The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-01-27
BY AN EYEWITNESS
By JAMES KNAPP REEVE.
Icopyright, 1894, by the Author!


and that is how came to know and to
understand these things that I shall
tell you OF 1t may be that am an old
book-worm, as heard her call me one
day-which OF them I mean By ''her"
you will perceive presently-but never
theless have eyes to see
l think they were at the hotel when
I arrived, but l am not certain. Sc
many hundred people were in the great
white wooden pile that it was some
time before faces began to take on
any individuality. l first observed
them in the dining-room. where every
head turned to look at her when she
entered. The three always came in to.
gether, he and she walking side by side,
the other one little TO the rear From
this l made mistake. at first-think-
4ng them to be husband and wife, and
fancying the other might be his sister
or hers.
After seeing them once. my eye was
continually caught by this group. II
could not we'll help being, for none
others in the whole place were SO well
worth noting. He looked like an
athlete. Not like the fellows of huge
bu Tx whose strength lies in their beet.
ness, but like Greek wrestler, grace
full, sinuous, compactly made. The
women were strangely aliike-yet as diff
ferent as day and night. Of the same
size. form, carriage, manner. voice,
even to the mold of their exquisite
faces, one could hardly be told from
the other, yet in coloring they were as
differe Mt as the Saxon and the daughter
Of the south.
They were sisters, as l had partly
guessed, but only in part, for women
diff erent as the sun and the moon had
given them life. The blonde one was
his wife. ShS it was who walked be-
hind, while he brunette, her head
proudly erect. her black eyes sparkling,
her mien indicating that it was but her
rightful place that she held, led the
way with him.
The three were always together. AL.
most never was he alone with either.
And there was such apparent good
fellowship between them all: such bub-
bling life, sue h sparkling talk that few
would imagine there was more under.
meath than showed on the surface. l
do not know how l first became con-
scious of it. But did grow to know,
as surely as we can know anything in
this uncertain world, that there was
volcano all ready for eruption.
For long time the wife saw nothing
OF this. Clearly, she was subjective to
the superior brilliance of her sister-I
will not say to her beauty, for it were
hard to decide which wore the crown
there-and 50 yielded often the place
that should have been her own. When
she began to see what was going on it
was curious to observe the change in
her-if it had not been for the pity Of
it; watchful OF every movement and
glance between them, while affecting
the utmost unconcern; using all
woman's arts to add to her beauty, her
charm, her piquancy When saw how
we'll she succeeded thought she never
would have lost him had she but be.
gun this a little sooner. But the
trouble was that this which was art in
her was nature in the other Some
times 1 caught her face when it was
not made up for them nor even to de-
ceive herself. And the horror of it
then-the agony, the despair-would,
think, have made him stop even then
if he could have seen it. But with them
she carried herself bravely.
The grounds about the hotel were of
ample extent In one part was maze,
built up with high hedges of ever
greens, where foolish people wandered
and sometimes lost themselves. SO
that if two lovers We're out in the soft
moonlight beyond the hour that watch
full mammas deemed prudent, they
had but to say by way of excuse, that
they were lost in the maze-and blame
was silenced.
| am given to the study of many
things that others regard with mere cut
riosity. and this led me, early in my
stay. to make study of the maze In
case / should wish to walk there, it
was not pleasant to think that might
be forced to endure humiliating cap