The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-29

acton the stage" So she wrote let ter to Mrs. De Yonge, a flighty young woman, whose husband was in Europe for long visit, and the next evening they sallied forth to the uptown theater to see The Grasshopper." Mrs. De Yonge, learning that Stanley Stone was an old admirer of Mrs. Morrow, had a bouquet sent to him with Clara's card attached to it. The gallant Thespian, who, luckily for the play plotter, was killed off in the third act, was waiting for them at the door when the two la dies came out, and what could be more natural than that Clara and her actor friend and Mrs. Yonge, with an- other man from the company hastily let in, should drive off to Martins for bite and sup?
 Here. amid great laughing and og- ling, the little joke of Mime. De Yonge was explained, though the waiter who was fixing couple of foil-topped bot ties into pail of chopped ice said softly to himself as he heard the talk: Jerusalem, but that's an overworked dodge" It doesn't matter how many times Clara and Stanley met each other that week, nor what he said to her, nor what he might have said If she had encouraged him.
 But when "The Grasshopper" was gone and Stanely was gone with it she felt in her heart that she was sorry more sorry than when her husband left, though she knew that the friend and suitor of her girlhood days could never be more than a friend to her now She recalled with shamed delight Stanley's delicate allusions to the old days. Why. he even remembered her birthday, and said he was sorry that he couldn't re- main in the city to celebrate 1t with her. And so, when her birthday came and the postman brought her a little package, she knew it was from Stan ley. And though she said. How dare he?" and knit her pretty eyebrows into frown. still she fondled the beautiful brooch which, it contained and, putting it in the lace at her throat, looked in the mirror with limpid eyes and smiled melancholy, wistful smile as she said to herself" Poor Stanley! He always was so thoughtful, so generous, so sym
  sort of panic she sat down and wrote him an admonitory letter. warning him against repeating his folly, and sent back the brooch by the very next mail. George arrived unexpectedly the next morning before breakfast, and he was sitting opposite her at the table when the maid brought in the mail. Clara's hand shook as she picked up the envelope dated at Buffalo and slid 1t into her pocket. Stanley Stone was in Buffalo. She knew that because he had asked her to write to him, and the brooch had come from Buffalo. When at her. She blushed furiously and felt like fainting when he said:
 Where's your birthday gift?" What birthday gift?" she almost whispered.
 Why? Didn't you get it? sent you a brooch-but you must have gotten it. You haven't been away, have you?" "N-no," she answered, looking blank and scared. IT believe there was package-maybe didn't open it-Tve been so busy. so many visitors. I'll run upstairs and see if I didn't over look"
 She ran upstairs, locked herself in her room and pulled out Stanley's let ter. Her eyes flew through the lines till she came to this passage: T don't know how to thank you for the beauti- full brooch. Shall keep it as it is a token of your sweet self-or have the diamonds set in 8 small cluster pin for my scarf? 1 don't know what you mean by what you call my folly but if l have given even the slightest hurt to forgive myself" etc.
 "The conceited pup!" she snapped tearing the letter into threads. Then she ran down to the breakfast table and told George that the brooch, his brooch, the birthday present, had never been delivered! Of course it was fib, but what could the poor wife do? Expose her foolish vanity by writing to the actor letter of explanation de- manding the return of the brooch or be- tray her misjudgment of her husband by telling him that he was the last per- son in the world from whom she ex- pected such present?
 "Ill make the postoffice sweat for this." swore the husband.
 But it was Clara who suffered and could not forget even when George | had replaced the jewels and the incl 1 dent was forgotten by all others-John l H. Raftery in the Chicago Record ] Herald