Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-05

paused in his story.
"Almost-and vet, if only could but
conouer this one case" He broke off
! ,Joyan turned; he whispered few words in
/ Gotthold's ear Gotthold started at the sug.
gestiou his ears had caught.
81 had not thought, not dreamed of it, u
he cried. 1.-The risk"
"Think of it now," Jovan answered.
"think of the honor, should you succeed
of the fame"
81 dare not-'Thou shalt do no murder
dare not risk it,
"Why?" Jovan spoke deliberately, cold
ly, confidently. at you succeed, your
| genius will be crowned"
"If Motif 1 fail? 1 am unnerved; my
| hand has lost its old certainty, its old skill
"A slip, a miscalculation, -"
Enough" interrupted Jovan. "If you
fail, you will only have borrowed life in
the interest of Science"
"But my conscience?" murmured the
other nervelessly.
ITO be doctor is to be an experimenter, -
returned Jovan, and he lett Gotthold to
speak with his daughter.
"When YOU were little more than baby"
he said, leaning back beside her on the
couch where she sat, ''vour father used to
teach me many wise things. We used to
talk. as we have been talking tonight, OF
| the discoveries, OF new experiments, which
would make us famous when we were old
men. 1 was poor player then, often ragged,
often hungry-but [ was rich: l had heart
and had friend"
He paused His eyes held hers. A thrill
of terror flashed over her face as he bent a
little closer to her; it faded, and he smiled.
Her face was an open book to him, and on
it he could read what she read on his-noth-
| ing else was written there. She dropped
| her ewes and covered her mouth with one
hand-she said nothing; to HIM she'd never
| speak with ease; tonight it was impossible.
"You were a child then. One night 1
brought you a doll dressed all in tinsei.
and Gotthold talked. l told him of a new
experiment, new discovery that believed,
in my ignorance, might make a mans for
tune to have found t. He undeceived
me; he told ME the discovery was already
made by another-you PLAYED with your
tinsel doll. You are too old to play with
dolls now, but have brought you the tinsel
for farewell gift"
The girls face grew white, flushed, and
grew white again as Jovan talked on softly,
with pauses here and there. As he finished
speaking he took a bracelet, a heavy ring of
gold, from the table near, and held out his
hand for hers. Silently she let him take
her slim fingers in his hold, and slip the yell
low circle over them to its place upon her
arm. 1t was too large-his fingers, strong
and steady, pressed the metal till the joined
ends overlapped each other. He pressed it
too close, indeed-it marked her wrist. As
he released her hand the girl drew a Short
fast breath; Hagar, looking across from the
opposite side of the hearth, said inyolun-
tarily:
.fShe iS-Tiser %
But she was not Lise-Jovan knew it.
Lise was child, child he had caressed,
and who had answered his caresses with a
child's touch. This was a woman. Lise
would have kissed his hands with her lips;
this one, standing here tall and pale in her
white dress, standing at the gates of the
Paradise OF ignorant innocence out of which
he had drawn her, did more. Her eyes.
raised for one moment, looked into his, and
she silently laid-he knew it-her whole self
at his ieet.
The girl started, shivering as though
wakened suddenly to life-she drew up her
slight figure, and turned from him.
''Good-nlght-good-byi' she said. 81
thank you"
Gotthold was ruined. He tried what he
called an experiment. His patient was a
man of wealth and importance. Gotthold's
experiment tailed, and the world called it
murder. He was disgraced man, and his
friends forsook him; with tarnished reputa-
ton and decsying fortunes ne fled from the
city whore the disaster had befallen him,
and sought shelter once more in his native
town.
"What news?" Hagar had asked, the
day when the record of Gotthold's disgrace
became public.
''Of a success" Jovan answered her.
81 have robbed MIN o: that which he
stole from me-" Jovan told himself again
and again.
That evening the critics said, "He is after
all overrated-he plays like devil with
remorse," and that was quite wrong.
His acting did not mend. His old moodi-
ness returned upon him; the polish of his
manner wore off; sometimes he would be
boisterously moody, sometimes sullen and
taciturn; at his work he was strained and
unequal; people courted him less.
In the winter he accepted an engagement
at the city where little Lise lay in the poors
cemetery, and where Gotthold lived forsaken
and alone. He played at the theater where
they had hissed him the night Lise had
died. Now the people crowded to see him,
and to applaud him-or his reputation.
1t was bitter season. Snow covered the
roofs and sprinkled the streets and pave
ments. Women went muffled and veiled,
men with fur drawn down over their brows.
The horses fretted at their bits, the walkers
hurried past as if they could escape the
wind by haste. Yet at the stage door one
woman, scantily clothed, with Sbare hands
stifening in the freezing air, waited motion
lessly patient for the play to end.
Jovan, Slipping out quickly, did not notice
her, but something fell on the fur rug at his
feet. as with his fellow actor he took his seat
in his carriage.
"Who was that?' he said glancing back,
through the snow mist.
"a beggar," the other replied.
In Jovan's hand lay broken gold circle,
large enough to go round woman's wrist.
WHAT" he said, hardly catching the
others words.
"what was she?" repeated his compan-
ion with half laugh. "What-Margaret
was!'
\
Beside the grave where Lise Law they
made another grave, as narrow but longer
it bore no name upon the stone.
Jovan played no more as the devil, he
threw up his engagement that very winter.
"He was bad actor. He could play no
part but one. His day was soon over" So
people said, and the name of Jovan was for
gotten.
4
In dingy lodging house in remote
quarter of great city two old men live to-
gether. One, it was rumored, was once
famous doctor, sunk into premature oblivion
by his own fault and misdoing; now his in
tellect is enfeebled, his mind dim and for
getful-it is well perhaps it should be-of
his past. The other, younger man by
many years, plays old mems parts at a
shabby little playhouse near. He works to
support his companion; for himself, he
would not think it worth while.
NO BOGUS PHONES HERE,