The morning call., 1894-10-30

Young men raved about them and at
every social function where they were in
evidence circled about in battalions to pay
tribute.
Not every affair of a purely social ch a r
acter is distinctly remembered and talked
about by the parties TO IL ten years after.
But If you know any one who, that long
ago, used to attend the sO-ealled Authors
Carnivals that distinguished the early
days Of the Mechanics Pavilion. you need
only TO refer to them TO hear the story
Of how young Mrs. Holmes, then the
bright particular star in all the social
calendar. was advertised to take part in
one of them for the benelt--as all the
series were-of the exchequer of the in
stitute. They will tell you how nothing
else could have been so great an attrac-
ton, the fashion of the city crowding the
hall to its limits, and how, at the appoint
ed number on the programme, the curtain
was drawn up and beautiful Mrs. Holmes
stood revealed in skin-ftting tights from
neck TO slippers, wearing only pretty little
wings as she posed in the character of
"Venus Rising from the Sea-" every line
of her perfect form showing to the best
possible advantage. They will tell you,
too. how Mr.. Holmes. constant even here,
stood posing as Apollo, the poor old man
having been bolstered up for the char
acter for his wife's sake.
He was then 62-she scarcely 20. he
had son much older.
1t may have been that this very incident.
and the sensation and gossip that it caused.
made Mr.. Holmes suspect that he was
making some mistakes; or it may have
been that the cutting off of his revenue
Chat had amounted for time to $500 600 a
month"; with the splendid OUTLAY uninter-
rupted worried him; or il may have been
simply the miner that was in him. Bnt at
any rate Mr. Holmes went back to Pine
street. He was not satisfied with well
enough.
The subsequent chapter is not peculiar
TO Mr.. Homes. To be the moneyed end of
mining enterprises is a more expensive
luxury than buying and maintaining a
beautiful wife. 1t is quite as fascinating,
too, the miners say, ana once entered upon
1t one pursues it with the same restless
! activity, although there are none of those
terrible elements of jealousy that prod and
blind and rob one of sleep in the other
case. Sometimes man who has bought and
maintained the one plunges into the other
to divert and occupy his thoughts. In such
cases the coupled expense is often enor-
nous.
This future that Mr.. Holmes had looked
into with such confidence ran itself down
to the horizon in just eight years. The
faithful, scared old wife had been dis
missed back to her people, the mansion
had been built and the beautiful new wife
received into it. and she. robed only in the
frail little wings of Venus. had led him up
before the envious multitude to the heights
of social conquest; and then they had
come down again-ali the long way down
until, unable 10 provide for her at all, she
had at last opened the door and directed
him into the street-back TO his people.
She had become the mother OF two
children to him and it deyolved upon her
| to maintain them. And she did it. She
became again mnsic-teacher. She even
sent her brother now and then to look
after and help him in little things when
she could. She made her residence on
McAlllster street and he had a small room
ou n the Mission and became pensioner
of the Hobarts. who had come to own the
greater part of the Holmes Company
stock.
For the young wife. with the business of
life on her hands, could not be bothered
with the feeble old man about her Peo-