The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-03-02

! stalWart handsome. pinkcheeked boy,
1 with honest blue eyes and a good
/ clean pair of lips. He was seeing life.
! He had money to burn" one of Fan
/ shaws familiars informed the gam
/ bier. He burned it in Fanshaw's fiat.
He came again and again. 1t was
/ soon palpable to all that the copper
/ haired woman had bewitched the boy.
/ He was simply infatuated with her
! beauty and grace. But in vain did he
! try to get speech alone with Mrs.
Fanshaw. The dull, smoldering eyes
of Mrs Fanshaw's husband were ever
upon the pair.
one night Harry Gillette the lamb
! who was slowly but surely being
/ tleeced by the wolves in the little up
| town fiat. slipped a note in Mrs. Fan.
! rhaw's hand. She cast one frightened
| imploring look at her husband VINO
! she well knew. had seen the transac.
| ton. She tucked the note away in the
lace of her corsage and in sheer des-
peration faced the reckoning she
knew was impending.
When the last guest had departed,
Fanshaw, who had lost, and conse
quently was in an ugly mood. turned
savagely on his wife. Give it to me-"
he demanded peremptorily. She
Obeyed.
He read it, and then, lifting his dull,
heavy eyes, said: Men do not write
such notes unless they are encour-
aged"
Dick, I never"
"Of course not. Women never do
Now listen. For this | will squeeze
the very blood out of that fellows
veins. Any one can see that he is mad
about you. Damn him."
He flung the note in her lap. Read
it," he commanded. She read.
Dear Mrs. Fanshaw: You look so
wretched, so unhappy, that it really
makes my heart ache. Is there any
way | can help you? Is Fanshaw as
cruel to you as every one says? Do
let me befriend you. Yours,
Dick" she said bravely, that is
not a love letter. The man is simply
sorry for me. That's the first kind
words have had for years"
We'll, it's the last you'll have for
| years" Fanshaw retorted; 80 every
one says I'm cruel to you. By God, if
! I've the name I'll have the game An.
/ L
his wife shrunk back before the look
In his face Tell your lover that you
are wretched and that your only hap
piness is to see him here every night"
ooh, Dick, | cannot" she moaned.
You will do as ! command you"
Fanshaw replied, his smodering eyes
on hers. How dare you tell me you
cannot?"
Two days after this encounter. Fan
shaw came home looking as genial as
possible for him. He tossed parcel
into his wife's lap as she sat silent
| lonely, brooding. There: take that"
he said, land fix it up and make your
self as pretty as you can when the
boys are here"
She opened the package and re-
pressed a cry of lasure. The silver
brocade fell out. The sheen and
sparkle of the splendid fabric would
have appealed to any woman. Mrs.
Fanshaw was quite touched by her
husbands gift. she rose TO give him
a timid caress, but he pushed her
aside, and, going to a desk in the cor
ner of his den took pack of cards
from an inner drawer.
The woman who was watching him,
grew pale. She had not seen him bring
out that pack for years. She crossed
the room and looked over his shoulder
as he sat there funlbling and studying
them. Dick" sh., cried, what are
you going to do?"
"Do?" he growle, I'm going to do
your friend. J see his finish"
Mrs. Fanshaw turned without a
word and went bat k to her work. But
new light crept in her soft, deep
eyes and resolute lines curled the
corners of her lips
The next night she stood before her
dressing table and regarded her
| beauty with mournful intensity. OF
what avail had it been to her? What
had it brought hel but misery? And
tonight prescie nee of something
terrible lay upon her. a gloom she
could not shake off. With a sigh she
patted her beautiful hair and tried to
| smooth the lines that were beginning
to creep around her red lips-lips
formed for love and kisses, but droop-
ing now in pathetic curves.
The old silver btocade became her
marvelously. she had resurrected a
few yards of cobw ,bby lace, remnant
of former grandeUr. These she had
draped about her perfect shoulders,
rising white as marble from the
filmy meshes. She had no ornaments.
nor did her beauty require them.
When Gillette ca ne in that evening
he gave palpable start as the superb
woman rose to g eet him. He had
never dreamed she was so beautiful.
will you accept these?" he asked,
proffering her hi ge bunch of Parma
violets.
Mrs. Fanshaw took them with de-
light. She inhaled their perfume with
ecstacy. Then she pinned them on her
breast.
Fanshaw watchsd this little scene
with lowering bro VS., but offered no
objection to his wlie's reception of the
flowers. AS he passed from the den
to the sitting room his wife managed
to whisper to Gillette, do not play
tonight. The cards are marked"
Come, Gillette, We are waiting"
Fanshaw called 'ew moments later,
when all the men had taken their
places at the table
ooh, yes-er-th aRks, old man" re-
piled Gillette airily but I'm afraid I'll
have to deny myself the pleasure to-
night. I've got an awful important en-
gagement, and onlJ ran in to see how
you are. Good nj yht. fellows. Good
night, Mrs. Fanshs ""
He had bowed himself from the
room before Fansb aw realized that he
was baked of his prey. His face was
not good to see, as he said coolly, "Oh.
vry well, we'll have to do without him
then"
They were all gone.
Fanshaw turned the key In the door
and faced his wife.
The devil loolzad ont of hic gloomy