The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-11-13

There she was on the front page, photo.
gravured to the life. Rare and radiant
she looked to us poor devils socially
starving under the north star. A Til.
nook squaw from St. Michaels with her
hair done up in beads and fish oil would
have soothed our eyesight. Imagine
the effect thisravishing vision produced
upon our esthetic sensibilities, as we
tackled her up on the wall and wor-
shipped. The golden calf of the Israeli
ties was nothing by comparison.
"Dear me! All this masculine
splutter over a mere picture?' And
such is the divine perversity Of the sex
that she seemed vaguely disappointed.
"Sure. But such a picture! 1t grew
upon us as Botticelli Madonna is i'd
to permeate your very being if you
only look at it long enough. At least
that was the way I came to feel
"Yes??" Miss Lamar's lip curled; for
1ittle-as she professrd to care for man
in the abstract it did not seem right
that man AS an individual should waste
his alteration ora picture. while the
real article abou hded in other parts OF
the globe.
YES" he blandly continued, 81 was
the seventh man, you know. That is,
came info our mess as number seren,
which, being considered n lucky nu-
neral say" he suddenly sat bolt
upright. Are you at all snpersti-
tious?"
"Of course. 7 am" She shuddered
sympathct;cally. "lf yod had been
No. 10 now"
81 think / should ve-xiven up
right there; but being the seventh
man. said to myself. ! will find
the original of this picture some fine
day"
"Aha!" with chilling accent, as if
TO show that her interest in the
Belle of Bear City would relapse in
to indifference If that aggravating
creature pushed herself beyond the
photogravnre stage OF existence.
Il kept on saying it all winter"
continued Sterling, abstractedly.
Later on. when we struck it rich
and the others forgot, would go up
to her ladyship, after a wash and
brusl-up, and repeat my vow. Then
the boys would satirically intimate e
that our belle had made at least one
permanent mash"
As Sterling enthnsed himself over
his words. Miss Lamar became iron
i'nlly skeptical.
This is good enough for a play.
We must consult Fitch" Fitch was
her manager. "Rut when luck
evinced itself in more solid way by
making you suddenly rich, 7 suppose
her ladyship had to take n gallery
seat
son the contrary. she became my
bright particular more than ever.
] had named my claim Bear City
Bellies, No. - How the boys did
laugh. But when ! began to sluice
out ten dollars to the pan, they said
No. : was all right, and that the
Belle was no nirt-"
Here Sterling, with a side glance
at the actress, meditatively added:
81 have often wondered if they
were right"
81 suppose you found that ont long
ago, ifthcre was an original to that
photo--or was it newspaper? They
print anyone's picture nowadays;
literally anyonc's. 1t is rather dis
tinrtion to be let alone. Mine, you
ask? Look on the news stands.
Such caricatures!"
"Such divinities!" he interrupted,
eagerly. 81 loved your picture long
before ] saw you over the footlights.
Then 7 made myself known"
by prosecuting poor Fitch until
he had to do something to rid him
self Of you.'
"And now--am ] not your slave?
Dear Gertrude, If may call you so:
have you not guessed my riddle?
Where are your munitions? You
know love yon deeply, devotedly-'
"Alas! Poor Belle of Bear City!"
She raised her arms in n mock tras
ic gesture. 'lIas the magic seven
failed her, who brought luck TO you?
Oh. fnithless swami
He saw that she was not dis
pleased. though il seemed likely that
she had guessed but half his riddle.
Rising. he made sudden dash
through the open window Of II room
near where they sat On the summer
i,1 ,,;n 1,k al 81,
instantly, holding out n battered
looking newspaper print, framed in
costly ebony. with an inscription, in
Sterling's script beneath, on which
Miss Lamar studiously fixed her
eyes, while the faint rose tint on her
cheeks deepened into delicate
glow.
"rhe Original Belle of Bear City"
she read nlond. "God bless her!
Where shall 7 find hero"
When their eyes met again. Ster-
ling realized that she had guessed
the other half of his riddle.
"Where shall find her?" he
echoed. T want to tell her am not
fathless. but faithful always
"Herc," said Miss Lamar. adding
to her blush an even more convinc-
ing smile, ns she resigned both
hands to his eager clasp.
"Foolish boy! You might have
told me weeks ago"
"Old Omar Khayyam understood my
feelings" returned Sterling. Listen
to the Persian sage:
"'Those whom with love we worship
In loYs-Xnalso fear"
Gods FatherhoOd.
Now and again the idea Of Gods