The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-11-26

10 did o'Stradler. al love youn he urged, swcotly
scintiating into u dazzling tenderness.
IL will never yield like other women" cried Avis,
quiverng across her paint brushes. ''Indeed, am
already weddcdl"
$40 whom ?" exclaimed O'Stradlcr looking fercely
down upon her.
ITO Art with capital a. )" SAID Avis, she added
finishing touch to the ief Of the portrait
Nothing could havo disheartened him like the doll
cate tooth OF perfectly unconscious satire biting
through those last fow words He turned his broad
shoulders upon hor and strobe from the studio NUT
tering, as no stepped q tube OF white lead
"Crushedi"
Avis retired to her couch that night, but not to
sleep As she lay there, tossing her Rccamier arms
about her head dreamily across the current Of her
thoughts noatcd pathetic sound Of the boys voices
the street, st and forever busy with those army
songs
And well all drink stone blind,
When Johany comes marching home.
".Drink stone blindl Happy thought" said Avis,
as she sprang from tho bed and unlocked little
French dressing that stood upon The bureau ana
took from it slender bottle bearing the trade marx
OF a well known firm and the label "Mother
Goose's Soothing Syrup" She poured the
liquid out, holding It to tho light Then
throwing her head back and holding her nose, sho
tossed the nectar down her slender throat and went
back TO bed There she dreamed dreams called up by
the soothing syrup. She saw O'Stradler IN blue
army overcoat, driving Third avenue car and singing
the refrain OF the above quoted Then she saw
him with wooden leg, trying to balance himself on
the top oil Bunker H Monument Thon he turned
into creased pig and she was chasing him. he gave
grunt and disappeared around the She started
after him and awoKe with Shrek to find herself on
the rug by her bedside cngng frant!cally TO shoe
string This decided Avis to accept OStradler when
he offered himself again. for she saw how much she
wanted him when she felt that she might lose HIM.
Tho mex, morning he popped again and she accepted
after an apparent struggle.
al forgot to tell YOU" said she, "that hato, with
a fervont hatred, to keep house."
~ did not ask you to be my housekeeper"
Sand" said sne, suddenly serious, ~ make very
sour bread"
He caught her to his plaid waistcoat and i'm
printed an uncertain kiss upon her high forehead.
"Shes mne," said he In that mighty voice
The interview between Avis and her father the old
Professor brefone Shc slipped into his study
and slid down his leg and sat upon his foot before he
discovered her.
"Father," said she, ~ have promised to marry Mr..
O'stradler"
The Professor pushed back his spectacles then bis
lexicon and lifted his daughter OF OF his loot .sThe
conceivable" no murmured ''lies always between
two inconccivable extremes Such we find In tho law
OF the condition But" rising, ''there, my child,
is the lecture bell have mislaid the
9th lecture the Cartesan dictum some
where Avis. think your aunt must have been dust
ing to-day. Look under those three volumes Of
Dugald Stewart. Try 'Roid on Arlstotle.' No, that
is the reiutation OF Hobbes Have you shaken tho
Duality Consciousness thoroughly ?" He dropped
hte homo n IAN dau oh n
"Et IN Arcadia ego he muttered, as he strobe away
to the lecture with his wig under his arm and his
lexicon his head, for the Professor was getting
very forgotiul in his old age.
Avis undulated into the parlor and there sat her
mothers old piano and played, Tor half an hour, rag-
ments from the andante OF Beethovcn's Fifth SYM
phony serenade OF Schubert's. the "Adeaide, some
Scotch melodies and one or two appropriations, un-
scientific, powerful and magnetic. O'Siradcr threw
himself upon tho sofa and listened with hands over
his ears, as II he were shutting out a sound.
.sOh," he said, under his breath, when she had
finished, ''what q touchl"
Avis heard this gratefully for O'Straders taste Tor
music was highly cultivated; he fine solo per-
former upon the iewsharp, and had at one time played
the triangle in an amateur orchestra.
CHAPTER ~.
Avis had now been married some five years Her
wants to wait upon her Her own room was like
studlo-a hammock hung In corner and mani.
KIN bent its many JOINTS In another. But still she
was not happy certain blind something was be-
fore her. and she could not paint 1t away. Abodt the
house she wore a bit oil red flannel around her
throat for color OStradler fond Of seeing this
fan ne and thought 1t looked very bright against her
brown skin While he taught geology at the college
she decorated the dados in the hall and painted the
best china Avis had a baby, dear little red baby
which she wanted decorate also, but her husband
thought that plain red in this was better than
decoration.
AS | have intimated all did not 60 happily at the
OStradler home Philip came down lato 10 breakfast
one morning and growled like any common man.
SAWS" he began, "the cracked wheat IS soggy
again"
Avis looked up from hor buttered toast with GER
tain blind stare. Il am sorry, Philip; will see about
IT,
"And the cream" proceeded Philip, .is sour The
steak is cold and coffee will give bilious head
ache before night" Then he slammed out OF the
house to the college.
But tho end not yeti book agent called on
Avis and told her that she had been engaged to be
married TO Philip in his youth. If 1t had only bee
a sewing machine agent, thought Avi-, might have
borne It. Barbara Fritcnie, young friend, spent a
few days with AVIS On one particular evening Avis
retired early and left Philip and Barbara down stairs.
Waking up In tho night sho light in the hall,
and thinking that Philip had forgotten to put It out
she slid down the baustrade In her nigbtdrcss and
horror, found Philip and Barbara making love
in the parlor. Philip haa hts around Barbara's
waist and her hand casped IN his, and Avis the
dimples In her fingers and the CLEAN OF Ter cool,
clear cut conscious nails. She had put hor hand on
ostadlers that the profile Of the thumb and first
finger was presented to view. This profile enruged
Avis, and sno stood in tho doorway with her angry
toes tearing at the mat. The guilty pair her and
took her for ghost at first, but the blind actor OF
her arm MS she pointed to tho doorway treasured
them. Barbara sprang her feet and SUNK or to
her room; II was then after two. OStradler twired
the piano stool between his thumb and foren ngcr.
and assumed the injured role. "You shouldn't be
put out by little thing like that, Avis" said he
''rhoy all do IT. Let mo help
you up the stairs" AVIS, with wave OF her night
dress sleeve, warned him aside She swept past hun
nm unceraip and tottercd on tho sta,