Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-23

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her--no moro luxur'o slipping OF the
richest wine Of life from golden goblets--
no more treading OF rose-strewn paths
but thorns and bitter draughts and work
real work for her daily bread-would
be her inheritance. All this she pic
tured in the few brief moments she was
ascending the velvet-carpeted stairs TO
her own beautiful suite OF rooms.
She touched the button OF the tele-
phone that her extravagant fancy had
caused to be constructed between her
su'actum sdnctOrum and Helena's sitting
room. Just at that hour the pride of
the family was having a few moments
chat with his favorite sister. his six feet
OF splendid manhood stretched on a
couch just underneath the telephone.
He sprang up as the bell tinkled and put
the receiver to his ear, touched the but
ton aud waving his hand in protest to
his sisters interference.
Hello, Lena! Do please come up and
stay all night; papa is away from home
He left message for me. My suspicious
are correct, am satisfed-he is on the
verge of financial ruin. He has promised
TO tell me all tomorrow night after re-
turn from Mrs. Adleys. The next
morning, he says, all the world will
know of it through the papers"
There was an excited ring in the voice
away off in the Mob Hill palace.
princess Beatrice, don't believe 1t
in spite of your correct suspicious.
Helena has just been telling me, in con =
fidence, of your anxieties. II seems to
me the trouble must be something else. :"
II the telephone could only have con-
veyed to him the loud beating of a
woman's heart, what useful invention
1t would have been to him in disclosing
what he had never been able to find out
when the princess was talking in the
same room with him. He waited mo-
ment for her reply.
NO" it came presently, with metallic
precision; lit cannot be anything else.
Is Helena therel"
Eyes, your Royal Highness. Do you
prefer to talk with herH'
Certainly. Tell her will send the
carriage for her If she will come"
May come with heri"
eff you choose"
Helena pushed him aside.
mo, he cant come with me. What
was it you told him that you intended
for mes"
After standing silently listening to
some long sentences. she replied:
"All right, will be ready. Phil
is not coming, for he is only
waiting for dinner to be off on some
special business with his client"
PoatSioo SvaS ono Of tho lateot arrivals
at Mrs. Alleys that night She was
never more simply dressed, and never so
lovely in Philip Ashton's eyes. He had
sent her the first flowers he had ever
bought Cor hcr-passionate blood-rcd
roses and she wore them with the sim
ply-made cream satin. Aside from the
rich lace in neck aud elbow-sleeves they
were her sole ornaments. Even the dia-
monds in her ears had been put away,
for appearances sake, on the eve of her
fathers ruin.
ibid do wrong to comeW she asked
Ashton, when he stood under a potted
palm tree in the music room, looking ut
her in the dim radiance of rose-colored
lamps.
"Why wrongY'
Because people will make remarks
about 1t, in the morning, when they
know the truth"
He covered her hand with his own as
1t rested on the back of low divan.
You are very philoso phioal in regard
to the matter. Why are you not at home,
as most girls would be, crying and
wringing your hands,"
He had never before so committed
himself by word, look aud action.
Beatrice understood the underlying sig
nificance of the question. She answered
it with the same roundabout directness.
In spite Of all their past reserve they un-
derstood each other perfectly.
II don't believe" frankly meeting his
adoring eyes, THAT am so very sorry
sorry enough to cry or wiring my hands;
l mean for myself"
A strange, sweet knowledge kept them
silent tor several moments. When a
passing couple had gone out of sight and
hearing, Ashton took both her hands.
''My little princess Do you know
how long have loved the kings daugh-
ter with hopeless lover
''Perhaps. " said Beatrice, ''for as long
time as you have made her believe that
the daughter of hundred earls, she was
not one to be desired.'"
He lifted the hands to his lips.
eve succeeded in misunderstanding
each other perfectly, then. l should
never have been brave enough to ask
King Midas little daughter for her hand
with all the royal jewels in its palm"
Beatrice tapped tremblingly at the
library door at midnight. After some
little delay her father opened it and
smiled very much as he had been in the
habit of doing before he became ''pecu-
liar"
Come in, my dear, he said, kissing
her, as he always did. Don't wear
your seal-skin in this warm room. Did
you enjoy the evening at Mrs. Adley's?
Sorry could not go with YOU"
AS he did not seem to expect an
answer to any question, Beatrice made
none. She sank into the huge depths of
the nearest chair and stared blankly at
the old gentleman. He was not pale and
haggard and showed no symptoms of
paralysis. On the contrary, his face
wore a blush like school-boy's and his
eyes shone with anything but a wild
despair. The terrible thought came to
Beatrice that perhaps the calamity had
been the means of darkening his mental
faculties. He certainly did look foolish
enough to warrant the suspicion.
Don't look so distressed, my dear.
he began. "What have to tell you is
not so terrible, after all-only l should
have prepared you for it gradually.
Don't blame me too much-you know
al, 4. e. Il II r.