The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-08-10
THE RED DOMINO.

walters to himself as the express train
from Nice drew up with sudden jerk
at the station of M, some six hours
from Paris.
The guards presently came to the door
of the compartment to inform messieurs
les yoyageurs that a serious collision
had taken place between NJ and the
next station, and that the traffic would
not be resumed in all likelihood till aft
er l2 that night. 1t was then 7.
= The captain determined to seek tho
best hotel in the place and console him
self in the meantime with a good din
ner. And in very short time he was
seated at the table d'hote in the Hotel
des Etrangers
Captain Hugh Walters was young
officer, only recently promoted to his
present rank. He had paid short visit
to Monte Carlo among other places and
having plenty of money to throw away
had, of course, essayed his fortune at
the gaming tables
His luck had been extraordinary. Inc
very fact that money was no object to
him seemed, strangely enough, to have
gained him all the more the smile Of
tickle fortune.
Most of tho money he carried in the
shape of notes in the pockets of leath.
ern belt.
He had received telegram which
had greatly disturbed him 1t was from
the mother of his fiancee in London and
ran thus: ethel is dangerously i'll with
pneumonia. Come home at once. .,
He was barely seated at the table be-
fore he had discovered couple of ac-
uaintances-Americans whom he had
met at Monte Carlo, and who had left
that place q few days previously for
M. In their society he was com
PEELED to Danish his grief and to con-
ceal his anxiety That very evening
they said there was to be grand mask.
ed ball at the Casino Would he not
como to it?
The captain was in no mood for dane
ing that evening, but he could allege
no good excuse.
AS he was about to mount the steps
of the Casino a thought struck him,
and he turned toward the driver of the
cabriolet. Just at that moment he no.
ticed his two fellow travellers, the Ital-
ians pass by the Casino, arm in arm.
He fancicd that they also recognized
him.
However, the incident did not strike
him as remarkable, and calling out to
the cabman, Call for me at 11:45
punctually, he passed into the Casino
At any other time such scene would
have had its charms for tho captain.
L T.. l,,l ~ u "a
friends, who had left him small time to
himself and had dragged him from part
ner to partner. At last he was left for
short time to his own devices. The
clock was striking the hour of IL when,
although it was yet SO early he finally
decided to CO. He would go to his hotel
on foot, and the walk, he thought,
would do him good.
Fate decreed otherwise, however. Be-
fore he had reached the exit of the ball
room he was buttonholed by one of his
American friends.
What, going already? This will
neFer dol'' he exclaimed. "There is
lady just arrived whom l am deter
mHned you shall dance with. She seems
q great beauty, and the Comte du VAL
one OF the stewards, says she is the best
dancer in M"
AS he finished the Corlte du Val came
up with the lady in question The lady
wore domino of u deep red silk, which
etfectually concealed her identity When
she was introduced to Walters, only her
eyes We're visible. These were of ex-
ceptional beauty-the color of very
dark blue, SO deep that it approached to
black. The captain was Immediately
drawn to her by their fascination.
So far he had only known one person
with such eyes as these, and that was
his faraway fancee, the girl on whon
all his anxious thoughts were now cen
tered.
He at once begged that he might have
the next dance. The lady gracefully
bowed her assent, her manner plainly
indicating that for the present at least
it was her pleasure to maintain her in
cognito by an absolute silence.
Not a word fell from the lady's lips,
Notwithstanding that the captain had
felt it incumbent upon him to speak oe-
6asionally, and they continued to dance
in complete silenee-on her part at
least.
For all this the time passed, as it
seemed to him, like pleasing dream.
He forgot all about his journey, the
hour of his departure and his order to
the cabman--forgot everything, in
fact, even Ethel, while under the spell
that the eyes of his companion seemed
to have weayed about him.
He was suddenly recalled to himself
by the Ginning of the great clock of
the Casino as he was leading his part
ner to her seat at the end of an enjoya-
BILE waltz.
He hastily looked at his watch-it
was midniSh and turned to take
leave of the lady. She was gone. He
found no conveyance waiting nor any
within reach. II suppose the fellow