The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-02-02
THE LAST ACT
nEAUTENCOUET da

riFILLE BEAUTENCOUET danced |
on The table before 50 OF her dearest |
ii-.ra.. and they drank TO her with
great acclaim.
..t,,,, YOU haven't let US in the secret
,et Finlle.'' said they. What does
III. farewell mean? Is there to be a
.,.e,. SION OF them? Or are you, by
,,..,fiiity. about to be married? You,
MA nave been so obdurate? You who
,.ve refused five millions in your time.
rn.alirr by the aggregate? Come.
yif.e. il is impossible for woman TO
retire when she is making more money
nth her feet than the cleverest make
ut,b their heads, Maybe you have de-
,.ronea a conscience-eh? Is it that
Van are about TO enter convent? Are
You going 10 be penitentlal-In Dlach
,irhtse Tut. Fifille. it is childish of
Nh 10 be saving farewell without Civ
i.a any reason for it," So went the
composite speech of many companions.
Fialle smiled gravely. Then she took
fer Tiny lace handkerchief. and mois-
serinr Bit of il. rubbed at the rouge
On her check. She held up the near
yaained muslin to the contemplation of
her guests.
Il shall never put any paint or my
face again as long as | live said she
but the reason for it you would hard
IL understand. 1t is not remorse. for
have nothing Of which TO repent. save
yenal sins. Of course. And those have
confessed. Ii is not love, for let that
a. bv a long time ago. Ii is not age.
tor. as you see. youth has not yet for
sakcn me-
The diaphanous snowy petticoats
fuitered like humming birds wing.
and about the s,elte body drifted scarf
light and wayward Is morning cloud.
\ Il. who am not suspected Of philos-
uphy. leave the life know for philo-
sophie reasons. ! wish TO observe for
myself how real people live-not mimic
people like ourselves. None of you has
ever discovered il. but rs a matter OF
fact am not stupid. ] do nos propose
% remain here till you pity me. am
not going 10 hear any OF you saying:
Poor old Fiflie,' when ! get too stiff
il The joints for this"
She poised like butterfly on a flower.
and ii seemed AZ if she were about TO
disappear through the beflowered cell
ir- ~ the room.
'Brava. Bravo, Exquisite. Encore"
But the famous dancer bowed some
What sadly. and. excusing herself. she
cttr+.l H.. ronr, f,, N SInrt -irpe When
she reenicred She was clad in 4 severe
brown travelling suit. a plain toque
covered her straight brown hair her
own hair. There was neither red nor
white upon her face which nature had
rs' placed there. In her hand was a
little travelling bag.
-Adieu. adieu.- she cried. She ran
from ore 20 the other. shaking them
By the hand and kissing them. She
vepi. too. and gave little reminders of
o'a times now to this one and now TO
that. Before they could realize IL She
was gone. They never any Of them saw
her again. The never solved the mys-
terry 81 her disappearance. II was a
nine years wonder. IL was n thing 20
weary. noisy meals that ended with the
dawn. But out of the many ruesses
hazarded no one guessed the truth
and il never occurred to anyone TO be.
!ieve what the danscuse had told them.
Up in Maine there is certain coast
town that looks down from bluffs upon
The sea and across sloping meadows e
a II u ~. n.
arr Old and have been worked too long
The wharvcs are rich in old tales. but
ne vessels that tie up ut them now ar,
comparatively few. Everybody knows
every body else. and the people have sc
married and intcrmarried that when :
family party is given IL is difficult Il
avoid inviting the whole village.
into this community there came ons
cay a woman whom nobody knew. In
spite OF the modesty of her bearing ant
me quietness of her attire she had oh
Nously the manner of cities about her
enc bought cottage for herself ant
furnished IL with simplicity. The ladie
VINO called could find no fault with TIL
lew pieces Of china nor with the mod
grafton OF the decorations. Evcrythin,
was IN good taste. Everything be
'okened a comfortable condition of TIL
purse. Nothing spoke OF opulence o
eN'rasagance. At first the callers talke,
oi themselves-thc town. the social life
we old traditions. the historic spots
Ihey were frank and confidential
linen they exacted q return. They en-
oeavored TO probe the mystery of thi
"onan's life and TO find why she ha'
come among them. They were pre-
pared for some concealment. 1t ha
peen agreed on ali hands that the won
an was mystery and was likely TO RI
MAN such. But they met with SUI