Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-06

barely crossed the threshold and reached the
street-when a hand was laid on my shoul-
der. 1t was witch-like old crone, with
poke bonnet, and a shabby old cloak reach
ing down TO her heels.
"Sir," said she, ''may,I speak few words
with you?"
"oh, cOnfOund you, be of. I've got moth
ing to give you."
But still, with her hand on my shoulder,
she poked up her wrinkled face, and whis-
pered the words-"Adele Cranstonp'
well, what of her?"
Nothing, that 1 can reveal in the open
street. Much, if you will allow ME to speak
with you in private. This much you may
know In advance, however, hold the secret
of her liie's happiness-of yours too, may
ber'
Hibbitson was at the door by this time,
and heard those last words and exchanged
looks with me. We had her up into his
room in fewer seconds than there were stairs
to mount 1t was a marvellous story this
old woman had TO relate, and it is a great
pity that my limited space compels me to
condense IT. 1t was this old hag-she was
Frenchwoman-whoh had SO hideously al
tered Adele Cranstou's complexion. 1t was
her poverty that induced her to make the
startling disclosure. Nearly two years
previously her husband, who was chemist,
as we'll as preparer OF hair Gyes and waters
for the complexion, was visited at his OBJ
scure little shop by a lady. Was itpossible,
she wished to know, to dye the human face
indelibly, not black or brown, but some
staring color such as green or blue. 1t was
a curious inquiry. but her husband, who
was cunningly clever at his craft, replied
that it was quite possible. And with that
he kept her waiting little time, and then
produced her small drop of perfectly color
less liquid and dropped minute portion of
it on his bare arm, and in a minute or two
the spot changed to a vivid green.
"There, that spot will remain as long as 1
live; no acid will efface it. 1t can be re-
moved only by cutting away the skin COM
pletely."
"Will you sell me some of ;t?" the lady
asked.
Not unless you give me full and sufh-
cient reason, and pay me my price," re:
turned the old rascal; "it is not for your own
face YOU require it?''
On which the lady boldly declared that it
was not for her own face, but for the face of
an enemy, a cousin, and her rival, and
deadly enemy
'She has robbed me of my lover" said
the lady, land l would be revenged on her.
She uses your washes for her complexion.
Make up bottle of that, she will not know
the difference. and here are 20 sovereigns.
And the treacherous compact was made,
and with what disastrously successful re-
suits the reader is already aware.
.'You atrocious old harridan one," 1 ex-
claimed, "what is to prevent my placing
YOU and your husband in the hands of the
police?"
"My husband is dead, so you can't hurt
him. And as far as L am concerned, this is
to prevent it" And as she spoke she pro-
duced from a pocket under her cloak
flask of liquid clear as water. "This is
safe solvent of the green dye that otherwise
is immovable. Give me SO and it is
yours"
Ten! 1 would have given her 500, if 1
had happened to have it by me.
''Give me time to prove the virtue of the
stuff" said 1. Come here again in three
days, and if the magic is accom- plished, the
money shall be yours" And Oh that promise
she left the flask with me, and took her de-
parture
Hibbitson and were half crazy with e1-
cItement.
start off at once, Sid. Lose not mo-
ment"
"Yes, but the confounded difficulty is, 1
rushed out of the house in such a brutally
unmannerly way, don't know how to ap-
proach her again"
Pooh! where is the dlmculty! w nat
was more natural than that you should leave
her unceremoniously. when you were in
such red hot haste to restore her natural
beautv?"
"Hib, old boy, you are jewel" And 1
pressed his hand gratefully, and hurried
awav to Fulham.
And less than month afterward, L led
Adele, radiant and lovely, and without her
veil, to the altar.
And so got rich and charming wife,
and the old woman got her G10, and Hib-
bitson got-welI, never mind tha:. He must
have got something substantial. or he would
not have been able TO alter his ways of liv-
ing in the way he has.-By James Green
lcood, the "Amdtear Casual"