Connecticut western news., 1901-01-17

gianced rrnIn rhe lace to the gray hair and back again. He tried to remem- Der all the things he had been saying and blushed deeply.
 Presently Faust was singing his love- The woman in black leaned forward, her lips parted, her fingers uncon- sciously marking the time; then, as the tenor's fervor increased and his tone grew clearer and more vibrant, flush oversprcad her face. AS he ceased she beat her gloved hands together as loud ly as she could.
 A sympathetic look stole into the young mans eyes, and while the wom- an in black was wholly occupied with the stage he whispered softly to Nel- lie: That woman in front of us is Alice Titus. She is Mitchell's wife, md she has been blushing with pleas ure at his singing. They sang lovers together for years, and the company called them the turtledoves."
 Nellie awoke from her dream. She glanced from the woman to the tenor and exclaimed incredulously and loud CT than she knew: "She can't be Faust's wife. Why, she Is grayp
 The lips of the woman in black tight ened, and the young man regretted his indiscretion. He tried to atone for 1t in the church scene by praising the dramatic way Alice Titus had played that, but he knew that the singer un- derstood the situation, and the words stuck In his throat.
 Meanwhile the success of the per formance and of the new singer grew. Before the end was reached the mem- bers of the company had congratulated Miss Evans heartily upon her triumph. The last traces of the girls nervous ness disappeared. She walked as on clouds, and in the final trio she poured forth such flood of voice as she had never known that she possessed. The audience was stirred quite out of the habit of putting on wraps during the last scene. It sat delighted and called out the singers after the final curtain had fallen. The men called "Bravaw loudly, and the recall became an ova- ton. Alice Titus companion leaned forward. waved her handkerchief, cried "Bravaw and did what she could to stimulate the excitement. Somebody cried: Evans! Evansw and Maras- quin led forward the trembling but happy Marguerite.
 Then the audience began to go out, but the woman in black sat still. Her lips were white, and when her com panion rose she did not move. The ofh har fo ond hr1c- fed herself with her wrap. At last the passage to the stage door was cleared, and the woman In black rose heavily and walked slowly toward it.
 She found Faust, still In his stage clothes, outside his dressing room. The woman in black passed in without a word. Faust dismissed his dresser, entered and closed the door. His wife was leaning on the back of a chair, saying. softly: There, darling, don't take 1t so desperately. Think of all the drudgery you escape by being out of the harness"
 She still cried, nestling on his shoul- der. Presently she raised her face, kissed him and said: You're wonder
 
 fully good to me, Fred, but even your tenderness cannot disguise the fact that l am gray. I was told of 1t to- night by chit of girl with pink checks"
 The mans face flushed with anger, and his wife hastened to add: 'She did not mean any harm, dear, and she did not think I could hear. She was sur prised into speaking too loudly when l was pointed out to her as your wife. She could not believe 1t, and I must say" with a rueful glance into the large dressing mirror, that I can't blame her."
 Nonsense, dear! Of course 1t was only the make up."
 "Oh, I know all about that, and know I could look 20 on the stage to- morrow. But for all that I would do every bit of my hard work over again for the youth of that little chit behind me. Time Is more cruel to women than eternity can ever be."-Brooklyn Eagle.