Omaha daily bee., 1896-04-12

you viii come In with me and we will take
dish Of tea together"
She led the way to cosy room, the same
which we had caught a glimpse Of when first
we came and there in the middle was a
table with white napery and shining glass
and cleaning china, and red-cheeked apples
piled up on a center dish, and great plate
full Of smoking mufi1ns which the cross-faced
maid had just carried in. You can think we.
did Justice to all the good things. and Miss
Hinton would ever keep pressing us to pass
our cup and fill our plate. Twice during
our meal she rose from her chair and With
drew into cupboard at the end OF the room,
and each time l saw Jims face cloud. for
we heard a gentle click Of glass against
glass.
Come now little man." said che to me
when the table had been cleared. why
are you looking round so much?
because there are so many pretty things
upon the walls"
And which do you think the prettiest Of
themH
"why, thati said /, pointing to a picture
which hung opposite to me. II was tall
and slender girl, with the rosiest cheeks and
the tenderest eyes-so daintly dressed, too.
that had never seen anything more perfect.
She had q posy Of flowers In her hand and
another one was lying upon the planks OF
wood upon which she was standing.
"oh, that's the prettiest. is it?' said she,
laughing. WELL now, walk up to 1t and let
us hear what is writ beneath it,"
| did as she asked and read OUT Miss
Polly Hinton as Peggy in the Country WIFE,
played for her benefit at the Haymarket the
ater September H. 17S0H'
Its a play actress" said I.
"Oh, you trude little boy, to say 1t in such
tone" she said. "As IL a play actress
wasn't as good as any one else. Why, twas
but the other day that the duke OF Clarence,
who may come to call himself king of Eng
land. married Mrs. Jordan, who wal herself
only nlay actress And whom do YOU think
this one is?'l She stood UNDER the picture
with her arms folded across her great body
and her' big black. ryes looking from one
to the other of us
"Why, where are your eyes?" she cried at
last. 81 wasl Miss Polly jof the Hay
markes theater. And perhaps you never
heard the name before"
We were compelled to confess that we
never had. And thei very name OF play
actiess had filled us both with kind OF
vague horror like the country-bred folk that
we were. To us they were a class apart, to
be hinted at rather than named with the
wrath of the Almighty hanging over them
like thunder cloud. Indeed His judgments
seemed to be in visible operation before us
when we looked upon what this woman was
and what she had been.
WELL" said she, laughing like one who
is hurt. "You have no cause to say any
IL irg, for read on your faces what you have
been taught to think of me. So this is the
upbringing you have had. Jim, to think evil
OF that which you do not understand.
wish you had been in the theater that very
night with Prince Florizel and four dukes in
the boxes and sll the wits and maccaronis
of London rising at me in the pit. IL Lord
Avon had not given me seat in his carriage |
/ had never got the flowers back to my lodg- |
ings in York street, Westminster. And now
two little country lads are sitting In 1uds- |
me Mt upon Ine."
ITO Be Continued)