ment o f this!” Dallas says, and again they
float along the polished floor.
Alas! alas! it is over! the piano hns
hanged the final chord; perforce they
CHAPTER V.
It hml l»i*m n rn u w d
that Agiios,
Madge and June were to go up to the
Hall for tea and lawn tennis the next
afternoon, and that her cousins were to
call for June in the pony carriage. She
came tripping out o f the door as they
drove up.
Arrived at the Hall, the cousins were
requested to join the party in the garden,
and found Mrs. Ellesmere and her guests
sitting under the trees. Tom’s big form
loomed in the distance; he was doing
something to one of the nets. Dallas sat
on a garden seat beside Mrs. Fetherston,
a guest-from London, talking to her in an
engrossed manner. The moment, how
ever, that he became aware of the new
arrivals, he left her and went forward
to greet them.
H e looked handsomer
than ever to-day, in his white nanuels,
with the pale-blue Eton sash and tie,
straw hat and Brigade riblsm.
“ I will start the first party,*’ whispered
Tom to June. “ You will play with me,
won’t you?”
“ O f course I will,” answered June, who
had recommenced her taeties of last night,
and was speaking to and looking at her
lover in her softest manner.
So Tom flew off and paired the two
young ladies staying in the house with the
son of a neighboring rector and a man
who was o f the Hall party, and returned
in triumph.
“ Now,” he said to June, “ you and I will
play Dal and Madge; then we shall be
about equal.”
“ Cannot we do without Mr. Broke?”
asked June. “ iW ause, he is so much en
gaged, it would be a pity to disturb him.”
“ Oh, he wants to play, and we must
have him.”
“ Does not Mrs. Fetherston play?”
“ No; she says she hates romping. D al!”
shouted Tom.
Dallas looked up, but did not move for
® moment. It was evident his companion
was urging him not to play.
“ L et him off for half an hour, Mrs.
Fetherston, won’ t you?” said Tom, going
up to her, and she, raising her eyebrows,
answered stiffly:
1
“ Certainly; altogether, if he likes.’
Law n tennis may be played gracefully
•or ungracefully—nine times out o f ten it
is certainly the latter. In the set now
made up, the spectators had an opportu
nity of seeing both styles o f performance.
Dallas and June were graceful in the ex-
tryme, moving with the utmost rapidity,
yet never looking awkward; their eyes
sparkled with excitement, there was a
bright color in their face*. A man stand
ing near Mrs. Ellesmere and watching the
game whispered to her that he had rare
ly seen so handsome or so well matched a
couple. She assented to his remark with
a smile.
June was quite ready to depart when
Agnes proposed it, in spite of Tom ’ s earn
est entreaties.
“ I ’m going to get up a bit of a dance
to-morrow,” he whispered, as he was es
corting her to the pony carriage. “ W e
can make up about six couples.”
June's eyes glistened.
“ But you don’ t dance, T om !” she said.
“ W ell,” he answered, his honest face
illumined by a broad smile, “ I m not such
a dog in the manger that, liecnusc I can’t
do a thing myself, I won’ t let anybody
else.”
“ But,” said June, fearful of counting
In vain upon such an immense pleasure,
“ perilnps your mother won’ t invite me.”
“ Won’t she?” said Tom, significantly.
“ Look out for a note at ten sharp to
morrow morning.”
“ You really are an angel,” observed
June, affectionately, and Tom was, hap
pily for himself, unconscious that this
sudden warmth on her part arose from
joy at the anticipation o f a pleasure in
which he could not take part.
June could scarcely sleep that night for
the delicious anticipation of the morrow.
She woke early, and, unable to rest, rose,
dressed herself, and went out into the
garden. It was only seven o’clock then.
June has been twice round the garden,
has gathered a bunch o f roses and a dozen
big strawberries in a cabbage leaf for
her mother’ s breakfast, and, having car
ried them indoors, has come out again and
strolled a little away down the lane. And,
behold! there is Tom on his big bay horse
riding toward her.
“ Why, June! you are ni# betimes!” he
■cried, in his cheery voice, all his face
aglow with smiles.
