A SPRIG OF ORANGE BLOSSOM.
Looking upward, Lotty's gaze was lost in a waving, gently murmuring wilderness of green leaves, nearly hiding the tree's wealth of largo, fbick-skjinned oranges. Beyond, in flickering rays of light, she eould see the deep, clear blue of California!! skies.
There was no sound in this sheltered corner of the old Court House garden, except the occasional trill of a bird, and the staccato notes of the inseot3 in the grass. Lotty, a reserved and sentimental English girl, was overwhelmed by the glamour of the hour and place, and the half-sovious, half-playful, altogether irresistible charm of Luigi Duplay.
Duplay (Lewis Smith in the little town in Illinois where his folk " resided") had mot Letty and her parents—especially Letty —in the best hotel in Sacramento. They were travelling for pleasure in Western America. Luigi was a " trick cyclist." His portraits and posters were scattered over the town. Ho was short, young and lithe, with a pale, shrewd, clearly-cut face, and smooth, fair hair.
He held Lotty's hand closely in his. His eyes—bright, tenner, flattering—now rested on her pretty, drooping lids, and then on her conscious, smiling lips. Letty forgot his doubtful grammar. Even his twang was melodious.
"If 1 wasn't booked at 'Frisco, Miss Letty, and there weren't hundreds of mean guys ready to copy my 'act,' I'd follow you to Burope-— like a dog !" protested Duplay, leaning against the orange tree. There was silence for a while. Letty played with a bunch of violets in her belt. He watched her idle fingers. Then they both looked up. Those seemed no necessity to speak. Letty tossed three of the violets towards him. He caught one and stooped for the other, and then, smiling a little, drew them across his lips and lifted his eyebrows.
"'What will you give me for tho violets?" asked Lotty quickly. ■' The earth, with a barbed wire fence round it and a bine jay on the top !" said Duplay, still holding the violets against his lips. " .hist you look at that orange over your head. Miss Letty— If it ain't e-nor-mous 1 There —see?"
Lotty's grave eyes wandered among tho clustering leaves, and his cheek was very near as ho too looked up. "What does a boy deserve who doesn't dare?" whispered Duplay. "I don't know what you mean answered Letty. Reaching up, the trick cyclist pulled a sprig of leaves, with a few half-open blossom?, off tho tree.
"Will you keep this—for my sake—till wo meet again in the old country ':'' he begged.
"Orange blossom!" exclaimed Lotty, simply. '* Why not? We shall never forget todaynever!"
" Never repeated Letty softly. Luigi Duplay was really handsome, and the perfume of the leaves and flowers in her hand made her sigh with its subtle sweetness.
"How much he loves me!" That was her one thought—painful, delightful, agitating —as she went away with the sprig of orange blossom.
"Duplay on tho Wheel! Juggling Extraordinary! America's Unique Cyclist !"
These words, in tho centre of the, programma of tho best variety theatre iu London, attracted the attention of Mr. Francis Vansiirart, as ho sat in the stalls with the happiness of having his fiancee on his right, her mother on his left, and her father in the seat beyond. Mr. Yansittart was small, alert and dapper; thirty-five years of age, with kind, twinkling eyes behind gold eye-glasses; and a. perfectly unaffected, charming manner. At the word " Duplay" Mr. Vansittart's fiancee bent forward and stretched out her hand for the programme. Four years had passed siHOo Letty parted from tho trick cyclist in the old Court House garden at Sacramento. Leaning back in her seat, with her rich, eligible fiancee beside her, the mere sound of his name altered her whole train of thought. She longed for the glorious warmth and freshness of California. For a few dreamy momentsfor the first time since she met
him —Vaiisittart was forgotten. She seemed to see Luigi's eager face, and to hear again his passionate farewell. "How much ho loved me!" she thought, and half-expected to see a wrenched, prematurely- Luigi, with strands of grey in his hair, come sadly on to the stage. As a matter of fact, Duplay, in his blue velvet suit, was exactly the Duplay of four years ago. "Awfully clever!" said Mr. Yansittart, as Luigi stood on tho seat of his bicycle and juggled with golden balls. "They look like large oranges, don't they? Too long, though, much too longi'i His tone exasperated Letty. She watched every graceful, daring feat of the trick cyclist's with a mingled feeling of disappointment, attraction and curiosity. It was her duty, so she said to herself, to check the hopes that, had—no doubt,—brought him to England. She glanced at Vansittarfc. Something in his perfectly trustful, confident manner aggravated her. He was very ordinary after all! It was in this mood that Letty wrote, on the following day. a letter reminding Mr. Duplay of their friendship, and casually hinting she would like to see him again. The answer was a little surprising. Leftyhad never received a letter from Duplay before. He addressed her as '"Dear friend," and subscribed himself "Very respectfully." I*, was certainly a shock to romance.
He was staying in a private hotel, and lie entreated her to spare him five minutes on the following afternoon. As Letty had given him no invitation to renew his acquaintance with her people, she could not well bo offended at this.
After some deliberation —still curious. ball-fascinated—slit* determined to go and see him. That he had loved ber for four yeaius, arid that she no longer loved him, was the incomprehensible excuse she made to herself.
