The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-06-16
CHAPTER III.


appointment the mysterious lady of
the "A" suit lunched in her own room
and the rain came down even more
steadily than before.
1t was past o'clock and he had bv
this time persuaded himself that the
stern finger of duty pointed to an inn
mediate return to town. He had al
ready 1ehearsed in his minds eye the
Joy with which Norah would greet him
that evening; how in a few well-chos-
en- worcs, he would forgive her for her
unWifely conduct; he would paint for
her benefit the picture Of the sad and
weary day he had endured in silence;
the rain, the smoky chimney, and how
that irrepressible old woman-here he
paused as the possibility of that twin
kle he had learned to dread appearing
in her deep eyes flashed across him.
No, he would suppress the narrowing
details and merely sketch the outlines
OF that dreadful day; and then they
would have coy evening to them
selves, and he would nobly avoid all
allusion to the ball of the preceding
night.
Here he began to wonder how she
had enjoyed it, and to vaguely regret
he had not been with her.
What a duffer he had been, he ad-
mitted at last, with the brush poised
dramatically in one hand over his head
as he parted his hair absent-mindedly
for the third time.
He put the comb down with a sigh,
as the picture of his wife, in her dainty
frock, pleading with those big gray
eyes and persuasive voice, rose up be-
fore Inn.
Nay, worse than a "duffer," he had
been "tyrant." He realized with a
shock they had been married barely
six months and he had denied her,
from sheer selfishness, the pleasure
of that ball. And so she had gone
without him. And quite right, too. !"
he said, sternly TO himself with the
complete volte-face of an impulsive
nature. He strobe across the room
and opened his portmanteau with a
jerk. He would PACK at once and go
up by the next train.
AS he neared the open window he
heard the newsboys calling out the
evening papers. Extra special" they
yelled one after another. He stopped
what was that he heard? Horrible
panic at New York fire! Thirty la
dies burned in their ball dresses!" An
other shrill voice took it up: Fire at
a ball! Ladies burned to DEATH"
He caught his breath with a sudden
awful fear and was downstairs and
out OF doors before he knew what he
was doing. IAN eXtra!" he shouted,
throwing a quarter to the boy. He
tore open the pages, sticky with the
damp. Here it was. Fire at Mrs.
Schuyler Livingston's ball" He
groaned aloud 1t was true, then;
that was the house! His hands shook
till he could scarcely read the names of
the list of victims; the article conclud-
ed: Many other bodies await identi-
fication'
He dropped the paper as though 1t
stung him as the thought came over
him again and again that she might
be lying there, his dainty Norah.
The rain poured down upon his I'M
covered head and still he stood there
in speeches., hopeless misery. And he
had let her go to meet her death alonei
The necessity for action slowly forced
itself upon him, and he walked back
into the hall.
Send a timetable to my room, No.
81" he said to passing waiter, who
stared astonished at his white, bag
gard face.
He stumbled upstairs and began fe-
verishly to throw one thing after an
other into the open portmanteau, and
then he sat down and picked up the
time table the boy had brought him.
He took out his watch. "My God" the
words broke from him involuntarily as
he realized that the last train was
gone 1t was no earthly use hunting
through the pages any more. He
would have to wait until 7:15 next
morning, and all the while the boys in
the street below were calling out
hoarsely, with due appreciation of the
narrowing event: Horrible fire in New
York! Identification of yictims!"
Scarcely thinking what he did he left
his room and began to pace up and
down the long corridor; the gong
sounded for table d'hote, and still he
strobe up and down impatiently
A door opened at the end of a pass
age and woman inside laughed-a
! light. sllvery laugh, and he set his
teeth in his pain as it reminded him
instinctively of Norah.
Why had he not gone to the ball?
He might have saved her life. He
shuddered as he pictured the scene,
and then drew back as a maid came
through the open door and passed
quickly by him with light footstep.
| Sand don't be long, Victorine," said
voice within.