The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-26
you as a recompense for two unhappy lives.

]
/ The story OF it all Is a terrible one.
Il can but dinly see it, but what see fill.
! me with horror. I am sorry you came
| an always affected BIZ the fortunes of tht
| people l tell l can't talk any more now
| Leave me, and then all can come some Other
time for your fortunes 1 am very tired"
She sank into her deep crimson chair
and closed her eyes We left her silently
awed and impressed against our wills.
When we entered the cool air of the Octo-
Der night the young fellows commenced jest
ing over the scene.
''She's queer one, " said Valentine. "HaS
lots OF believers among tie fashionable peo-
pie, and makes loads of money"
"Confound her. said barley, with nerv-
Gus shrug. Il wish she'd singled out some
one else for her Uncanny predictions"
''Where shall we go nextl" That was the
question we stood and asked each other as we
reached Twenty-third street
perhaps you'd Ike to see some of the
opium divesp suggested Marlowe.
Gas I'm in for anything Uncanny you fell
lows propose, 1 think, perhaps, should"
''Wel, there's one here that I know Of
which is decidedly different from the usual
run. You hear of their luxury and all that,
but this is the only luxurious one in all New
York. It's kept by an old mana Cbinaman,
presumably-and young girl about whom
there is nothing Chinese. She's beautiful
creature, and people 80 there to see her, and
she fills their pipes and sings them songs with
a look Of loathing and scorn upon her face,
passionate enough to scare q man with delir-
ium tremens into his senses. have access to
this place, having got the drop on the Old man
through professional knowledge of some of
his proceedings"
To this place we went, reaching it through
many ways too complicated for description
At last the queer, crooked little dwarf who
met us at the entrance drew apart the rich
curtains of the apartment. Along the walls
were divans of rich material, upon which re-
posed forms III the abandonment Of drugged
sleep.
a dim, crimson glow pervaded the room,
and about in this mystical Light glided the
wrath like figure of 4 girl clad in SHIN
mering yellow satin, gold embroidered. The
figure Of the old Chinaman arose from its
half reclining position on the richly carpeted
floor and bowed with cginging politeness be
fore Marlowe. The man was richly clad in a
Chinese robe, gorgeously embroidered l ey-
amined his face curiously. 1t was not a
Chinese face. The complexion, despite the
paint, was that OF a Caucasian.
Tho eyebrows were painted into thin, slant
ing shape, and the full, sensual lips could have
never belonged to any one save Mixado
Cninaman. The face recalled something ia
miliar-somethjng l have seen before and
liked not the memory of it. As | was ponder
ing over the strange figure the CIR! came up
to Us. she held a golden bowl, flled with
pipes, in her hands.
~ you have one7n she asked sullenlv,
and yet in q voice strangely soft and musical.
looked up to closely examine the face Of
this strange young being. The black dashed
lids were downcast, and the face, my God it
was the very face of the woman who lay life
less before me fifteen years before. 1 felt
myself grow weak, and young barley lay his
strong hand on my shoulder.
rs anything the matterf he asked.
Perhaps he's had too much already" l
heard the girl say contemptuously.
1 saw Darleys gaze fixed like one spell
bound upon her, and for the first time she
lifted her eyes, and l saw them meet his In
hers lay an infinite, logged sorrow, like the
anguish OF some dumb brute; in MS lay an
infinite tenderness and pity. knew these
two beings had met their destiny.
Two years after this went to New York,
and barley brought his young wife to see me,
and told them my story and they told me
theirs
After their, first meeting he went to the
place ostensibly as a patron, but really TO
watch and study the horrible life Of this
young creature, He gained her confidence
and learned the terrors and misery OF her life.
The story is too bad, too horrible, for rePeti-
ton. The girl had kept her purity, but she
said sadly to me, II wonder if all the love
and tenderness of my husband and all the
deep repentance OF a lifetime can wash from
my hands the guilt of aiding my fellow NOR
tails TO that which is more horrible than
death"
Her husband put his arms around her ten
derby. II think God has forgiven your IN
willing sin" he said, land ct least be has been
kind to bring light and happiness finally out
of the darkness and disappointment Of two
lives nov passed away. "-Maude Andrews in |
Atlanta Constitution.