The morning times., 1896-01-26
T'rinnulas
: adu With fhe
St. james budget.

- Duukces - SS't
do. II am perpet,tally hearing of him
German, Of course?',
"Only partly 3d., g replied Mr.. venning
"He is the son OF a ,scotchman who made
good deal or money in California, and
believe his mother was Pole. He wal
brought up by German grandfather
whose name he eventually took. He is O
clever fellow, but an unhappy one, al
ways fancy. She was Miss Charlotte, a
daughter OF Lady, Jane Charlotte"
: But who was the other lady in the box?'
inquired eagerly; the Lady with tn
primulns."
There was no other lady in Kurz's bo,
| tonight, Miss Linthrop. You must have beeI
looking ut seine other box."s~
Mrs Waldo laughed. My young friens
has been dreaming, Mr.. venning.'
scorned the irDputation. but they woult
not believe me. and they were still laughing
when the door opened and old Lord Saints
bury peeped in.
Very merry here
| MY friend, Miss Linthrop, declares tina
she has seen a lady with pritnulas in hei
| hair-such a. terrible decoration-seated III
Baron Kurz's box this evening"" said Mrs
| Waldo, in her loud, clear, penetrating voice
that carried farther than any voice have
| ever heard.
l noticed a shade fit across Lord Saints
! bury's face. He turned his head sharply and
| glanced back. Then, stepping quickly into
the box, he shut the door behind him.
Why SO mysterious" asked Mrs. Waldo,
| musing.
"Kurtz was Just behind me. Hemusthave
| heard what you said" And the old gen.
! ueinan looked genuinely distressed.
But why not?" We were only laughing
at my young friend here. Are you going,
| Mr.. Venning?"
began to be afraid that had made a
goose ofmyself. And Lord Saintsbury was
lookin SO solemn. Perhaps that was be-
cause he was in the ministry.
Mrs. Waldo,' he began, as soon as Mr..
venning had Disappeared, don't repeat
that little story about-the---the lady with
the primulas. It."
My dear Lord saintsbury, why mayn't
l? love little anecdote, and this is such
thrilling one.''
But you would not like to cause pain,
am sure
|. And you think Miss Iinthrop SO very
tnlnskinned that she cannot take a little
chaff?' trat %r
1T is not on her account that am speak
Ing. Yod may or may not have heard that
Miss Charlotte was not Kurzs first wife.
No? Well, she was not His first wife was
a girl of the people-some said a nurse
maid. some peasant 1t really doesn't
signify which. At all events, she was
neither lady by birth nor person of
education. After time, he grew tired of
her. His father died, and he came into
money. He began to go In for society. He
met Miss Charlotte, One night-it was
at the Grand opera in Paris-sh' vasseated
for some tfmein Lady Jane Ch .yote's box.
His wife was alone in the lOge opposite.
What She saw or Thought don't know;
but when he returned to her she complained
of feeling very tired, and he suggested |
that they should go home. She tainted on
the staircase and was carried into their |
brougham. That same night she died. 1t |
was very sudden and rather mysterious"
"Good gracious! Did anyone suspect the |
baron of having poisoned his wife?''
mot that I know Of But they did say |
that his neglect had broken her heart. But |
to come TO the point of my story. The first |
Baroness Kffrz&Rosfne-was a fair, blue |
eyed woman, with passion for primulas. |
In Paris, where she had no acquaintance |
and was Only known by sight. and by many |
people was not supposed to be Kurz's wife, |
she always went by the name OF the lady |
with the primulas.' That is why 1 was |
startled and upset by what you told me. |
That was why l was distressed that the |
flower should have been mentioned in |
Kurz's hearing-for hear am sure he did,
1t was my turn to feel distressed-dis-
tressed, but at the same time vividly in |
terested. l was just going to ask Lord |
Rosine personally. when Mr.. VeuniDg re- |
appeared and at the same moment noticed |
that while we had been discussing the first |
Baroness KurZ, her successor had disap- !
peared from the opposite box-had left the
house, probably, l thought, bored by the
dullness of Act /.
"Such an awful thing has happened,'
Mr.. Venning's face was pale. aud his voice
sounded low and hoarse. "Kurz has fallen |
down dead-just outside the omnibus box"
Good gracious, how dreadful But very /
likely lie has only tainted"
Mr.. venning shook his head Cleveland
met him looking very ghastly-you know
he does sometimes. And he asked him,
Are You ill, Kurz?' And the other just
stared at him and muttered: True, true.
She has come for me, and fell back dead"
] started to my feet. Mrs. Waldo, /
must go home-please-let me. Don't you
.se,s
My dear ehidi''-and her voice sounded
a shade harder and louder even than usual
don't make scene, please" Our ris-
ltor had vanished at the bare mention of
such a possibility, ever dreaded and held
in adherence by the sterner sex.
"But ] cannot stay. Didn't you hear?
he is dead"
Mrs. Waldo stared at me with a look of
ierision on her handsome face. But you
lid not know him. It is not customary for
young ladies 10 make scenes over the death
Of ma they never knew; such things are
lot DONE"
l"Ah, but you don't understand. saw
her."
Her? Whom?"
1.-THE lady with the primulas-his first
wife. She came to fetch him; he said so;
you heard"
MY dear child, what nonsense. You
we're dreaming, of course. Hush. Wemust
1ie-fo |
And the curtain rose upon Act. IL.