Daily camera., 1901-06-22
trnaehold. rne audience drew Quiet

stronghold. The audience drew quiet
| breaths while the strains of the ex-
quisite prelude sounded. Elinore Will
loughby looked on as one who. seeing,
sees not, and having ears, hears not.
She had not drifted to the opera house
| that day, nor yet had she come to hear
| Carmen" for the twentieth time.
Each motif and action she could an
ticipate, but for her there was no
motive Of any Importance except that
which was the key to her own personal
affair The singers might have been
puppets, might have left the stage, the
audience might have dispersed-and
she would scarcely have taken note of
it. She only saw before her those
scenes which for many days had been
filling her mental vision.
She had come to the opera for free
dom; to think, to decide; to avoid
questioning eyes and jesting voices,
for her world was waiting breathless
to hear the truth. The solitude of her
own room was opprcs cssive-she craved
the aloneness that only crowd can
give. To come to u decision-why
should she? Life was pure pleasure
as it had been-why must it change?
She was possessed with feeling of
profound irritation that all the po-
tentialities of wealth and beauty
which before had shielded her from
every annoyance now ayailed nothing.
Decision could not be bought not put
aside on any preteXt. What should
she do? Which should it be? Pros
and cons presented themselves in
quick succession. Moods as varying as
the colors in bubble claimed her for
their own. What should she do?
In the stage twilight Mercedes and
Frasquita shuifled cards and read their
destinies in clear tones. To Elinorc
the recitative brought only the famil
lar voice of one in her mind-picture;
'Luomo che amared amaro!" c'Him
loved and will love ever'D. Before
Gilmore there stood a form, young and
strong and masterful, with proud
JOY in smile and gesture. There was
moonlight-the dash of waves over the
rocks-a woman's promise given.
I'm amor di Carmen non pua
durar!" c'Carmen's love does not
last'D.
Quickly Ehnores first mind-picture
in it she was central figure against
background of the luXures she loved.
She saw retinue of attendants, thor
oughbred horses, rare jewels, houses
and lands-and beside her small, bent
and insignificant-the master of it all.
With nervous restlessness she changed
her position, feeling that emotion was
oycrmastering the voice of calm rea-
son. The curtain fell on the twilight
scene, the lights flashed high again.
Elinore drew herself up in dignified
erectness as if to defy the weakness
that was enticing her, and spoke with
in herself
ut is right and best. The other
would be madness. l should be un-
hap" but even the thought shrank
back unfinished in the presence of
great truth. Iush.-the first violin
the haunting, thrilling Toreador mu-
sic. Over her nature swept a second
wave of stern resolve. And vet the
eternal feminine still asserted itself.
Resolved-irresolute; firm. undecided
Gilmore paused, for one recapitulat-
ing moment before the irrcvocable
amen Of her choice should be said.
In the adjoining box plainly
gowned woman had entered. was seat
ing herself with the children, beside
golden-haired Agatha. Turning TO her
with a quick scream of JOY. Agatha's
chubby finger slid down the front of
the plain black waist, from one button
to another, while the sweet. shrill
voice rang out: Rich man,-Poor
man!-Oh, auntie, auntie, it's poor
man"
Everyone who saw, and heard, and
understood, smiled; some who had
counted buttons in long gone child
hood, sighed; but the person who sat
alone in No. IL grand tier neither
smiled nor sighed. Turning startled
eyes upon the little fortune teller.
Gilmore Willoughby's resolve gave way
before the sacred featherweight of
omen to which her heart was ready to
respond.
The child Agatha counted buttons,
and by so doing became the uncon-
scious arbiter of destiny.
n>SD,-. n.~-pu