The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
BEHIND A CURTAIN.

shine and blue window boxes.
Half way down a carriage intensified
the dry whiteness Of the pavements
and roads by it's cleaning blackness.
The straight-featured footman stood
near the carriage door. with black
and white legs stifiy posed, and eyes
gazing forward with the regulation
want of expression. He conversed
with the coachman In subdued and
wary tones.
"Pretty looking girl at Number
Eight"
Coachman rolled his eyes to the left
corner of his eyesockets, and perceived
at Number Eight a bright young face.
half yelled behind the draperies Of the
drawing-room window.
"She's just out" remarked the foot
man.
Here comes the fellow who's most
gone on her"
A gentleman walked alertly up to
| Number Eight unconscious Of the scru-
| tiny Of the liveried critics, saw the
face at. the window vanish suddenly,
| and smiled to himself as he rung the
| bell.
He went upstairs repeating audibly
| the little sentences of deity hidden
| sweetness and wooing he had prepared
to say to her. She was very young, OF
enticjng shyness and varisbleness. yet
| he was almost sure she loved him. He
meant to- utter his carefully arranged
| phrases cautiously. and. II a propitious
moment or mood appeared, to make his
| proposal.
The door was opened, he was an
nounced and went forward eagerly to
greet-her sister, and the latest novel
ty in five o'clock tea sets.
He mumbled a disconnected reply to
the sister chaperone's remarks, and
gazed searchingiy about the room. Oh,
for an eye of cathode ray power to e
whittier she had flown!
"What a delightful day!" said the
lady. London sunshine is the finest
in the world; 1t is SO beautiful to see
its effect on the ordinary every day
dimness and dullness. Like all fine
things It's value Is heightened by its
scarcity"
eyes, fearfully hot. The sun Is
binding" be observed abstractedly.
Hang the sun! What has she run away
for? Were all those bushes and shy
looks merely the result of timidity and
self-consciousness? He could swear
he saw her pretty face and shoulders
ut the window as he came up the
steps.
zone lump, please" he murmured.
"Did you enjoy yourself at Lady
Cardby's dancer"
"As much as the chaperone may"
answered the young dame, with an
ancient air that sat bewitchingly upon
her coquettish fairness. "A sister late
ly brought out Is a great responsible
ty. Besides, the buds detract from
the Blossoms"
"You. are youthful enough to rank
with the buds" he smiled with a sud-
den CLEAN of sanity and gallantry.
SIS Miss Maydey quite well7"
Every well. thank you. In fact she
Is a little too brisk and lively for my
nerves sometimes"
Really? Now I thought her the
quietest, demurest OF little maids-if
/ may be permitted to express any
thought about so charming a young
lady"
He spoke with an affected lightness
that was more intense than the great
est ~earnestness. Evidently the sister
understood his case. She turned her
beautifully dressed head aside for an
instant, and her mouth quivered with
suppressed mirth.
"Ah, that is her society manner, anu
viii depart when she has seen q season
or two" she affirmed. "When we are
alone, I assure you, she is the most
provoking, teasing, laughing, mischiev-
GUS child you could possibly find. She
has no reverence for my dignity or my
toilets. Yesterday she burst In upon
me with the avowed intention OF max
Ing me gigglel'"
He was listening with attentive ears
the ears OF a lover to whom any and
everything concerning his mistress is
Of more importance than the total In
Simultaneous Disappearance of a great
nation or the collapse of all the thrones
of Europe. Suddenly he saw the vel
vet curtain-which draped one side of
the fower-filled fireplace, at which he
was looking-quiver strangely. Scarce
~ a breath of wind came In through
the open windows, and the CRATE was
blocked entirely by a sheet OF painted
looking glass. Moreover, the curtain
IN the other side hung more fiatly
and closely than its q~uivering fellow,
which bulged out here and there In a
manner unknown to artistic upholst-
erers.
A suspicion flashed through his
dazed brain. He sat up with renewed
energy and said:
"You + describing a very charm
Ing character. / am half In love with
your description OF q girlish life and
waywardness."
He paused and saw the curtain give
a quick. wavering. tremulous convul-
sion to its folds. which instantly be-
came still again as he continued:
do you think 1t worth a mans
while to try to exist with half a
hearth"
Really" said the lady, Il am not
q specialist In diseases of the heart"
"But," he pleaded, 'syou hare brok-
en- % many to heal one that your ex-
perlence must be OF value, and your