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

Portable ones they Were-on Inlrty.louIt1
street were deserted he had arop}pe1n OUT ata al
from his orbit In the heaven OF the pest 80
"Where's Van Twlller 7"
who's seen Van Twlller F. -, .,
"What has become OF Van IWlller q
Delaney picked up the Erentng Post, and
Flrklns to exelaiming, by Jove now"
Married, on the tenth Instant, by the Roy.
uncle, Montague Capulet, Esq, Miss Adrlenne
lie Gouyreur to Mr.. Ralph Van Twiller, both
Of this city. Ne cards"
1T strikes me-" said Frank Livingston,
who had been rutlling the leaves Of Q maya
zine at the other end Of the table, "that you
fellows are In great fever about Van Twill
ler"
so we are"
'Where?"
"ITp to the old homestead Oh the Hudson"
"Its an odd time OF year for fellow to go
Into the country"
HE has gone to visit his mother" said Llv-
ington.
sIn February" =.#.
Il didn't know, Delaney. there was any
statute la force prohibiting q man from visit
ing his mother in February II he wants to.
Delaney made some light remark about the
pleasure OF communing with nature with q
cold In her head, and the topic was dropped.
Livingston was hand In glove with Van
TwIller, and II any ono shared his confidence
1t was Livingston. He was aware Of the
gossip and speculation that had been rife In
the club, but he either was not at liberty. or
did not think 1t worth while, to relieve our
curiosity. In the course OF q week or two 1t
was reported that Van Twiller was going to
EurOpe and 20 he did, dozen OF us went
down to the Scotia to see him off. 1t was re-
freshlng to have something rs positive as tho
fact that Van Twilier had sailed.
Ehnrfl after Van IwiltarS 1aDartIlra the
whole thing came out. Whether Livingston
found the secret too heavy burden, or
whether 1t transptred through some 1ndiscre-
ton Oh the part Of Mrs. Vanrensselaer. Van
evening the entire story was In the possession
Of the club.
Van Twiller had actually been very deeply
nterested-not In an actress for the legiti-
mate drama was not her humble walk In life,
but In Mile. Olympic nabraskl, whose really
perilous feats on the trapeze had astonshed
New York the year before, though they had
failed to attract Delaney and me the night we
had wandered into the uptown theatre on the
trail OF Van TWiler's mystery.
That q man like Van TWlller should be las
clnated for an instant by a common circus
girl seems Incredible. but 1t is always the In
credible thing that happens. Besides, Mile.
Olympic was not a common circus girl, she
was d most daring and startling gymnast.
with beauty and O grace OF movement that
gave to her alldacious performance almost an
air Of prudery Watching her wondrous deS-
tarity and plant strength, both exercised
without apparent effort, 1t seemed the most
natural proceeding Ia the world that she
should do those objectionable things. She
had a way OF melting from one graceful pos
ture into another, like the dissolving figures
thrown from stereopticon. She was like 8
1.-the, radiant shape out 81 the Grecan my
thology, now poised up there above the gas
lights, and now cleaning through the air like
a slender gilt arrow.
| an describing Mile. Olympic as she ap-
peared to Van Twiler un the first occasion
was performing. To me she was O girl OF
eighteen or twenty years Of age lmaybe she
was much older, for pearl powder and dis
tance keep these people perpetually young).
slightly but exqnlsitely built, with sinews of
silver wire; rather pretty, perhaps. after q
manner, but showing plainly the effects of
the exhaustive drafts she was making On her
physical vitality. Now. Van Twiller was an
enthusiast on the subject OF caltsthenics III
had daughter Van Twiller used to say,
II wouldn't send her to a boarding school or
nunnery. I'd send her to a gymnasium for
the first five yeats. Our American women
have no physique. They are lilies, pallid.
pretty and perishable. You marry an Amer
headache. Look at English girls. They
are at least roses, and last the season
through
Walking home from the theatre that first
night Il fitted through Van Twtller's mind
that If be could give this girls set Of nerves
and muscles to any one Of the 200 high-bred
women tie knew, he would marry her on the
spot and worship her forever.
The following evening he went to see Made.
| moisele Olympic again. Olympic Iabrlski.
he Thought, as no aauntered through the
lobby what 4 queer namel Olympic is
French, and Iahriski Is Polish. 1t is her
nom de gnerre, Of course; her real name Is
probably Sarah Jones, What kind Of creature
can she be ID private life. | wonder ~ | won
der Ii she wears that costume all the time,
and if she springs to her meals from hori-
zontal bar. OF course she rocks the babby to
sleep on the trapeze' And Van Twiller went
on making comical domestic tableaux Of
| Mademoiselle Zahriski, like the clever. satir-
| cal dog he was, until the curtain rose,
| This was on Friday. There was a matinee
the next day. and he attended that. though he
had secured seat for the usual evening en-
tertainment. Then It became y habit OF Van
hour on SO every night, to assist at the inter
lude, in which she appeared. He cared only
! for her part of the programme. and timed ILL.,
visits accordingly. 1t WAS surprise TO hin-
self when he reelected one morning that he
| had not missed d single performance OF Mile
/ Olympic for two weeks.
.iThis will never do" said Van Twiller
"Olympe',he called her Olympic, as II she
i were al old acquaintance, and SO she might
| have been considered by that time-"is 4
|
Van, my boy, you must reform this alto
| gether.'
But haIf-past . that night saw him in his
1 accustomed orchestra chair, and SO on Tor an
other week habit leads man SO gently IL
the beginning that he does not perceive that
| he IL led with what silken threads and dowr
what pleasant avenues 1t leads him. Ey-and
| BY the soft silk threads become iron chains
and the pleasant avenues Avernus.
Quite new element had lately entered Var
Twller'5 enjoyment OF Mile Olympe's tnge
NOUS feats-a vaguely born apprehension
| that she might slip from that swinging bar
| that one Of the thin cords supporting might
snap and lot her 70 headlong from the dizzy
height. Now and then, for terrible instant
he would imagine her lying slittering, pal
pitating heap at the footlights, with no colol
IN her lips. Sometimes i seemed SIS Z tht
girl were tempting this kind Of fate. 1t was
q hard, bitter life, and nothing but poverty
and soriid misery at home could have driven
her toit. What ii she should end it all some
night by just unclasping that little hand2 I
looked So small and white from where Var
4 TWiller sat.