The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-19

L
and to know 1t, Is something OF punishm emit
for q proud man Van Twiller took his pun
ishment, and went to the theatre regularly:
when the engagement comes to an end,
be meditated, that will finish the business,
Mile. Olympe's engagement finally did
come to an end, and she departed. But her
engagement had been highly beneficial to
the Atreasury-chest OF the uptown theatre,
and before Van Twiler could get over miss
ing her she had returned from short West
ern tour. and her immediate reappearanee
was underlined OH the play bills.
On dead wall opposite the windows OF Van
Twlller's sleeping rooms there appeared, as II
by magic, an aggrasslve poster WI, Win M I've;
high. This thing stared him In the face when
he woke up one morning. 1t gave him SEN
sation as II she had called on him overnight
and left her card.
From time to time through the day he re-
garded 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 1t of merit. 1t cost him internal
struggles. It Ia q fine thing to see q man
seiziug his temptation by the throat and
wrestling with 1t and trampling 1t under
foot, like st. Anthony. This was the specfa-
Gle Van fwiller was exhibiting to the angels,
The evening Mile. Olympic was to make her
the club. and feeling more like himself than
tie had felt for weeks, returned to his cham
Der, and putting on dressing gown and slip
pers, piled up the greater portion OF his IL
brary about him, and fell to reading assidl-
ously. There Is nothing like quiet evening
at home with some slight intellectual oceupa-
ton, after ones feathers have been stroked
the wrong way.
When the lively French clock on the man
tel.-plece. a base Of malachlte automatically
a flying bronze Mercury, with It's arms spread
gracefully on the air, and not remotely sng-
gestiye of Mademoiselle Olympic In the act OF
executing her grand flight from the trapeze--
when that clock, | repeat, struck nine, Van
Twilter paid no attention to 1t. This was
, certainly O triumph. am anxious to render
Van TWiller all the justice can at this point
OF the narrative. inasmuch MS when the half
hour sounded unsteady, like crystal ball
dropping Into silver bowl, he rose from the
chair automatically. thrust his feet Into his
walkng-shoes, threw his overcoat across his
arm, and strobe out OF the room.
To be weak and to scorn your weakness,
and not be able to conquer It, L. as has been
said, q hard thing; and | suspect 1t WAS not
with unalloyed satisfaction that Van Iwillerl
found himself taxi z a seat In the back part
Of the private box ght after night during
the second engagement OF He. Olympic. 1t
was SO easy not to stay away
In this second edition OF Van Twlller's fatul-
ty his case was even worse than before. He
not only thought OF Olympic quite number
of times between breakfast and dinner, he
not only attended the interlude regularly but
he began, in spite of himself, to occupy his
leisure hours ut night by dreaming OF her.
Twiller regarded it SO. Besides. the dream
was always the same-a narrowing dream, @
dream singularly adapted to shattering the
nerves of q man like Van Twiller. He would
imagine himself seated at the theatre with
all the members of Our Club In the parquette).
watching Mile. Olympic as usual, whom sud
denly that young lady would launch herself
desperately from the trapeze and come flying
through the air like tirehrand hurled ut his
private box. Then the unfortunate man
would wake up with cold drops standing OH
his forehead.
There Is one redeeming feature i'm this In
fatuation or Van Twiller's which the sober
moralist will love to look upon-the serene I'M
consciousness OF the person who caused 1t.
She went through her role with admirable
aplomb. drew her salary 1t may be assumed,
punctlally, and appears from first to last to
have been Ignorant that there was 9 misera-
BILE slave weaving her chains nightly In the
left hand proscenium box.
That Van Twiller, haunting the theatre
with thepelsisteney of an ex-actor, conducted
himself so discreetly as not to draw the fire
OF Mademoiselle 0lympe's blue eyes, shows
| that Van Twiller however deeply under q
think IL Van Twtller had not been Van
| Twtller, Ii he had been a man of no family
and no position and no money; II New York
had been Paris. and Thirty-fourth street in
late on what might have happened. What
did happen is sufficient.
1t happened then In the second week OF
Queen Olympic slsecond unconscious reign, thai
an appalling whisper tloated up the Hudson
| effected a. landing at n point between Spuyte1
Duyvel creek and Cold spring, and sought
out d stately mansion OF Dutch architecture
standing on the bank of the river. The whis
per straightway informed the lady dwelling
| iu this mansion tina all was not well with the
| 4 I,.,U l1nv hat 1f,xr
ally estranging himself from his PEERS anC
wasting his nights lin a playhouse, watching
misguided young woman turning unmaiden
! like somersaults on g piece OF wood attached
| to two ropes
Mrs. Vanrensselar Vanzandt Van Twillel
came down to town by the next train to loDl
| into this little matter.
1 She found the Hover of the family taking
an early breakfast at IL q, IN. In his cosy
apartments on Thirty-fourth street. Will
the least possible circumloeution she con
fronted him with what rumor had reported
| Of his pursuits, and was pleased, but not too
much pleased, when he gave her au eTac
account OF his relations with Mile. Iabrski
neither concealng nor qualifying anything
AS q confession 1t was unique, and nigh
have been q great deal less entertaining. Two
or three times in the course OF the narrativ,
the lnatron had some difficulty In preserving
the gravity Of her countenance. After medi
tating a few minutes she tapped Van Twi1le
| SNtLlN on Ille HE1 WIFI llle UP Oh uGE pHIbSO
and invited him to return with her the mex
day 40 the Hudson and make brief visit a
the home Of his ancestors He accepted thu
invitation with outward alaerity and inward
| reluctance.
When this was settled and the worthy lad,
had withdrawn, Van Twiller went directly Il
the establishment of Messrs. Ball. Black 4
Co., and selected, with unerring taste. TIN
finest diamond bracelet procurabie. For hi
motherl Dear me, no! She had the famil,
Jewels.
would not like to state the enormous sun
Van Twll1er paid for the bracelet. 1t was sucl
d clasp Of diamonds as would have hastenet
tho pulsation of a patrieian wrist. It wa
such bracelet as Prince Camaralzamar
might have sent to the Princess Badoura, AM
the Princess Badoura might have been yer,
| s,iati Sc get.
In the fragrant Levant morocco case. wher
these happy Jewels lived when they Were q
| home, Van Twlier thoughtfully placed hi
card. "a the back Of which he had written
line begging Mademoisele Iabriski to aceep
the accompanying trtlfe from one who hae
yuitunsspd har or PafyI pprfprmaucpS with in