Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-09-04
AN NJ. P.'S
INFATUATION.

"HE general impression amOnl
Jim PercivaTs friends was that
Il he might have done good deal
better for himself than he did in ht
matrimonial venture.
An NJ. p, with safe seat and decid
ed abilities, young, gOOd-looking. well
connected. but having only a limited
Income, he was just the man who
should have married money. and this is
exactly what he had not done. He met
his wife in Paris during holiday trip.
She was pretty, vivaciOuS Irish wom-
IN. ladylike and attractive. but she had
no fortune. and was of no particular
family. The NJ. P.'s friends shook their
heads over the match, and all felt con
vinced that before long he would find
out what n mistake he had made.
There could be no doubt that under
the circumstances his marriage was an
imprudent one. With his $500 4 yeaI
Pcrcival had subsisted comfortably
enough as bachelor, but as married
NJ. L. he found that his income went
simply no way at all. To cut himself
off from society and to live with his
wife In economical seclusion, was. of
course, out Of the question. 1t would
have made him unpopular with his con
stituents. as we'll as with certain influ
entail friends in town, TO whose good
Offices he looked for securing some post
In the government when his party came
back to power. And as he had no pro
fession. but had launched himself Cor
good or Ill upon parliamentary career,
it would have been madness In him to
prejudice his chances of political pre-
ferment.
The natural consequence followed
I Percival got into debt. He consoled
himself first of all for Outrunning the
,sonstable by the consideration that his
ps.r.y must soon return to power, and
sliat' then he should Ice able to recoup
his present expenditure. But the rad
icals remained "in" session after seS-
sion: the lookcdfor general election
came no nearer. and Percival began to
feel very Luxurious indeed. He al
ready owed nearly ff,000-a crushing
I liability to a man with small income
and no capital: indeed. he did not at
tempt to disguise from himself that un-
less something very unexpected turn
ed up he must soon be hopelcssly insol-
vent His wife had long been urging
immediate and rigid retrenchment. but
each time she mentioned it Perciva'
shook his head.
The house was in committee on bill
which was being fought tooth and nail
by the opposition, and urgent whips had
been issued to the members of both par
ties to be as frequently as possible in
their places. But there were many
drcary intervals Of debate, when no big
division was imminent, and during
those Intervals Percival did not always
remain in the precincts Of the house.
He might no doubt have spent them
ut home or in escortinG his wife to one
or other of the famous social functions
which. for his sake. she religlous!y at
tended. But In his worried state of
mind the dullness of a domestic even
Ing, or the yet Gcadlicr boredom of
political conversazione, was nninvit-
ing He preferred to forget his trou-
bics IN more enliveninS scenes. Within
a mile of the palace Of Westminster
there Is. as all the world knows, q fam
Gus theater of varieties 1t Is under an
e1csptionable management; 1t pats for
ward the strongest and most entcrpris-
ing program of;hc kind in London. One
evening during a particularly drowSy
debate a fellow NJ. p. had suggested to
Percival that they should run across to
the y. ard see the rainbow danseusc.
Herc:vaI had complied. After that night
he went to see her pretty regularly.
!Dst before the dance the stage was
darscned: behind loomed q background
OF murky clouds. gloomy as the Sky be-
fore IN impending thunder storm; then
q brilliant blaze OF sunlight burst upon
the shadoweG scene. and, whirling wild
ly in its dazzling rays appeared the
famous rainbow GaIseuse. What
sight that wasl How dextrously she
managed her lass Of gorgeous drap-
cries, which Goated all about he-. and
swirled ard spun like q revolving
wheel. At times nothing but the fascl-
mating hues OF these robes was visible.
At other times lovely face, crowned
with golden yellow locks, stood out
ancag them. radiant, spiritual, superb
partition smiled RnG the audience clap
ped and shouted. runblipgs Of thunder
rolled upon the air; ciouds overcast the
sunlight; and. amid their gathering
gloom, the rainbow goddess faded slow.
" from tie scene.
fit had ended with his merely admir-
ng this ravishing beauty from dis
lance, all might have been well. But
such infatuation as Percivals was not
satisfied to confine itself within those
modest limits. A strong desire came
over him to make her personal ac-
quaintance. He ought course. to
have withstood It. 1t should have been
perfectly obvious to him that IN giving
way t. this desire hs was yolunfeE,lS