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

| it stood between me ana you. II Is 4
disguise that must wear, and / know
that the disguise is better than what is
beneath it"
Here her eye happened TO encounter
Joc=iyn's. lie was Eazing at her apI:ar-
entity in much anxiety, and his hpa
seemed to be forming some voiceleSs
Words The prima donna did not know
what he meant, but she stopped and re-
Elected that she was thinking aloud in
stead of making a speech, and that what
she was thinking had more reference to
the blue eyed man with the brown beard
who sat on her right than to any one else
in the room; whereupon blush rose to
(her face, she murmured something hardly
articulate, and sat down. Everybody
smiled and applauded and seemed to be
much pleased.
"My God, what an actress" muttered
Mr.. Beaufort to his neighbor, Mrs. March.
The delicious audacity of that last SEN
| tence was inimitablev'
''She must be very clever" returned
the lady, yelling her business mouth
with the bouquet she carried; "but how
very noticeable her foreign accent isr'
''Achl well, my dear, it has been a
| long time before l could come to dalk so
as one would not know 1 was German"
put in Miss Korner charitably. made
moiselle shpeak very well for be-
ginner."
"They say the Russians are very
Buperstitious people," remarked Mr..
Planter, putting up his eye glasses; Il
must remember to ask Miss Mariana
whether she has ever investigated any
of the phenomena. She looks like
medium herself; l should like to investi-
gate, under vigorously scientific tests,
the range and quality of her abnormal
capacities"
"Since meeting Mile. Mariana" said
Mr.. Knight, addressing Wallie, but gra-
ciously pitching his voice so as to be over
heard by the diva, 81 no longer marvel
at Russian despotism. l should be
slave myself were l her countryman-
nay, my slavery has begun even as it Isl"
by George! old fellow" whispered
Jocelyn aside to the general, changed if
l didn't think for moment the girl was
going to give US awayr'
Don't you believe it." the general
mumbled in reply. ''She amt going to
give US away, nor give herself away.
neither-nOt to you, anyhow, and don't
you forget itp
| The dinner came to an end, the ladies
withdrew, and the gentlemen presently
followed them to the drawing room.
People were already arriving for the
reception, and the room was getting
| crowded. a number of immaculate
young gentlemen, in tight fitting even
ing dress, were reaching over their shirt
collars to get a glimpse of the notorious
Mariana. There was an unintermittent
buzz of talk that made it difficult to
| hear anything that was said. The la
dies were numerous and brilliantly
dressed, but many of them looked a
little uneasy, as if they suspected they
were assisting at a somewhat hazardous
enterprise. The prima donna wore on
her breast locket set with diamonds
that had belonged to her mother.
Say, Whitman" said one of the
young gentlemen above mentioned to
another, ''did you notice the locket?"
Haven't been able to get up to her
yet, confound it! Does she speak En-
glish?'
Pretty well, l believe: | spoke
French with her. Full of the devilr'
What about the locket?"
"Given to her by the car of Russia,
before he came into the business"
by Jove! Say, does fellow have to
be introduced, or can you go right up
and talk to herr
"Oh, sail in! She won't mind. These
women always like to be taken by
storm!" So Mr.. Whitman struggled for
ward to try his luck as stormer.
Bellingham, after wandering about
restlessly in the crowd trying to keep
his back turned toward the diva, and
finding himself. nevertheless, constantly
brought up within few feet of her, at
length made up his mind to go home.
But just as he was on the point of bid
ding adieu to Mrs. Cadwalader some
one struck a chord on the piano, hush
fell upon the assembly, and it became
| evident that the Mariana was going to
sing. And there she stood at the piano,
the pure loneliness of her countenance
looking across the crowd, and looking at
him. He folded his arms and stood
still, and no one but he knew that she
sang to him.
When the song was over there was a
great stir of admiration and surprise and
comment; for though everybody bad ex-
pected something very good nobody