St. Landry democrat., 1886-05-22

INJURED. Gone for DOCTOR And he
| shot from the room to save his thou
| sands and the lady who was to make
| them.
/! He had noticed in the course of his
peregrinations to and fro before the
| house that doctor lived next door,
and he rang startling peal at the
medico's bell. The professional gentle
man ran wildly into the boardn house
without his hat, and was ushered into
the presence of Il lady who received
him with perfect self-possession, and
assured him that she had no need for
his services. He was not to be got rid
of, however, until he had felt her pulse,
and asked question or two, and pre-
scribed tonic.
Before Lorrimer called next day the
servant had told Mrs. Tregarthen OF the
interest he had displayed. The actress
remembered the manager kindly, but
/ she had no mind to renew their old ac-
quaintance. She sent word down to
him, in answer to his inquiries, that she
was very much better, and was very
much obliged to him for his kind in
quiries. Some people would have ac-
cepted this as an intimation of polite
dismissal, but Lorrimer was not one of
them. That's right he said cheer
fully. 'I'm glad to hear it. just say
[ should like to see her-will your
if it's quite convenient to her. If it isn't,
ask when can call again.
'Show Alr. Lorrimer into the visitors
room," she said, in answer 10 this mes
sage. 1t might be well, she thought,
to get Mr.. Lolrimer over at once. If it
were impossible to avoid recognition
it was still possible to let those who
recognized her know that she desired
privacy. and it was not likely that all
who had known her would care to
make pursuit Of her. She touched her
hair and the lace about her throat and
wrists with delicate fingers as she stood
before her mirror, with no result per-
ceptible to man, and having thus made
herself fit to be seen, she descended the
stairs and found Lorrimer awaiting her
in the visitors room-a carpeted box,
with an odor of dry-rot
A stage-manager who could feel any
sense of gaurhe1'ie in approaching an
actress must have had the practice OF
his profession wasted upon him. With
Lorrimer any sign of digniied reserve
which expressed itself without the pro-
nounced standoffishness of a stage atti-
tude and gesture was lost He had
played many parts in his time, and to
him the saying of the melancholy
Jacques was literal-all the world was
a stage. He took out the confidential
family adviser stop, and addressed Mrs.
Tregarthen in tones of genial sympathy.
You left us, madam, in a somewhat
sudden and unconventional way, but it
was impossible for that or anything
else to mitigate the pleasure and adj
vantage of having known you. You
have our profoundest sympathy in the
calamity which has brought you back
to us. but that is tempered by the hope
that you may ultimately discover that
the profession, OF which you mi ht
have been the brightest ornament, has
still an attraction for you, and that its
triumphs offer a consolation not to be
despised.'
This was spoken with the air natural
to master of the art of conversation.
Lorrimer was one of those people who
take their theories so to heart that they
make facts of them. His theory was
that Mr.. Tregarthen was widow, and
in reduced circumstances. He was
quite certain that she left the stage to
be married. and was equally sure that
she would now return to it.
do you mean she asked. that
shall go back to the stage, Mr.. Lori
mer?9" He spread his hands abroad.
and bowed, with a sweep. ng gesture OF
assent. mo. l shall never 90 back to |
the stage"
The wrinkles of his smile remained |
for a second or two, but the light went |
out of his eyes at once, and the
wrinkles faded slowly after it.
Not go back to the stage,
MADAME he cried. ''Waste the superb
talents God has given you on the mere
desert air of private life? Cast away
the splendid fortune which only needs
an extended hand to grasp it9 Impos-
sible, madam impossible!''
Mr. Lorrimer spoke with Sc evident
an amazement that he impressed the
listener in spite of herself She had
gone upon the stage simply and purely
to make bread for herself and to find
an education for her sister. Few of the
trlumphs or joys of stage life had
come home to her. and even when they
all seemed to lie waiting for her. she
had been able to surrender their prom
Use for the quiet routine of domesticity
in Gorbay. They could scarcely have
seemed very valuable to her since she
had left them so easily. But Lorrimer
put the case strongly, if grotesquely,
and there could be no doubt of his sin
,erity.
She was but simple minded Great
IRE, In spite OF the talents of which
LOrrimer smoke so hiphly and she had