Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-07-10

| etchings, and Margaret was left to
dream on in happy abstraction.
Suddenly, as she loitered near one
end CT the long dim studio, she was
startled by the sound of a passionate
! little cutlery which came from a door
slightly ajar, and glancing through was
astounded to see strange woman
! throw herself into Hans Vischer's arms,
with gesture OF utter despair.
| Margaret chung to the heavy portierre
for support, horrible sick feeling
stealing over her. She could not see mis-
face, but she noticed that Hans stroked
the girls hair gently with one hand,
while he tried to lead her to a chair.
The confusion of noises in the street be-
| low prevented Margaret from hearing
what they were saying, even if she
wanted to hear, which she most assur-
edly did not. she would not play the
eaves-dropper, no matter how false her
| lover might be to her.
| She looked again at the pictured face
on the easel. Yes, there could be no
doubt about the matter-the woman in
the next room was the original. Mar
| garet turned away with a white, set
face. She felt as if her heart were
| turning to stone In her bosom, and that
if she stayed in the studio another
minute she should begin to hate Hans
Vischer. The smell of paint seemed
sitting and unbearable. and the floor
beaved beneath her feet.
She walked rapidly up 10 her sister,
and spoke in low, quick tone. "Ohv-
ia,' she said, '.let us go home at once.
IL am not we'll"
Olivia threw down the etchines with
an exclamation of alarm. "Why, Mar
garet, what has happened? You do
| 1onE wrQtohoHlu !botjc 20 of ,,
Nothing has happened" said Mar
garet impatiently, feeling that all her
powers of endurance were slipping
away from her. 'sOnly let us go home
at once-do you hear?"
She hastened toward the door, and
Olivia followed her with look OF
amazement on her face. "Well, Mar
garet, l must say" she began, but her
sister was already out of hearing, and
Olivia followed her with very bad
grace. She assumed portentous air OF
| injury when she caught up with Mar
saret at the bottom of the last flight of
stairs.
"What did the boy say was the
apropos of nothing in particular, mere
| ly to show that she meant to pass Mar
garet's behavior in silent displeasure
THAT it had stuck somewhere in the
shaft" was Margaret's mechanical and
listless reply. Isn't that our car?
Signal to il, will you dear?''
| Olivia performed this duty with i'm
pressive dignity, then seated herself
opposite her sister, and stared at her all
the way home. But Margaret's face,
though pale, expressed nothing of the
tumultous emotions which were seeth-
| ing within her, and Olivia got off the
car In dudgeon. If Margaret had a
| secret. or If something unusual had hap
pened TO her it was clearly her business
to tell her younger sister all about it..
| Then why IN the world did she close
her mouth as tight as a clam? Olivia
had never been treated SO before, and
| she wasn't going t6 stand it-so there !
Hans Vlscher came back to his studio
| rather late that evening. There had
| been an animated discussion in the
| Rembrandt Club rooms on the worm
out theme of 1.-THE ideal and the real IN
art" and the arguments had waxed
long and warm-sO much SO, in fact,
that it was past II o'clock when Hans
lit the gas and turned over the small
heap OF unopened letters which had ac-
one in a creamy white envelope which
he pounced upon at once, with a
pleased smile OF anticipation.
From Margaret" he said, postpon-
ing his enjoyment of the note, as we
are all so fond of doing, long enough to
roll and light cigarette. This duty
done; he broke the seal and adjusted
his eye-glasses-Hans was trifle near
sighted, be it said "Dear girl % he
murmured tenderly. "Of course she's
going to explain why she didn't come
up this morning. That vicious old aunt
of hers wouldn't let her, l suppose,
because of some fancied Improperly in
the thing. What bore maiden aunts
must lie Heigh-hol precious glad am
that l haven't any to worry the lie out
of me. If Margaret only knew how
cheerfully shall take her excuses /!
But 1t would never in the world have
| done to have had them here when
| Marie was storming about in that reck-
less fashion. Poor girl +! I'm awfullv
sorry for her. But | can't help wishing
she wouldn't throw herself into a fell
| lows arms-its rather embarrassing. on
the whole. And I don't believe Mar
garet would quite like it, certainly
don't myself"
Hans jaw began to drop, and his
| near-sighted eyes stared into vacancy
with a comlcai air Of amazement.
lSCu0T WHY, L0lS
can't be from Margaret /" he exclaimed
land yet it is, by Jove! I return you
your engagement ring and all the let
ters you have written me. If you de-
sire an explanation, ask your own con-
science for it. [ shall give you none.'
Short-but sweet; damnably sweet, by
Jove! Why, [ must be dreaming this
is some hideous nightmare Ask my
own conscience for it2' What in the
name of - But pshaw this must be
some practical joke-and in very poor
taste it is, too. L wonder that Margaret
could be guilty Of such thing. I shall
give her piece of my mind to-mor-
row."
But tie longer Hans stared at the in
| nocent looking envelope, the more did
the consolation OF g. joke Jade from his
mind. He turned it over in his hard,
and gnawed his blonde mustache with
much energy, but the mystery became
more impenetrable than ever. At last
he threw it down with gesture of i'm
patience.
Nv eli, can't make it OUT he NUT
| tered. Margaret must have taken