The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-02-14

ing joke upon me. Tell me,--Where
did you learn to sing like this?"
For moment Lucille forgot her
home, forgot the coming Of the train,
forgot all the little discomforts of
housekeeping. She remembered moth
ing but her art. A great pride un-
locked her lips and she said, 81 am
the daughter of Sambrina." This ex-
planned everything.
Rapidly he drew from her an out
line of her history. Then he kissed
her hands again, ~aying, "You must
enter the opera. With your" voice and
wearing your mothers name, you will
have a brilliant triumph. will let
you settle everything, and will pay
you forty thousand francs the first
year. After that you may make your
own terms"
Lucille, dazzled at the splendor of his
offer, felt all her daily care and
drudgery slipping away from her.
She saw her dear son supplied with
all that he needed,-her home made
luxurious,-her husband relieved Of
his terrible burden of anxiety. And
it was really true! She did have
superb voice, and those strong and
mysterious instincts which had urged
her toward her art had not deceived
heri
Brochard watched her a. she
thought.
81 mean all that 1 have said" he re-
peated ''Think about it over night,
and when you have decided, come to
me, with your husband, for it will be
necessary to have his signature to
the contract as well as your own
A sudden coldness came over her as
he spoke She took her leave hastily,
and he saw her form fading away in
the distance as spiritless, as bowed,
as when she had come. All her joy
had fed.
AS she walked homeward, all her
confidence forsook her. Perhaps NJ.
Brochard had overestimated her tall
ent Then her Son-he was old enough
now to have opinions-what would he
say? And her. husband-was 1t posi-
BILE that he would oppose her when he
knew what an offer had been made to
her? She would always, she knew,
be loving wife. devoted mother.
She might sing four or five years, and
then their trials would be over, and
they could retire to their little villa
again, and all would be again AZ it
now was.
AS she entered her home, she saw
that she was late, but Aubinea and
his son were in great good humOr.
"Do not stop to TALK her husband
cried. 'We are starving! Get the
dinner first and talk afterward.'
She obeyed with her usual docility,
and when they were all eating busily,
she remarked that she had that after
noon attended to the business at the
villa as he had requested. "And did
you know" she added cautiously,
''that Brochard Is . direster Of a
theatre?"
| Vaguely Scentlng danger, - an
swered coldly, "CertAinly I knew it.
What of it?'
"But you never tsld me-"
| "No-why should I? How ssuld il
interest you?" ....
| There was silence Then heI ex-
citement would allow her TO remain
still no longer, though she felt that
whatever she might say would not be
pleasantly received, and she began
timidly, ''He has piano"
| "Well," responded her husband stall
more peevishly, "what Of that2"
After this rebuff, she dared say
nothing more for a long time. At last
the dessert was taken away, their son
retired, and seeing that her husbands
face had lost its frown, Lucille affected
to smile, and began with desperate
courage, "Just fancy it! The gentle
man seated me at the piano, and
asked me to sing"
Aubinet's face knitted itself again
into scowls, and he leaned forward
with an air Of unwilling attention.
"And so I sang" she continued
though her heart beat 30 that she
could scarcely breathe, land you can.
not guess how much he has offered me
to sing at the opera"
"How much?"
"You see," she hastened on, 81
last train. 1t would not make any
change in our Hving-and he has Of
fered me''-she paused, overcome by
the sight of his iivid, convulsed face
she has offered me-" she hurried Oh
''forty thousand frances for the first
year."
He burst into sardonis, inGedulous
Laughter.
'It is true" she repeated, stung by
his unbelief. "Go at once TO the t.I,a
and see if it is not So
She finally convinced him that 81
spoke the truth. but his unhappint.,
seemed to become greater and greater
She reminded II Al how the sum shS
named woulG assure the future OF
their son-how it would tighten his
own labors, how it would relieve them
all. Then she stopped. Her husbands
head had fallen on his hands upon
the table, and he was weeping for the
first time since their marriage. She
saw the great veins in his neck swell
with the violence Of his emotion. His
sobs shook his whole frame
Then all her dreams fled. She saw
but ore thing-her husband wept-
and it was she who had made hin
weep! All her love for him famed
up in one mighty burst. She re-
nounced everything-she would not
think of anything but the old life-all
should be as though this incident had
never occurred.
Then lie took her in his arms, and
| n no fr16