Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-02-05

uOI III lu6 lcdSt buI pIlScu VI SuOChC0 d.
the position he had taken. It seemed to
her quite in keeping with his character.
''She might give you some annoy
ance," Wallie admitted, after further
consultation with the owl, "but I'm by
no means sure she could obtain a YER
dict. 1 imagine she must have writ
rem to lingo, definitely withdrawing
from the engagement, and hence his
substitution of you. Was that the way
of it"
Eyes; and 1 believe she paid the for
felt"
Then 1 don't think you need worry.
There can at any rate be no doubt that
you have done the singing, and as sing
ing is paid nowadays, four thousand dol
lars night is none too much for it"
1T was three thousand the first month,
and thirty-three hundred afterward,"
put in the prima donna
Lingo certainly told me when he re-
turned from Europe last June that he
got Mariana for four thousand night"
Wallie affirmed. But probably he took
advantage of your being debutante to
cut it down.
"Mr. Jocelyn-that is, think not; 1
was told that 1 received the same that
she was to have had"
Hamilton Jocelyn? Is he mixed up
in this affair."" inquired Wallie, with an
air of dissatisfaction.
She had intended not to bring Joce-
lyn's name into the conversation, but
as it had slipped out she now thought it
best to say, at was he who intro
duced me to Gen. lingo, and he has been
acting as my agent-paying Inc the
money. And he said" she added, wish
ing to do her enemy justice, ''that it was
by his exertions that Gen. lingo was per-
suaded to raise my salary after the first
month"
Wallie threw away his cigarette and
ribbed his nose. "WNll," he said, pres
entity, 81 dare say JoceIyn knew what
he was about. 1 should like to heaI
what he has to say in Inigo's presence
Impresarios and agents are human, ani
need looking after occasionally"
What l thought was" she resumed,
"that if it should turn out 1 had no legal
right to the money, should really have
to make some more, whether [ liked it
or not. 1t would have to be made in
some way, you know, and papa-and
there seems to be no other way but for
me to go on singing, if can get an en-
gagement."
LAS to that" said Wallie smiling, eff
I oil 20 7
impresario and make you my single in
vestment. Let us assume, for arguments
sake, that from the pecuniary stand
point you are perfectly free either to go
ON or not. Now, of course there are
ways in which you might cultivate mu-
sic without keeping in opera. You could
sing at church, or, when you felt in
the mood, at a private or public concert.
But there is something else in the pro-
fesSion besides the singing-there is the
audience. Do you know what 1 meanI"
YES" said she, in low voice.
at is a magnificent stimulant," he
continued. There is no other to COM
pare with it in the world. They say
when you have once felt the delight of
it nothing is so difficult as to give it up.
There is nothing that you would ex-
change for it.
That is not true!' said she, lifting
her head. In Il moment she added: "But
have felt that it would be great con-
ISOLATION" Wallie glanced up, and she
blushed
He rose again from his chair and took
another cigarette from the box ON the
low bookcase. Then he went to another
place for a match, which he scratched
underneath the mantelpiece. Then he
lit the cigarette and threw the burnt
end of the match III the fire, after having
shaken it rapidly to and fro to extinguish
it. She watched him half absently,
thinking what good fellow he was,
how quiet, how honest, how kind, how
quick of apprehension. But through
him, beyond him, in his place she was
seeing another figure, which she never
hoped to behold again in reality. Oh,
the perversity of human affairs! The
goodness that we meet with is not the
goodness that we want; the evil that
happens to US is not the punishment of
our evil!
Wallie glanced at her through the
smoke of his cigarette with a sympa-
thetic interest, half sad, half humorous.
The heavy fur lined cloak that she wore
was thrown back on the chair; her head
leaned backward, showing the white
throat; her richly made, close fitting
black dress revealed the 1.-THE beauty of
her figure; there was a soft dimness
about her eyes; little strand of bright
hair had strayed across her forehead.
How mournful she looked! How easily
she might be happy! How gladly he
would make her so! But those who have
the good will have not the power, and
those who have the power 81 hope
to graciousI" exclaimed Wallie to him
self, "that he is suffering the torments
of the damned! 1 may have been fool
in my time, but nothing should ever
have made me turn my back on a wo-
man like thatr And he reseated him
self with a resentful vehemence that
drew a creaking remonstrance from his
armchair.
"Do you think, Miss Randolph" he
asked, "that the time would ever come
when you would prefer the consolation
to the-thing it consoled you for?'
ga consultations only-a consolation"
she replied, with little smile. but
you must not think that 1 am-was
anything except in general
way. should only find it more tire
Il