The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-03-12

1 =
my shoulder, and, turning impatiently
on my intruder, found myself face to
face with Arthur Russell. an old friend
and college chum from New York. My
hand was grasped within his own in q
warm and cordial greeting as he ex-
pressed his surprise at meeting me.
Jupiter and Mars! Matthews, the
sight of you here fairly takes my breath
away. How in the name of all that's
wonderful do you happen to be in
Paris? You are not looking quite well.
Nothing serious, l hope?'
Zone question at time, old friend, "
answered in a dazed sort of way, try
ing to recall my wandering thoughts
and return his hearty welcome with an
equal show of pleasure. 1 did feel in a
vague sort of way that his presence was
godsend in the unhappy state l had
fallen into physically and mentally.
"You find me here en- route for home
after junketing over half the world.
Going home on the L'Amerigue in q
few days. Devilish glad to see you,
Russell, old boy; am, indeed" Here
made mighty effort to keep my eyes
upon my friend instead of letting them
wander to the fair vision looking down
from the canvas above us. 1t was inn
possible, and as my glance again rested
upon it found myself equally power
less to withdraw it, and the dim realiza-
ton that was acting part of an I'M
mitigated idiot did not help matters in
the least. l felt myself relapsing into
the bewildered reverie from which had
been aroused when Russell 8 voice again
spoke:
81 say, Matthews, you re not looking
AS fresh as daisy nor as rugged as an
oak; too much sightseeing and pleasure
seeking, perhaps, eh?'
Here my merciless molar, as though
angry at the brief respite it hadigrantedl
me from torture, gave sudden grow
that made me vince, while a dentist
with all his implements of horror floated
specter-like between me and my beauti-
full vision. l turned almost angrily
upon Russell as l exclaimed: 81 am
quite well, although neither a daisy nor
an oak; have slight cold, perhaps; in
fact, am suffering with neuralgia to.
which. you know, l am victim. It's
a wretched disease; upsets ones nerves
fearfully.''
knew was a lying coward, but if I
had not known it Russell's Economical
smile and another jerk from my aching
tooth would have brought me to an ex-
asperating consciousness of it. could
have struck my friend across his hand
some smiling face in my pain and rage,
but l controlled the impulse and man.
aged to divert his attention to the pic
ture. Before he had returned to me
again had slyly whisked from my vest
pocket and hastily swallowed another
morphine powder and faced him with
forced complaisance.
We both turned our ewes to the por-
trait again as my friend asked, banter
ingly: HAS this fair, inanimate crea-
ture awakened fresh flame in your
sensitive breast. Matthew'S? You were
apparently spellbound before it when l
came in, and stood at your elbow for
fully fifteen minutes before dared re-
mind you of my presence.
l only looked into the beautiful face
full of dreamy love light with conflict
ing emotion such as had never known
face to face with any woman in the
actual, living world. A strange fasci-
nation had taken possession of me,
mingled with feeling longing to know
the original, if one existed, and fool
ish, unreasonable Jealousy, as l read
over and over the tracing in the frost
work, which, struggle as l would, l
could not subdue. l was furthermore
conscious that Russell was regarding
me with mingled glances of curiosity,
anxiety and sympathy. This only in
creased the strange sensations that had
taken possession of me, and it was only
by powerful effort that l could COM
mand myself sufficiently to frame few
intelligent sentences. l managed to
answer: "A burned child breads the
fire, and my many contacts with fresh
flames have made me cautious. But
do you know any thing of this picture?
The subject is wondrously beautiful, and
the picture itself superb work of art"
l listened for Russell to answer with
such poor indifference as fancied was
assuming.
Il can only tell you that it is the por-
trait of one of our own fair country
women. She was not much of belle
or beauty, believe, until she came over
here and received her credentials to the
honor. Since she has been the rage
here for several seasons, American re-
ports are painting her glories and tri-
umphs in gorgeous colors, so she will
go back to New York to begin new
reign as social belle and beauty. Queer
fish, we Americans.
In this strain Russell ratified on I'M
needed. cared only to hear and know
that this strange sorceress before me
had a living, breathing counterpart in
the world, here in Paris. Perhaps
should see and know her. MY blood
grew hotter and leaped more wildly
through my throbbing veins at the
thought. Common sense made a
mighty effort to assert itself once more
and then gave it up. leaving me and my
absurd but uncomfortable fancies in full
possession of heart and brain; an I'M
worshiper at unknown. silent,
shrine. A feeling of jealous
rage put to flight for the moment or
absorbed all the more tender emotions
within me as my eye wandered again
to the incomplete sentence on the frosted
window-pane. Its significance could
not be misunderstood in the light of
those tenderly smiling lips and half
yelled eyes. The thoughts that took
possession of me seemed to make my
wildly-futtering heart stand still and to
chill the hot throbbing of pulse and
brain with sensations so strange and
sudden that for a moment l believed
Russell was right and that l was really
i'll framed! the words at last: do