Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-12-03
A Farewell Performance.

pie" They lived in dear little worl
~ their own, whose inhabitants I'm
nothing whatever to do but eat. drin
and he merry; a charming spher
where everybody tried their yer
hardest to be amusing and amiablc
and where nothing was ever take
serlously--that is, in public. Whei
they did good deed. they did it b,
stealth and threw mud at it afterward
when they spoke of things huma,
and divine they hid their true selve
and real meaning under an impenetra
Die cloak OF fiippant slang and cheav
witticisms Halliday and Miss Verral
had much in common. They used the
same devices 10 conceal their good in.
stincts, and occasionally went so far
az to hint at decided liking for this
or that play person or picture. Now
and again they caught sight of one
another for u brief instant, but the
passing glimpse was always too short
TO lead TO n longer one. They had
known one another some two years.
ana, living IN the same small world
met almost every day in the season and
every other one out Of il. These meet.
ings could hardly be considered profit
able. Sometimes they hirted for n
change-the fiirtations of this peculiar
people are 80 like love as TO be undis-
tinguishable from the genuine arti.
cie-and, maybe, shook of the motley
Tor an occasional brief moment of rest
simply a pause between two acts.
with the orchestra playing in between
10 remind them that they were still in
the theatre. Thus, the net result of
their acquaintanceship was that Doris
Verrall had never got word of sober
sense out Of Jack Halliday, while Jack
Halliday hpd never heard syllable of
wFdom is4ne from the delicate lips of
ubris Verbal.
Ror11uK&s on only child apd mother
less. She and her faSIief ma kopt
house together and mutually spoiled
one another these last 10 years. They
had miniature Mayfair palace all to
themselves, an Arcadia that would
have surprised most Of the Utopians,
among whom Doris took her pleasures,
by reason of its restful simplicity and
quiet affections. Father and daughter
were very fond Of one another, each in
their own way-Mr Verrall in digni-
fed, old-world manner that reminded
one Of Balzac's elderly aristocrats, |
while Doris showed her affection by
being disrespectful. She treated
Daddy as she playfully styled Mr..
Verrall, like big spoiled child, and
he was rs clay under her fingers. The
old gentleman was allowed to live his
own life in peace and quiet, while
Doris danced and made merry under
the chaperonage of score of friends.
II was Sunday evening in June.
The sky was clearing fast after days
rain, and London looked IA though il
had just come home from the laundry.
Doris and Mr.. VERBAL, who had gone
down to the park for mild constitu-
tional, ran up against Jack Halliday,
bent on similar errand, and bore him
home to dinner, He had never dined
en- famille with the Verralls and won.
1ered what il would he like.
The dinner was q success. All three
enjoyed it-Jack Halliday most of all.
Il was different from the shallow gilt
Ter of his everyday life. 1t reminded
him of the "Home, Sweet Home"that
Patti sings about, and the domestic
Doris, carefully looking after her
Thite-haired old father, was an unex-
oected revelation. IL seemed strange
20 think that this pattern of flial az
lection was the cynical, witty and flip
pant Doris Verrall he had hitherto
known. For moment or two the
thought made him uncomfortably self
He was an intruder, he
lad no place in the domestic economy
If that household, no right to pry into
heir attachment and intimacy. This
ceiling gave way after the first few
Moments. No one, save himself, no.
iced the incongruity of his presence;
he was evidently welcome guest and
belonged to the picture. Doris had
lever seen him so quiet before. To
him she seemed q new being, more
ike one Of the people in the books he
eads IN his lonely chambers than the
Mss Verrall of yesterday.
They grew y lent after time, while
dr. Verrall talked lovingly about
'ooks aud pictures and men and
women who had written and painted
hem. The Old gentleman had a
imple, homely way about him that
vas rsstiul. Doris aud Jack listened
and again Halliday
bought oi the people in the books,
vhils the girl looked encouragingly at