Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-21

made way for me, just as If my coming
had been expected.
The taller of my two captors intro
duced me-SO it seemed to me at the time
without ~arousing in me the least sur
PRISE at his knowing my name, if he gave
IT, or at his not mentioning it, if he did
not. ] thought nothing of all that at
the time. Neither did l think anything
of the names of the two young ladies, al
though l distinctly remember hearing the
words. my sister, in the course of the
ceremony.
What l do remember about tina intro
duction is the impression made upon me
by the girls themselves. One of them
was a decided brunette, with eyes of that
peculiar deep gray which seems to shade
into brown. The other was fairer alto
gether. Both of them-dressed in even
ing costumes which seemed to me to be
chiefly masses of lace, with little dia-
mond chains on their bare shoulders
Were wonderfully graceful. Both smiled
a charming welcome and shook hands
with me.
Now that we have some one to take
poor Sans place." said the girl with the
grey-brown eyes, lets go on with din
ner. | hope everything won't be ruined
by the delay
weight seemed to be lifted from the
shoulders of the whole assembly by my
coming. Conversation-that is, a merry
interchange of chaff and ~laughter~
sprung up as soon as I had been intro
duced to the two sisters. All seemed to
be in the best of good humor, notwith-
standing the mysterious absence of poor
Sam
- In a few minutes a servant announced
dinner, standing, at another pair of fold
ing doors, and drawing back a pair of
portieres which discovered a view of a
prettily decorated dining table.
I was put next to the sister with the
grey-brown eyes at one end of IN IVA
table.
at was very good of you to come" she
said to me, as soon as we had sat down.
I'VE could never nave had our farewell
dinner if you had refused.'
This remark seemed to meet with
general approval. Some of the men said
that the dinner ought to end with a vote
of thanks to me.
Eyes, said the sister at the other end
of the table, smiling bewitchingly at me,
you don't know whose life you may nave
saved"
I'm sure I ought to be very much
pleased to have been able to make myself
useful in such a happy way l said. 1T
only troubles me to think of the occasion
that made it necessary"
ooh, you mustn't worry about poor
Sam said the sister on my left. "We've
simply agreed to give him up. What's
lone can't be undone.'
The dinner went off very merrily. 1
don't know whether 1 ate anything, or
what I ate. What is clearest in my rec
objection is the dessert and the toasts
that went with it.
First, the stocky youth, who was sit
speech. in which he proposed my health.
He said that, considering all the cir
cumstances, the whole thirteen of them
might look upon me as their deliverer, if
not from death, at least from hunger;
for there would have been no dinner if l
had held out in my refusal to come in.
Upon this the whole assembly rose and
then drank my health in
champagne.
Hereupon it seemed proper for me to
make a speech on my own account. 1
was trying to be facetious. 1t cannot be
said that my efforts We're successful.
Since they had been SO Kind as to drink
my health, | said, it was clearly my priv
lege to propose a toast of my own. At
any. such gathering of friends as this, I
always made it a point, l explained, to
see that the absent were not forgotten.
On this occasion l felt myself under a
peculiar obligation to one absent person
friend poor Sam l had only to
regret that I had not the pleasure of
poor Sans" acquaintance. At the same
time / must ask them to fill their glasses
and drink with me to the health of poor
Sam
Nothing could have been worse thar
the reception of this speech, considering
that it was meant to be a funny one.
shall never forget the look on the face
of the girl next to me, and the Mortified,
and at the same time pathetic, look in
her grey-brOWn eyes as l sat down.
See what you've dOne!'she said, touch
ing my arm and pointing to something
behind my chair.
There stood a wOeful figure a young
man of about 20. with brown hair and a
boyish face. But his cheeks We're pale,
his eyes seemed glazed, his lips We're blue.
He stood as if waiting for me to give
him the place l occupied.
What followed was all a blurred i'm
preston. I got out Of the house some
how. And l know that when 1 opened
the street dOor of the building where my
rooms We're, another man who happened
to be coming out, stared at me very hard.
so causing me to be aware hat l was
hatless.
1t was some days before I thought of