The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-09-06
He strolled up and accosted the driv-

ne SIFOlleu UP dlu dccOSUeu Tie uTlN-
er.
charming fare said Percival, care
lessly.
900 said | 'ad charmin' fare p re-
torted the man, suspiciously. Then
he added eff that's your sort, young
Teller, you may save yourself the
| trouble of doin' the civil to me. For
she's thoroughly good young CONAN,
| can tell yer, and won't stand no fol-
| lowers foolin' around-not she ~
| Percival affected to laugh, and
stolled away. In a few minutes he
saw the girl hurry out and get into
her cab. Then he jumped into his
own-having instructed the driver to
follow the other vehicle and keep it
carefully in sight. His heart was beat
ing fast. He was in an almost uncon-
trollable excitement Yet he felt
ashamed of himself at the same time.
| To prosecute a virtuous and modest
| girl with unwelcome attention was
shabby conduct in any one-especially
in married man. And Percival was
| conscious that he was committing
| contemplate action. Yet, somehow,
he could not help it. His ridiculous
| infatuation had bound him hand and
| foot
When they had driven about mile
his cab stopped. The NJ p. got out.
He saw the young lady alight from
her cab about 100 hundred yards
ahead. She turned and walked rapid
ly away. With beating heart and
trembling steps he followed her, keep
ing an interval of seventy or eighty
yards between them.
She had not aliubtn1 at hpr nwo
door, out at the end of street of pri-
yate houses, down which she was now
walking. Percival realized with a
certain thrill of uneasiness that it was
p street, the street in which his
own house was situated. But some
thing worse was in store. The young
lady stopped, appeared to be careful
ly scrutinizing the numbers then, af-
ter some evident hesitation, she walk
ed straight up to the door of Percival's
house and rang the bell. A minute
later she was admitted.
All at once the truth flashed upon
the unhappy NJ. P. There could, of
course, be no doubt upon the subject
This young. lady, annoyed and fright
ened by his persistent attentions, and
seeing that silent disdain had no effect
in stopping them, had taken the ready
and effective method of reporting him
to his wife
Percival leaned against some iron
ratings, near which he stood, and
wiped his clammy forehead with his |
handkerchief His dismay was alto |
gether beyond words. If he had been |
on bad terms with his wife-if love, on |
either side, had ceased between them |
if she had not been perfectly fond |
and frnstinCr r1 him ha anul1 |
have stood the thing better. But as
it was he felt like a man who had sud-
denly received a knock-down blow |
His knees were trembling violently a |
sense of sickness, of faintness stole |
over him in the face of this fearful |
exposure his infatuation for the dan |
seuse seemed to die; for the first time |
he realized what an abject idiot he |
had been.
1t was long time before he could |
make up his mind how to act. He |
patrolled the street for more than half |
an hour before he had decided, and |
bad half-hour he found it, Then he
took sudden resolution. He would |
go in an make clean breast of the |
whole affair to his wife. That, after |
ALL was the most honest, and proba-
bly, the most prudent course. She |
might or she might not believe him, |
but he would tell her all the truth, |
express his sincere penitence and |
throw himself upon her womanly |
mercy.
He nerved himself to the effort. He |
went in. He entered the drawing |
room. His wife was now alone. She |
looked up at him with IL cold, altered |
expression, that made him vince |
R,,t ha ,,arSnuarnl 10 ~nnl.n 10
told her all. She averted her face,
and heard his confession to the end in
ominous silence.
And so, Jim, my makeup, my
golden wig and my whirling draperies
to say nothing of the shifting lights
and shadows thrown upon one, baffied |
even your penetration, eh, sir 20
Jim was staring at his pretty wife, |
who had now risen and stood before |
him, smiling archly in evident enjoy
ment of his obvious relief and aston
ishment.
"And you fell in love with my make
up. For that is what it comes to
doesn't it, Jim %
by Jove =; he exclaimed with EN-
phasis, that explains it. 1t was your
eyes that did it, little girl. They drew
me to the theatre night after night to |
worship you. | could not resist their |
spell. | could not explain it to my
self. Yet | felt there was something |
half familiar in their magnetic infiu-
ence upon me. To think l never |
guessed. By Jove. l was duffer.
l ought to have known that no such
othes eyes were to be found in all
England -
Cor in all America, either?" ques-
Eox 10 ,N1o F,,l |
ly, Jim's explanation was, uncon-
sciously, the most diplomatic that he
could have devised. Those incompar-
able eyes beamed upon him with ten
derness and loving humor.
But, say" asked Jim, an idea
striking him, these social functions
which you have been attending so as
siduously for the past few months
have they been simple blinds to dupe
your INSCRIPTIONS husband-eh, Jen-
ME 20
Not at all, sir. | went to them all
But as my turn at the theatre lasted |
only ten minutes or so, | was able to
go there as well. Besides" she added, |
with the slightest tinge of playful re-
proach in her tone, you have not
been at home enough lately to miss |
me very much, have you, Jim? -
by Jove !! lie cried. Ill turn |
over a new leaf in that respect to-
night"
He went up, placed his arm round
his wife, and kissed her fondly She
leaned her head upon his shoulder
and held up pink slip of paper to
his eyes.
There Dear old Jim ~ she ex-
claimed, MIR. Y. has paid me-what |
do you think Go a week. This is a
check for ten weeks salary. At this |
rate your rainbow goddess will soon
she, Jim -
And she soon did.
GEMS FROM DIR. MACLAREN
Mans course begins in garden, |
u ar,dS In nit1.