The Red Cloud chief., 1889-10-25

Tort TO me 10 know hat you are so near. /
dare say rou will think me very silly. but I
never feel quite easy until Mr.. Lawrence
has stamped on that buNniug paper; my
dress is very fluffy and"
s"save no more uncasiness.' 1said, truth
fully. Il, too, dislike that business and /
watch your dress as carefully a if I were
your maid
dared rot say more nor speak in too ten.
der a tore, for Lawrence had drawn near
and IVA scOwling fiercely at US. I fancied
that he was not quite himself.
1.-THE second scene in our play was .
~hackneyed one. Lawrence, the uusuccess-
full sUitOr, f1curished before his lady's gaze
the will her father had made subsequent to
the only one found at his death; the one he
bad Just found resembling the old mans be-
quest Of great wealth to his daughter, pro-
vited she marry Sir Harry Vaughn claw
renccl.
"NChen she firmly and for the third time
refuses to marry him or any one but Jack
Les.io (myselt) he tears the paper in his
rage, thrrsts the two strips into q lighted.
candle, and, waving them before her, cries:
$50 vanishes all proof that your father
weakly changed his mindl No one but you
aud me knows that this will was ever made,
ard as these flames flicker and spread you
see ypur ease. and luxury, and comfort dis
sppcsf@disappesr forever, unless you
marry tne",
Then he throws the burning ends Of
the paper on the floor, and stamps On them,
cry!. {c =, r. 90. what :. ,o,,,. ,o,,
Comfort with me Or starvation with your
plebcian Suitor.'
CAS- the days had grown into months I
had seen very plainly that Lawrence and I
spoke our respective lines from our hearts.
did lille. d'Es.erres How I iougcd to know!
lawrente was q fascinating fellow. I was
not; he had Q fairly good social position,
and 1 was supposed to have none; he had
. good income besides his salary, I had
nothing.
mo one in our company knew my his
tory, but / viii tell you tho gist of it now.
Though I was billed as Max Osmyn my law
full apnelIation was Henry Osmyn Maxwell;
my grandfather, who was very wealthy,
had announced his intention of making me
heir to most of his property, but after years
Of kiadIess and indulgence hc cut me OF
without q shilling because I refused fatty
tn marry the granddaughter Of one Of his
cranics, an old reprObate whom I detested.
sNOf course, Lawrence did not know it,
and the numberless ways in which the cad
tried to teach me- my place, socially, were
vc-y amusing. I scorned the fellow too
much to feel angered at him.
This night when Mile. d'Estcrre had con.
fidcd her anxiety to me I was " more
vaahful than before. / imagined that
Lawrence was unusually excited II learned
afserward that she really had rejected him
in earnest that %aftcrnoon) and threw much
emphasis INTO his lines.
HE brandishcd the burning papers in q
wild manner and then cast them to the floor
in q reckless way. Just what I feared
would happen some time now took place.
"a breath Of wind. caused, perhaps, bys
sudden movement of Mllc. d'Es.erre's trail
ing robe, fic..cd one of the papers close Il
her; the dying fame gave one last Kicker
1,.rs forward, and seized q d~iaphanous fril
or tiounce or something on her skirt, staftet
into new life, and was fain to clasp my oar
hing i. its fiery embrace.
.sSut love is more ardent than fire. In Al
instant l d:rted forward and crushed OF
the fa,re with my hands.
.Lsvrence, who had not e the nre
thought / was improvising something .