The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-10-28

she exclaimed. He nodded and waited
anXiously for her next words. But no
word came from her twitching lips.
only 4 long drawn sign. as she slowly
left the room. Her term OF grace. as
it happened. expired on the day before
her birthday, in honor of which ami
ycrsary there was little festival, as
usual.
On the eve of her birthday she sat
up until midnight reading books of
African travel, and when she went TO
her room hcr face wore a smile which
scarcely seemed justified by the cir
curnstances. Among her numcrou5
birthday gifts We're several from
friends of her father. which had been
selected with a. view to pleasing hfs9
rather than her. They were "oDjcues
of art" remarkably chiefly for oddity,
cXtriiVagant ornamentatOn and coSe-
liness
Welpngs gift was in better taste.
1t was only a bouquet Of flowers. AS
he presented it and offered his con-
gratuations his eye fell upon strange
looking object.
How admirable.' he exclaimed
May I ask what it s?'
"A wall cabinet"
Il should never nave guessed II.
took it for a model of Absaloms tomb,
near Jerusalem. And this picture"'
"What Il question. 1t is my por-
trait
II thought it was the tragic muse,
It is magnificent! The violet hair is
particularly effective. The lips, / sup
pose. would not look so greenish il the
| flesh were not OF that rich orange hue.
| The eyes"
| Herr Won WEEPING. 7 think that aa
an Englismman says. YOU are 'intoNi-
| Gated with the eXuberance Of your own
, verbosity.'
| Not at all. | am calm, unpreJu-
| diced, and quite harmless. See how
| placidly-though with some difficulty
| l. can decipher the inscription on that
blue plush portfolio. Forest Whis-
pers," a fantasy for piano. dedicated
| to 'Fralllein Regina Fiester.' Descrip-
tive music. 7 suppose. | heard piece
of that sort the other day. ! could
not quite make mp any mind whether
il was descriptive of a feline seren'
ade or an attack Of aGue. AfterWarG
| learned that it was entitled An Au-
tumn Sunset"
| uesina's lips curved and stiffened,
| Ike Il bent bow, and discharged this
shuf:;
"IIcrr Won WapinG, the things that
| YOU sncer ut were given me by good
friends. and my father admires them
very much. You are deliberately
| He cut her speech short with his
haEitual saW-likc gesture and said:
PRAY. do not excite yorusclf. Bah!
| In a hundred years"
But she refused to be suppressed. She
rose and faced him like an infuriated
| tieress and poured upon him volley of
wrath. sarcasm and ridicule such as
! he had never heard before. And IL
wasn't so much what she said as the
way she said IT. She ranted, screamed,
! 4eNticulatad. Her cheeks were scarlet,
her eyes blaZed with anger. Her de-
Irilcd pOrtrGit did not look half as inuch
| like the tragic muse as she did. Welp-
| ing Was overwhelmed, stunned by the
| eruption. When he came to his senses
he found himself alone.
! He promptly made his escape thank
| ing heaven that his eyes had been
| opened in time to the true character of
| this human volcano lie wrote to FIes-
| ter, declining the honor of R"Glna'S
hand aud explaining that he was Ill
and was going To Il Sanltarlum. Ihe
| banker did not learn the true state OF
affairs until DE- Roeder and his bride
returned from their wedding journey.
Then Regina throw her arms around his
neck and said:
| Papa, | have a confession to make.
I--how shall say it? Well, | disgust
ed Herr yon WEEPING deliberately, Did
YOU ever hear of Lady Baker, the Wife
| OF the celebrated African explorer she