The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-02-08

unfaNel. bOW amazed ne Win Oel 4 "A
call for you, dear, at nine. There1l be
plenty of room in our carriage, and
nobody win suspect that you're not in
bed and asleep"
OF all the guests at Mrs. Laddon
Lloyds that night there was no more
graceful dancer, no more exquisite cos
tune than that of the Spanish maiden"
Close to her hovered the "Neapolitan
flower girl" with her shallow wicker
tray Of rosebuds and her scarlet sash.
And stately Austrian halberdier had
attached himself to their party with
certain pertinacity.
The Spanish maiden said never word
she hardly dared to trust her voice
but her heart beat high as the halber-
der stopped his plumed helmet to whis-
per in her ear.
"You are well disguised but know
you"
She shook her head The rosy color
flooded the round chin, the curve of the
milk white throat, that were visible be-
meath the satin mask.
For whom did he take her, then? To
what other woman besides herself did he
dare to speak in accents of such honeyed
softness?
AT last came the moment of unmaslS-
ing. Lefty flung aside the black satin
domino and stood revealed, with eyes
alight and cheeks dyed with angry Grim
son.
In the same second the Austrian hal
berdier dashed his tinsel helmet on the
floor. He was perfect strangeri
With a smothered exclamation Lefty
vanished in the crowd 1t was some
time before Lucetta could find her.
"Oh, Lucetta," cried the girl, 1--WE
have been laughing and whispering with
a man we never saw before! This is
what comes of masqueradesl"
"Well, where's the harm?' breathless-
ly retorted less punctilious Lucetta
Don't everybody do the same thingf
Come back, you silly child-we haven't
found Dallas Hall yet?'
81 don't want to find him. almost
sobbed Lefty. "I'm afraid to stay here
alone. That halberdier looked so inso-
lently at mel"
Nonsense, grill he can't eat you. We
are all Mrs Laddon Lloyd's guests. Come
back to the supper room, sayl There's
such a crowd-and everything fit to eat
will be gone directly"
But Lefty refused to stir. In the
shadow of a group of monster palms in
the hall she covered a brilliant bit OF
color, while all the hungry pleasure
seekers were converging toward the sup
per rooms. If it had not been for her
fantastic costume she would have hast.
ened home at once.
AS she stood there, perplexed and ter.
rifed, step sounded on the now desert.
ed stairway. A tall figure. dressed in
black, came swiftly down, with a roll OF
papers in its hand.
"Oh, Ballast ballast"
Lefty, can it be possible that this is
you2"
"After all your advice to meI' sh,
walled.
CATER your promise to me, Lefty,
he said, glancing with strong disap
proval at her rococo dress and clustering
pink plumes.
"Dallas, what are you doing heres''
'I came, Lefty, to receive instructions
for the last will and testament of OLD
Myron Lloyd, Mrs. Laddon Lloyds un
Gle, who is now lying ill upstairs, ant
who desired the document to be exc.
cuted as privately as possible while his
niece's attention was absorbed with her
guests, And you, Letty?'
She flushed to the very roots of her
hair. How was she to tell him that she
had come there to defy his authority
to be spy upon his actions?
He looked keenly at her.
"Have you a cloak herc?" he asked.
"Yes," she murmured-''in the dress
ing ROOM"
go upstairs and get it quick, before
the crowd comes back to interrupt our
egress. l must take you home"
AS obedient as child she complied,
and clung, half laughing, half sobbing,
to his arm as she related the story Of how
she had allowed herself to be Influenced
by Lucetta Variants officious tattling, of
her injudicious resolve and of her own
hearty repentance.
"And all the time," she said, "you
were only in the path of your.profes-
sional duty"
81 certainly wasn't attending Mrs.
A4duuoil A4lOy u ludSQueIdue jail III any
historical capacity" said he dryly.
"Dallas," she murmured, ''will you
forgive me2"
"My own dear love, there is nothing
to forgive" he answered. "You have
learned one of life's lessons, that is all
Now kiss me, and let's forget all this
nonsense"
"But l will never disobey you again,
she pleaded.
al wish / could be certain of that"
said he, with a laugh.
And the next day Lefty Ogilvie ripped
the Spanish maiden's dress apart, kept
the black velvet to trim winter gown,
and sent the gaudy pink satin to old Aunt
Jemima Berryfeld, up the street, who
was making a crazy quilt of the craziest
| description.
'For / never want to see the hateful
thing again, said she.-Helen Forrest
Graves in Philadelphia SATURDAY. Night.
No Tims Lost.
/ Z AI,e ,.,,-s,,.. q -