St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-06-26

| ottSS't SiA SciU dl IL NullON
knitting.
The poet had long since besought
Lorrimer not to remind the actress of
his former meeting with her. There
was just a chance that she might not
recognize him, and that he might
escape the consequences Of their last
meeting. If he had only known what
the meeting had led to on her side he
would never have had the courage to
face her at all. Now, Mrs. Tregarthen
would almost beyond a doubt have
recognized the picturesque Young man
who had helped to work such mischief,
| if she had seen him in his old guise.
But the poet shorn of his disorderly
| halo was a man disguised, and, thanks
to the hostler's philosophy. he passed
without recognition.
The actress suggested the alterations
she desired. Lorrimcr and the play
wright discussed them with her, and
the poet kept very much in the back
ground. thankful to be unobscrvcd. He
escaped at last with feeling of much
relief; but he was not nearly so afraid
to face Miss Churchill second time
During the rehearsal of the accepted
comedy he met her frequently, and so
came more and more within
her influence, and fell more
and more in love with her
She on her side was preposscsSed with
the poet, and treated him kindly. He
was a gentleman. and cultured; he
never pestered her with tlatteries and
she, who had a native inclination to
worship genius, thought she discovered
a touch OF that rare quality in him. So
| the poet was admitted to sort Of in
timacy, and, being busy upon second
| comedy, was allowed certain half bust
ness-like. half friendly conferences
about it, and was so lured forward
that, after hanging back with all his
might, he surrendered suddenly and
went all the way.
The Lady Marguerite Capucine was
woman whose delight it was to know
singers, musicians, actors, authors
and such curious folk. and she pre-
| ferred a fashionable actress to any
other lioness who roars. The Lady
Marguerite had found her way to Miss
Churchill, and. being herself charm
ing woman (apart from the one eccen-
tricity which prompted her to be a
trouble to all the intellectual people
| she could lay her hands on), had at
first secured the actress liking and re-
| gard. A little GOODNESS sprang up be-
tween them. however, on the ground
| that Lady Marguerite had asked Miss
| Churchill to oblige a little circle of her
| guests one day by the recital of a scene
from LAS you like it." Miss Churchill
| took it i'll that this request should be
made to her. and excused herself
courteously but coolly. The hostess
| took it i'll that the actress should de-
cline, and my deared' Miss Churchill
| something more than she need have
done for the rest of the evening, and
began to dislike her.
This breach the poet set himself
| to heal. and so far succeeded that his
sister-in-law' house again became one
of the places in which he could rely
| upon meeting with the actress; and
| now he began to man9uvre for a pri
vate interview. One day it came, not
as the result of man9uvres, but by
pure accident. The poet was strolling
in the park at rather early hour. in a
secluded bv-way, when he suddenly
encounterd the object of his dreams,
alone. He suffered curious breast
pang and for second or two stood il
resolute, but being perceived by the
lady, who gave him one of her sad lit
tie smiles, he perforce plucked up heart
of grace and approached her. She re-
ceived him cordially enough, but with
so matter of fact a manner that any
hopes he might have felt inclined to
nurture were at once frozen. But men
of war sometimes charge strongholds
which are known to be impregnable,
and lovers are not always to be held
back from a declaration by the GER
taintv that it must be fruitless.
There was no trace of the poverty
which had first moved the poets heart
in the dress of the stately yet gentle
creature who now walked beside him,
and but little sign in her aspect of the
sorrows he knew her to have suffered.
There was always touch of sadness in
her face when he saw it in repose, but
this only made her rare smile the more
charming, and it was never deep
enough to awaken anything beyond a
pleasing sense of pity.
1t was not easy to plunge in medias
res, and the transition from any other
topic babe fair to be difficult and awk-
ward, but he continued to talk about
commonplace matters for little while, |
and it was only when Mrs. Tregarthen
spoke of moving homeward that he
made up his desperate mind to the full
filment of his enterprise.
Before we part, Miss Churchill"
bn cold bora CON, m COW Tn
you-something must say, if only you
will do me the honor to listen
If she had not been married woman,