The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-10-18
8 elect gtorp.
THE YELLOW DOMINO.
Katharine lyman in New York News.

When the scheme was mooted to me,
my first thought was that, unseen myself,
I should see Eleanora, so was eager for it.
The others thought on the madcap prank
it was, and that their empty paunches
should soon be filled with King meat and
/ drink. And for this last | do not blame
them, seeing that the gentlemen of the
Irish regiment more often than not went
supperless to bed, since glory was more
plentiful in the French King service than
louis or; and arrears of pay seem likely
but to grow greater.
Terrence d Esterre held hat for the
money, and we each cast in what we coulds
he who had been lucky of late at the gam
ing table more, he who had lost less. We
kept no count of the sums, but, in the end,
we had enough to pay for one ticket OF adj
mission to the great Mask, and for yell
low domino
The thing that gave us our opportunity
was that that night the gentlemen of the
Irish regiment were on guard at the palace
The Mask was given for charity by the
Queen wishes; hence it was called the
Queens Mask, and all of fashion, of beau
ty, and wealth in the capital would pay
for it's admittance, and so swell the Golfers
of St. Vincent de Paul.
While my comrades laughed and joked
about me, I thought upon the last time |
had seen Eleanora, when she and | had
litten down from our horses in the Vale of
Arlo, and, while the beasts cropped the
sward near us, | had taken her into my
arms and her golden head had lain upon
nv heart. remember how the blackbird
sang, and the smell of the whitehorn all in
bloom close by that it seemed to intoxicate
me with ecstasy.
At that time there was nothing strange
in Sir Maurice Desmond lifting his eyes to
Lord Lahinch's 5 daughter. Why, we had
been brought up in neighboring houses,
and our families had always been friends
and allies. IF the money dwindled at
Bunclody while Lahinch fattened, that was
but the fault of the troublous times, for |
gave with both hands, as my father gave
before me, to the cause of King James and
his son. Whereas Lord Lahinch waited
to see who should be the winner before he
flung up his cap for the Dutehman or the
Stuart. [ have marveled often upon how
Eleanora came to be his daughter.
When we brought our tale to Lord
Lahinch, the first shadow of trouble fell
upon our love.
"What, Sir Maurice" he said, take
wife when Sarsfeld has need of soldiers
| am an old man, not fighter, and | can
protect my girl When the blood and fire
of war burns the country up, only an old
man like myself, who am out of the fight
and have stout castle to boot, can pro-
tect women. When King James is on
the throne again, it will be time to talk of
marriage.
The old fox proved better than his word,
for though he conveyed his daughter and
his money bags privily from the country
before the war broke out and deposited
them at the French court, where he had
kins- woman high in favor with the Queen,
vet he returned and held Lahinch castle
for King james against King William, and
had his head blown off by cannon ball,
for which | forgave him many things, be-
lieving that he was an honest man at last.
As for me, when it was over | was the
poorest man between the four seas of Ire
land, for my house was in ashes, my land
seized and sequestrated, and | had lost
Eleanora. Rumor had it that she was a
great heiress and bethrothed to the son of
the Due de Picardy But she could not
be further from me though she were we'd
ded, and so | said of her to myself, yet
could not keep from being light headed
with joy when we came home from the
Low Countries to Paris, and all because
might by chance happen to see the Lady
Eleanora.
We gentlemen of the Palace Guard
were chosen for our height and size [,
Maurice Desmond, am six-foot four. and |
lean as hound. Hardships had hold on
me as as well as love- But | was not the
greatest of the troop. There was Andrew
MacManus two inches greater, and Laur-
ence Mcguire an inch. That night the
Yellow Domino was higher than any gen
tlenan at the Mask, and it was not likely |
he should pass unnoticed
1t was matter of honor with us that
we should eat and drink as fast as might
be, seeing that there were 30 hungry gen
tlemen to be fed before morning broke. |
We cast lots for the order of precedence,
and, as it chanced, | came to be the last |
fall, wherefore Luke Monroe clapped me
on the shoulder and congratulated me that
was not likely to have an Indigestion from
too speedy feeding, if ran the risk of
getting no supper at ALL
Iwould have bartered many suppers to
catch but one sight of Eleanora, where.
fore 1t chafted me that my lot should have
been cast last. Nor could | ask any to
change with me, seeing that all were so
hungry, and had not known what it was
to have as full meal as this was like to be
for many year, if, indeed, they had it
ever; for it is not every day that plain
gentleman is cooked for by NJ. Paul, the
Kings chef de cuisine.
The first cook had erowed before the
ticket was thrust in nv hand and the Vel