198 



)rHE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



July 



SKY FLOWERS. 



The sower is sowing the seed of the cloud, 

 Mantling the eartli with its drifting shroud, 

 Enshrining the lowlj- and humbling the proud. 



Gently and softly descend the sky flowers, 

 Sprinkling white petals in dazzling showers, 

 Garnered and wind borne from arctic bowers. 



Lost seems the earth 'neath its raiment oj 



white, 

 Sprectral and ghostlike, seen in the light 

 Of the wide moon this midwinter night. 



— James Sheridan Hall. 



LOVE IS BLIXD. 



Feathery palm trees, banks of flow- 

 ers, softly hued fairy lamps, and de- 

 licious strains of ever changing music, 

 all these go to make up enchantment! 



So, at least, thought Lord Ronald 

 d'Esterre. 



He had but just returned from a t\vc 

 years' sojourn in 'the heart of Africa, g 

 sojourn filled with dangers and priva- 

 tions ; his years numbered biit five and 

 twenty, he was possessed of a well 

 knit, springy frame and a keen, cleai 

 eye, and he had come back from hi? 

 travels with fame, courage and endur- 

 ance, but without a penny that he could 

 call his own. 



What was next to be done? This wa« 

 the problem that filled all his spare 

 thoughts. His elder brother had fitted 

 him out for his expedition with the po- 

 lite intimation that the act was a vir- 

 tual washing of his hands of the super- 

 fluous cadet ; iiis aunts had kissed him 

 so warmly at parting that he was amaz- 

 ed to find the in "not at home" when h€ 

 retiirned to London ; his godfather haci 

 given him a i;20 Uote aud such a heartv 

 farewell that it was bewildering to be 

 cut by hira when they met once more 

 in the club lacking room. "It really 

 seems as sh I had never come 



back!" .'^, ^ ung man to himself, 



with a siiiJ ;;t tae incredible idea, but 

 as time ijus.-^i .1 on his smiles died away, 

 and he ground his teeth savagely as he 

 realized that his relations had thoughl 

 it a good iiri-.sr]nrnt to lay out £50C 

 and an infii,/; v cf farewell in the hope 

 of getting quiC of a troublesome incum- 

 brance. 



The thought was a bitter one and in 



his iiisc iury he vowed to leave his na- 

 tive shores by the nest sliip, and nevei 

 return to them again. But upon the 

 heat of his passion there fell a cooling 

 breath, as if from heaven itself, and the 

 lion was straightway changed into a 

 lamb. Lord Ronald d'Esterre had been 

 accustomed so long to be looked upon 

 as a "detrimental" that at first he 

 scarcely dared to show the attraction 

 that lay for him in Violet Harvey's ap- 

 pealing gray eyes and soft, shining 

 hair. To his amazement, however, he 

 found that obstacles melted away mirac- 

 ulously at his approach. Violet herself 

 was shy and retiring, it is true, but her 

 mother smiled sweetly upon him and 

 her father shook him warmly by th{ 

 hand. 



Was ever man so blessed before? 



"True love does run smooth some- 

 times, after all!" he said to himself on 

 this bright June evening, as he walked 

 homeward after a meeting with Mrs. 

 Harvey in the park. 



"Shall you be at Lady Chesterford's 

 party tonight?" she had said. "Violet 

 and I are going, and we shall be so dis- 

 appointed if we do not see you. ' ' 



His honest face had glowed with de- 

 light as she spoke, and he seemed to be 

 treading on air as he walked away. 



"Even Aunt Maria has taken me 

 back into favor again, ' ' he thought. 

 "She was horribly cross when I first 

 came home, but now she is sugared 

 satin whenever I come near her. I dare 

 say it was all my fault, though. 1 

 know that I was an ill conditioned 

 brute until Violet came to soften me!" 



Lady Maria's flowered headdress was 

 the first object that met Lord Ronald's 

 eyes when he entered his hostess' crowd- 

 ed drawing rooms that evening, and 

 somewhat to his surprise it was in close 

 proximitj- to Mrs. Harvey's frizzled 

 gray head. 



"I shciuld not have thought that 

 Atmt Maria would have anything to do 

 with her!" he reflected. "She always 

 says that she can detect the faintest 

 tincture of trade and she must know 

 perfectly well that Mr. Harvey made 

 his money in malt. " 



At this moment, however, he caught 

 sight of Violet aud forgetting all else, 

 he elbowed his way eagerly through the 

 crowd until he reached her side. It 

 might have been only fancy, but at any 



