Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-10-16

course she rocks the baby to sleep on the
trapeze.n And Van Twiller went on
making comical domestic tableaux OF
Mademoisclle Zabriski, like the clever,
satirical dog he was, until the curtain
rose.
This was on Friday. There was
matinee the next day, and he attended
that, though he had secured seat for
the usual evening entertainment. Then
it became habit of Van Twiller's to drop
into the theater for half an hour or so
every night, to assist at the interlude, IN
which she appeared. He cared only for
her part of the programme, and timed his
visits accordingly. 1t was surprise to
himself when he reflected, one morning,
that he had not missed single perform
ance of Mademoiselle Olympic for two
weeks.
This will never do" said Van Twiller.
"Olympe'-he called her Olympic, as if
she were an old acquaintance, and so she
might have been considered by that time
lis wonderful creature; but this will
never do. Van, my boy, you must reform
this altogether"
But half past nine that night saw him
in his accustomed orchestra chair, and so
on for another week. A habit leads a
man so gently in the beginning that he
does not perceive he is led,-with what
silken threads and down what pleasant
avenues it leads him! By and by the
soft silk threads become iron chains, and
the pleasant avenues, Avernus!
Quite new element had lately entered
into Van Twiller's enjoyment of Ma
demoiselle Olympe's ingenious feats,-a
vaguely born apprehension that she might
slip from that swinging bar, that one OF
the thin cords supporting it might snap,
and let her go headlong from the dizzy
height. Now and then, for terrible in
slant, he would imagine her lying
glittering, paipitaiing heap at the foot
lights, with no color in her lips! Some
times it seemed as if the girl were tempt
ing this kind of fate. Ii was a hard,
bitter life, and nothing but poverty and
sordid misery at home could have driven
some night, by just unclasping that little
hand? 1t looked so small and white
from where Van Twiller sat
This frightful idea fascinated while it
chilled him, and helped to make it nearly
impossible for him to keep away from the
theater. In the beginning bis attendance
had not interfered with his social duties
or pleasures; but now he came to find it
distasteful after dinner 10 do anything
but read, or walk the streets aimiessiy
until it was time to go to the play. When
that was over, he was in no mood 10 go
anywhere but to his rooms. So he drop
ped away by insensible degrees from his
habitual haunts, was missed, and began 10
be talked about at the club. Catching
ton init all of no nv no
more in the orchestra stalls, but shrouded
himself behind the draperies of the
private box in which Delaney and
thought we saw him on one occasion.
Now, find it very perplexing to ex-
plain what Van Twil.er was wholly un'
able to explain to himself. He was
not in love with Mademoiselle Olympic
He had no wish TO speak to her, or to
hear her speak. Nothing could have been
easier, and nothing further from his de
sire, than to know her personally. A
Van Twiller personally acquainted with a
strolling female acrobat Good heavens ,
That was something possible only with
the discovery OF perpetual motion. Taken
from her theatrical setting, from her lofty
perch, so to say. on the trapeze-bar, and
Olympic Zabriski would have shocked
every aristocratic fibre in Van Twiller's
body He was simply fascinated by her
marvellous grace and elan, and the mag
netic recklessness of the girl. 1t was
very young in him and very weak, and no
member of tho SOrosis, or all the Sorosis-
ters together could have been more severe
on Van Twiller than he was on himself.
To be weak, and to know it, is something
of punishment for proud man. Van
Twiller took his punishment, and went TO
the theater regularly.
"When her engagement comes to an
end" he meditated, that will finish the
business"
Mademoiselle Olympe's engagement
finally did come to an end, and she de-
parted. But her engagement had been
highly beneficial to the treasury-chest OF
the uptown theater, and before Van
Twiller could get over missing her, she
had returned from short Western tour,
and her immediate temperance WAS I'M
derlined on the play bills.
On dead-wall opposite the windows
of Van Twiller's sleeping room there APP
pearcd, as ii by magic, an aggressive post
er with MADEMOIsELLE OLYMPE ZABRIsKI
on it at least foot high. This thing
stared him in the face when he woke up,
one morning. 1t gave him a sensation az
If she had called on him overnight and
left her card.
From time TO time through the day he
regarded that poster with sardonic eye.
He had pitilessly resolved not TO repeat
the folly Of the previous month. To say
that this moral victory cost him nothing
would be to deprive it of merit 1t cost
him many internal struggles. II is fine
thing to see man Selling his temptation
by the throat, and wrestling with 1t, and
trampling 1t under foot, like 81. Anthony.
This was the spectacle Van Twiller was
exhibiting to the angels
The evening Mademoiselle Olympic was
to make her temperance, Van Twiller.
having dineu al Tn. cub and feeling more
like himself than he had for weeks, re-
turned to his chamber, and, putting on
dressing gown and slippers, piled up the
greater portion of his library about him,
and fell TO reading assiduously. There is
nothing like quiet evening ut home with
some slight intellectual occupation, after
ones feathers have been stroked the wrong
way.