Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-09

l tened With silver cha1nS. Some Of these clung tenaciously to the women's shoulders, darting with lightning-like rapidity their extensile, club-shaped tongues half out of their hideous bod ies. Ericson shuddered with disgust ct the sight, and turning, strode from she room.
 He paced up and down a deserted veranda for Is or 20 minutes, after wards standing quietly near an open window where he could watch his op- portunity to join Mrs Mainwaring. In a little while it came. He saw her speak to debutante in pink, and then move off aimlessly in the direction of | vacant corridor.
 'tYou look warm," he said, going up to her, suppose we walk outside" When they had stepped out on the piazza he turned to her with an odd light in his eyes, and drew her arm in 1 his.
 Do you know" he said quickly, "one thing has given me inexpressible pleas ure tonight"
 And that is?"
 "That you are not in there-one of them, those women with the loath- some little things chngingnto their oosoms and shoulders. It's utterly nauseating. How can refined women stoop to such as that?" Mrs. Mainwaring laughed in an ir- scrutable fashion and said nothing. l Then presently: "Itdoes seem absurd 7 l she admitted in curious voice, half sober, half alf-contemptuous.
 T could never marry woman who lowered herself to such things" he 1 said musingly #--' 9s' ..''ai'itA Mrs. Mainwaring offered no protest, and Ericsson went on in different tone. Speaking of marriage" he said, flush ing under cover of the dark, "that is a ! change which has come to you since" Come and gone she interposed, in low voice, my husband has been dead three years" Ericsson gazed at her incredulously, tremulously--with a reathless heart beat. Under the impulse of this great, new joy, he bent suddenly toward her; then controlled himself and said, quite carelessly, that he had not heard.
 "Mr. Mainwaring was very much old- CT than I, pursued, presently. "Ne never were congenial; he was nearly always occupied with his business, and I-well, quite inadvertently drifted into this life"
 Ericson was regarding her intently; he could not altogether comprehend her mood. He wondered vaguely if ever so faint regret for the old past, their past, stirred in her heart. She had refused him once, and, man-like, he had accepted her words as final, and put the ocean between them.
 The orchestra was playing some dreamy thing of Chopin's; the spirit music fired his blood, and he looked down into her eyes with strange, compelling intensity. Mrs. Mainwar- ing felt his gaze, and her cheeks crim- soned in swift response There was no word spoken, but he caught her sud- denly in his arms. For an instant she lay there, her cheek against his. Then she freed herself and glanced up into his face, shy1y. Her scarlet lips were slightly parted, and her breath came through them in tremulous little whis- pers.
 Ericson bent and kissed her twice. "Can you be ready to go with me to- morrow" he asked, eagerly, T can't
 lose any more time, and can't possibly part with you again."
 Mrs. ~Mainwaring did not speak at once. But presently a wonderful smile came into her eyes, and she laid her hand in his.
 Mrs. Mainwaring was standing before picture looking up at itwhen Tavares tapped gently on the door of her pri- vate parlor.
 T sent for you, Teddy" she began, waving him to chair, because" she appeared to hesitate moment, then hurried on: Because wanted to ask 1 favor of you"
 l i'Teddy," she went on, folding and l unfolding her fan, in a nervous little way that did not belong to her, "Mr. Ericsson does not--must not know who planned the cotillion.for tonight" She came and stood in front of him, rev l garding him with oddly anxious eyes. l IaVaTeS gave her a qulck glance or amaze. II don't xactly1understand, ' he observed, in apuzzled tone. <
 "Then musttell you ething, Ted. We are to be married tom ack and land go west immediately. I knew him many years ago; have al- ways loved him. Something foolish and insignificant came between us- What he saw here tonight sick ened him. I could never marry a woman who lowered herself to such things'-thats is what he said. He is going to take me away from it all- the sham, hypocrisy emptiness of such life. And I, ah, shall be the happiest of women, Teddy, the very happiest!"
 Tayares' eyes sought hers piercing ly, and from their depths keen bitter ness looked out.
 For. one brief second his emotion threatened to master shim; his face paled, and he felt himself shake from head to foot. She had been the one II--