St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-06-19


him, are you, Clara?''
In spite of herself Mrs. Tregarthen
blushed scarlet; but Lorrimer, with ali
unctuous, STACEY chuckle, stopped and
patted the child's head.
''No, my DEAR he said, with a
grandfatherly information. ''There is
no intention of that sort in your sisters
| mind, [ am sure. And for my own
part continued Lorrimer, suddenly
| quitting the grandfatherly attitude and
manner, and bowling jauntily at MIS-;
| Tregarthen, II am quite a resolved ola
bachelor, and not even Miss Churchlll's
| inestimable charms could persuade me
to the sacrifice of liberty" He saw
vaguely that this style of waggery was
scarcely suited to the lady's taste and
became Disconnected. Though l am
sure he added, by way of atonement
for possible blunder, THAT if any
charms could pierce a thrice armed
heart Miss Churchill owns them
This being no better received than
the former compliment, Lorrimer be-
came almost sheepish for moment,
but speedily recovering himself de-
| parted with the stately grace and cor
| diality of a beau of the old school, re-
| turning Immediately with a legal air,
to secure the document signed by Mrs.
Tregarthen, the which he folded and
pocketed, with business-like frown,
and then relapsing into smiles again
bowed himself away finally.
THAT is very funny gentleman,
said Miss Lima, gravely.
HE is avery good man, my darling -
returned her sister, land has been very
| kind to both Of us.
She was so unworldly that no touch
of suspicion was in her mind when she
thought of Lorrimer and the baby's
coral. 1t is probable that she would
have conceived that device to be no less
than diabolical if she had pierced its
meaning, but the manager was blown
out with pride at its own knowledge OF
human nature whenever he remembered
the expedient
Lorrimer,n he would say, wagging
his jovial head, ''you know your way
about, dear boy. 1t was the coral that
did the trick. You are bachelor, Lor-
rimer, but you are not unacqualnted
with feminine human nature
But, after all, there had been much
genuine kindness mixed up with his
business motives, and a woman might
be trusted to find out as much and be
grateful for it.
When he had Miss Churchill's sigma
ture at the foot of his agreement, and
the document was once in his pocket,
Lorrimer exulted and beamed. He
went about all day to places where he
was likely to meet the men he wanted
shady old public houses which have
outlived their reputation now, and no
longer give shelter to dramatic critics
and, drawing one of them aside when
found, would hum a secret in his ear, a
secret confided as particular favor to
him alone, and would then HE away to
another, with unfailing industrious
mendacity, lining his twigs for the
British public. Next morning, by the
separate influences of the gentlemen
whom Mr. Lorrimer had primed, the
whole world was made aware of the
facts that an engagement had been en-
tered into by the Miss Churchill, who
had once disappointed London play
goers, to appear at the Mirror Theater,
and that she had entered into three
years contract with the manager of that
favorite house.
But Lorrimer did more than this, for
he was master in his way and could
puff as well as any man alive. Artful
paragraphs went down to the provin-
cial papers (Which were not SO well off
, for London news as they are now,
when every one Of them is level with
the great journals of the capitaD, and
these paragraphs were artfully trans
,,1anfo1 70 tha ao1r1r, IF tho ,,,atTornI-
itan organs, until the bruit of Miss
Churchill's coming was in all mems
ears. Lorrimer kept her constantly
} supplied with the news of his achieve
ments in this way, and frightened her
. more than he guessed. Every one OF
the managers preliminary bangs at the
| drum sent a nervous fear through her
heart, and she had a premonition OF
failure and disaster. She had no stage
passion to buoy up her sinking spirits,
: and the memory of her husband sscorn
for the business upon which she had a
second time embarked would have
made her run away from the enterprise
altogether but for her own native loyal
ty and the thought of her child and
; sister. 1t was to be all so different,
| too, from her actual experiences of the
stage She would no longer contrast
| with the failures of the provincial
theaters, but would have to move side
: by side with the best actors of London
and one of it's best actresses. For Lor
t rimer, in his own phrase, was ''going
| for the Gloves and was getting to.
i gether a picked company He meant
! to have such a glare and blare Of
: triumph in London that when the time
came for the provinces, playgoers should
| be on the tiptoe of expectation there