The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-22
MERELY AN EPISODE.

fore, and he wondered now what he had
come for. 1t was not as it had been when
he was boy; it was nothing but nui-
sance, and yet he staid wearied and dis
gusted, yawning until the tears came in
his eyes, wishing himself elsewhere and
lingering about in dreary isolation.
The night went by in loud noise, clash of
music clamor of voices, rhythmic fall of
feet. The fallen warriors were pushed I'M
der benches or sat bundled in chairs, sunk
in heavy slumber From the boxes laugh
ter fell in silvery cadences on to the hub
bub of the dance beneath and mingled
with the brazen blaring of the orchestra.
Sitting in corner, his shoulder pressed
against the gilded grating of an empty
box, his eyes fastened modify on the wild
throug, Carroll remained immoyable, a
prey to cynical reflections. He seemed to
himself being of another sphere, reality
among phantoms, or was it, perhaps,
phantom among realities? So silent was
he that no one noticed him in his deserted
corner, with his shoulder against the graf
ing of the empty box.
In the depths of his reflections, trem-
bling into the gloom of his revery, softly
breaking the chain of his thoughts like
the gentle touch of beloved hand, came
of sudden, sigh, long, quivering sigh,
almost a sob. Carroll was startled. but he
made no sign. There was some one in the
box, after all. Without moving his head,
he flashed glance through the grating
out Of the corners of his eyes. There was
a woman sitting there, quite close to him.
She must have moved from the back of the
box since he had come, for he was certain
that she was not there when he took his
seat.
She evidently had not noticed him. and
believed herself unobserved. In his brief
glance Carroll had seen that she wore a
black domino and mask of the plainest
kind; that her hands were clasped in her
lap, and that she appeared to be looking at
the dancers. They could not see her, he
thought.
He stole another look at her, and, as he
did SO, she sighed again-a sigh of weari-
ness and pain. Then she moved. and taking
up a fan in her lap began to noiselessly fan
herself. The flap of her mask moved in the
faint winnowing air made by the fan, rose
sweep of the fan, the flap curved upward in
d Ocep WdNSs anu S6IIOil saw d pOEGlOu VI
a smooth, pale cheek, the corner of her
mouth, and near it, toward the chin,
small brown mole.
Almost simultaneously she raised her
eyes and saw him looking at her through
the grating. She dropped the fan and
made a grasp at the edge of the mask.
Through the two Sits for the eyes Carroll
saw hers, and though he could not tell
whether they were light or dark, he saw
that they weee full of terror. The thought
flashed through his mind, ~ will know
her again." and he knew that she had
thought the same of him. The next instant
she had withdrawn into the back of the
box. Carroll went home wondering about
her.
A few evenings later he went to dinner
at the house of fashionable lady, who was
a relation of his. Just before dinner she
came to him, and said:
Carroll, have a favor to ask of you.
My niece Helen, a little country lass, is in
town for the winter, to stay with her
brother who is going to college. She is
under my wing, and is very young and
bashful. 1 am going TO ask you to take
her into dinner and be kind to her; she has
seen so little society. She was here mo-
ment ago, but has run away again for
something or other. l will introduce you
to her when she comes back"
Carroll assured her that he would be de-
lighted, which had more truth in it than
such remarks usually have. 1t would be
less trouble to talk to a young miss like
this than to a more tried veteran, and if
she couldn't talk he could eat his dinner in
peace and let her preserve the silence so
dear to the debutante.
Presently, in the movement and well
bred shuff1ing of dinner cortege getting
under way, young girl was given him to
take as his partner, and with whom he
brought up the rear of the long procession.
He hardly noticed her; bread and butter
was not in his line. He felt her small hand
put Imply on his arm, and he was dimIy
aware that her dress was pink. She said
nothing. In answer to his remark about
the oak panels in the hall she assented
family.
She was evidently extremely raw. Seat
ed at table, Carroll unfolding his napkin
said he liked pink candle shades and then
began TO take his soup. When he had fin
ished it he looked about the table, smiled
at lady opposite, said something to a
man farther down. Finally, absently
brushing his long mustache with his nap
kin, he looked at his companion. She was
sitting with her hands in her lap, her head
dropped, her eyes staring at the center
piece. Her cheeks and chin were smooth
and pale, and near the corner of her
mouth toward the chin was a square piece
of black court plaster.
Still smoothing back his mustache with
the napkin, Carroll looked at the small
black square. He would have given a
years income if it would have fallen off.
He looked at the shape and set of her head,
at the pose of her folded hands. 1t was the
same, yet how could it be. He looked at
her cheek and chin, and then, lowering his
eyes, tried TO recall the exact appearance
of the cheek and chin he had seen under
the masks undulating flap. Then he
glanced up. IL was the same, there could
be no doubt. And still it seemed incredible.
She was not more than eighteen years old,
and she looked so pensive and wistful- She
seemed TO have forgotten his presence, and
TO be absorbed in her own melancholy pom
behring's, staring at the centerpiece with
thoughtful dark eyes.
Mrs. Lafarge tells me-" he said, sud
denly, leaning toward her, that you have
only just come TO town"
Sire started aud looked up st him. He
even seemed 70 recognize the eyes with
their look of scared surprise. For mo-
ment she seemed confused, then she said
YES, but / am going 70 stay for the
winter. My brother is here At college
/ have come TO look after him We are or
phans.
Having given her explanation she looked
away. and seemed 70 be about 10 once
more relapse into silence.