The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-07-15

A Mysterious Guest


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were idly studying the motley mosaic
formed by the masllers dancing to the
witching music of Strass' bow, when
the door of the box was flung open and,
with a sillen frou-frou, three masks en-
tered and greeted us by name. Clio the
Fair, Antonio Chantilly and Susannah
Jackson were as well known in the
world of artists for their beauty as for
their wit. Cantal gave them chairs,
asking with smile: you are playing
truants to the ball?"
Suddenly we caught sight of you'll
cried Antonio; 1--WE will have supper to-
,gether, if you've nothing better on
foot"
"Well and good!" said Cantal, turn
ing to me; 81 will engage the red din
ing-room at once, if you are all agreed"
In the midst of his last words my eye
was caught by the face of man of IS
in the box opposite; he had an oriental
pallor. Lowering his opera glass he
bowed to me. After moments thought
/ remembered he had rendered me a
trifling service, such as custom permits
between fellow-travelers-in
about certain brand of cigars, ii re-
member rightly returned his bow.
had hardly reached the foyer when the
stranger approached me. Recalling his
courtesy in Germany, could do no less
than invite him to join us, If he was
a h,,lN l,,rIN
''And whom shall have the honor OF
presenting to our merry party|' l
asked, smiling, when he had accepted.
Baron Won H." he said. But, in
view of the indulgence of the ladies, the
difficulties of pronunciation, and the
carnival season, let me assume, for an
hour, another name, no matter what
with a laugh-"Blron Saturn, if you
like"
This caprice surprised me slightly,
but | fell in with his fancy, and an
nounced him formally under the my
theological title he had hit upon. His
fantastic appellation was received with
favor; Clio insisted he was king from
the Thousand and One Nights" trav-
seling incog.
After the preliminary compliments,
;Susannah jackson, between two ire
.sistible yawns, asked: Twill the baron
join us at supper, for the sake of SYM
metry?"
Il am very sorry to refuse" said the
stranger. unfortunately a circum-
stance of capital Importance will call
me away in few hours"
"A make-believe duel?" said Clio, with
"a pout.
mo, madame; rencontre, since you
have deigned to consult me-"
bah; mere trihe; not worth cross
ing swords over, you may be sure;
words exchanged at an opera ball don't
count; you are a stranger, that's plain
1y to be seen"
"Quote tvue, madame; l am some
what of stranger everywhere" the
baron replied, with bow.
"Allons! Do you get people to coax
your"
every seldom, assure you'll" the old
fellow replied, both CALAMITY and
equivocally. Cantal and | exchanged
,glances; what was he driving at? II
might turn out amusing, in any case.
Like child who insists on having
what is refused to it, Antonio seized his
arm, exclaiming: "You belong to us til
dawn"
He surrendered; we left the opera
So here we were with the prospect be-
fore us of several hours relative in.
timacy with a man of whom we knew
absolutely nothing, except that he hat
played at the Wiesbaden Casino and
studied Havana cigars.
Leaning back in the carriage, Clio
called to the footman: 'To the Maisor
Doree!" The foreigners heavy car
riage was rolling after ours. Antonio
better known under her romantic non
de guerre, "Yseult," had accepted hi.
mysterious escort.
Installed in the red dining-room
Joseph received strict orders not to lie
I'm a single living being, except tn,
Ostend oysters-and our illustriou!
friend, the fantastic little DR.. Floriar
les Eglisottes, if by chance he should
come for his proverbial ecrevisse.
A great log rolled in the fireplace
The air was heavy with the scent O
furs and winter flowers. Wine stood
chilling in silver coolers. Bunches o
camellias trembled on their wire stems
in crystal vases. Outside dense snow
mingled with rain fell, and we caugh
"a muffied sound of carriages.
During the sparkling sallies of tn,
supper, gave myself up to my innocen
mania of observation; was not Tong il
discovering that the Saxon baron wa
worthy of study. Our chance guest wa
mot wildly hilarious, that was certain
Ills features and his bearing were no
lacking in the conventional distinction
that is passport to society; his accen
was not disagreeable as with most for
eigners. Strangely enough it was hi
pallor that was against him; from tim
to time he turned chalky, ghastl,
white. His lips were as thin as lin
drawn by paint brush; his eyebrow
met in perpetual frown.
An hour winged by, freighted witt
testing. confessions. and laughin,
words; smiles and diamonds flashed
the magic of the deep mirrors reflected
in an infnitude of blue distance ever,