The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-08-01


his mind to follow his goddess home,
and SO find out her private address.
Percival had cab waiting for him
at the corner. He noticed another ca b
drawn up opposite the stage door. He
strolled up and accosted the driver
You're lucky man to have such a
charming fare" said percival care
lessly.
100 said 'ad charmin' fare?" re-
torted the man, suspiciously. Then
he added "If 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,
l can tell yer, and won't stand no fol-
lowers foolin' around-not sher'
Percival affected to laugh and
strolled 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.
When they had driven about mile
his cab stopped. The NJ. P. got out.
He saw the young lady alighting from
her cab about hundred yards ahead.
She turned and walked rapidly away.
With beating heart and trembling
steps, he followed her, keeping an in
terval of seventy or eighty yards be-
tween them.
She had not alighted at her own
door, but at the end of street Of pri-
vate 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 something
worse was in store. The young lady
| stopped, appeared to be carefully scru-
| tinizing the numbers, then, after some
evident hesitation, she walked straight
up to the door of PercivaIs house and
rang the bell. A minute later she was
admitted.
All at once the truth flashed upon
the unhappy NJ. T. 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 eff
feet in stopping them, had taken the
ready and effe ctive method of report
ing 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 al
together beyond words. If he had
been on bad terms with his wife,;
love on either side had ceased between
them if she had not been perfectly
fond and trusting toward him he could
have stood the thing better. But as
1T 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 ex-
posure his infatuatio for the danseuse
seemed to die; for the first time he
seemed to realize what an abject idiot
ne 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 a
bad half hour he found it, Then he
took a sudden resolution. He would
go in and make clean breast of the
whole affair 10 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 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 a cold, altered
expression, that made him vince. But
he persevered. He spoke. He told her
all. She avertcd her face, and heard
his confession to the end in ominous
silence.
'And so, Jim, my makeup, my
golden wig, and my wedding draperies
to say nothing of the shifting lights
| and the shadows thrown upon one,
bafiled even your penetration, eh, sir?'
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 astonish-
ment.
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 theater night after night to
worship you. could not resist their
spell. l could not explain it to myself.
Yet felt there was something half
familiar in their magnetic influence
upon me. To think l never guessed.
BY Jove! was dufer l ought to
have known that no such other eyes
were to be found in all England"
"Or in all America, either?' ques-
toned the Rainbow danseuse, playful
ly Jim's explanation was, uncon-
sciously, the most diplomatic that he
could have devised. Those incompara-
BILE eyes beamed upon him with tender
ness 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 unsuspicious husband-eh, Jen-
nie?"
Not at all, sir. went to them all.
But as my turn at The theater lasted
/ oOlv tom rDinIfac or CO I x,,oe 4, H. -