The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-18

filled with the same heterogeneous
mingling she had seen in the dining
room at the Placer hotel. but in the par
quet were some fashionable costumes and
cultivated faces. Mr.. Hopkins was not
altogether sure that Jim had been '.only
representing an allegory of California
prosperity and abundance, presently up
rolled upon scene of Western life
almost as striking in its glaring unhealthy.
From rose-clad English cottage in a sub
tropical landscape skipped .Rosaiie, the
Prairie Flower" The briefest of skirts,
the most unsuliied Of stockings, the tiniest
of slippers, and the few diamonds that
glittered on her fair neck and fingers, re-
vealed at once the simple and unpretend-
ing daughter Of the American backwoods-
man. A tumult of delighted greeting
broke from the audience. The bright
color came to her pink, girlish cheeks.
gratitied vanity danced in. her violet
eyes, and as she piquantly bowed her
acknowledgements, this great breath of
praise seemed to transtigure and pos
sess her. A very young actor. who rep
resented the giddy world in o straw
hat and an effeminate manner, was alter
nately petted and girded at by her during
the opening exposition of the plot until
the statement that a Ozark Destiny"
obliged her to follow her uncle in an emf
grant train across the plains closed the
act, apparently extinguished him and
left her the central figure. So far she evil
IDENTIFY was the favorite. A singular aver
sion to her crept into the heart of Phoebe.
But the second act brought an Indian
attack upon the emigrant train and here
'Rosalie" displayed the archest heroism
and the pinkest and most distracting self
possession, in marked contrast to the
giddy wording who, having &C.
companied her apparently for comic
r. - III ~lE
cred abjectly under wagons and
was pulled ANONYMOUSLY out of straw,
until Red Dick swept out of the wings
with q chosen band and burst of rev0lv-
ers and turned the tide of victory. At
tired as picturesque combination OF the
Neapolitan smuggler, River-bar miner and
Mexican vanquero, Jim Hooker instantly
began to justify the piaudits that greeted
him and the most sanguinary hopes of the
audience. gloomy but fascinating cloud
of gunpOwder and dark intrigue from that
moment hung about the stage.
Yet in this sOmbre observation RosalIe
had passed happy six months, coming
equally unchanged and unblemished. to
be rewarded with the hand of Red Dick
and the discovery of her father, the gov
ernor OF New Mexico, as a white-haired but
Objectionable vaquero, at the fall of the
curtain.
Through this exciting performance
Phoebe sat with a vague and increasing
sense of loneliness and distrust. She did
not know that Hooker had added to his
ordinary inventive exaggerations the form
of dramatic composition. But she had
early detected the singular fact that such
shadOwy outlines of plot as the piece pos
sessed were evidently based on his previ-
GUS narrative OF his own experiences and
the saving of Susy Peyton-by himself!
There was the episode of their being lost
on the plains, as he had already related it
to her-with the addition of q few years to
Susy's age and some vivid picturesQueness
to himself as Red Dick. She was not, of
course, aware that the part of the giddy
wording was Jim's own conception
even to her provincial taste seemed the ex-
travagance of the piece, she felt in some
way reflected upon the truthfulness of the
story she had heard. 1t seemed to be
parody on himself, and in the laughter
which some of the most thrilling points
heard an echo of her own doubts. But
even this she could have borne if Jim's
confidence had not been given to the gen.
eral public; it was no longer hers alone;
she shared it with them. And this strange,
bold girl who acted with him-the
blanche Belviiie" of the bills-how often
he must s.t have r,v told h.d her the story
learned it'll It was not her own
idea of it-nor of him. In the last ex-
travagant scene she turned her weary
and half-ashamed eyes from the stage and
looked around the theater. Among the
group Of loungers by the wall face that
seemed familiar was turned toward her
own with look of kindly and sympa-
thetic recognition. 1t was the face of
Clarence Brant. When the curtain fell
and she and her father rose to go, he was
at their side. He seemed older and more
superior-looking than she had ever
thought him before. and there was q
gentle, yet sad wisdom in his eyes and
her feel like crying.
"YOu are satisfied that no harm has
come to our friend" he said, pleasantly.
"Of course you recognized him p
20, yes; we met him today" said
Phoebe. Her provincial pride impelled her
to keep up show of security and indiffer-
ence. 1--WE are going to supper with him."
Clarence slightly lifted his brows. "You
are more fortunate than I am" he said
smilingly. II only arrived here at Z and
! must leave at midnight"
Phoebe hesitated q moment, then said
with affected carelessness: "What do you
think Of the young girl who plays with
He looked at her quickly, and then said
with some surprise:
did he not tell your"
emo"
''She was the adopted daughter of Mrs.
Peyton-Miss Susan Silsbee," he said,
gravely.
"Then she did run away from home -
they said," said Phoebe impulsively.
"Not exactly as they said, said Clar.
ence gently. "She elected to make her
home with her aunt, Mrs. McClosky, who
is the wife of the manager of this theater,
and she adopted the profession month
ago. As it now appears that there was
some informality in the old articles of
guardianship. Mrs. Peyton would have
been powerless to prevent her from doing
either, even if she had wished to-"
The infelicity of questioning. Clarence
regarding Susy suddenly flashed upon the
forgetfui Phoebe, and she colored. Yet,
although sad, he did not look like re-
jected lover. ''Of course, if she is here
with her relatives, that makes all the
difference" she said gently. ut is pro-
lection"
Certainly" said Clarence.
"And," continued Phoebe hesitatingly.
"she is playing with-with-an old friend
Mr.. Hooker"
"That is protection also," said Clar-
ence.
"How ?" asked Phoebe.
"Ive Just heard they're married."