The private hotel where Letty directed her steps was a favourite haunt of American variety artistes. The house wa.s close and hot, dark and unattractive. A picture flashed into Letty's mind —herself, under different circumstances, arriving there with a professional husband, and calling it " home." She. was shown into a small, not ill-fur-nished sittingroom. A groat many posters of London and Continental music-halls decorated the walls: a man in a green baize apron was polishing plate at a little table in a comer of the room, and a couple of young men. lounging in rocking chairs and with their hats tipped to the b;ck of their head-;, were looking through a pile of American newspapers. In Ejiiro of Letty's amusement at these unusual surrounding?; in spite of her thorough self-reliance, she trembled more and nunc as every minute brought her nearer to the meeting with Lnigi Duplay. She pitied him so much! She dreader! that he would read her thoughts, and they all revolved about Francis Yansittart.
Suddenly she heard Luipi's step and lie was in front of her chair, bending toward? her, almost before she had time to rise. Their hands met. She was confused by the questioning little smile, more in the eye' than on the lips, so long forgotten, but so well remembered now.
"Say! I am glad! This is a real reinsure! I don't know as how I ran thank yon. Miss Letty," Fjuigi exclaimed. Ho was a little thinner and a little more sallow than in the Sacramento days, but otherwise unchanged. Vunsittart slipped into Lctty's mind, and she covered her confusion by quick, over-kind words. "I felt very anxious to know whether von hud prospered, Mr. Duplay. One should not forget old friends, 1 was so pleased with your performance on Monday evening," Ho smiled again, leaning on the corner of the mantelpiece and looking eagerly down on her. "Mr. Duplay!" he said, reproachfully. " Usen't 1 to get ' Luigi' in Sacramento?" '■ Wo aw nut in Sacramento now," said Letfrv, hastily. '•That's so, Miss Lefty, but 1 guess if wasn't exactly the location of the town which made those days kind pleasant. Say, yon haven't altered! Strange, Miss Letty, but 1 haven't seen a single pair of b.ue eyes for over four years! Not one pair! Yes, you're just the same—perhaps a little more fleshy, that's all." Letty started, for the end of his sentence jarred. But she did not. speak as his expression changed. " lie is re-living the past!" she thought. "Poor fellow!" •' Say, Miss Letty, didn't you use me rather meanly 'way out there in Sacramento?" said Duplay. "] don't know as I deserved to be dropped at. the first lamp-post —excuse my slang— did i'.' Shall 1 ever get even with you about that?" " i think not," said Letty. Vunsittart was again the unseen third. There was silence. The girl began to suspect that he was not only heart-bronen, but injuued. She determined to be kind once more ! before (ho final wrench. [ "Do yen remember the old Court House ! garden?" she began. ! "Where the orange trees wore in bloom!" J he ended the .sentonte.
They looked straight into each other's eyes. It would be difficult, to say which of them first smiled. Duplay, with his usually solemn eyes dancing, laid his hand over the girl's. "You '-won't forgotten, Miss Letty? Think of ..Hat! Those were slick times!
Miss Lettv. ..." , . Her exp «-.ion, full of kindness and pity, choked him. She opened a. little bag hanging at l-*r waist and toot out a folded paper. Duplay drew a shad* closer. The secret si the folded paper was laid lore before him. He saw a few withered loaves and brown discoloured petals. A Wank look came into his face, then he opened his lips to speak, but Letty stopped him. '• I must tell you the truth, Luigi, even if you think me cruel and hard. I have sometimes thought we might meet again, and I have kept this little sprig to show you without, words that—'" She crumpled the paper and the dead leaves in her hand and tossed them both into the fire. Luigi's eyes folic wed them. Then lie looked up. " So you think my heart is broken, Miss Letty, and that's a kind of way of letting me knowthat's real considerate of you ! Yon might have had that, little conflagration at Sacramento four years ago. but perhaps it was kind of encouraging to think that you had me on the striug-— Letty put out her nana. She had rather enjoyed herself so far, but hi.-:- last words were puzzling. "No, Luigi, no! But you've taken it beautifully'. This is our very law goodbye !"
She intended to give an impression of condescending, final magnanimity, and evidently succeeded. Luigi touched her hand and they went out of the room in silence.
A* they passed through the gloomy hall together, a young lady, typically American from the point of her tiny shoe to the little curl on her forehead, ran downstairs towards them. Sua was smart, pretty, and a trifle common. Letty was conscious of a whiff of scent, and she saw that the little American was wearing far too many diamonds. " My! Loo, I began to think you'd never be through talkin'. I'm most happy to meet i you."
She stretched out Lor hand to the surprised Lotty, who looked to her companion for an explanation. •'Allow me to present my wife!" said Ling 1 ! Diiplay. As- Lotty went away leaving the trick cyclist, and Mrs. D up-lay smiling and nodding on the doorstep, she determined not to confide her recent experiences to Mr. Vansittart. She bod fully intended to give him a description of the burning of the orange blossom, but somehow—under the circumstancesshe thought it would he better to keep it to herself.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12071, 15 September 1902, Page 3
Word Count
1,915A SPRIG OF ORANGE BLOSSOM. New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12071, 15 September 1902, Page 3
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