The Progress., 1888-09-15
the elevated train he drew q letter from his
pocket the letter which caused the little
jar in his home that had SO quickly subsidized.

Join us at the Hoffman House at six for dinner,
and make partie carree. Ihear the operetta
Of Madame Roquette' is very good; may COM
mission you to secure four places for our party
and don't fail to meet uss My wife wishes to
be remembered. Yours truly, E. H. WILSON"
"Confound it, he muttered, II don't like
it; Iwish I hadn't been in such a hurry to
accept his invitation
He remembered Miss Ethel very well; a
handsome girl she was, too, but not hand
somer than her sister, Mrs. Wilson. .sOf
course they couldn't have asked Nettie !;
they don't know her. Pm hanged, though,
il think it's the thing to invite a married
man without his wife. j wish I'd told her
However, am in for it now, suppose
He left the train and went to a theatre
where a great artist was playing Shaks-
perean dramas, and bought two places for
"Cymbeline." Then he went on to his
Office. All morning, however, he was alb
sent-minded and low-spirited; he let several
good opportunities on the exchange pass
unnoticed. About noon he made sudden
resolution. 81 shan't dine with them at any
rate; I'll go home and take dinner with
Nettie; I'll compromise on that" He sat
down and wrote:
DEAR WILSON; Fam very sorry, but find
1t impossible to get away in time to take dinner
with you this evening. shall join you at the
theater, though. and therefore enclose the three
tickets for yourself and ladies, to whom please
make my compliments and regrets at being
obliged to forgo part Of the pleasure OF the
evening. Faithfully, WHEATLEIGH.',
Comic opera was form of entertainment
which John Wheatland loathed, yet here he
had consigned himself to enduring three
hours Of jingling music and prancing WON
en-, while refusing to go with his wife to
witness a noble play.
He put the three tickets into the envelope
with his note and sealed it, thinking to him.
self meanWhile: II wish there was some
| way out of the whole business-I might say
| was ill-poor little Nettie! MADAME Rou.
quette,' indeed! Pshaw!''
Then ne called a messenger, dispatched his
letter, and in SO doing laid the train to .
pretty mine, which by evening might ex
plode with formidable result
You will probably guess what Johr
Wheatleigh did in his absent-minded
self-reproachful state Of mind, so there need
be no secret about it. He was reckoned one
Of the shreWdest and keenest-witted men or
the cotton exchange, yet he did now what
shreWd and keen-witted men sometimes dc
committed an egregious blunder.
He had in his pocket six theater tickets
All were red, and of the same general ap
pearance. He inclosed the two tickets he
had bought for his wife, and one operetta
ticket in the note to his friend Wilson, and
thus the three tickets he retained, one fol
himself and two for Nettie, were all fol
MADAME Rouquette.' p
When he came home to dinner Nettie met
him with a smile. 'tCould you get the tick,
cts, John, dear? o, I,m so gladl Cynthia
| will go. How wish, though, it was your
Indeed, i wish it was, Nettie I woulG
break this engagement tonight if I could
| but Wilson is an old friend and I would moi
! like to offend him.
| "And Iwouldn't like to have you either
dear. I was cross this morning, wasn't L
l was sorry for it though, afterward. Please
forgive me, John, dear-you are always
| good to me" and she put her arms arounc
his neck and kissed him. "Aren't you well
John? You look pale.''
eyes, quite WELL Nettie; little head.
ache, that is all.n
Mrs Wheatleigh was not quite dressed
when her husband came to bid her good-bye
ssIll try to be back as soon as YOU are, Net
tie," he said, as he kissed her. He was or
the stair when his wife called to him;
John, you haven't given me the tickets =
don't come back; III run down to you..''
He fumbled hastily in his pocket and
drew out the three tickets ssMadame
Roquette-that's mine"-he heard Nettie or
the stalrs-these other two are hers-don'1
come down, dear; there they are'
| You foolish boy,n said Nettie, ssyou are
sure you are quite well, John? There good
night,
| Cynthia was not quite ready when the
cab stopped at her door. Her toilet was
matter requiring great preparation; pres
emily, though, she came running out.
slow are you, dear Nettiea $50 good Of
you to think of me SO often! Isn't Mr.
/ Wheatleigh goings Just we two? How
nice! What lis sCymbeline' NettieI
Shakespeare, isn'tit? don't think I eyel
read it's it tragedye How nicev'
/ "No, Mr.. Wheatleigh COULDN'T 60 tonight
explained Nettie, she had an Important en-.
gagement with business friend at the
club.''
Cynthia ratified on telling Nettie of all he1
comlngs, and goings since their last meeting
until they reached the theater They en-
tered the house and Nettie handed hel
tickets to the man at the gate
| YOU'RE in the wrong place, ladies,'' said
he; "these tickets don't belong here''
Dear me, !" said Nettie, sswhere areiwe.
l ! A11NAi oAlC OcbOulhu udho d gullSGdkO! Arena
you playing 'Cymbeline'!''
Yes ma'am, but these tickets are fol
Madame Roquette,' at an uptown house
The address is on your tickets please ster
aside moment, ladies'
20, how provoking, = said Nettie. .sHoW
could John have made a mistakel He knew
it was sCymbeline' I wanted to see we
| talked Of it quite awhile.''
Perhaps they will exchange them at the
box-office.'' uggested Cynthia. I.
%, no, they WON'T do that, 2 replied Net.
tie, taking out her purse: tive must buy
new tickets. Dear me, have only enough
here to pay the cabman! Have you any
| money, Cynthia?"
Cynthia humbly acknowledged to not
having penny.
ssWell, there is nothing to do, then, but to
drive home, = said Nettie. .O,I am SO dis
appointed !" They found cab and were
rolling up-tawn when Cynthia said: ssNetr
tie, so long as we have the tickets, why
shouldn't we so to see Madame Roquette9
1hear it is splendid. Floria de Brassi sings
in it, you know. If we don't like it we can
come away in a little while.',
Every well, CYNTHIA replied Nettie.
alphabetically. She was thinking how could
he have been so careless when ha lrna1,,