The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-04
The la st Act.


Fiflle Beautenconrt danced on the Ia
bic before fifty =efss her dearest friends.
and they drank to her with great ac-
| claim.
But you haven't let US in the secret
| yet, Fifille,'' said they What does this
! farewell mean? Is there TO be success
| sion of them? Or are you. lby possi-
| biiity. about to be married? You, who
have refused five millions in your time.
] speaking by the aggregate? Come. Fl
| file il is impossible for woman 10 re-
tire when she is making more money
| with her feet than the eieverest make
with their headsl Maybe you have de-
| veloped a eonscience-eh? Is it that you
| are about to Snter a convent? Are You
| going 20 be penitential-in black tights2
i Tut! Fiflle, il is childish Of you 10 be
| SAYING farewell without giving any trea-
son for it, So went the composite
| speech of many companions.
F'ifilie smiled graveiy Then she TOOK
her tiny lace handkerchief and moisten-
| ing a bit OF il rubbed at the rouge on
! her cheek. She held up the ineahnadined
muslin to the contemplation Of her guests.
| Il shall never put amy paint on my
/ face again as long as 1 i've said she.
| But the reason for it you would haro-
| " understand. It is not remorse, for /
| have nothing of which to repent. save
venal sins, of course. And those nave
| confessed. 1t is not love, Tor l ret tna'
! go by a long time ago. 1t is not age lot
as you see, youth has not yet forsakeh
] me-"
| The diaphanous snowy petticoats Hut
| tered like a humming birds wing, and
about the svelte body drifted a scarf
| light and Maynard as morning cloud.
IT, who am not suspected OF phllosophy'
leave the life I know for philosophic rea-
| sons | wish to observe for myself how
real people live-not mimic people like
ourselves. None Of you has ever discov-
cred it, but as a matter Of fact am
not stupid. 1 do not propose to remain
| here till you pity me. l am not going to
hear any of you saying: Poor old FL
| file when 1 get too stiff in the joints
| for this
She poised like a butterfly on a flower,
and it seemed as if she were about to
| disappear through the beflowered ceiling
| of the room.
Bravo! Brava.S Exquisite, Encore"
But the famous dancer bowed somewhat
sadly. and. excusing herself, she quilted
| the room for a short time. When she re-
entered she was clad in severe brown
travelling suit. A plain toque covered her
| straight. brown hair-her own hair. There
was neither red nor white upon her face
her hand was little travelling bag
''Adieu. adicu," she cried She ran from
one to the other, shaking them by the
hand and kissing them. She wept, too,
and gave little reminders of old times
now TO this one and now TO that. Before
they could realize it she was gone. They
never any Of them saw her again They
never solved the mystery of her disap-
peafance 1t was a nine years wonder.
1t was a thing to talk about at mututinal
suppers-those weary, noisy meals that
/ ended with the dawn But out of the
many guesses haZdrded NJ one guessed
the truth-and it never occurred to any
one TO believe what the danseuse had tod
them.
Up in Maine there is a certain coast
town that looks down from bluffs upon
the sea and across sloping meadows to a
wide and hayward river. The fields are
old and have been worked too long The
wharves are rich in old tales, but the
vessels that tie up at them now are COM
paratively few. Everybody knows every
body else, and the people have so mar
ried and intermarried that when a family
party is given it is difficult to avoid in
viting the whole village.
Into this community there came one
day woman whom nobody knew In
spite of the mOdesty of her bearing and
the quietness of her attire she had obvi-
ously the manner of cities about her She
bought cottage for herself and furnish
ed it with simplicity. The ladies who
called could find no fault with the-sfew
pieces of china, nor with the moderation
of the decorations. Everything was in
good taste. Everything betokened a COM
Portable condition of the purse Nothing
spoke of opulence or extravaganza At
first the callers talked Of themselves-the
town, the social life. the old traditions
the historic spots They were frank and
confidential. Then obey exacted a return.
They endeavored to probe the mystery of
this womans life and to find why she
had come among them. They were pre-
pared for some cOncealment 1t had been
agreed on all hands that the woman was
a mystery and was likely to remain such.
But they met with d surprise. There was
no concealment. The premiere dauseuse
told them her story from beginning ito
end and made them sympathize with it,
too
There was. indeed, a covert envy in the
attitude of some Of these women toward
her. The easy manners, the charming adj
dress, the inimitabe grace of movement
they had never seen the like and they
coveted the lady these possessions. 1t
would not be true to say that they felt
Il
deep interest in her; she fascinated every
one she met, that had been her custom
from time immemorial. Ii had, in fact.
been her profession. But the good ladies
waited with some apprehension for the
time when the dancer would give them
a disagreeabie surprise. She was sure.
they felt TO outrage the conventions
some time They were not prepared to
say that they would blame ther; it was
a thing 10 be expected.
But the months went by quietly. Fiflle
Beautercourt went her way without un-
toward demonstrations of any sort. Sun
day morning, garmented in black. she
knelt at early mass at the church upon
the hul-the church with the holy cross
upon its steep}e She invited neighb5rs
to dine with her on that day and walked
abroad in the afternoon with little chill
dren. or read by her pine fire, or beneath
the shade Of her yeranda Weekdays
she arose early, directed her small do
nestle affairs and then busted herself
vita the unpreteutious charities she had
started. One was small day nursery for
the children Of the women who worked
il the FISH paoking-houses. Another Was
home for the widows Of sailors. Anoth-
or was a circulating public hbrary-an
enterprise OF which the community
thought so we'll that 1t presently gave
her its assistance 'She had calls 10 make
too. She soon accumulated number %
friends ard she interested herself close
y IN their doings. She had a genius Tor
remembering birthdays. and lost 30 OPP
portuHity Of making a fiesta Particu-
larry when the boys and girls were heEse
from school at tne holidays old she nlaEe
merry The town had never had SO many
Eayegies-hai nes-eT enjoyed Itself -
much. IN fact. much talent was discover
81 among those WHO had hitbcre9 been
looked upon as commonplace Il appear
ed to De Fihfe Beauteuconrt's especial