River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-05-21
fore held her = prison er.

| blackness had given away to light;
and if any one had been unkind she
| had been COMPENSATED for all, in the
twOfold goodness and sympathy OF
Aunt Aphrodite. So runs the world; so
together are ever woven the sunbeams
and shadows of life. So true it is
'Laugh and the world laughs with you,
Weep and you weep alone"
As the carriage neared the great
amusement hall and the cold shivers
caused her teeth to chatter uncon-
trollably, Cecil with almost nerveless
fingers slipped the mask over her face,
fearing when she stepped from the
/ carriage she might be recognized.
''Would anyone ask her to dance, y
Cecil question herself. All to be
sure, if Mr. Slias Pepperton were there
he would, for were not the diamonds
she wore most magnificent, and her
dress of extreme loneliness as well as
richness, and Mr.. Pepperton had a
| great pencheant for costly fabrics In
/ deed, he never could see anything in a
/ woman TO admire whose clothes were
/ cheap or fashionable. If Professor
/ Megs was there and he had the least
! suspicion of her presence he would be
/ sure to seek her as a partner. But then
/ he was such an abominable dancer, al
/ ways choosing his partner 5 feet rather
/ than the floor to dance upon. Then
there was Mr.. Jack Thurston, who
came to see her cousin Alice oftener
than mere friendship would warrant,
much to the disapproval of ambitious
designing mammas with marriageole
daughters. Cecil had spoken scarcely
half dozen words TO him during his
frequent visits ut the house; if his ac-
quaintancc with her was so slight
without her mask, he would not
likely recognize her beneath the dis
! guise.
The carriage stopped suddenly, and
/ the door was thrown open. Now
John don't forget, half past IL exactly
and a solemn promise to secrecy"
Cecil said as the man passed her
through the great entrance and up the
/ crowded stairway to the dressing
room. As Cecil stood for moment
watching the brilliant scene before en-
tering the room, she suddenly became
conscious that two men were watch
inc her. They stood together little
at her right. She turned involuntarily
and met the steady gaze of her uncle.
and Jack Thurston, the latter still
wearing his overcoat, the collar of
which was turned up about his ears,
for the night was very cold and he had
/ apparently just arrived.
Surprised and a little dismayed at
the encounter, Cecil quickly sought
another quarter of the crowded room.
Had she been recognized, she won
dered. Impossible. Yet as she turn
ed to cast backward glance at her
uncle she saw that his eyes were fol-
lowing her, but his companion had
disappeared.
Cecil pressed hurriedly forward to
lose herself in the crowd, but she STUN
bled and fell with some force against a
Prussian officer, who was just entering
one of the exits. and who, with that
gallantry in accordance with his call
ing, assisted her to her feet. She apol-
ogized confuSedly and hurried away,
and when at safe distance turned to
look about her. Her Uncle Padding
ton, she had effectually escaped, and
the Prussian officer stood where she
had left him, but he seemed intent
upon examining something he held in
his hand; bundle, no doubt, lost by
an unfortunate reveller,
BY and by, when the music of the
band startled her with loud, sudden
/ noise she preceived that numerous sets
were being formed for a quadrille.
She felt a throb of disappointment;
was no one going to ask her to dance?
Scarcely had the thought formed it
self in her mind than she felt light
touch upon her arm. 1t was the Prus-
sian officer, who bowed with eXagera-
ton, vet withall, a certain grace.
''Will YOU honor me by joining in
this quadrille?' he asked Cecil, who
seemed like some dainty butterfly lost
in strange land. for she had been
moving restlesslY about, undecided
what spot to choose for resting place,
She started nervously; that voice be-
longed unquestionably to Mr.. Pepper
ton, she felt certain of it. The habit
he had of dropping his his, and his
propensity to hop when he walked
convinced her of it.
Cecil stepped forward scarcely dar-
ing to allow herself to speak, fearing
q mutual recognition. Should she as a
disguise assume deep masculine tone
of voice, or one squeaky suggestive Of
inanimatlon like asmatic Professor
Megs.
Il have danced but little" Cecil
said land if an Indifferent partner
will not be Objectionable, | will. y
Il am not proficentin that sort of
thing myself 50 there IS little to fear
on either side" he said, leading Cecil
out upon the floor.
u see some fine costumes display
ed tonight" Mr.. Pepperton said in
his familiar, ierkv way. which was
habitual, but as Mr.. Pepperton was an
admirer of attractive habiliments
rather than personal beauty or clever
ness, Cecil did not wonder at the re-
| mark.
''As well as fine figures" Cecil re-
sponded choosing the asmatic tone of
voice, not from choice perhaps, but
rather from u lack of time to gather
up her strength for deeper tone,
glancing as she spoke at the two head
couple who were going through the
form of forwarding. The first lady,
from her enormous proportions, and
| who wore the costume of fairy queen,
Cecil felt certain was none other than
/ Mrs. Goldberg, her Aunt Maria s
z
superior wealth. She was sure of it
now as she caught the familiar hOarse
wheeze as that lady broke into sort
of iog-trot, quite as unconscious of
ime-kecping as her opposite gentle
man was that both of his feet were
turned directly inward, as he wove the
intricate masses of the dance.
Cecils partner regarded her curious
" through the SIS in his mask, then
drew himself together as if offended.
Yet she heard him laugh.
She felt her face grow red beneath
| her disguise. She always had the
/ faculty Of offending Mr.. Peppcrton,
and now she vaguely wondered why
he did not recognize her; bat he failed
/ to do so; and when the dance came to
an end. and she lost sight of the Prus-
sian officer, whom she thought no
doubt had gone in search of a partner
whose knowledge OF gaily-tinted fab
RIGS was more complete than her own.
She again came upon her Uncle Pat
/ tington sitting among the spectators
with Aunt Maria beside him, who was
/ tanning her heated fl C vigorously.
/ Cecil moved away. How angry she
would be she thought il she knew that
her young niece whom she had been
wont TO regard with cold indifference
was there not fifty rods away from her
and decked in expensive lace and dia-
monds. and that very niece was happy,