The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-13
Extra Special.
On Two Parrs.)
PART IL

| PARI IL.
Three days later Tom Eardwick stood
| on. the deck of the great steamer that bore
| him swiftly away from England. carrying
J with him heart that ached intolerably,
| and the memory of a small figure with
| flushed, angry face, and rebeilious eyes.
And Betty saw the announcement Of his
| going. and hardening her heart, and en-
| couraging her pride. talked and laughed
| and TESTED, IN strange mood of excite
ment; and flirted outrageously with Dick
| Mayne-and tried to demonstrate to her
| own satisfaction that she was thoroughly
| sensible, up-to-date, and independent wo-
| man.
II was June.
The afternoon was sultry and oppressive.
Great gray clouds. ominously tipped with
red, hung over London and the atmos-
phere was one of tired stiffness.
Betty. at a pianoforte recital in Erard's
rooms, was thankful to be seated .mned.-
ateIy under one of the windows, where
breath Of air now and again blew in
upon her.
Every window was open. and the street
sounds without mingled curiously some
times with the music inside the room.
IAN a-blowin'-all a-blowin'.'' in mans
strident voice, struck strangely IN upon
the andante OF the Brahms sonata, and
momentarily drowned the notes.
Between the occasional street cries there
was silence in the road-except for a slow
passing cab or the whistling Of a boy.
1t seemed as though the sultry air had
Quieted the customary noises of the Lon
don street.
The Brahms sonata was over. A little
sigh of relief went through the room at
It's ending II was too hot 10 concentrate
ones attention on anything Of soma Ia
length.
The little performer had struck the first
notes Of a nocturne Of Chopin when a
fresh cry without, shrill and clear, made
some of the audience jump and others
smile.
''Extry special. Extry special" A man
ran down the street. You could hear mis-
quick, patter:ng steps as he went, and his
voice grew first hoarse, then clear again,
as he shouted "Extry spec.al-extry spe-
Gall"
The Chopin was drowned. frown
crossed the players face. Once more ST.
lence supervened, but Betty smiled as her
ears caught the sound of another hoarse
voice IN the distance: "Exty special!'
This voice said more as WELL but 1t was
inaudible as yet, and the nocturne came
to its end uninterrupted.
A mazurka followed. The ripping notes
came tripping out softly and lightly, when
all at once, under the very windows of
the room, the disturbing shout rose:
"Extry special! EXtry special, Treach-
cry of tribes in India. Captain Tom
Hardw:ck killed.
The mans footsteps passed, the shout
was repeated lower down the street, each
word clearly audible above the ripping
tripping music.
Betty rose to her feet
She did not speak. She did not look
to right or left. Her neighbors stared at
her, but the girl did not notice their sur
prise.
Very, very quietly she moved from her
place. She even smiled as she asked cour-
teously for leave to pass the other seats.
People made way for her directly. They
thought she was ill-her face, that had
been flushed and sparkling, had grown
all at once so white and still.
Down In the entrance hall man asked
If he could cali her carriage for her-or a
cab She smiled again.
mo, thank you. 1 will walk" she
said
She stepped out upon the pavement into
the sultry, thundery afternoon.
She walked notwithstanding her way
through the crowded streets with swift |
steps.
There was no conscious thought in her |
mind Only, over and over again. two SEN |
fences hammered at her heart with mad |
dening repetition.
ST did not cali him back-I did not call |
him back. Too late-too late"'
When she reached her fathers house she |
walked upstairs TO the drawingroom. 1t |
struck her like q blow as she looked round |
the room, and noted that its aspect was /
so exactly what it had been on the day
Tom and she had quarreled. She had not |
thought of it In the same way in all these
past weeks.
Only she remembered the scent of the
flowers was different. There had been vio-
let's and primroses her-then. Now there
were roses-roses and carnations.
Her mother looked up IN surprise.
''Why, Betty she said, land alone?"
Yes" the girl answered, and her voice
was still perfectly quiet.
She took rose from a vase and pulled
Il to pieces nervously.
Yes they are crying in the streets that
TOMS killed. We quarreled the last time
saw him, and-now-now he is dead.
Don't pity ne, please. l think-I would
rather you said-nothing 70 me-
She gathered the rose leaves into little
heap and rolled them in her fingers. Then
urned to the window and dropped them,
one by one, into the window box. under
he mignonette and marguerites, and a
nan with a hoarse voice went gathering
Town the street, crying harshly. as he ran:
'Extry special, Extry special!'