The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-12
THE PASSING OF ELIzAeETH.

The narrow, hot, sitting cOlcerthall
vas filed TO overflowing With the class OF
People who follow in the wake OF the song
and dance girl IL the far west. paving
! lavishly for the entertainment furnished
by 4 weak. unmasical voice singing 70
the accompaniment OF wheezy piano or
discordant fiddle, called by courtesy a
violin. On this occasion the audience COM
% sed mostly OF miners and cowboys.
we're treated 10 a surprise, fer The girl
who sung and danced was both young and
pretty. with less rouge and more natural
charms than any OF her predecessors on
the concert hall stage.
She could sing. too and that withou.
straining her voice into discordance. and
she danced the most difficult fancy dances
with grace and intelligence that showed
cot only superior training, but an artis-
tic conception OF its value And her stage
by-play and side coquetries were as effu-
slve and harmless as those Of a child
The too vivid color OF her yellow hair
as undoubtedly due 10 chemicals, hGt il
vas one strong concession 10 the tastes
OF her audience. She was billed as The
Girl with the Yellow Hair. and tried
faithfully to live UP 10 her reputation
She was singing. with quaint huFnor
that had a serious side 70 IL a popular
travesty, dancing down the rude platform
stage between the lines:
Any old place under my hat
Is home, sweet home. TO me-
As she danced to the edge Of the stage
she stopped singing and for a moment
stood poised motiCniess on the tips of her
slim, well formed feet, her face rigid like
a mask, quick look of teQror in her
eyes. 4 man. roughly dressed. with his
trousers tucked in his bots had Just en-
tered the place. He carried buggy whip
IL MS hand, ana was greeted with cries
OF Sit Down stop finterruptin the
sngin. and thankful for the diversion
o. this criticism, the girl with the yellow
hair started her song anew and sung with
&c much spirit and charm that she was
wildly appauded and danced of the
Stage kissing her hand with inimitaole
grace to her fascinated audience, who
encored her rudely and loudly. only to
be told by the manager that she would
not appear again.
She had retreated 10 the back Of the
hall, to an alcove that served as dress
ing room, where the man who had dis
turbed her singing found her. \ sudden
pallor had settled on her face when she
turned TO meet him.
What brings you here, John Dem
ming?" she asked, with constraint and
Impotence. 4 knew IL you discovered
who l was you would be angry with me
TOY coming TO this observation-disclosures
oh, how could you make it so hard for
me, when I TOO was learning 20 fOrget7"
m not here of my own free win. Rose.
you may feel sure of that When We two
parted we parted for keeps. and 1 haven't
any claim on you. It's someone else.
Elizabeth" gaspea the girl, her lips
whitening; has anything happened TO
Elizabeth? Oh, viii never forgive you,
il this world or the next, if
Come with me. then, if you want TO
sec her alive said the man. lie was
not pUTposely brutal, but his tones were
hard and even-hard as nails. The woman
caught his arm.
Elizabeth dying. my Elizabeth Oh,
God, my punishment has come too soon.
and have worked so hard and lived only
for her. Take me to her at once"
She had caught UP a befioUered hat
with much lace falling in festoons from
the brim, and would have rushed from
the place. but the man stopped her
Not in that rig, Rose, for God 5
sake. Something to cover You from pry-
ing eyes, from Elizabeth. who does not
know. Quick. Isn't this a cloak? Wrap
II round ayou and throw the hood over
your head"
His buggy was at the door and he
swung her into it and drove away. as he
had done so many times in the past when
she had the first right 10 his care. As
they rode rapidly over the four miles
between them and the farmhouse whore
her child lay dying. she had time for a
severe and scourging retrospect She had
never meant te abandon Elizabeth. bat
the law of the state had given the child to
her father and the step she had taken
If ut Of jealousy. foolish enough it was.
too, had become irrevoca BILE John Dem
ming had not been an unkind husband
50 far as words or deeds went. but he be-
lieved that any woman who had a roof
provided TO cover her head and three
meals daily should be happy An absence
Of unkindness was his sole claim to ten
derness. The woman at his side fleeing
through the night could feel the granite
o; his nature in the touch Of his rigid
arm as he drove-he was more like cast
iron than flesh and blood
Even so il was not from that she had
run away. II the two years since she
had not heard from him OF Of him Shs
groaned aloud as she thought OF her
child and the awful renunciation the
which the law had compelled her The
man sitting beside her was no longer her
husband.
Who has cared for Elizabeth she
asked.
a good woman-a nurse. and the child /
was fond of her. but she has always /
wanted YOU. It Is really strange that she ]
can remember. She has asked for YOU
often. but I hoped she would forget and
be happy"
y am not afraid to see her" She even
Strengthened herself proudly. My limo /
cent child viii know her mother has done 1
20 wrong. was driven 20 the step I 1
to ok. People have said no harm Of me. 4
but they talked Of you and Rachel Downs |
Until my heart broke. dare say I was 1
foolish To believe them"
hut when he spoke again It was to MS 4
hi rse; and soon they were at the farm /
house
Go in. he said more gently than he 4
had yet spoken. She is in the south /
bedroom downstairs"
She threw Of her cloak az she passed I
through the narrow entrv and. uumindfal 4
= what she wore. stood b. the bed or /
which little giri lay. trauspareutIy thin /
and wan. reaching UP radiant arms -
his radiant figure az her bedside
Ny beauty mamma nv angel nam
ma, and they were clesped ~ each 9th
y s arms r knew you would core q
axe me away with you-with you nam
"a. You look just like you DO when you
ONE 70 see me every eht. but papa
sid i wasn't YOU As = Elizabeth didn't
know
The nurse. 2 pIeasant-faced. silent rvo-
ran. hovered near. and John Dc-amIng
7oming in, stood AZ TIE head n the bed
With his arms crossed or his breast The !
title girl fixed her dark. snrzen ewes on
ler mothers face. on the aImhus u vel
cw hair. on the despised tawtriness that
ie- father wanted concealed ard 2 hanv-
MS smile broke over her thin features
IS namna-uy beauty mamma she
aid. with q sigh ~ ire1able satisfaction.
md with that sigh the iittIs Elizabeth
rad passed beyond the lines ~ crr-nn {
Jon. John Deunins. FORE e;fing FOR fhs
ro11e1t ere-ythi1g ost that Rose was ths
-otheT Of his dead child h4ld oct alF
III - Har II ~ I'll -------- -