Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-02-24
.nE TINTED VENUS.
By i. ANslEY.
a FRRCIRL ROMANCE.
CHAPTER IN.

led him? How would it all end he won
dered, feebly, how?
| well, gentlemen he said with hi:
teeth chattering, IF you don't want nt
any more, I'll go in; and I'm to expec
you tomorrow evening, L believer
Expect us when you ear u.s. sale
Braddle; land if you make fools of u,
again" and he described conseuuen
ceS which exceeded in unpleasantnes.
the worst that Leander could have i'm
agined
The poor man tottered back to his
room again in a most unenviable frame
OF mind; not even the prospect OF beins
delivered from the goddess could recon
Gle him to the price he must pay fol
it. He was going to take plunge
into downright crime now; and if his
friend the inspector came to hear of it.
ruin must follow. And, in any case
the cloak and the ring would be gon,
beyond recovery, while these cutthroa
houSebreakers would henceforth have
hold over him. They might insist upon
sleeping him i'll blacker crime, and he
to resist
As he thought Of the new difficulties
and dangers that comprised him round
about, he was frequently Oh the verge
of tears, and his couch that night was
visited by dreadful dreams, in which
he sought audience of the Evil One
himself at crossroads, was chased over
half London by police, and dragged ov-
Ell the other half by burglars, to be 1in-
ally t1attened by the fall of ApIrodite
Lenders hand was very tremulous
all the next day, as several indignant
clients were discovered, and he closed
as early us he could, feeling it impOssi-
BILE to attend to business under the
circumstances.
About I o'clock he went up to his
nng-room; Il difficult and ungratefui
task was before him. 70 facilitate her
removal he must persuade the goddess
to take UP "a position in the saloon for
from her, there was something traitor
GUS in deceiving her and delivering her
over to these coarse burglars.
He waited until the statue showed
signs OF returning animation, and then
said Good evenig, num-" more oDse-
quiously than usual.
She never deigned to notice OF return
his SITUATIONS. 'HairdresSer," she said,
abruptly, Il am weary OF this sordid
place
lie was pleased for it flnthered his
views. 1T isn't 50 SOrdid in the saloon,
where you stood the other evening, you
know he replied. viii you step down
there?'
'Bahv she said, 1T is all sordid, Lee
ander, a restless1ess has come upon me.
1 come back night after night out of
the v;tgueneSS in which l have lain SO
long, and for what! To stand here i'll
this mean chamber and proffer my ia
vor, only to find it repulsed, disdained. L
am tired Of it-tired!'
You can't be more tired Of it than
amv' he said.
Il ask myself" she went on, why,
having through your means assembled
once more to the earth, which l left
so fair, | seek not those things which
once delighted me. This city Of yours
but it is vast, yaster than those built by
the mortalS Of old. Surely somewhere
there must be brightness in it and beau
ty, and the color and harmony by which
men knew once to delight the gods
themselves; it cannot be that the gods
Of old are all forgotten; surely some
where there yet fingers a little band Of
faithful ones who have not turned from
Il can't say, I'm sure" said Leander;
Il could inquire for YOU
Il myself will seek for them,' she
said proudly. Il will go forth this very
night"
Leander choked "To-night!' he cried
You can't go tonight
You forget yourself" she returned
IF l let you co. he said hesitating,
will you promise faithfully to be back
in half an hour?'
DO you not yet understand that you
A<hfS " Wv Will a S5OAuCco- NlLh
rodite herself?" she said. "Who are you
to presume to fetter me by your re-
strictions? Truly the indulgence have
shown has turned your weak brain"
He put his back against the door; he
was afraid of the goddess, but he was
still more afraid of the burglars venge-
ance if they arrived to find the prize
81 am sorry to disoblige a lady," he
said, but you don't go out of this house
tonight"
In another minute he was lying in
The fire among the fre-irons-alone.
How it was done he was too stunned to
but the goddess was gone.
# she did not return by midnight what
would become Of him! If he had only
been civil to her she might have stayed,
1ut now she had abandoned him to GER
ain obstruction.
A kind of fatalistic stupor seized him.
He would not run away-he would have
o come home sometime; nor would he
all in the police, for he had very vi
HI iSIoAiSS1Oh Nll Dlc4uAS . Ai1I
n such contingency.
He went instead into the dark saloon
md sat down in a chair to wait. He
wondered how he could explain the
statues absence. II he told the burg
ars it had gone for a stroll. they would
ear him limb from limb. 81 was so
,onfounded' artful about Potter" he
hought bitterly, that they'll never be-
ieYe now ! haven't warned himv.