The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-04-05
Written for THE HERALD.
AN EASTER EPISODE
Showing the Danger of Being Sus-
picious.
I.-MoRNING.

I.-MoRNING.
The service is over. The last solemn notes
of the mass echo from organ and orches-
ira throughout rhe vaulted edifice. As
the priests and acolytes slowly file from the
altar into the sacristy the horns and reeds to-
gether with the stringed instruments, burst
into an inspiriting march, and the congregation
pour out of the many exits, and, dividing into
groups and couples, slowly wend their way
homeward, some gossiping, others silent, all
rejoicing in the beauty of the glorious Easter
Day. The writer had been to church and was
deeply impressed with the magnifcence of the
service His seat being near the door, he was
among the first to descend the granite steps
and mngle with the long line of masculine in
quisitivcness which is prone TO gather in criti-
cal array on every occasion when an audience
or congregation is about to leave place of
amusement or worship This particular con-
gregation did not differ materially from the
average gathering of church-goers, but the
writer detected little incident which may
perhaps interest few of his readers. There
was nothing particularly interesting in the APP
pearance of the solid and respectable citizen
who descended the steps moment later with
a matronly-looking dame leaning upon his
siTul-uOtullS, Due al iClu1d1lou
of Hermann Fol's denial of the fact that the
resemblances between aged married couples is
not acquired by years of conjugal life. A mere
glance sufficed to demonstrate that he was
man well provided with the good things of the
world, and with leisure enough in his hale old
age to enjoy many pleasures he had probably
denied himself in youth. So the sedate old
gentleman passed down the steps hardly no
ticed by the observing scribe, for his attention
had become riveted upon fairer and more at
tractive object, which had hitherto been hid
from his gaze by the bulky and portly form of
the old gentleman. She was young, probably
not more than twenty, but she possessed one
of those gloriously developed figures which
men love to look upon and less fortunate
women regard with envy. Her gown was
marvel in the pretty spring gray tint, its soft
fabric clinging to her beautiful form, and added
to NATURES rich endowment that indescribable
charm which men are so quick to discover in a
stylish and well-dressed woman. Her dainty
bonnet one of those diminutive little pokes
rested like a brooding nest of lace and flow
ers on the heavy coils of her rich-toned
auburn hair, and from beneath the pretty
curls of her V-shaped bangs appeared
one of the prettiest and most bewitching faces
that ever made the susceptible heart of a
young man beat with ecstacy. 1t was one of
those irresistible oval countenances, with
great, lustrous, passionate, laughing eyes, and
a sweet, curling, rosebud mouth built for
kissing and to say sweet things, with a charm
ing little dimple hiding in the rounded chin.
and complexion absolutely perfect. By the
time the observer had discovered all these
charms the fair object of his scrutiny had
reached the pavement, and, brushing quickly
past him, motioned to the driver of a coupe
which was standing on the other side of the
street. In a moment the watchful Jehu was
at the carriage-block, and the writer, with the
innate gallantry of all newspaper men, stepped
forward and opened the door of the vehicle,
but the fair stranger seemed not to notice the
courtesy and hesitated slightly before en-
tering. Mechanically her admirer glanced al
her to ascertain the cause of her delay, wheI
he noticed that she was watching the people
who were just entering the carriage behind he
own. These were none other than the sedat,
old citizen, who had just succeeded in hoistinG
his wife into his private landau. The write
stepped back not to interrupt the line o
vision, and thus had an excellent opportunit,
of observing both at the same time The olC
gentleman stepping forward so that his wifi
could not see him, deliberately kissed his han'
and winked in a most suggestive manner, an,
she, gathering her skirts in that naughty, tan
tiliZing manner We have all witnessed, dis
played an inch or two of openwork silk hose
placed one foot upon the carriage-step, and
looking back, quickly kissed the tips of he
little gloved hand, and shot at him such
languishing glance of invitation that the oil
gentleman seemed to forget the presence q
his wife as he watched with eager eyes tn
carriage OF the fair stranger as it rapid
rolled away. The writer tried to look as
he had seen nothing, but he heard the addres
she gave to her coachman, and the same We
Immediately recorded in his notebook.