She went up to him, put her slim fingers
in his, and stroked the glossy neck of
King Charlie.
“ I conld not sleep,” she said, with ra
diant eyes. “ I could not sleep for thinking
o f the dance to-night. Oh, Tom ! have you
brought my invitation?”
“ My mother is in bed and asleep as
yet,” laughed Tom, “ but, my darling,
what donbt can you have about it, when
I got it up on purpose for you ?”
“ Oh, Tom,” cried the girl, suddenly be
thinking of Madge, “ is Madge to be in
vited, too? Oh, do try to get her asked.
It would he such a treat for her!”
“ O f course she shall«” he answered,
g**od naturedly.
“ Ihank you, Tom. You are a dear,
good Tom.”
And June gave him such a smile that
it sent ideas to his brain which she was
far from intending it to do. He laid his
big brown hand on her little white one
that lay like a lily on King Charlie’ s neck.
“ You arc beginning to care a little bit
more for me, aren’t you?” he said, drop
ping his voice.
The color stole to June’s cheek, and an
uneasy sensation to her heart.
“ (Jood-by,” she said, “ I must lx» going
in.”
Tom rode away with a blithe heart; he
would not have changed places with any
other man on earth. She had not an
swered him, but “ silence gives consent.”
Evening came.
Half-past nine saw
June and Madge in the rector’s brougham
driving up to the Hall, the gluddest, mer
riest, most excited maidens possible to
behold.
“ Oh, you darling, darling June!” cried
Madge, “ if it were not for spoiling your
frock and your flowers and mine too, I
would give you such a hug. Tom told me
it was all your doing. Agnes did all she
could to prevent my going, but Tom got
hold o f mnmma on the quiet and made
her promise.”
Tom is waiting at the door to receive
them. Dancing is to take place in the
hall, which is lofty and spacious and has
a polished oak floor of glnssy smoothness.
Alrendy there is a squeak of a fiddle get
ting into tune,'and the two girls’ hearts
throb responsive.
As June was standing beside Tom,
flushed and lovely with excitement, Dal
las Broke came up to her.
“ You will give me a waltz, won’t you?”
he said, persuasively; and June, who Was
too happy to be cold or disdainful to any
one to-night, replied that she would be
very happy.
“ The second?”
And she assented.
“ Ah, my dear old chap,” said Dallas,
laying a friendly liund on Tom ’ s arm, " I
have one pull over you. Miss Rivers. why
don’t you make him learn to dance;”
Happy as she was, June felt a slight
sense of vexation at Mr. Broke’s manner.
She wished he would not always look and
spenk as though she were Tom ’s prop
erty.
The quadrille was over, the music of
the first waltz had commenced. June’s
partner this time was the son of a neigh
boring rector. H e was a little rough in
his paces, but June had an extraordinary
facility for adapting herself to almost any
step and any partner. When they made
their first pause, Dallas and Mrs. Feth
erston had the floor to themselves.
E v
eryone was wntching them. Their move
ments were the perfection of euse and
grace; such a lover of dancing as June
could not look at them without admira
tion, even though it occurred to her that
there was rather more abandon in Mrs.
Fetherston’ s style than was quite decor
ous. They stopped. Dallas looked down
into his partner’s eyes and whispered
something; she answered him in kind.
June felt a sudden spasm o f anger fiit
through her heart; she told herself that it
was due to a sense o f outraged propriety.
Exquisitely as Dallas danced, she decid
ed with a sudden impulse that she did not
want to dance with him. H e was not
nice; she would rather not dance, talk,
or have anything else to do with him.
Tom came to her when the waltz was
over; the rector’ s son made way for him.
“ Tom,” she whisjiered, “ take me^into
the conservatory. I want to get another
flower. These are crushed.”
/
“ A ll right, come along,” said Tom, g iv
ing her his arm.
H e gathered her a rich cluster of crim
son geraniums, and she fastened it in her
dress.
“ How* are you enjoying yourself?’” he
asked, and June replied:
“ Immensely.”
“ You are going to dance the next with
Dal,” he said. “ I shall come and have a
look at you. I hear the music beginning.”
