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

naue.
can evidence that you have been
very, very much interested in me"
Remember I staid three months
longer in Shady Canyon because you
were there.
81 remember.
''Then pity my embarrassment. You
have outgrown Cat Eyes. Your friends
call YOU
1.-THE Tigress."
"Tigress be it then. My Tigress, my
precious, royal, dangerous, jungle Ii
gress. My arms shall be your cage. -
He leaned forward to clasp her in his
arms. There was something i'll the
laughter of her shining topaz eyes that
stopped him.
"There are 40 other cages with the
same placard On them all ahead Of
yours. =
"But l love you, f" he said.
"Same announcement that the other
49 make as she glanced at him.
"But you loved me little bit, did
you not?''
! "Maybe, but that was seven years
/ ago. They say one changes utterly in
seven years. And if Cat Eyes loved you
it has exhaled and evaporated, and been
shorn from her head and clipped from
her nails and rubbed off on towels. It is
the Tigress now"
"You are cruel. You know loved
you SO, seven years ago.
"You must have loved me- How you
must have loved me then -
The yellow topaz eyes were laugh
ing, the mouth was still smiling, but
the words were cutting and ended in a
beast All the days of her joyless child
hood were crowded into it. The nails
of her hand, which rested on the arm of
the sofa, dug into the velvet till her
wrist was raised from the cushions and
the knuckles of her fingers looked white
because of the tenseness of the skin.
He got up and sat down beside her
and took her hands 81 love you terri
bly, now. My love is an avalanche bro
ken from every restraint. I love you,
Miss Tigress.
Perhaps Mrs. Tigress. I wonder
you are not afraid to hold tigress'
paws. You might get scratched"
you've scratched my heart into
shreds already. But tell me, you do not
live here without any protection?'
"No; have the most protecting Of
protectors. One who will not go away
and leave me. %
Goods, who is he?"
She laughed happy laugh, peeped
around into his eyes and said: "My
manager is my protector. I live with
my manager. r"
He flung her hands savagely from
him and sprang to his feet. 81 would
rather have met you face to face in red
hot hell than under such circum-
stancesP' He saw her face blanch to the
whiteness Of death, then went out.
It was a restless day for him. That
evening he went to the theater, but the
Tigress did not appear. Something was
wrong. He went to the house. All was
silent. A great fear seized him. He
tried the bell. 1t did not ring. 1t was
muf1ed. He opened the door and enter
ed. The parlors were closed. He saw
another door. The light was low, and
he saw that q woman was very sick and
heard the light step Of some one leaving
the room as he entered the hall. He ap-
preached the bedside.
"Cat Eyes," he said piteously.
Two great hollow eyes opened and
looked up wonderingly at him. As he
bent over the bed he saw that the head
on the pillow was gray.
Mrs. Squeers," he said. A faint
smile of recognition lighted her fea-
lures.
"She told me you were here. want.
ed to see you. Sit down. You see am
dying and have no time to waste in
words What do you want with herr"
81 wanted to marry her. "
She pressed his hand with her thin,
cold, pale fingers. Wanted is past. Do
you want to marry her now? Will you
care for her and protect herr"
"But her manager" said Vernon, a
great hope coming into his heart.
"I'm the only manager and protector
she has had. She told me all about your
abrupt leaving yesterday. knew you
would return. I have guarded her close
ly the past seven years All her teachers
have been women. closed my place in
Shady Canyon after you left and have
travelled and tried to arrest the consump-
tion, but it was no use. I had hoped
that we would meet you sooner, because
r 1. Oh 10
now. Go find her. Her shivering sobs
made me die harder. sent her away"
Vernon's heart gave a great bound OF
joy as he went intuitively to the place
he saw her in the morning. He struck
match and lighted the gas. She lay on
the lounge with her face buried in the
satin pillow, her hands pressed against
her head. He knelt beside her and
touched her hair with his lips.
"Forgive me- She started up, her
eyes flashing anger and surprise at him.
"Forgive me-. Still she did not an
swer. 81 have been to her room. She
sent me. !"
eff she sent you,' and she laid her
hand gently on his forehead. The bright
u6SS udu SOu0 VI IleI ldC0, DuG u6
thought her all the more beautiful.
"What a f d! Oh, what fool was
not to know seven years ago that you
loved mer' he said.
"And what fool not to know it
nowP' There was bitterness-nay, al
most contempt-in her voice, but the
words were all satisfying. He caught
her to his breast and kissed her, and
kissed her eyelids and forehead, cold
hands and pale cheeks, amber hair and
her wrists, and her sleeves, and her
tremulous mouth. Her head sank ON his
shoulder, her beautiful arms clasped
sound him, and torrent of tears burst
from her eyes, the first she had ever
shed.-Sar Francisco Call.
An Overrated Virtue.