The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-12

"Ring2 Why
Why For the maid TO bring in the
lamp. of course It's growing quite dark,
But what need have we Of the lamp.
According 20 the old saw, people can chat
more al their ease In the twilight But
perhaps you are afraid. Are you afraid or
mee''
Afraid 81 you. on. dear, no." And she
looked al him gaughingly.
Very well, then. please don't send for
the lamp / think this twilight suits the
situation so admirably. / came 10 say
good-by 10 you. And as the sun outside
has gone down. and the night is beginning
20 envelop US the sun OF your eyes
Will disappear from my life the
twilight ."
For goodness sake do stopi Don't over
exert yourself trying 10 find SMILES. OF
course I know how witty and ready
tongued You are: you are so misery with
your Wit that you must possess a great
deal Of it,
Sprtnging up. she ran TO the plano and
struck a waitng chord. He was perpiexed.
for he had never known her 10 act like
that before She was usually cool self
possession personified.
But. Frau Hortsnse, what is the matter
with your
She was herself again. "Oh. nothing.
By the way. do you like Beethoven"
Beethoven Oh. yes. pretty well. like
the Senate pathetique particularly"
And you like the adagio movement best
OF all. don't your"
She did not wait for an answer. Her
hands wandered over the keys, and long,
SOFT tones crept from under her fingers.
He was more puzzled than ever. What
could possess her to act so strangely? He
simply could not understand her. Two
minutes earlier she was the woman whom
ne knew, as she had always been, merry
and full OF fun, but altogether free from
whims. whereas now .
He did not dare to interrupt the music
ana his bewonderment went on steadily
increasing. Offenbach. Lecoque and Strauss
was the kind OF music he had heard her
play before, and he had thought that such
was the reflection OF her own self-that
she knew no other. He had never dreamed
or her playing Beethoven, least of all that
magnificent. soulful adasio movement.
And how perfectly she was rendering 1t.
She put her heart and soul into IL. But
there. TO think of heart and soul in con-
nection with her was too foolish, Like
everything she did, her rendering of Bee
thoven was. ne tried TO persuade himself
trlckery. She was clever actress-that
was all-in music as In everything else
She had already enslaved him with her
beauty, her viyacity, and now she was
using music merely for the purpose of en-
claiming him more thoroughly. if that were
possible. ana II was all done TO crafty ner
love of power. 1t was cool calculation and
nothing more, for she had no heart. The
very idea was ridiculous. She was only
a dangerous siren.
Still he listened with hated BREATH and.
as the twilight deepened into darkness the
spell grew more and more powerful. Would
he ever see her again. Not likely: but
even IL II should happen, he would
never allow any declaration of love TO pass
his lips not IL his heart should burst; for
II he should so far lose control over him.
self she would he sure 10 laugh at him.
as she laughed at everything and every
body serious. He had come TO bid her
goodby, and he had 10 confess to himself
that he had softened almost to the point
of declaring his love. But just at that
moment she had laughed at him. and had
looked mockingly at him with her beauti-
full gray eyes.
Really. are you going to leave me? Are
YOU sure that II is no mere speech for eff
feet? How nice IL will be for you, won't
ito"
At which he had regained mastery over
himsef-and then they had laughed to-
gether as they always did when he called.
They had never exchanged a serious word:
she joked and he lokeG. and by the time
that he was strolling along the boulevards
In Paris she would nave almost forgotten
him. while to him she would be only a re-