The Irish standard., 1896-05-09

that the story. Of his disgrace was in
the air. But I fear this only excited
/ him to further reckless,less and TIL
.umph. Once he thought he recognized
Miss Faulkner's fguresst distance,
. and even fancied that She had been.
! watching him--but Lie. only redoubled
/ his attentions to the fair woman beside
I him, and looked no more.
But he was glad wh.'s the guests se.
gan to drop Off,; The great rooms
thinned. and susy, appearing on The,
arm of her husband, coquettishly re-:
minded him of his promise. "For ]
{ want to talk to you Of old times. Gen,
Brant," she went en-, turning eS pl:1na-
torily to Roompcinter. married my
adopted mother in t.alifornia, at Robes,
! dear old place were spe11t my earli.
! est years. So you see VIZ; are sort OF
relation by marriage" she added, with
delightful ,aaivete. Rockers once vsainr
glorioas allusion tc. his relations to she
u1an before him flashed across Brant's
mind, but it lett now onlya slnile Gil
; his lips He felt he had already became
a part of the irresponsible comedy OF
life around him. why should be resist
/ OF examine it's ethics too closely: He
offered his arm 70 Susy; they descended
the stairs; but instead of pa',sing in the
supper-roorn, she simply passed through
it with a significant pressure Of his arm,
and drawing aside a muslin curtain
stepped into the moonlit conservatory.
Behind the curtain there was q small.
rustic settae; without releasing his ARIA
she sat down, SO that when be dropped
beside her their hands met and nut uals
" clasred. ......-. ...... s.
Now, Kla'uns," she said with t.
slight, comfortable shiver as she nestled
beside him. Cts little like your chair
down at old Robes, isn'tit? Tell me.
And to think it's five years ago. But
I1la'uns, what's the nattap? You arc
changed" she said, looking at his dark
face in the moonlight, sfor you have
something to tell me- s...'4
81 hare" II q.
Sand it's something dreadful, L
know She said, wrinkling her brows
with Il pretty terror. Couldn't you
pretend You had told it To NE and ]etus
go on just the same? Couldn't you,
Kla'uns? Tell me- 49,.
j. II am afraid couldn't" he said. with
q sad smile. O.. rs ~ >..,,-.
us it about yourself, Kla'uns? You
know she went or witmeheerful RAJ
pidity,s1 know every things bout yo7a-.,
I always did, you kpow--s,,d don't
care and never did care, and il don't and
never did make the slightest difference
to me. So don't tell it, and waste time,
Kla'uns."
"It's not about me--but about 1ny
wife he said, slowly. ...... l@
Her expression changed slightly. 20,
her," She said, after, u pause. Then
half resignedly: eco on, Kla'uns.''
He began. He had dezen times re-
hearsed to himself his miserable story,
always feeling it keenly, and even fear
ing that he might he carried away ~
emotion or morbid sentiment in telling
ittoanother, but tohis astomshmenf he
found himself telling, it practically.
calmly, almost cynically to his old play
mate, depressing the half devotion and
even tenderness that had governed him,
from the time that his wife. disguised as
/ a lnulatto woman. had secretly watched
him in his Office, to the hour that he had
passed her through thelines. Hewnh-$
:. held only the incident. Of Miss Faulk-5E
ner's completely and sacrifice,
III. "And she got .away--after having.
kicked you out of your place kla'pns ?'' &
said tSusy when he had ended, 5s5s3
Clarence stiffencd beside her. Bit he (
Z felt he had gone too far to quarrel with
his cpnfdante.. "''she went away. III
honestly believe that we shall never
meet again-or I should not be telling
you thie!" A u. 80. -. ss d. # III
'lSla'un she said ligh Il y. taking bis /
y hand again, "don't you beiieveit! She
wont let you go. You're one Of those
men TINT woman when she once has
hooked onto won't let go of even when;
she believes she no longer loves him
1nects bigger andaetter men. Ireekon
IT'S because you're SO different from
other n,en-1nay be.--there are 80 many
different things about you to hook OH
J. to-and you cont slip off ag easily as
the others. Now. IL you were like old
.Peyton. her first husband, or like poor
Z Jill, VI SYSA 10y 1ooouupOiliDcIS yUuu q
be all right! No, my boy. all we can do !
is try to keep her from, getting at you !
here. II reckon she won't trust herself
in Washington again in a hurry" g
But I cannot stay herr, -fmy career
lstin the feld.- 5,3 4, sl55 +, .55as
Your career is alongside q me,
honey and Boompo ter. But nearer
n1e,S Wen fix all that. I heard some
thing about your being in disgrace,
I Bsit the story wns that YOU were soft
on 5ssome secesh girl dawn there and
neglected yonr business, Skla' uns. But
.Lotdy! to think it was only Your own
jsslte! Never mind, we'l gtraigh ten that
ont. We've had worse Jobs than that
on. Why, there was that commissary
who was buying up. dead horses at one
end of the Geld and selling them to the
oVernnent Tor mess beef ~ the other
md there was Tint general VII! 4;
make IS al I attack when d
iai1ed, ana TIE other scner j'zs
H gro Be- Com s.s.s
u