The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-31

proved their time fully, resting only in
the latter part of the day and in the
evening.
One day Mr.. Burnham, who had ig-
nored their very existence, came home
at an early hour, half frantic with
nervous headache brought on by the
perplexing conduct of an eccentric
client.
The piano was in full blast-a duet
1t was his first intimation that there
was such an instrument in his neighbor-
hood. He disliked q piano in any but
masters hands; indeed, he disliked
everything amateur, except, perhaps,
his own rendering of Shakespeare. He
was very much out of temper when
he heard it and felt tempted to put a
summary stop to it, remembering with
uncosmopolitan bitterness the quietus he
had suffered for an offense not half so
heinous. He went so far as to seize the
poker, quite capable, if desire was any
measure of capacity, of battering down
the partition.
But, instead, he slammed out of his
door, went to the office in fine rage,
demanding at once to be transferred to
another part of the house, muttering
something about an Internal piano. His
demand was complied with.
In this untOward manner, it seemed,
did Fate cause important life-lines to
diverge which at one time were likely
to have crossed at least, and perhaps to
have blended
Autumn merged into winter. Wanda
and Bertha had picked up, with girlish
tact bits of style in dress and manner,
and their provincalisms were rapidly
softening out of sight. Nine Muller,
whose protege and distant relative
Burnham was, had made many inef
fectual attempts to introduce the young
people, but he kept well out of reach,
and for long time she did not achieve
her purpose. ,
81 believe Burnham is in lore" re-
Elected this little round, fat-snd-forty
lady, in whose nature the cement of
romance was largely in excess of all
other qualities. Gle is so distract, so
unsocial, so brusque. L-baye lost all
influence, l see"
But she collared him one morning.
"Ah, Charles, you are an adept at
hiding, but you shall not escape me
this time. 1 shall hold you here in
view of all these people until you prom
Use me to come to my recital this even
ing. No excuse, sir! Not even the
strength of prior engagement will eff
feet me-" .t...
''But, Madame, hate piano music,
and-I an engaged
Charles, you are no diplomat-you
tell lie with the awkwardness that
should belong only to truth. You
are not engaged, unless to that musty,
strong old meerschaum of yours. Say
you will come" .-'-
Madame, l do protest that nothing
is such bore to me- .. 1850. 81.
"Say you'll come, Charles. Promise,
if you would avoid scene. "
"Ah, coercion, is it? Well, promise
that won't, and he retreated back
ward with graceful effort at escape.
She made feint of pursuit, and he
threw up both hands.
.'.rll come-I'll come! But | shall
stay Just one half hour-mark. Just one
half hour"
every well. As you please"
Wanda in her blue dress that evening
was more than ever like a hax-fower
In her maidenly slimness she had an
air of field-growth, breezy and sunny.
Even Bertha, glancing out of her
thickets of dark lashes, was not so al
Turing.
Burnham came early, with q suspi-
cious appearance of having given eX-
treme care to his toilet.
There was long delay in the arrival
of some important performers, and con-
versation took the place of music
Wanda fell to Burnham's share. She
was naive and bright talker.
$50 you like Chicago?" he said. after
some predatory skirmishing.
at is a nice place.
"Ah-I should scarcely apply that
term
1--WE like it. But perhaps 1 cannot
Judge as well as you"
at is brutal place said to
provoke controversy. FF
But Wanda was too joyous to be a
very good listener. She did not heed
the cynical speech. She was, Just at
that instant, giving a smiling attention
to something Bertha was saying to a
devoted admirer near at hand. Burn
ham caught this fragment: .
at was like Wanda to do it-exactly
like her.
The young man laughed and Wanda
and Bertha laughed too.
"What is it thatwas so characteristic
of Miss Hegel?n asked Burnham.
Bertha cant get over a funny thing
that happened when we first came
here" answered Wanda, evasivelv.
1T seems to have made great impress
sion on her,"
at is no secret. | see she has told
Mr.. Cuthbert. May not hear it?'
Wanda will be sure to We out the
best part of it," inter | Bertha.
And she went on to give quaint ac-
count of Wanda's perem Dry action
the night of the reading, making very
merry over it and embellishing it with
full details.
"And we know who it was" she
added, for he has glowered at US ever
since. But we have had no more the
atricals."
''Did he read well?" asked Cuthbert.
"He read loud" said Wanda. "He
tried to read well"
Perhaps he's in training for the
stage 70 -'' is
Both girls, with the plethoric old gen
tleman of the dihing-room in mind,
laughed merrily. TOOL.