The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-15

on and. having once got upon The ~.
| riod sin -. oi the neaban( she haG N
dinner ,I,, months before for the resi- of ls
scu"tc OF MN across tho man vh0
oetween them Her doing so gave u.
an, an opportunity TO think. and possible ~
lutons or the Question what was 10 hAti-
pen chased one another though his head
Sne niSnt not sec the news III morning.
reading II az by herself in her lcdglngT
is had called on her there, and nhe had
told him how lonely and forlorn she felt
Witnout rat The. Vcnnekers were
almost the only people she knew ia Lon
| she had known as girls now married peo-
! pie In London, for a year or two before
her engagement. Again, she might read
| the news in an evening paper as he had
! done; IL would be better In the morning
| than with the loneliness OF night To follow
| the piow-all alone at night in those dinry
i,oogings. OR some one might have seen
| name ne mad read at any moment during
dinner; then there would be a scene in
/ which he. Dick Templar would be help
| less spectator. Some day she m ght re-
| member how cheerfully she had spent
| the evening laughing and chatting when
her husband lay. dead, and even find out
that he knew all the time Could he tell
her quietly afterward? He could OF course,
| drive home with her; probably she would
expect him 10 do So Should he tell Mrs.
4 Eenneker and ask her to break the news?
! Some people. he knew thought that bad
! news came more gently dribbled out per-
! maps with an accompaniment Of phrases
! importing religious consolation. Hs
! and shivered. Eis train OF thought was
! interrupted by Mrs OBrien speaking to
mouthfuls as she did so. He hoped his
1 face would show nothing for the present.
| DO you think me horribly frivolous
and heartless dining out and enjoying
| myseh9 Do you think / ought TO bo
| gluIn. llke-like your" she asked with .
| sudden grave look IN her eyes. IF I
once gave way to all feel et times I
fought before he got out there, and feel
! i know-that he must come through all
| right now You think the show Is prac-
| tcahy over, don't YOU? Every one says
she laid her hand on his. or II touched
| his perhaps unintentionally and her faco
was :or a moment so drawn and earnest
that he felt no doubt OF the reality OF her
| feeling looking into her eyes and seeing
| for an instant below the surface. Then
me surface closed over again and ripped.
and, before he could answer, Mrs. ven-
! nCker had signa!led and tAe ladies' were
| fiiing out OF the room.
There was no doubt Of the fecllng-n
| doubt of the weight of the blow tina
was going to fall. Still, the touch OF he
! hand ON his had set his pulses throbbing
and he felt that there was a future to
| think OF as we'll as present.
! Speaking OF the matter afterward, Mr..
| Nenneker told his wife that he noticed
at the time that Tenplar punished the
|
not draw him into the conversatios OF
| the other men, he let him alone. The lat-,
I ter part OF this was true. for Dick hard
ly answered coherently when he was
drank three sips. and left the rest stand
| ing in his glass when he rose with the
! others 70 join the ladies.. BY that time
ne had made up his mind thst II was OF no
! ,isa- to ss--l -. hil.-s- "a Ar. XsHneker-
| When they got UP stairs, Mrs. O'Bricn
| was singing IL was an Irish song some
"a al trnfs. FIl
and as the usual aacushlas'' and ''asth.
! ores" u had not been in her retertory
in the old days, and he heard her sa y
that her husband had taught it to her.
when che had finished. and been sarinly
congratulated on her performances. But,
as shs was In the back drawing room,
By the piano with several ladies afoaic
| her ne did not go near her.
WHAT row those chaps make. You
can hear them three streets off! SAID ,tse
other man 10 him. and they stepped O.
, getner onto the balcony outside the draw
I Ing room window Dick assented. ard
! suggested shutting tho window; IT. was
the front drawing room, that faced the
roadway, and some one else was sitting
| down TO the piano, but stin she might
| sBy George. we'll have one!" said Mr..
| Venneker, in the room behind them. Dick
tried to stop him. but was too late. He
| had run downstairs 10 buy one himself,
iretead of ringing the bell and sencing
Mrs. OBrien was coming forward from
! the back drawing rom, standing In a clear
space. What must happen flashed through
Dicks brain; he saw Mrs. Nenncker 100
much surrounded for him to get near
and warn her and get her to help. Mr..
Venneker was on the stairs: he would SEQ
il first. stop, and try To hide the news
paper; then she would snatch IL from him,
and then-he could see her with his
minds eye at full length In her wedding
dress on the psrqust floor, He moved
forward to be near her az Mr.. Venncker
int he -
In his hand and stood glancing through
IL for the latest news
There's no news, SAID clear tram
over her shoulder at her host as she
moved toward his wife, holding out her
hand, TO say good nisht II came here
of my husband is killed, that is all-tier-
aid OBrien.
81 wondered whether he was a rela-
tion." said Mr.. Venneker. his voice shak-
Dick was digging bis nails into the
palms of his hands and his teeth INTO
his lips in the effort to hold himself
my husband Is Captain George
| O'Brien, In the Irish Rifles" said Mrs.
O'Brien in explanation TO a lady near
I her. T'Stupid people used TO mix Gerald
up with him because of the initials. The
cousins names were Gerald Costigan. I
think, and. OF course. the regiments are
quite different. The Rifles weren't In tha {
show at all--it was only a skirmish; and
Pat didn't like Gerald much, | know
At all events, Gerald Ccstigan O'Brien's
fate did not affect his cousins wife.
There was less of indifference in her tono
as she exclaimed catching sight OF Dick =
face, "Mr. Templar. Is anything the mat
ter? Are you illH''
But Dick could stand II no longer. He
is shy, sensitive nan--too much 90 to
give the true explanation to any one.
much less TO every one; and q man who
goes into Mysteries. and is helped from a
crowded drawing room. alternately laugh
ing and crying, on his hosts shoulder
must explain TO n good many II he wants
90 rc-estabiish his reputation. Dick never
tried. and the theory of the port st des-
sert Is accepted now even ~ Mrs.
! O'Brien.--Sketch.