“ I don't particularly cart* about dancing
with Mr. Broke,” uttered June, loitering.
A t this moment he came to look for her.
Seeing Tom, he half paused, and again
that smile hovered in his eyes and mouth.
“ Would you rather dance another one
instead of this?” he said, and June an
swered coldly, putting her hand on his
arm:
“ No; I think this Is ours.”
“ W as I wrong to come for you?” he
whispered as they passed out of the con
servatory, and she replied, more coldly
still:
“ Certainly not.”
A minute later his arm Is round her. Is
It possible that erewhile she was angry
with him? Now one soul seems to ani
mate them; together they fulfill the per
feet poetry of motion; never in her eigh
teen summers has June been conscious of
such ecstasy as this.
When at last they pause, he looks down
at her with a glance which she no longer
resents.
“ W as not that perfect?” he whispers.
She answers him by a look.
“ L et us go on. It is s sin to lose a mo-
PRESIDENT COMING WEST.
Secretary Now at Work on Itinerary—A
Word to Entertainment Committees.
8t Mrs.
vV’
. dar-
j . . !
W ashington.
Dec.
20.— President
Bivers was sitting up for l her
®
ling, anxious to hear all the events o f R oosevelt is already giv in g his atten
the evening,
as June
made her
----- tion and,
to the
W estern
trip re
which he
cital, a sudden consciousness came to tbs
girl that, instead o f pouring all her heart plans to take in the 8pring. S ecre
is
at work on the
out to her mother as was her wont, she tary Cortelyou
itinerary, or, rather, the itinearies.
was
talking
almost as
as insincerely
insincerely a*
as fo
•*
in" ' “ ,8 ttiuiosv
r he i 3 m aking several.
A t least
though she had been speaking to a straug- three trips w ill be laid out, and cir-
er. It was a relief to her when her story cumstances
miU
---- —*-*-*-
w ill
determ ine
which
was finished and she had kissed her moth
er fondly and bidden her good-night. The bhall be chosen. I f state affairs are
urgent
it
w
ill
be
the
shorter
one,
maid who acted as parlor maid, house
maid and lady’s maid at the Bose Cottage while if affairs are goin g smoothiy,
unfastened her dress and lingered a little the Presiden t w ill be aw ay six weeks
or more.
deeply interested in the doings at the
Chicago w ill be visited early in the
Hall.
trip, as it is the plan to carry out the
When at last she went, June stood im
movable for a moment. Then she flung program me which was interrupted by
the operation on the President's leg.
herself down by her bedside and cried as
Then he w ill go to M ilwaukee, through
if her heart would break.
W isconsin, to St. Paul and Minneapo
C H A P T E R VI.
lis and westward to the Yellow stone
June, scarcely knowing how it happen Park, and on to the Coast, stopping
ed, found herself in the boat in the garden at Puget Sound cities, Portland and
lake, while Mr. Broke was leisurely dip- San Francisco. The Presiden t has in
Riug the sculls into the water and rowing vitations from every state in the Un
her away to the furthest point from the ion west o f the Mississippi R iver.
house. And when he came to the big
Local com m ittees
m aking plans
elm, whose branches overhung the water will do w ell to have regard to the
and made a canopy above their heads, he President’s desire that S ecretary Cor
quietly shipped his oars, and, bonding a telyou be included n al’, plans tor en
little forward, said, quite simply and tertaining the President. T h is remin
frankly:
der mght seem superfluous, but exper-
“ I am going to take the liberty o f ask ence has shown that it is not. There
ing you a question. May I? ”
are 19 reasons, any o f which is good
“ Oh, certaiuly.”
and sufficient why the President
“ W hy won’t you, who are so charming wants his secretary to be at his elbow
to everyone else, be a little bit kind to day and night, in carriages, at din
me ?”
ners, at private residences where he
“ Ain I not kind to you?” she said, dip may be entertained, and at public
ping her white fingers into the water and functions. A n y plans which are not
apparently intent on watching them. to this effect w ill have to be altered.
“ W hat have I done?”
