Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-07-12

/ to a fame. Il was less than week be-
! fore the day fixed FOR the marriage that
] | got note from Wilmay in the after
neon.
Dear Edward were to have
dined with Lady Harston tonight, but
| Lady Harston has been the angel to
have one of her neuralgia attacks poor
/ dear) and put everyone off. We have a
nights peace Bertha and you and
! dine together here. and you play to us
afterwards. You will, won't you? Not
even Vincent will be here. We are
quite alone, and we both want TO see
! you. Do be good to your loving Bertha
and Wilmay."
| went of course. When I got into
the drawing room / noticed that the pi-
ano was no longer used like the back
yard OF a curiosity shop, but was al
lowed to be merely piano.
NO" said Bertha, 'you needn't give
me the credit or the discredit Of it.
| That's Wilmay. l suppose when you
! We written great operas, you expect
| that kind of homage"
81 have not written any operas, but
l have a tiresome and offensive sister
]
| the gospel truth. Wilmay, | am in
debted to you. will talk to you to the
entire exclusion of the other female at
whose house you are boarding"
ooh, do Stop cried Bertha. "You
shouldn't say things like that to any
one with any imagination. | feel as if
| lived in Bloomsbury and charged ex-
TIA for the boots. | feel old, and dis
honest and haggard.'
DO you?" | said. "Well. we realize
the truth about ourselves sooner or lat
err"
Very WELL" Bertha retorted, az shall
ring and order Mr.. Derrimer's carriage
Mr.. Derrimer came in a cab" | re-
piled, "and he will not go until he has
had dinner anyhow. And by the
way"
Carter opened the door and | gave
my arm to Wilmay and we passed into
the dining room. We were all three in
a state Of pleasant but foolish high
/ spirits Wilmay was particularly au-
dacious; her eyes were very bright. and
her colcr little feverish. She told us
a beautiful story of how she had really
composed that opera, but | had stolen
! it, and she had never exposed me in
order to save me the pain of knowing
that | had for my ward a girl whose
guardian was thief. But all through
dinner she never made the least allu-
sion to her approaching marriage, and
when Bertha spoke Of it Wilmay at
CAGE changed the subject.
After dinner went to the piano. The
evening Of Wilmay's sixteenth birthday
/ came back to my mind. She was wear
| ing the string of little pearls l had given
her then. At first, l looked at her from
time to time as | played. She sat half
/ in shadow, her lips a little parted, and
her eyes fixed. There had always been
! something of another world about her,
| and tonight as she sat listening to the
! music she seemed more than ever ethe-
/ real, spiritual. Her marriage turned to
an insult, a tragedy, in my mind.
| took my eyes from her ard became lost
in the music. / was playing the Chop
in nocturne that l had played on the
night of her birthday.
Suddenly, l heard a rustling of
dresses. The door opened and closed
again quickly. l stopped playing and
looked up Bertha and Wilmay had
gone, and I was alone in the room. An
! indsscribable sense Of horror and pain
! came over me. was glad when a min
ute or 50 later Bertha came back again.
She looked troubled.
What is the matter?" l asked. What
has happened"
Did you see her?"
"No."
"Wi.may began to cry and got up. I
went out with her and I've left her up
stairs. She told me to come down
again"