Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-02

a chair by the window. She bit her lips
as she remembered how for the last three
months she had been slowly yielding to Van
Loo's cautious but insinuating solicitation,
from a Irritation in the San Francisco hotel
to a clandestine meeting in the street; from
a ride in the suburbs to a supper in a last
restaurant after the theater. Other women
did it who were fashionable and rich, as
Van Loo had pointed out to her. Other
| fashionable women also gambled in stocks
and had their private broker in a Charley
or a Jack Why should not Mrs. Larker
| have business with a Paul Van Loo, par
| ticularly as this fast craze permitted the
fair gamblers to call at private offices with
out fear and without reproach? Mrs. Bar
ker's vanity, Mrs. Barker's love OF ceremony
| and form, Mrs. Bankers snobbishness, were
hattered by the attentions of this polished
| gentleman with a foreign name, which even
had the flavor Of nobility, who never picked
up her fan and handed it to her wlIout
bowling, and always rose when she eh'eieu
the room.
Mrs. Barker's scant schoolgirl knowledge
was touched by this gentleman who spoke
French fuently, and delicately explained 10
| her the libretto of a risky opera bouffe. Ana
now she had finally yielded to a meeting out
of San Francisco-and an ostenslble visit
still as a Speculator-to one or TWO mining
districts-with her broker. This was the
boldest OF her steps-an original ldea OF the
| fashionable Van Loo-which, no doubt, IN
| time would become O craze, too. But 1t was
a long step-and there was a streak OF rustic
decorum in Mrs. Barker's nature-the in
stinct that made Kitty Carter keep a per-
| fectly secluded and distinct sitting room IN
the days when she served her fathers guests
that now had impelled her to make 1t a
proviso that the first step Of her journey
should be from her old home In her fathers
| hotel. 1t was this instinct of prophecies
that had revived In her suddenly at the door
OF the old sitting room.
Then q now phaSa Of the situation flashed
upon her. 1t was hard for her vanity to ac-
cept Van Loo's desertion as voluntary and
final. What If that hateful woman had lured
him away by some trick or artfully designed
message? She was capable Of such mean
ness 10 insure the fulfilment of her prophecy.
Or, more dreadful thought, what II she had
some hold on his affections-she had said
that he had pursued her-or, more Infamous
still, there was some secret understanding
between them, and that she-Mrs. Barker
was the dupe of them both! What was she
doing in the hotel at such a moment? What
was her story Of going to Hymettus but a lie
as transparent as her own? The tortures of
jealousy, which is as often the incentive as
1t is the result of passion, began to rack her.
She had probably as yet known no real pas
sion for this man, but with the thought OF
his abandoning her and the conception of his
faithlessness came the wish to hold and
keep him that was dangerously near II.
What If he was even then In that room, the
room where she said she would not stay to
be %insulted, and they, thus secure against
her intrusion, were laughing at her now
She half rose at the thought, but a sound
of horses hoofs in the stable yard arrested
her. She ran TO the window which gave
upon it, and crouching down beside it, lis
tened eagerly. The clatter of hoofs ceased,
the stableman was talking to some one
suddenly she heard the stableman say, Mrs.
Barker is here" Her heart leaped. Van
Loo had returned,
But here the voice OF the other man which
she had not yet heard arose for the first
time clear and distinct. Are you quite
The room reeled around her. The voice
was George Barkers, her husband! Very
well" he continued. you needn't put up
my horse for the night | may take her
back a little later in the buggy"
In another moment she had swept down
the passage and burst into the other room.
Mrs. HOrncastle was sitting by the table
with a book in her hand, She started as
the half maddened woman closed the door,
locked 1t behind her, and cast herself ON
her knees at her feet.
MY husband is here" she gasped.
"What shall | do? In heavens name, help
me-"
us Van Loo still here?" asked Mrs. Horn
castle, quickly.
mo; gone. He went when | came"
Mrs. Horncastle caught her hand and
looked ~intently into her frightened face.
Then what have you to fear from your
husband?' she said abruptly.
You don't understand. He didn't know
| was here. He thought me in San Fran
cisco"
Does he know 1t now?"
yes, l heard the stableman tell him.
Couldn't you say | came here with you
that we were here together; that 1t was
just a little freak of ours? Oh, MOI"
Mrs. Horncastle thought a moment. Yes, -
she said. wen see him here together"
"oh, no! no. said Mrs. Barker suddenly