“ You have hardly looked at or spoken
NATIONAL CALAMITY.
to me since I came; indeed. I have fancied
that you purposely avoided me.**
.Santa Marla Still Active- Price of Neces
T o utter a indite disclaimer was June’s
sities So High Few Can Buy Them.
first instinct; but a second coming swriftly
on its heels, she followed that instead.
Guatemala City, Guatemala, Dec.
’ You have takeu his mother’s love from 20.— It is probably due to some go v
Tom,” she said. “ And, whenever you ernment instructions that the papera
are together, you always stand in his light here have not said anything with re f
erence to the eruption o f the Santa
and make him seem—seem----”
But June cannot find the words she M aria volcano, which can be consider
ed, because o f its magnitude as a
wants.
“ A t all events, there is one brilliant ex national calam ity. T h e losses suffer
are not less
ception to the rule,” answered Dallas, in ed by German capital
a piqued tone, losing for a moment his than $6.560.000, consisting o f houses
destroyed, and the
almost imperturbable good temper. Then, and m achinery
with a flash in his blue eyes eminently be destruction o f the present coffee crop.
If
the
total
destruction
o f many other
coming to them, “ I assure you, you are
completely mistaken about my aunt’ s feel properties belonging to other foreign
ing for me. She likes me, and I amuse ers, as w ell as to natives, is added to
her; but it is hardly probable that a wom this amount, the actual losses ascend
an w’ould care more for her nephew than to a fantastic sum.
The volcano is still in activity and
her own son.”
June is more attracted to Mr. Broke in a new eruption is feared at any time.
this mood than in any in which she has Suffering Is indescribable, for, besides
yet seen him. It is her turn to assume the loss o f coffee, which is estimated
that charming tone and manner which she at about 300,000 quintals, the corn
possesses in almost as great a degree as and wheat Helds are ruined.
Owing to the unusually high rate
Dallas himself.
“ I did not mean to say anything un of exchange, business is entirely par
kind.” And she looked at him so softly alyzed, for all imported articles have
that his momentary wrath melted away. reached such prices that v ery few
persons can aflord to buy them, and
“ But it is a little hard on Tom.”
merchants sell just
“ Tom is the best fellow living,” cried most o f the
Dallas, “ and no one kuows it better than euuugU to vtrrer m et! expenses.
The
w
orst
part
o f the present bad
Aunt Vi. She is a woman of the world,
and would like him to have a little condition is that no one knows how
or when It w ill change, and it Is al
more---- ”
most unenduable just now. A rticles
“ Polish?” suggested June.
“ That is hardly the w’ord: something of o f first necessity have reached inac
that sort, I suppose. But she knows his cessible prices, and the poor class of
people are suffering therefrom .
sterling worth as well as anyone.”
Sterling worth! yes, how appropriate
those two words are! Y et they have a
dull sound in June's ears this summer a f
ternoon whilst young Apollo’s eyes are
meeting hers.
“ I imagine,” he said, “ that you will
very soon have all the say here.”
The sw ift blood flew to June’s cheeks.
“ You are mistaken, then,” cried June,
hotly. “ I am not going to marry him. I
am not engaged to him. 1 love him as my
dearest friend, as my brother, and noth
ing. nothing more.”
Then she sank back in her seat, and a
cold, shamed feeling crept over her that
she had betrayed Tom, ay, more cruelly
than mother or any other living being had
power to do. Dallas was so astonished at
this confession that he let go the bank,
and the boat drifted out into the sunshine.
H e had to rise, take a scull and punt back
to the shore.
“ Had we not better be going in?” sug
gested June, coldly.
“ No, not just yet,” he answered. “ Do
you know* you have positively taken my
breath away?”
“ H ave I? ” said June, with averted eyes,
remorseful and ashamed, and yet feeling
a sort of satisfaction thnt she had struck
off her chains and declared her freedom.
“ I do not know why you should have
thought I was going to marry Tom. I
do not suppose that he told you that I
was.”
“ Most certainly not.”
