Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-10

Diplomatic pie-that her statesmansdlp had
brought about a royal marriage and
averted European war; Even joey ad-
mitted that she was an unavoidable
necessity Her smile or frown could
make or mar a man. If the FitzJohnsons
ever hoped to be anything they must Guilt
vate Angelica. so Florrie had 10 submit,
lint not even the husband she adored could
make her more than decently civil to the
enebantress with the cruel smile, who
called Godfrey Geoff," and who was
ALWAYS sending him mysterious little notes
about goodness only knew what, for Flor
RE was never told their contents.
THE silly little fool is jealous laughed
her ladyship to herself as she sat in the
corner. aloof from the q maddiDg crowd F"
of a Foreign Office crush, pretending TO lis
ten to Geoffrey's earnest conversation, and
| watching with interested amusement his
| wife trying to keep an eye on her husband,
| and at the same time respond coherently to
| the ciyilities OF yoluble attache.
IN teach her q lesson, muttered the
siren. with an angry glitter in her dusky
| ewes. as for the twelfth time pale, dis
7 tressed face with appealing eyes, was turned
toward the oblivious husband. Accord
| ingly. when for the thirteenth time the
melancholy operation was repeated, the
| distress on the face gave place to horror,
and the eyes were fixed and blank rs they
| saw Lady Angelica with her most entranc-
/ ing smile place her hand for moment
| caTessingly on Geoiirey's arm-cnly for a
moment, because instantly grasped by both
/ of his.
my dear old grill What is the matter
Are Won seedy ?n exclaimed joey as he
plunged through the crowd 10 his sisters
side.
Come tomorrow, as soon as Godfrey
has gone; want TO talk to you," whisper
ed Florrie, brokenly, as her brother de-
posted her safely at her own door
Next morning brother and sister had q
long CONTINUATION, during which Joey
| tugged hard at his phantom muStache, and
| Florrie blew her nose very often. The re-
suit seemed hardly satisfactory, for joey
I departed remarking that it was the a. very
deuce" and Florrie sat looking into the FIRE
until it went out IN self-defense. However,
at dinner that evening there was marked
Improvement. in Mrs. FitzJohns0n's spir-
its indeed, so hilariousy cheerful did she
| become by dessert that Ge0ffrey, acelima-
tized TO a dead level OF depression, felt in
clined to resent the rise in the domestic
barometer. The rise was a steady one.
Next morning when the slave ought TO
have been in close attendance on her mas
ter. cutting the end off his cigar, filling his
match box and n.eekly receiving the oTders
for the day, she was playing polka on the
piano, and actually forgot TO wish the great
man good-by. On and off daring the day
Godfrey found himself pondering on
the alteration in his wife. 1t was,
of course, a bore TO have her fol-
lowing him about looking like q
whipped dog but, after all. that was a
fault on the right side, and showed that she
appreciated her position as his wife. 1t
was a sign of proper, if excessive, subjec-
ton; but to sit playing polka when the
hatbrush was mislaid was an unh, aTd-of
dereliction of duty. Godfrey returned home
exactly half an hour earlier 10 administer
carefully-prepared lecture 70 the culprit,
only to find that she had gone TO the Gaiety
with Joey The solitary dinner with no
one to scold was dismal experience and
Godfrey felt distinctly aggrieYed. Next day
things were no better. Florrie was in tesr-
ing spirits, received the deferred lectures
with ribald laughter dismissed his theories
of Wifely duties as "bosh," and bad the
audacty to refer him to Lady Angelica,
who no doubt was an authority on that
subject, as well as every Other" Godfrey
was very moody all that day The men at
the club voted him slow, and Lady Angelica
called him q bore to his face. Il was very
annoying, but he was Obliged 20 admit 10
himself that his triumph over the subjuga-
ton of his wife had been 2 little preua
ture The process must be continued,
and one great element in its final sue
cess was, he told himself with secret
glee, the fact that, unless she had sud
denly and uuacco1ntaoiy altered, she
loved him 10 distraction. AS that evening ne
walked uD CurzOn street IL WAS this thought
that made him prepared 10 be very gracious
and as lenient SIS he consistently could be
toward any little excess of youthful spirits.
sharp struggle with the latch-key was
cut short by the butler opening the door to
let visitor out. The occurrence so iale
IN the afternoon was strange, and the ap-
pearance of the visitor 50 singular that
Godfrey started at the apparition in un-
feigned surprise. HIS for the visitor was g
many face WAS partially concealed by
sfOuCh hat. What there was 10 be seen
appeared 20 be of on olive hue and adorned
with q sweeping black mustacHe. lnky
locks hung in profusiCn down almost to
his shoulders, and the rest OF the body was
concealed in q cloak that would have made
the fortune of any meiodrama. On the
stage MIS-. FitzJobnson'a visitor would
have been in his element. In Curzon
street he apparently vas motor, with an
oath, or at least some foreign exclamation
that sounded to &c frey rather picked
onions, he gave swift glance as the as
tonished Captain, Rundown the steps ana
disappeared into the gathering gloom
who the dickens is that, Squares p
THE gentleman did not give bis name,
sir. lie said rs bow Mrs Hutchinson
would know who he was, and | need not
announce him Squares spoke in a tone
Of respectful indignation at this outrage on
the conyenances. Godfrey kept his pres
ence of mind.
"Oh, of course; l had forgotten What
time did the gentleman Gomez" This was
an after-thought while ascending the
stairs
/" AT half-ppst q, sir"
Halfpast 4. And it was now half
past 7.
did any one else call this afternoon Pa
Yes, sir; but after the gentleman came
Mrs. Hutchinson told me to say Not at
home TO other visitors"
Godfrey did not wait to hear any more,
but dashed into the draYing-rOom He
half expected 10 ind his wife the victim OF
an assassin's knife. On the contrary, she
was at that eternal piano, playing 8 dreamy
sonata of Rubins,ein's On his entering
the room she half rose, bat on seeing who
1 1t was she resumed her seat, enchanting,
On. it's only you'll"
Whom did you think it was9 That Guy
FGwkes back again Who, may | ask, is
he; and what was he here from halt-psst 4
till now for, to the exclusion Of everybody
else?"
Godfrey was gradually working himself
up into passion. Florrie made no at
tempt to calm him, but smiled family and
struck 4 few aggrayating chords on the
piano.
1T you really care to know, that Guy
Fawkes, as you are pleased TO call him, is
Count Sparlatti, an old Dresden friend of
Joey's. He is an Italian, and when Joey
came back from Dresden the Count came
with him to learn English. He was always
at Mumblethorpe. All, mel tenother
plaintive chordl what happy days those
were. And what fun we had The Count
was my sweetheart then"
why, you were only 9 years old
That's ALL (Another still more plain
tive chord)
10. - raf---. M