The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-03-24
kindest cut Il MI, he would have slaif

seat among them, they greeted MIN
more. kindly than Of old, and made
more of a comrade of him. Lorrimer,
who was talking, made point Of adj
dressing him personally, so as to make
a feature of him.
Your worship was the last man in
our mouths. You remember being here
one day, long ago now, when sang
the praises of Miss Churchill?'
Perfectly replied the poet. Il
went with you to the final dress re-
hearsal, and you put into my hands the
letter she left behind ier'
II was saying so as you came in.
That brings history up to the end of
her connection with the stage. Well,
everybody knows what mystery that
looked. Not a soul had all idea where
she disappeared to-"
II know" said the poet. Il met her
afterward. She married fellow named
Tregarthen-disreputable fellow, who
was dismissed the army; insisted on
using such fearful language at the mess
table that the other men wouldn't
stand him. Well-connected fellow-I
believe he's the last of one of the oldest
families in Cornwall-but an awful
blackguard, so Pm told. ="
"Well, upon my word" said Lori.
mer, 'that's pretty sort of cove to
forbid his wife with his dying breath,
to 90 upon the stage"
Mr. Lorrimer's theory carried him
that length.
Dead said the poet. us he dead?
Well, she's very attractive, and quite
young. With such fortune as he could
leave her she won't be long without .
husband"
Fortunen' echoed Lorrimer ''She
hasn't any fortune. Bless your soul
she's as poor as a church mouse. Liv-
ing in boarding-house- and seedy
clearinghouse it is, Lean tell you
just off the Strand
Il suppose he made ducks and
brakes of everything" said the poet.
"My father had place at Gorbay years
ago. and they had a great deal of land
in those days : the Tregarthens Poor
thing"'
The poet held no malice, except for
his reviewers. Outside his verses he
was harmless man, and had not the
least desire to hurt anybody. He had
long ago been able to forgive Mrs. Ire
garthen for snubbing him, and he was
sensitive to q tale of beauty in distress
as poet ought to be.
Lorrimer told his story of the inter-
view between himself and the lost star
of the stage, and everybody agreed that
the dead Tregarthen of Mr.. Lorrimer's
imagination was the last sort of per-
son who had a right to have his dying
wishes gratilied. When the conclave
parted and the poet walked into the
Strand. he dived into the street Lori
mer had mentioned and read the door,
plates with some little trouble in the
gathering dusk until he came upon the
clearinghouse He remembered the
brilliant and stately creature who had
swept 80 haughtily away from his i'm
pertinent presence at Tregarthen, and
felt unhappy to think that she was
housed in this frowsy carayanserai. He
had seen her but twice. and she had
certainly ill-treated him, and yet he
felt such an interest in her as few
women had inspired him with. She
was poor and in grief and widow
Mr.. Ronald Marsh left the street slowly
and sadly, and thought how full of
trouble was the world, and unused on
Death and the Reviewers, and such
grisly themes.
1t was no business of any man's =, but
two or three people who knew him
caught the poet at odd times in the act
of leaving that street after dark, with a
certain marked air of furtive adventure.
If any hope of seeing Mrs. Tregarthen
again drew him that way, or if he
merely went 10 moon in the neighbor-
hood because it induced that curious
sense of the abolition of moral respon-
sibilities with regard to language which
is so valuable to poets, would seem to
be uncertain. When you relax your
brains for the manufacture of verses,
and allow them to flow out where they
will. diffuse and devious, a remem-
brance OF some person of the opposite
sex serves as a sort of center for the
tides, dissipating or rallying them quite
apart from the will of the patient.
1t had grown into winter-t:me, and
the rainy night had fallen upon Lon
don. and the streets had fungous odor
in the rain, and were incf-deep in mud,
when the poet, bearing his demon with
him, slashed past the lodging-house-
top-booted, with his sombrero pict-
uresquely Tapping and his long cloak
picturesquely flying in the wet wind
which blew up from the river. He was
scathing a reviewer, and would have
thrown his annual income into the
Thames to have secured stately rhyme
to wiper; but Just as he passed the
boarding-door it opened, and the merest
glance assured him that Mrs. Tregar-
then stood there attircd for the street.
A second later or two the wind caught
the door, and it slammed noisily. The
poet moderated his headlong pace,
paused and turned. Mrs. Tregarthen's
tall and graceful figure went 11nttering
Strandward.
Ronald Marsh knew perfectly we'll
that it is not counted gentlemanly
thing to follow a lady without her
knowledge and consent, and he piqued
himself on being a gentleman almost
more than on being a poet. He did
not think it honorable to dog lady's
footsteps, and it was 70 affair of his to
know whittier she was bound on foot
on night so inclement. While he
thought thus he followed Mrs. Ire
garthen. regulating his own pace to
hers. This was shameful, and he turned
away, but only for second. When he
looked again the tluttering figure was
gone, though there was no opening on
the street to right Or left, and he had