Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-07-07
ny A. Constance smediey.

The piano lid fell with crash that
set the strings vibrating. but the play
er did not move; she only laid her pref
ty head upon her arms and sat there
quite silently.
Mr.. Hitler gave a fretful little move
ment, and knocked his pipe against the
mantlepiece was really very tire
some of her to be so unreasonable. She
might have guessed how badly his head
was aching. He was run down, out of
sorts; the piano had been jangling the
long, hot afternoon, and she played
such trash. Two hours Of THE Geisha, ;"
and now valse-music. What did that
valse-tune remind him Of? Why, sure
ly they used to play it at the little
continental town where he had met
Stella first.
Mr.. Hitler closed his eyes; his
thoughts flew back to that past which
was so near and seemed so far away. He
had gone abroad fresh from a most sue
cessful London season. BY some lucky
accident he had CHANGED to rouse the
public from their usual attitude of po-
lite Indifference. People talked of him
ecstastic girls bought photographs.
Stella's people were slightly musical
and ultra-smart. and they made much
of Mr.. Hitler. He was soon one OF the
central figures in the set in which they
moved. A lion is a useful property, es-
pecially when Of decent family and
charming bearing. Stella's people
Haunted him with pride.
He allowed himself TO be lionized with
such unworted patience that 1t was
strange they did not guess the reason
Of his meek submission. lie drove,
rode and dined with them, turned
cold shoulder on the great ladies who
would have petted him, and all because
he had fallen head over heels in love
with their pretty daughter.
A half smile crossed his lips for a
second at the thought of their horror
when they discovered that he loved
Stella She had been one of the enthu-
siasms OF the season; even now, in this
out of-the-way spa, dozen eligibles
followed in her train. And instead, she
chose to ruin her young life upon the
very threshold Of fulfillment. Blindly,
selfishly, she elected to marry no.
body, man with neither rank nor for
tune-worse, fiddler fellow, a sort of
mountebank.
Mo- Theirs had scarcely been an idyl-
lie courtship. The memory of her moth
er's openly expressed disgust-+or worse,
the contemptuous Indifference Of her
masculine RELATIONSHIPS still keen
keen enough to throw shadow on the
boyish face and cast a disconnected
light within his eyes.
The charm which had served him so
well in society stood in good stead with
the impressionable girl he sought to
WOO. He believed in his luck" and
his luck now gave him what he asked,
for Stella yielded, as all the world had
done, to his winning personality, his SUI
preme confidence in himself and in his
love.
Then came that last night of all,
when he had begged her to break away
from all this calling deceit and secrecy,
to throw over everything and marry
him. Should he ever forget that night?
What plans they made, what golden
plans, three months ago? Only three
months ago!
Mr. Hitler put down his pipe impa-
tiently; it did not draw properly; it
was too hot; he would take another.
Perhaps the little figure with its head
bowed over the piano had something to
forehead, for his hand stayed on it's
way to the pipe rack, and he turned I'M
easily in his chair.
Not so very long ago he would have
been at her side in a moment, with his
arms about her, a thousand endearing
expressions on his lips, but in the last
few weeks things had changed little.
Now Mr.. Hitler had been taken up
by various people ever since he came
with his fiddle to take the world by
storm; and he had been so lionized and
petted, he had become just little ego
tistical, and though he worshipped Stel-
la with his whole heart and soul, still,
when one has never been expected to
think of any one but oneself, it is very
hard to get rid entirely of the habit.
He had been as considerable OF his
girl-wife as any man could be, but these
last few weeks a growing lassitude had
come over him. The old nervous head
aches threatened to return, and he felt
tired and - and curiously depressed.
There was a reason for mis- WEAKNESS,
though he would not admit it-a haunt
ing doubt that struggled to he heard
again and again. A man OF sanguine
disposition, he had put his foot down
firmly on all disquieting fears that
might throw shadow on his happiness,
nevertheless, they returned to harass
him and prey on him.
He wondered sometimes if the bright
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