“ Let us be friends!” he whispered,
bending forward and stretching out his
hand; and she let him take hers. There
was a magnetism in his touch that was
utterly wanting in Tom’s; involuntarily
her eyes met his and stayed a moment
longer than was wise, and straightway,
June knew’ that imagination may forestall
reality, and that the dreams she had cher
ished in summer starlit nights with long
ing eyes strained heavenward were not
only dreams, but that this gross material
earth holds raptures as great aa the prom
ise o f the skies.
Tom, all unauspicioua, was aw’aiting
them at the landing place, and, aa he put
both his hands ont to help June from the
boat, he said, with a cheery laugh:
“ W ell, have you two made up?”
June could not answer, but Dallas re
plied gayly:
“ Yes, I think Miss Rivers has forgiven
me.”
Then he walked np the slope to join
Mrs. Fetherston, who was coming to meet
them, her face wearing anything hut a
pleased expression. A pang o f jealousy
shot through June’s heart. Tom was
hurrying her towifrd a sequestered part
of the garden, and she felt as though he
were taking her sway from the flower«
and the sunshine.
(T o be continued j
LEFT TO BOWEN
Castro Gives United States Minis
ter Full Power to A rbitrate.
MAKES NO RESTRICTIONS WHATEVER
Realizes That HI» Nation la Powerless —
Venezuelan Kettels Active, and Ap
parently Receiving Help.
W ashington, Dec. 22.— T h e settle
m ent o f the Venezuelan difficulty now
rests
with U n ited States
M inister
Bowen, to whom Presiden t Castro has
entrusted full pow er to
negotiate
terms with the allies.
Castro desires that the peace con
feren ce be held in W ashington, and
to that end has asked Bowen to go
there.
Castro has changed his attitude to
ward the allies, allow ing the
Ger
man M inister to land and talk by tel
ephone to his sick w ife, and allow ing
the British ships to send men ashore
for provisions.
The rebels are becom ing m ore ac
tiv e In the interior, and Castro is
said to have evidence that they have
co-operated w ith the allies, and that
arms and ammunition h are been fur
nished them.
Caracas,
Dec. 22.— L op ez
Baralt,
Venezuela M inister o f Foreign
A f
fairs, has transm itted to United States
M inister Bowen a document signed
by President Castro as constitutional
President o f th e republic, and coun
tersigned by h im self as M inister o f
Foreign Affairs, in which Mr. Bowen
is recognized as the only representa
tiv e o f Venezuela in the matter o f ef
fectin g a settlem ent o f the difficulty
with the European powers.
According to the term s
of
this
document. Mr. Bowen may act with
out restriction, and he is to use all
means possible to protect the inter
ests o f Venezuela. T h e State Depart
ment at W ashington has been noti
fied o f the transmission o f this instru
m ent to Mr. Bowen.
E vents here are dependent upon
the receipt, through the State
De
partment, o f the answers o f the gov
ernments o f G reat Britain, Germany
and Italy to the proposal o f arbitra
tion advanced by Venezuela. These
answers
are
expected
tom orrow .
Should they be favorable, the Venezu
elan governm ent strongly desires that
a conference o f the Am bassadors o f
Great Britain, Germany and Italy to
the United States he held in W ash
ington. and that Mr. Bowen leave La
Ouayra Decem ber 23 for the United
States on board the Steam er Caracas,
which Is due to reach N ew Y o rk De
cem ber 29.
Mr. Bowen w ill .meet the Ambassa
dors in W ashington. N o m eeting to
discuss term s o f settlem ent is to be
held on Venezuelan soil.
REMODELED A CLUB FOOT.
Surgeon Lorenz First Crushed It, Then
Formed It as Nature Should.
N ew York, Dec. 20.— Dr. Lorenz has
for the first tim e since he arrived in
N ew York operated on a club foot.
T h e patient was a 4-yearg>ld girl. Dr
Lorenz kneeded and twisted the crip
pled foot until it was as soft and pli
able as a piece o f putty. Then he
d eftly molded it into its proper form,
and announced that the operation was
completed and a plaster cast was fit
ted to the foot. T h e doctor said that
the child should be allowed to use her
foot as much as she could afte r four
o r five days, and that it would be
necessary to keep the east on fo r six
or seven months, afte r which she
could walk.
