Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-24

person."
At heart he felt himself unjust, but
anger was stronger than he, and mount
ed to his brain.
"If only you would be calm, Raoul, !"
Louise began gently.
BE calm-be calm, you sayP AS if l
were the one who has lost his temper!
But, Louise, this is perfectly childish.
What else have you for dinner besides
this fillet2'
81 really do not know"
The meal came to an end in the pro-
foundest silence. Immediately after
ward Raoul took his hat.
"fou are going out, Raoul?" hazarded
Louise softly.
"lf you will kindly permit me?"
And out he went, but not with an as
sured step. On the staircase he stopped
| to listen.
'She did not ask me, even," thought
he wonderingly, ''if 1 were going to be
late. How strangel But it proves what
/ believed-that have been too weak
with her in the first months of our mar
riage."
Once in the street he paused again
irresolutely, not knowing where to go;
but finally strolled on at random, but
toning his gloves and still uneasily re-
fecting. His wife was the best little
woman in the world, but-he had been
too weak with her, there was no doubt
of it.
At the tobacconist's on the corner he
stopped to light his cigar. On the boule-
wards all the cafes were open, a crowd
filling the chairs. All, how good it wasl
To stroll at ones ease in Paris one must
always stroll alone.
He passed before his old club, blazing
with light and astir with men, but he
dared not enter, though he had a great
desire to do SO; he dreaded the smiles
that would greet his appearance and
and crossed to the opposite side. a
Then, too, how irritating it was when
he gave his arm to his wife to have her
make those long stops before the jewel
ers' and milliners' that always made him
so furious. Yes, he was right-to stroll
agreeably in Paris one must be alone.
Nevertheless, two hours later, filed
with remorse, he turned his steps home
ward to find his wife with red eyes.
"Crying!' thought he; actually cry
ing, as if couldn't leave the house q
moment without her behaving as if had
really deserted heri' And instead of
embracing her, as he really wished to
do, he calmly mounted the stairs with
an icy little "Good night, my dear!'
Louise, on her side, was far from
stupid; her husband was bored when
with her--she felt it; she felt, too, that
even the rustic of her skirts irritated
Raoul What should she do? The best
she could, at all events; and by thou
sand and one little wifely efforts and
attentions she sought to re-establish the
tender little chats and jokes and joyous
laughter in the corner by the fire. But
the very restraint that she imposed upon
herself made the effort abortive. Time
and again she opened talk with him in
the old, light hearted fashion, only to
hA +hrnqrn hack upon herself by cold
or nonchalant "yes' or -nU rrvI1s rUstuuI,
accorded without even raising his eyes.
More than all, too, she was wounded in
her self respect when trying on dress
or hat before him, on the effect of which
she had counted, to receive only an in
different, "No, it isn't bad, that dress
or hat-but, had l been you, I'd have
taken yellow in place of that blue"
Proud little Louise! Only woman
and wife would know how she suffered
This state of things had lasted perhaps
a month, when one evening, Raoul, who
was still at table, received note, all
sealed and white and dainty perfumed.
"Allow lne," said he, addressing his
wife; and he tore open the note, which
ran:
| My DEAR RAoUL-Who knows II it would
not be agreeable to you to find yourself again
| in that little restaurant of the Bois de Vim
cennes, which is in the middle of the water.
| 1t is room No. 8, is it not, whose windows
open upon the lake? have an idea that Tues
day p. m. tomorrow that room will be free.
What do you think? At all events it will be
well to see.
| Toward O'Clock the sun will have gone he
hind the trees; it will be fresh and cool in that
little chalet, and the fllets chateaubriand there
are simply delicious Thine, AMANDA.
amanda, Amanda" said Raoul to
himself; "where the devil have known
| an Amanda" and he remained a mo-
ment pondering.
sis it bad news% asked Louise quietly.
Then he remembered his wife's pres
ence, and answered like man interrupt
ed by an importunate chatterer, "No,
no-only from my tailor" And as he
hurriedly began to sugar his coffee to es-
cape looking his wife in the face it
seemed to him, from the corner of his
eye, that she was observing him fxedly.
Thrown off his balance, he did not tear
up the note, as one usually does with
tailors effusions, but replaced it care
fully in the envelope and slipped it into
his pocket. Stranger still, and a still
more difficult thing to explain, he was
charming all the rest of that evening.
That letter and Amanda-whom he
could not recall the least in the world
reused in him, apparently, the gayest
fancies. He was fattered, though he
would never have admitted it, that there
were some who did not believe the old
spirit entirely dead in him.
"I shall certainly go to that rendez-
vous," he told himself, "and it is well for
me that am not like some men. Very
few indeed could resist a moment of
madness, which for me will be only
moment of frolic. To go on as am is
to rust out like iron. All, how lucky it
is for me, too, that my wife is an angel!
She does not suspect, poor darling; not
the least in the world" He turned to
lob of bar hon 1i,,c +roro,,,I1x, ~x,o. I. -.