Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-03-20

naughty scandal. Mrs. Marston said "a
the horsy man. The latest and best
you know
"Mrs Grahains"
eOh, she's an Old story"
Give you my hnnor--new edition.
REALLY Go on. -
"Warned OF the hookstalls. I"
."Well, I'm not a bookstall.''
AS be paused she thought: Marie
can't have found Sir John. wonder ii
they have good nurse. They might
have let me see her just for one moment
Children rarely take TO a stepmother.
but Daisy used to love every one.
So Mrs. Graham has even overstep-
ped the bounds of modernity, she said
aloud.
Taken the barrier in one stride. =
Bravo. / am always grateful TO a
woman who gives me something notori-
Gus to talk about"
And she thought: II wonder If she
suffers much. wonder if she is con-
scious. They said, No better Could
that mean she was worse? How all
these people would chatter and whisper
il they knew the situation tonight Not
one of them would be sorry--yes, Hilda
would, poor, frightened, little woman,
because her baby died, although / do
fiirt with her husband. And my baby
o God, how happy ! was over Daisy
and now-it's my own fault for leaving
her, but how could ! know she was go
ing TO be lily"
The room, with its brilliant lights,
itssound of voices and its laughter, faded
from sight. In imagination she was car
ried far away to the little bedroom
next the nursery in the old house. She
bent over Daisy. who slept and dreamed
of mamma-the real mamma, not her
new one--and she said to the cold,
stern faces around her: Have pity; let
me kiss her once. won't disturb her.
] won 4 wake her. I" Perhaps they might
consent and let her creep away, having
seen her baby and kissed her, as in the
old happy days.
She heard the guardsman ask her a
question and replied at random:
"Yes. am going to act as a Greek
goddess. It's queer kind OF play, but
one can do anything nowadays, and
Lady Lane acted in it, SO that makes the
whole thing SO eminently respectable
She died of dizziness, poor old dowd.
Her husbands nice boy-he got me
into the show.
She stretched out her hand and pulled
an orchid to pieces. and the room faded
from sight again.
She stood near the little bed. Daisy
was awake and knew her. They weren I
angry; they were kind; they let her
hold her close, let her stay to nurse her,
let her soothe her only as a mother,
even the most degraded, can. Charles
forgave for the baby's sake and let her
stay just till she got well.
She pulled herself together and rose
to leave the room. In all her dreams she
never saw sad picture, save that it
was sad to see the child suffer. OF
course she was certain to get we'll.
As the footman handed her the coffee
when up stairs she asked carelessly:
HAS Marie returned?"
IAN hour ago, num-" be said
She started. with no letter for me?'
"No, mum. She said not. "
"All right. Mrs. Barker has changed
her mind and will take some milk.
Tand it to her, please"
SO she couldn't hear that night. The
notion made her reckless. Her fair,
placid friend shouted some gossip in her
ears as is the manner of deaf people.
The gentlemen joined them, and singer
sat down at the piano. The song over,
amid loud applause a footman opened
the door to admit gentleman. He had
asked to see Mr.. Marston alone, but the
man had blundered, misunderstood him
and announced him as one of the even.
ing's guests.
''Sir John Deane.
friend rose to greet him, and she knew
why he was there as well as if he had
spoken
He murinured some excuse and drew
her husband out of the room.
The whole place swan before her
eyes She was struck numb. Only sub
lime pity could have forced him to visit
her again. Daisy dead She had read il
in the trouble in bis face. Daisy dead,
uCOu9 41cI OWA A1tt4C bdbJ CO4u dhA
dead, and she not there to hold her il
her arms, to kiss her just once more, Il
weep over her, to-
Her friend was speaking. She strug
gled back to consciousness. to hear hel
say in her loud, blatant voices Fancy
Sir John coming to visit you again,
Dollyi What triumph for you to
night has been.
The whole roomful of people heard,
and they looked at Mrs. Marston. She
smiled family; the color in her cheeks
did not vary, nor were her eyes dim,
but her lips. for some strange reason,
had turned blue, and her voice when
she answefed had a CHASTITY sound:
How funny you are, dearl What {
triumph. did you say? What a triumph
tonight has beenl' -
They took leave of her one by one ant
left her there face to face with her tri
umph alone Sketch.
Churning.