Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-03-01

! Jumts, tho " expSuhg uie. intn,
upon seeing Archie. "Ah. you here,
Archie, glad 10 80 you I've called %
take Miss Archer 10 SEQ somo pictures nj
Gouplls; won't you 20 alongr
"No, thanks" replied Archie. some.
what coolly; "rve AN engagement down
town. and must say good.by;" which he
did without los Of time. As Rush stood
looking out Of the window. ho noticed
that Archie turned up. instead of down
town. but he thought nothing Of Il. ex-
cept that his friend had probably changed
his mind. That he should have regarded
him ne rival In the affections of Dcssie
Archer never occurred 10 him. In ths
first place. be did not suspect the state
Of Arches feelings towards IIcssie; and
In tho second. he supposed that Archie
was thoroughly aware 81 his devotion "a
Helen Knowlton.
Rush was not altogether happy this
afternoon. Il was a whole fortnight
since ho had spoken q word 10 Helen
lie had seen her In tho meantime In an
oil curiosity shop In Broadway. accom-.
panicl by her aunt and West Hastings
and she seemed 20 10 buying furniture.
What did this mean, Were they actu.
ally engaged and making preparations
for housekeeping No. they were not, u
was nothing % serious rs that West
Hastings was refurnishing the dining
rom In his bachelor quarters The crane
Tor old furniture was Just then ai its Le-
ginning. and he had asked Helen and
her aunt To accompany him 10 this shop
In look at an old French sideboarj he
thought % buying Helen had excel.
lent taste. and she sealed the fate % tho
sideboari by pronouncing II beauty.
This episode. as Rush interpreted u.
was depressing enough of itself. but
added 10 this he hal received a long and
dc-Ionding letter from hi. mother. tell
ing him ~ tho Mutual Dividend Mining
company. % Col Mor,imer's connection
with Il. and Of the ofTcr no had made To
John. "Do -. John a. often ~ you
can. Rush dear. and keep him under
your eye You know how ! drrad the
influence % Col Mortimer. lie u lad.
unprinciplc,l man. and dear John Is 10
easy going that be doesn't believe there
Is any harm In him"
John must have bccn In town Zoe q
week nj least and ho hal not yet mado
himself known "a Rush by chance.
however. the brothers met. Rush Sas
scnt % rcport q masked hall AZ tho
Academy % Music-a thing be felt ut
ierly unfit 10 do II was never at q
masked bali In my life be told the city
editor
80 much the bctter.- rvplicd the eli.
toe "you viii give as fresh views 81 q
hAckncyed subjct quite envy you
yuui new sensations Get your copy In
a. .ariy As possible. and god luck Ia
yvu-
Rush vas about the iirSt person To ar.
rive at the hall. and the Academy looked
gloomy enough lie had bccn told that
the festivities did no, l-gin until late. 20
he arrived at D ociock. thinking tina,
that would d. about the fashionable
hour There was not q woman In the
place. and tho only mcn on hand were
the acor managers lle had plenty ~
time for reflection tSforc the hall opened.
and Zoe ,h. sake - the associations be
wander~i about bchind the scene. The
stag, and parque, were boarded over.
bat the pfima donnas room ~as undis-
mrt-i lie looked In and sighed A
perfume % violet. fingered on tho air.
and be sighed again as be- rccognitci u,
and then wandered Ia the front. where
ruom had bc,n reserved Tor the press.
A large tabl. stooJ In tho center. fur
nish~i With paper. pens and ink. There
~crc . great many bottles on the table.
but they dill not all contain ink. or any.
thing that looked like H.
Tie at down and took q Tcn. and
though, to improve the time by writing
10 his mother. but. as be- could say moth.
Ing about John, hc concluded not to.
Instead. he wrote "llelcn Knowlton"
over three OF four sheets ~ foolscap. in
every variety % Isnmanship. and then
,pe the paI-r into fine bats. hut, still
fearful that tho name nigh, H. discoy.
crsi. be made little pile 81 the scraps
and burned them. watching their de-
,irIction with an expression ~ counte-
nanc. not at all IN keeping with the
spirit of q masked hall. lie shook his
bead sadly. ~ mans hops may te as
easily destroyed as that Tapcr. he said
To himself. as be blew the ashes from the
table Then he saunterci out into tho
lobby.
There he found very different scene
from the one he had left. Men and women
we're crowding into the place as fact As
the man at the wicket could take their
tickets Most of the men were In even.
ing dress. but all tho women wore dom.
inoes and masks There were fe~wbo
APPEARED In fancy dress, but they were
tho German members of the society.
Rush was too young and too cnthusi.
astic not to find excitement In the scene.
AMI when the dancing bcgan he thought
be hal never witnessed anything ~
brilliant and Intoxicating as the move
ment of thess many colorei dominoes TO
the music Of tho hand As time wore
ON. the place became more crowded. and
Rush recognized among the men many
faces that had become familiar to him at
the opera and elsewhere. There was
Uncle Lghtfcot Myers renewing his
youth. with q pink domino on his arm;
and there was West Hastings lounging
against one Of the pillars of the balcony
AMI chatting n Columbine. Rush won.
Iered what Helen Knowlton would think
II she saw her friend thus engaged Ills
thoughts were broken In upon by voice
at his elbow
my handsome young friend" said q
blue domino. taking his arm, "why do
you Iose In this melancholy attitude on
70 festive an occasioni This IL Iomeo's.
not Ilamlet'-. night LIT US walk about
among tho giddy revelers iwant 10 scc
more cheerful expression on your
young face"
As they w-ltci out into The lobby,
Rush rackel his bra.a 10 r,Nosni-o ths
voice OF figure OF the mask. Ills cx-
preston showed that be was puzzled.
"Ah. you do not recognize me-" abe
said "lIow sad that makes me feel! A
little disguise and ones Identity Il gonc.
I should have known you through twcn-
~ disguisss-" And sbe turned her mask
up at him In tho most bewitching man.
ner.
Certainly have never hal the pleas-
ure Of hearing that voice before-no man
could forget sosweet n thing" said Rush.
entering readily into the spirit Of the