6 t i i it tv I 1 01 1 adether gp rd tie be hilra turbid ed awa 0 I 1 T I 1 from her bar F K ast impelled Im ogled pilled 1 1 M 1 3 2 s t wy 4 L Q 4 C tt A r 11 J 4 in za I 1 I 1 V t 31 alz 77 tk h F I d C W 1 i i I 1 ap az z S m ri r i r 7 is I 1 q bif a x jh 74 D y T i I 1 M I 1 40 j id cry to efti 7 aig I 1 M I 1 yajaira was a iti th thefil zi revolted gaw c bet bee tr to U T went off with ng hi 9 hesco as rile e and he saw taga ahma 50 to 1 U w i that grm star were 1 mi his ring 7 i t andon andoni ou i buried tha r ej b nope which ton 7 pia yei jais tone tad Z wast icily alura I 1 but h io ia s instead d al taw oompaul 1 I 1 t t 4 f at a f abuy that she abe anster In sTer saw b atsa today to day S s I 1 t 1 U va it again they 7 stood and loofe look edat edir the sea and them the sky J bul other presently the manake I 1 where riJs is she nowr it a in the ballroom ball bal room by 1 4 she I 1 sald she would come fa 11 mid ahe iacov that yoa ware join goto td cewe effle chis 3 1 iv 0 o hii i 2 4 arnd and lefaber let left ther ber without a wa o al adly dd ion yli piazza end and shili wIlm disappear within one of 0 thi the meviin 03 wa then she sliced aw A T r only told him talf balf the truth eso sat said d 1 I 1 W wonder lilt rould hite hate beegi better to kaye have told hf 6 au an we sh e asia i 11 heyer aei care afe for fol him asal I 1 do dd the stopped to give one sll swift it glance a boba then albed st across the polished floor in front of bf agnes I 1 wilton he sto stopp pied ed aalf and looked ather at her quietly a he iri in that moment he bedtime to see iii that anofri an opal coal of hying fire upon her banit a she sh up and net h is gahn c 6 dilly butlre was vm pale f 11 sherela The rela Is a legend he said p 4 toward her that tha it the I 1 lovet bat gate it grows gronis cold the opals grow dim do you belie veit it V I 1 i f SY yes esC she ae angwin 1 41 tat t he dould could the word sr but nie alue never liss min baba banded me through anthe an the long years oh bb so long ions she said joach abna longer than the other but 1 acne knear v you would come the opal t idi me I 1 1 11 1 A little later lat i er bobene baia Z si why there ls bisjack tick agns agnes abey th ley VArr aled desperately desperate li terii threes years ago aeo sad she sha senthia sen thim a way away but uthe he Is tack like a moth to the tha candle the cai candle idle said sid another I 1 is a that magnificent opal ring that sher igie w weara sea Jask Jack gave it to hii he r and lt fie never far left her hand bance he went away nevertheless ne ver th eless said miss merlon merlo to whom wham the conversation conver was half alf addressed I 1 the opal is me a stone ot of evil etu baem not wear ble oae tor for the world f and although tt the night was ak warm vi arni she shivered h gaim again 1 1 l |
