Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-06-07

for YOU TO decide, but if this be the end,
your temper and no fckleness of mine
is the cause"
Then the door closed behind him, and
/ was alone.
How passed the remainder of that
day and the night and day which fol-
lowed has always been a very chaotic re-
membrance to me, for between my long
ing to send for Max and beg his forgive
ness, and the jealousy which would
not permit me to so humble
myself, was almost In
sane. Aunt Kate was confined to her
room, so that when the second evening
came, and had promised to take part
in some tableaux at the house of an old
friend, there was no one to notice my
Indebtedness and oppose my going. As
] was to appear in only one tableau, /
dressed at home, and was dimly conscious
that had never been so nearly beautiful
In my life as | was in the black velvet
dress, pulled tulle sleeves, high ruff, and
pearl-bordered cap of Mary Stuart. Ex-
citement had gwen me a color, and my
blue eyes were burning and black.
though with bitter sigh, as / turned
! from the glass, how unlike / was to the
lilly" which had been Max's favorite
name for me. Mrs. Butler, our hostess,
met me, and we entered the library,
which vas to be our greenroom, to-
gether. All who took part in the tab
leaux were assembled, and l knew Max
could not fail to be there, as he had
several roles assigned to him. Between
hope and fear | shivered from head to
foot. Would he come to me as he al
ways did, and with word or touch
make me feel that we belonged to each
other, or would he My hopes and
fears came to a sudden end as / saw Mrs.
Wharton, looking wonderfully lovely, as
Max, leaning over her chair, so absorbed
in what she was saying he did not even
look up when we passed. People came
to me and talked, and l suppose l must
have talked too and said what was cor
rect to say. for no one seemed to notice
ANYTHING unusual about me-
The tableaux began, and still Max and
Mrs. Wharton talked earnestly, and in
my agonized watching could see that
people would look at them and then at
me, as if they wondered how | fancied
such monopoly of my fiance.
/ Once as he passed me / muttered
s'Max," and he paused an instant to say,
in low voice, and without looking at
me, 'This is no place to say what we
must to each other" and passed on be-
fore I could speak. My tableau went off
very well, and people, / believe, praised
it. and then some girl asked me to
help her in changing her dress. / was
/ standing in one of the dressing rooms
1 mechanically doing what she asked me,
when some one called from the next
room:
miss Wynne, is that you2--please
come here just one instant"
It was Mrs. Wharton's voice, and sent
a thrill of intense repulsion through
every nerve; but T. obeyed. She was
standing by the dressing table, the light
of dozen candies falling brilliantly
upon her, and evensI in my deadly hate
confessed to myself her wonderful beauty.
She was dressed as an angel in clouds of
tulle, her golden hair hanging below her
waist, and wings of swansdown taller
than she fastened to her lovely white
Shoulders.
"WillEou see if these wings are right,
dear Miss Nv ynne ?" she said, turning her
back to tls dressing table, so that the
full light OF the candles should fall upon
the wings while tried their clasps.
Then it vas that hatred and despair
took possession of my soul and made me
mad The candles were so close to her
golden hair and fleecy wings, this beau
! tiful wicked woman who had stolen my
lovers heart from me! Just little
nearer, and then flame more yellow
than her hair shot uD above her head,
and with wild shrek she realized that
her wings were on frei Oh, thank God
thank God my senses came back to me
then, as with the strength of ten in my
desperate grasp flung her on the floor,
and with my heavy velvet dress smoth-
cred the flames which had caught at her
/ tulle dIaperies, whitley tore off the burn
ing wings and managed to throw them
| far from us, just as her cries had brought
a crowd of Mortified Then and women into
the room. Then, through a mist OF
smoke and pain, | suddenly saw Max's
face above me. heard ibis voice passion
ately repeating, my darlingl my dar-
ling!n and with last agonlzed wonder,
4 did he mean me or the woman l had so
nearly murdered, tainted for the first
] time in my life.
1t was not until two DAYS later that
was conscious enough of anything but a
bewildered sense of pain for Aunt Kate
and Mrs. Butler to tell me the result of
the accident. as every one supposed it to
be. Mrs. Wharton had escaped as if by
q miracle, only her hair was burned quite
short. Ny velvet dress had saved both
i our lives but the pulled tulIe sleeves had