The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-27

of starry pallor, where the brilliants
seemed drops of fame. Comma wished
to have it, and indeed it would be diff
cult to find face adapted to the almost
religious richness Of that jewel, moro
than her snowy profile of an angel in
ecstacy.
Ten thousand francs was the price Of
that jewel, and Marchis did not have
them. Mute, immovable, his heart OPP
pressed, he listened to Commas words
as she described it to him. How could
he tell her, how could he even tell her
that he had not the 10000 francs! 1t was
terrible. To another woman who should
have had that caprice one might have
proposed to have her own diamonds re-
set after that model, OF perhaps even to
have an imitation diadem made. No
one would have suspected it. But he
felt that the danger lay in confessing his
powerlessness. Yet it must be done.
And he made an effort at courage.
Comma had seated herself beside him,
throwing back and bending little to
one side her blonde head with that ire
sistible feminine movement which dis
plays the white throat, the pure line
| descending from the slender neck to the
! full bloomed bust down to the round
and flexible waist
81 would like to have it; it seems to
me that l should look well. Don't you
think SO? have a great wish to be
beautiful. If you knew why"
She laughed now deiiciously, with the
air of her roguish hours. He was silent
for moment; then fixing vague look
upon the delicate designs Of the oriental
carpet, paling as if from an inward
wound, he murmured:
''The fact is that do not know do
not really know whether-whether I
shall be able to buy it for you
"Why"
She had quickly raised her head, much
surprised, uneasy, looking at him. Such
a thing had never happened to her.
Marchis wiped his forehead and re-
sumed his discourse.
"The fact is-you see, in bank like
ours there are moments that-certain
moments in which one cannot-in which
it is impossible"
w utG W do LII JUSS1Dlc IOI Llul, AL tUdL
moment, was to finish the phrase. He
stopped and lifted his eyes tinidly to
her, desolately, as if to beg her to help
him. She was very pale, with a sudden
hardness in all her features, in her COM
pressed mouth, in her knit brows, in her
sparkling eyes.
"Have you not 10000 francs? Is it
possible?"
And her voice was hard as her look
profound hardness that startled him.
But all at once her face changed express
sion, she recovered her fresh, tuneful
laugh, the sweet and limpid ray was re-
kindled in her blue eyes.
Come, you want to tell me stories, so
as not to buy me anything. Deceiver! I
that wished to be beautiful in order to
drive Vico Molise little crazy; he has
declared to me that he is tired of my
perhdy. See, you deserve-do you know
that I am becoming angry with your"
She really believed that she had hit
the truth with her words. Indeed. he
had SO well kept up the illusion with
her, he had hidden SO jealousy his en-
Oal lSbSSIuCuO bNeib DIG ula ilOd hIlOW HOW
to explain this sudden restriction. But
meanwhile every word of hers was
blow to the heart Of Marchis; he saw her
already at the ball, passing from arm to
arm, with her step like flying angel; |
listening to the insidious compliments of
Woo Noise and his kind, and keeping
meantime in her heart that leaven of !
rancor against him because of his re-
fusal; and he saw himself again, as he I
had seen himself little while before in |
the mirror, old, weary. worn. beside her
so fresh, young, with eyes sparkling
from the cruel scorn of one who has |
made an unequal bargain.
Suddenly he rose, like one who has
taken decision, passed his hand across
his brow, and without replying went
away to go out of the house She be-
lieved that she had conquered, and let
him go without moving herself, only
with flash of cunning IN her eyes, but
when he was on the stairs the door
opened, a blonde head appeared between
the folding doors:
I'VE are agreed, then?'
He did not reply, and she heard his
step down the stairway, slow, heavy,
weary.
The evening Of the ball MARGINS
knocked at the door of his wife's dress
ing room.
Come in" and he entered
Ia the little dressing room 50 illurnined
As TO seem on fire with tho oir E1Iad
with fragrance from the little unstop-
pered bottle o. perfume, ali cleaning
white with the disorder of feminine ap-
parel scattered about, Comma stood
erect before the mirror, between two
meeling maids, ready dressed for the
ball. She was truly radiant in her gown
of white satin with almond blossoms.
with fresh sprays Of almond flowers
around the neck of the dress, at the ,
waist, among the waving folds of the
train, issuing from that covering of deli
cate, pale, dawn tinted flowers. she, too, I
was fresh as they, with her family rosy
complexion, as If she were one of those !,
bowers become a person. But under her ,
lashes cleaned anon the flash or coz,
and cruel rancor. ,
Ee- husband had not given her the T..
iiaden- /.
But hearing him enter, she turned,
md seeing that he held casket in his
hands she eomprehended everything. !
With bound she was beside him, her :
arms twined around his neck.
''Oh, how good you are! How good :
7 l. :