Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-01-01

distraction and final surrender. He
asked Mr.. Knight, in the second seat on
his left, whether it were true that Grant
intended to found college of politics in
Mexico, and left the young people to ar
range themselves as they liked.
Mrs. Bright turned pale, took up
silver pepper box, and overwhelmed her
croauette de volatile with red pepper.
Blinded by her Indignation, she was on
the point of putting piece Of the highly
condimented Wand in her mouth, when
Gen. lingo, who was on her left, and
who had been assimilating his nourish-
ment with knife, fork and forefnger,
and vast enjoyment of champing and
deglutition, hurriedly set down the glass
of sherry he was raising to his lips, and
with great good nature arrested the
Young lady's hand by laying his own
fat paw upon it. my dear madam"
he exclaimed with his unctuous Hebraic
drawl. would you commit suicide at d
table like this?"
'Oh, I'm awfully obliged" returned
Mrs. Bright, really feeling so on more
accounts than one, though she had never
before been able to endure that horrid
free and easy impresario. She over
came her repugnance, and recouped her
self for Bellingham's scant courtesy by
extracting whole hogsheads of it from
the ample reservoirs of her other neigh
Dor. After all it amounted to the same
thing. So woman receives attention,
it is small odds whence it comes.
Bellingham and the diva meantime
had taken a short cut to mutual under
standing, and would have been aston
ished, had they stopped to think about
it. at the vistas of sympathetic feeling
that were opening up before them. Sun
shine arose on their way, and they
rambled onward at their will. To talk
with the prima donna on a subject thai
attracted her was like drawing har-
monies from some exquisite instrument
She responded, to the hghtest touch, and
you could see the promise and invitation
of music in her face before you spoke.
Bellingham forgot that this was the
woman whose adventures and audacltles
everybody had been discussing for weeks
past; she was to him a delicious outlet
for a part of his nature which he had
heretofore depressed even when by him
self; so the seed first discovers itself in
the earth, and the flower in the sunlight.
When, half an hour ago, he had been
presented to Nile. Mariana in the draw
ing room he had felt that she was beau
tiful. but remembered that she must be
repellent, and had passed on without a
second look. She, on the other hand,
had been sensitive to his hostility, told
herself that he looked cross and frigid,
and thought it fortunate that he was an
architect instead of a singer, liable to
appear with her on the stage. But now,
under the mingled persuasion of happy
accident and the genial stimulus of
lights, company and the table, their
averted regards had unawares turned TO
accorsl-an accord which might prove
temporary, but was certainly deli h.fUl.
It was strange to both of them, but with
the sort of strangeness that seems like a
sweet familiarity till now forgotten.
Now they would let air and warmth into
the secret chambers of their minds; now
they could read the answer to their
spiritual riddles in each others face.
At the other end of the table Mrs.
Cadwalader was prospecting blithesomely
with Mr.. Grasmere on one hand ant
Mr.. 'Barclyffe on the other. The CONVEX
satiOn was of an aesthetic caSt-would
the Wagneriap method Of musical COM
position prevail, and if so, would not
music ultimately be chargeable with in
fringing on the preserves of the other
arts? Mr.. Barclyffe, propping up his
mustache occasionally with his napkin,
was Of opinion that music was the soul
and reconciliation Of all the arts, and
that knowledge of music would hence
forth be indispensable to enable the
painter, the sculptor and the poet to do
their work intelligently. CAS- to archi-
lecture, added he, 1--WE all know that
in its higher manifestations it has been
termed frozen music" "Some of Wag-
ner's music that have heard, retorted
Mr.. Grasmere, twas dry enough to be
called harmonized hay lofts"
This epigram was overheard by Mr.
Damon at the center of the table, and
he Immediately called out, There's a
portrait of Grasmere down at the club
that is said to have been painted to the
tune the old COW died Of" Hereupon
Mr.. Bidgood burst into hearty laugh,
and observed that the old COW probably
died from feeding on the harmonious
hay loft. Mr.. Grasmere, who was prob
ably of Scotch extraction, drew himself
up to his full height and said to Mrs.
Cadwalader, with CLEAN from beneath
his eyelids, that such men as the last
two speakers did more than vice or igno-
rance to delay civilization. Mrs. Cad
walader smiled with scarlet lips, and
said in her small, caressing voice, "The
proprietor of the Professional Amateur
cannot believe that civilization is de-
layed."
If there was any further danger of a
breach of the peace it was averted by the
action of Wallie, who now arose in his
place and proposed the health of the
guest of the evening. Though our
guest tonight, he said, "she is host in
herself; and if she was born in a foreign
land, we all know that some of the tru-
est Americans have never set foot in the
United States" The toast having been
drunk with much cordiality, Wallie
added, 81 didn't learn that speech by
heart, ladies and gentleman, but that is
where it came from"
When the applause had subsidized there
was pause, and the priIna donna per-
ceived with beating heart that every
body's eyes were fixed upon her, as if ex-
pecting a reply. She cast a dismayed