Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-02-08

the usual crowd was struggling to gel
to its carriage before any one else. The
Auditorium attendant was shouting out
the number of different carriages, and
the carriage doors We're slamming as
the horses were driven rapidly to the
curb, held there impatient by the
drivers who had shivercd long IN the
raw east wind. and then let go to
plunge for a few minutes into the river
of vehicles that tossed under the ele-
waited railway and finally went whirling
off up the avenue.
'.Now, then. 624l" shouted the Au-
ditorium attendant. ''Six hundred and
twenty-fourr" he repeated as there
dashed up to the curb a splendid span
of black horses attached to carriage
having the monogram &c. r. 5. in
gilt letters on the panel OF the door.
Two girls stepped out of the crowd
toward the carriage. The older one had
entered and taken her seat, and the at
terdant was still holding he door open
for the younger, who stood hesitating
on the curb.
'.Come. Felicial What arc you wait
ins for? I shall freeze to Gealhp' called
the voice from the carriage.
The girl outside Of the carriage hast
lily unpinnod bunch of English violets
from her dress and handed them to a
small boy who was standing shiverirg
on the edge of the Sidewalk. almost
under the horses feet. lie tocs them
with lool. OF as!oHislncnt and a
Thank ye, lajiy!" md IL family buried
j very gTimy face III the bunch Of per-
fume. The girl stepped into the car
riage, the door shut with the ircisive
bang peculiar TO well made carriages Of
this sort. and in Il few 11cments the
coachman was speeding the horses rap
idly up one Of the boulevards.
You are always doing some queer
thing or other Felicia, " raid the older
girl as the carriage whirled on past the
great residences already brilliantly
lighted.
cam 1? What have I dono that is
queer now, Rose?' asked tic other,
looking up suddenly and turning her
head toward her sister.
'tOh, giving those violets to that boy !
He looked as if he needed q good hot
supper more than q bunch of yiolets
It's wonder you didn't invite him
home with us. l shouldn't have been
surprised if you had. You are always
doing such queer things, Felicia. -
"Would it be queer to invite boy
like that to come to the house and get
a hot supper?" Felicia asked the ques-
tion softly and almost as if she were
alone.
"Queer isn't just the word. of
course, replied Rose indifferently. "It
would be what Mime. Blanc calls outre
decidedly. Therefore you will please
not invite him or others like him to hot
suppers because l suggested it. Oh,
dear I'm awfully tired. "
She yawned, and Felicia silently
looked out of the window in the door.
1.-THE concert was stupid, and the
violinist was simply a bore. l don't see
how you could sit so still through it
all" Rose exclaimed, little impa-
tiently.
"Iliked the music" answered Felicia
quietly.
"You like anything. l never saw a
girl with SO little critical taste"
Felicia colored slightly, but would
not answer Rose yawned again and
then hummed a fragment Of a popular
song. Then she exclaimed abruptly:
I'm sick of almost everything. |
hope the Shadows of London will be
exciting tonight.
90 The Shadows of Chicagol' muir
INJURED Felicia
The Shadows of Chicagol' The
Shadows of London, the play, the great
drama with its wonderful scenery, the
sensation of New York for two months
You know we have box with the De
lanos tonight"
Felicia turned her face toward her
sister. Her great brown eyes were very
expressive and not altogether free from
sparkle of luminous heat.
''And yet we never weep over the
real thing ON the actual stage of life.
What are the shadows of London on the
stage to the shadows of London or Chi
cago as they really exist? Why don't
we get excited over the facts as they
are?"
Because the actual people are dirty
and disagreeable and it's too much
bother, suppose, replied Rose care
lessly. Felicia, you never can reform
the world. What's the use? We're not
to blame for the poverty and misery
There have always been rich and poor,
and there always will be. We ought tc
be thankful we're rich.
"Suppose Christ had gone on that
principle, " replied Felicia, with un-
usual persistence. ''Do you remember
DR.. Bruce's sermon ON that verse a few
Sundays ago, For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though
he was rich, yet for our sakes he be-
came poor, that We through his poverty
might become richY "
II remember it well enough" said
Rose, with some petulance. ''And
didn't DR.. Bruce go on to say that there
was no blame attached to people who
had wealth if they are kind and give to
the needs of the poor? And 1 am sure
the doctor himself is pretty comfortably
settled. He never gives up his luxuries
just because some people in the city go
hungry. What good would it do if he
didY | tell you. Felicia, there will al
ways be poor and rich in spite of all we
can do. Ever since Rachel has written
about the queer doings in Raymond
you have upset the whole family Peo-
pie can't live at that concert pitch all
the time. You see if Rachel doesn't
give it up soon. It's a great pity she
doesn't come to Chicago and sing in
the Auditorium concerts. heard today
she had received an offer I'm going to
write and urge her to come I'm Just
dying to hear her sing"
Felicia looked out of the window and
was silent. The carriage rolled on past
two blocks of magnificent private resi-
dences and turned into a wide drive
way under a covered passage, and the
sisters hurried into the house 1t was
an elegant mansion of graystone, fur
nished like n palace, every corner of it
warm with the luxury of paintings,
sculpture, art and refinement.
The owner Of it all, Mr. Charles r
sterlng. stood before an open crate tre
a cigar He had made his
money III grain speculation and rail
road ventures and was reputed to he
worth something over two millions
His wife was a sister Of Mrs Winslow
of Raymond. She had been an invalid
for several years. The two girls. Rose