Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-09-25

With neIpIess, vacant stare, wnrcn So
irritated him that he dropped her hand
and walked away.
"Stupid creature" he said to him
self, GIVE wasted q summer trying to
put . soul into this odd creature. :"
While she in the dead leaves where he
had left her standing dropped to the
earth, shaking from head to foot with
fearless sobs. She bit the dry leaves and
scratched her face with her hands. and
there in the afternoon of the day Mrs.
Squeers found her.
1t was seven years since Vernon
Atkinson left the little girl Cat Eyes
standing i'll the mountain path. He had
just returned to San Francisco and stood
shaking hands with an acquaintance, a
young man much younger i'll years than
he and wledge of years.
"How long have you been in the
city?'
Landed on California soil at / 0 this
morning"
"Straight from PARISH
In a roundabout way, straight from
Paris
"Then you have not seen the Tigress?"
"Nor heard Of it. What is it?''
"It? Ha, ha, ha! It's at Maguire's,
and it has set the town crazy in three
nights ~
ga woman, see,' sait! Vernon in
differently.
ga woman you do not see.'' said the
other, cor you would not speak so in
differently. Oh, Vernon, such woman
A glittering, dazzling creature, whose
acting and face are indescribable and
incompatible. You have never seen
anything like her, I know
~'Hard hit you are, my boy-very
hard hit. You forget that have dined
on the theater beauty Of Paris, London
and Madrid and had my virtue chilled
in the cold of northern loyeliness and
scorched by the fires of Georgian eyes.
Do you think I'll be captivated by an
amateur in your primitive metropolis at
the Golden Gate?"
"You may laugh at me, but you will
not laugh after you have seen her."
"Then, by all the saints, take me to
her at once. P"
They were comfortably seated. A
storm of applause announced the ap-
pearance of the debutante. ga glitter
ing, dazzling creature, incompatible and
indescribable. He caught himself re-
peating his friends words, and from
that moment his eyes never left her
while she was in sight Of them. "Ti-
gress! Tigressl Why the Tigress?" he
thought. then felt the appropriateness Of
the title.
Only tigress with the freedom of
the jungle in its limbs could have such
a superb grace Of movement and perfec
tion of contour. And such eyes, what
were they? They were mirrors of topaz
rejecting the gaslight. And her hair,
what a glorious crown it wasr He
thought it rich amber in the shadows
and spun sunshine when the lights fell
upon it. And yet it was tho impression
rather than the appearance that made
him repeat again and again, "Tigress,
my beautiful Tigress,'' SO quick are we
to lay claim to what pleases us.
In the middle of the play he took the
diamond pin from his cravat and the
boutonniere from his coat. thrust the
pin through the flowers and threw the
improvised bouquet at her feet. She saw
the CLEAN of light coming and the
hand which had thrown it, and flashed
her wonderful eyes on his face. BE
shivered in the fascination of them. She
picked up the boutonniere, pinned it
carelessly to her breast, then made an
Interpolation in the part she was play
ing and sang:
Oh, do you remember the well beaten trail
That led from the camp to the spring9
And the potpies we had from the squirt and
quail,
And the evenings when we used to singp
The shady old camp is all gone to decay,
The ham bone has dropped from the pin.
The roof and the door have both rotted away,
And the chimney is all tumbled in.
The glorious voice rose untrammeled.
The warm rich notes filled and thrilled
the place. The words of the old song
sung at so many camp6res seemed to
float and linger over the heads of the
people. A large part of the audience
were Californians of the old days, and
the familiar tune with its memories
made many a grizzied face wet with
tears
Vernon did not applaud She had
sung at him and for him. This was the
girl he had thought stupid in the noun
tain path, shaded with pines, seven
years ago. Cat Eyes had grown to the
subtle grace and charm of the Tigress.
He had been blind-so blind Who had
made this change? A fierce jealousy took
possession Of him. What man had taken
up this beautiful creature? Allinson
forgot that he had dropped her with
few words of cold advice.
"Take me to the stage to see her, +" he
said to his companion.
"Take you to the moon" he replied.
"Why not to the stage!"
"Why not to the moon? One is as ac-
cessible as the other to you" :"
"Where does she ive?" asked Allin-
son.
"Who?" asked his friend.
"The Tigress. Who else?''
"Don't know. 1t is said she does not
receive callers. except those on busi-
ness.
"WelI, I'll find out. And he did:
The next morning at an early hour he
handed his card to the Chinaman who
opened the door, with the request to
take it to the lady of the house.
"No sabe," said the Chinaman. Yer
non pointed to the card, then to his
hand. then into the house.
"No sabe."
tLet me brighton your understand
ing" And he handed him piece OF
money. "Heap no sabe," but there was
a sly twinkle in the Chinaman's eye.
Just then young woman came to the
door and invited him in. With his
pulses on fire he waited to see it she
would come. Then there was sliding
of folding doors, the heavy curtains
were pushed apart, and the Tigress, Ill
all her royal, graceful loveliness, step
ped into the room. Vernon rose eagerly
To meet her. She held his card in one