Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-06-16

Wilmot paused at the edge OF the
Steps, ~ostensibly to light a cigar. but
really to avoid walking down the ave-
nue. with Ziegfeld, who had come out
of the house at the same time Both
the young men had been calling upon
Miss Corey. They had arrived stimuli
~taneously. had spent a half hour I'M
comfortably IN the drawing o and
had gone together. though neither Of
| them knew how that had happened.
| Ziegfeld turned as the match Jared up
and drew a cigar from his pocket, but
Wilmont calmly kindled- his own Ha-
vania, threw down the burned match
and started off fbriskly without having
spoken a word. Ziegfeld elevated bis
shoulders and made a peculiar gesture
with his hands spread out and the
| palms to the front, astif dismissing q
subject. Then he strolled up to the
fcorner, glanced at his watch under the
| electric light there, crossed the way
| and walked down upon the other side.
There was a gusty wind, and it lift
ed the high hat off Wilmont's head,
but he caught it in his hand just as it
was beginning to soar and set 1t back
firmly. 1t felt unsteady. and he be-
came aware of something under the in
Side band. This proved to be a bit OF
dainty writing paper, folded and upon
| opening it Wilmont read:
Come back after that animal has gone.
I have something important to say.
1t was Miss Corey's hand, and the
message was very welcome. Wilmont
was rejoiced that she should call Zieg-
field an animal; she had always seemed
to like him. This was the first intima-'
tion that she knew what he really was.
AS to that, it had lain upon Wilmont's
| conscience that he had not told the
girl more about Ziegfeld, whom he be-
lieved to be a. cad of the worst descrip-
tion-a scheming, spying, underhand
rascal. ats
He put the note into ais waistcoat
pocket and was about to replace the
hat, which meanwhile he had held in
his hand, when he suddenly became
aware that it was not his. 1t was from
the same maker, but it was a different
hat-Ziegfeld's, certainly!
Wilmont felt the blood rush to his
head and sing in his ears. If the hat
were Ziegfeld's, whose must the note
be? And who was meant by that
animal?"
The thing was monstrous; common
sense told him so at once. 1t must be
that Grace had made a mistake in the
hats. He could not be tricked into
misery by so simple a device Of fate.
Only in comedies of the stage do fool
ish men rush to such. insane conclu-
sions. st ~s4
She scrubbed that note" said he,
when she went to get the cards for
the kids referring to Miss Corey's
little brother and sister. "She got the
cards out of the desk, and then she
went out into the hall and told the
children that they could have small Ia
BILE to play upon. My hat and gloves
were on that table, and she knew it.
She knew that Ziegfeld's hat was hang
ing on that old fashioned thing by the
door. She couldn't have been mistak-
en-"
Wilmont wiped his forehead, which
seemed to him to he steaming in the
frosty air.
'1Her brother Bobby" he continued,
took my things and put them with
Ziegfeld's, but Grace did not go near
them after that. The only chance
she had fixed that note was while the
two hats were separate, and, by lingo,
1 remember her standing by the door
and telling Bobby where to put my
things. She said, Mr.. Wilmont's.'
Can it be a case of 'enfant terrible?'
No, for I had my eye on Bobby. l
could see him through the doorway.
he didn't touch Ziegeld's hat. But
Grace might have done so-must have,
in fact. BY heaven. this is terrible
He adjusted Ziegfeld's hat upon his
| head, though in a calmer moment he
would not have endured its touching
| him, and strobe back toward the house.
He had not a very clear idea what he
| should do there, but 1t must be an act
| Of refined and gentlemanly desperation
| with an epigram or W in 1t.
Before he had taken man, steps he
perceived Ziegfeld. who was upon h
| opposite side of the avenue in conver-
| sation with two me whom he had met
in front Of a club As Wilmont's eye
was on him, Ziegfeld turned away and
started UP the avenue.
"He is going back to her house"
muttered Wilmont
But why should he do that? He
could not have read the message. Yet