Four operations for congenital dis
locations were perform ed and at their
close Dr. Lorenz showed that he was
a tired man.
THIS IS SANTA’S BUSIEST YEAR.
Prosperity Has Enabled Him to Break All
Previous Records In Liberality.
N e w York, Dec. 20.— M all
money
order records have been broken In the
Central postofflee, W ednesday’s trans
actions amounting to $1,168.741. This
included .money orders Issued, both
dom estic and foreign, the certificates
o f deposit issued to out-of-town post
masters, money orders
paid
and
money order drafts.
European ad
vices brought the Inform ation that
the Incom ing Christmas mail would
be much larger this year than ever
before. T h e Cymric, bound for N ew
York, is said to have on board 2600
bags o f mail.
T h e Etruria Is also
com ing with 1805, the K aiser W ilhelm
der Orosse with 660 and the St. Louis
with 300, a total o f 5365.
Warning to Westerners.
W ashington. Dec. 20.— T h e S ecre
tary o f the Treasury went to the H ar
lem dinner in a Tuxedo coat. That
was a sin— a violation o f the law o f
etiquette— alm ost Inexcusable.
For
the President o f the United States
was there, and where the President
o f the United 8tates la. it is a full-
dress function. T h is m ight be a good
thing to rem em ber when the P res i
dent is on his visitation, o f the W est
next Spring. I f you hare a long-tailed
coat get it out.
"E l
M oeh o”
H i»rn n m 1 o *,
Ih o
leased revolutionary leader, called at
the Am erican Legation this morning
fo r th e purpose o f paying his respects
to M inister Bowen.
T his afternoon
Presid en t Castro, accompanied by his
wife, also called
at the Legation,
where he stayed fo r three-quarters o f
an honr.
Lelutenant Van Duzen, o f the gun
boat M arietta, has been sent
here
from T.a Ouayra to act as secretary to
Mr. Bowen.
M erchants o f all nationalities here
hope that the arbitration
proposal
w ill be accepted, and that, as a result
o f the present efforts to reach a pa
cific settlem ent, the proposed block
ade o f I-a Guayra. Puerto
Cabello,
Maracaibo. Coro, Carupano and Bar
celona. announced fo r Decem ber 20,
w ill not becom e effective.
British and German ships o f war
are paying dally visits to M argarita
Island. P ea rl fishing boats from M ar
garita report the presence o f three
men-of-war near Juan Grlego.
Allied Power« Helping Rebels.
Caracas. Dec. 22.— Documents and
letters which have been secured by
the Venezuelan authorities are said
to prove th e connection o f the Matos
revolutionists with the recent demon
stration o f the allies against Vene
zuela.
It Is reported that, since the cap
ture o f th e Venezuelan fleet, muni
tions o f w ar have been shipped open
ly from W illem stad to ports on the
Venezuelan coast, and steamers are
said to have sailed from
P o rt o f
Spain Trinidad, with the knowledge,
it Is alleged, o f the British authorities
there, bearing arms and ammunition
to the Venezuelan
revolutionists at
Ciudad B aliver, on the O rinoco R iver.
St. Louis Exposition Stamp«.
W ashington, Dec. 22.—T h e
Post-
office Departm ent is Just about to
take up th e subject o f the special Is
sue o f stamps to be designed for the
St. Louis Exposition. Even so early
It is understood that G eorge H. Dan
iels that enterprising publicity ex
pert o f the N ew York Central, Is to
h ave on one stamp a picture o f hi*
24-hour flyer. L a s t tim e It was the
E m pire State Express which served
as a model for rapid railw ay transit,
and Mr. Daniels again claims the dis
tinction, o f furnishing the apeedlest
model.
_______ ____________
Earthquake in Costa Rka.
San Jose, Costa Rica, Dec. 22.—
T w o violen t earthquakes w ere
ex
perienced here at 4 o ’clock this morn
ing. T h e people w ere greatly slsrm-
ed. but there w ere no
easualitlea.
S everal other «hock* follow ed at In
terval». Theae, however, were o f di
m inishing severity.