The Saint Paul globe., 1897-05-30
when he was about. as: the "seraph

when he was about. as the "seraph
and Mortal" = .s4s. Z M
He and his father rarely met at my
house. grew SO greedy OF the visits
Of Richard Quintard before long that
! was 1othstO share them witch any one,'
and SO, being accustomed to receiving
him at about q certain hour, easily
arranged matters So that should be
alone at that time. He knew that
his son cafne frequently to see me,
but I discovered later that he was not
aware how intimately associated with.
my life he had become
And so a eOuple Of months passed,
With but oneI drawback to my happl-
ness. That was dueAto the importu-
mites of myt father, who, suspecting
that had2some motive for conciliatfEg
him. bled me without mercy. 1t was
only about week after left the Quin-
tards before he paid his initial visit,
humbly petitioning for the restoration
Of the sum which he had been forced
to return. My readiness to give 1t to
him again confirmed his former susp1-
cions regarding my disinterestedness
In so largely enriching him, and an ac-
quaintance which he had recently made
was the means of affording him wha.
he supposed to be clue to my bribery
One night, ais Twas playing, my eyes,
roaming about the house, CHANGED TO
light upon two familiar faces, peering
down upon the stage from the upper
balcony.
One of these was the face Of my
father; that of his companion was a
countenance which had well-nigh for
gotten, for it was years since l had
beheld it. But, though time may oblit-
crate from the memory the features OF
ones erstwhile dearest friends, one
rarely forgets. the face of an enemy,
and so I Immediately recognized the
woman before me, faded, old and ugly
as she had become. 1t was none other
than N1ta Conquest. sGF &ses5
The change in her was pitiable and
bespoke life of dissipation and dis
order, resulting, as such lives must, H.
the loss of all feminine charm and
beauty. She was gazing at me with
an expression of bitter hatred and
envy, and, as I finished the aria l was
singing, I heard loud sharp hiss min
gle with the applause that followed. 1t
was the first time that sibilant sound
had ever greeted an effort of mine,
and though knew from how low a
source it proceeded, it nevertheless dis
turbed me. much, for had special
cause that night to wish the perform
ance to- pass off credftably.2
For the first time Richard Quintard
made one of my audience. He was no
thea tergoer and had, little interest. III
any sort of social diversion, being Il
lover of out-of- door sport, and an ath-
lete Of no mean order. But he had ex-
pressed a desire to- see me In what ]
considered my best role, and, | had
chosen that he should receive his first
impression from the opera given that
night. It was called THE Queen Of
! Hearts, I,s.of course, being in, the title
role.
The music was charming, the libretto
brilliant and sparkling, l was so en-
rapport with the motif Of the piece
that my dancing genius felt itself in
spired to it's most exquisite achieve
ment, and ealtogetherrI Il wasawell con-
tent that an festinate of my abilities
Should be drawnz from. this medium Of
their portrayal &
From the mameant of my first appear
,ancenIi watched that Vthin,, grave face
in the orchestra sstalls, hoping to see
. its 7ffnmobilitN involuntarffy Stirred to
admiration and spleasure... But it's
look of mere sWelI-bred attention never
altered@a jot. When the hiss wheezed
through the house, gfaneing Swiftly at
him, i saw him startsas if he had been
struck from behind, and cast sort of
threatening challenge of the eye about
the auditorium. Wfleir"T came ~ofl~in
the third act hissseat. was vacant
The next day about noon 1 received
another visit from my father. This was
the fifth since my accident. and I per-
sceiVed in an instant that he had dis
covered something that gave him an
assurance. in soliciting me which he
had hithertoi lacked. He urged his
needs quite amaSteffully, in a manner
very different fromathat ecringing,~ beg
carly spirit he had formerly displayed.
He gave me to- understand that he
fully cempHehended MY past complai-
sance, and should exact a continuance
OF it in the future. Indeed he made it
plainly evident to me that he had ac-
quired the swherewithaI to carry on
avery pretty busine ss,of blackmail, and
that he .purposed pursuing such. to his
own considerable advantage. I listened
1in silence to his demands with their
undercurrent of threatene exposure
constantly bubbling to the surface, and
when he finished;tke him waiting a
few minutes while i looked him con-
temptuously over and considered my
reply.
I had no doubt that he had in some
wayeehanced upon theafact hof his re-
lation to me- His own small and mean
nature led him to believe, doubtless,
that would pay much to prevent the
revelation of his paternity, not because
I loathed the thought of intimate asso-
ciation with such despicable creature
and feared. his harassing me, but be
cause my pride shrank from allowing
the world to know thatI had for father
one who had sunk to the low social
level of domestic service. That would
be the motive to which he would as
suredly attribute my desire for Sc
crecy. '3]2 st'