Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-24

Grand Hotel, ToulOn. December H.
My Good Monte: 1t is getting on toward
IL O'Clock at night. and as Payne mas
treated us to a smashup and have walked
some miles carrying l don't know no"
many pounds of luggage. you might think
that | would be more inclined for bed han
letter-wr1ting. But. on the contrary, l
have no desire for sleep. change has
come Ger my spirit l am happy. have
dined alone with my goddess. l almost
took your advice and the opportunity TO
make a clean breast of things, but not
quite Presently l will tell you why, ana
ask II you don't think l was right In inc
circumstances. . 49,,
The said circumstances 1 owe indirectly
to Payne-also a lump on the back OF my
head; but that is detail. am IN toV
blssful a frame of mind tohlght u uw tSa
on il or any other detail belonging 10 .ne
accident though maybe I'll give you the
history of the affair In future le.'e H.
Suffice 1t to say, belore set.lns In a
pleasanter things that the car reposeS III
lonesome meadow below steep emDank-
ment about a dozen miles away "here /. 10
perfectly safe till can get back 10 us SUE
Jimmy Sherlock are enjoying each other
society at a country inn rather nearer;
Miss Randolph and L are mere She caiile
on because she had to have sprained
wrist treated by a competent doctor; l
came to buy new parts for the car; nat
urally we joined forces Ihe others were
to have a carriage sent back to them from
Toulon, but Aunt Mary funked the lone
drive on account of furious storm. MISS
Randolph could get no private sitting room.
and as with a disabled wrist, she didn't
care to face the ordeal of sale a mango,
alone, she suggested that L should attend
her at dinner. Not as servant, nina. put
for this occasion only as an equal.
For an instant l was doubtful. for her
sake: but to have put a thought OF lmpro-
priety into her sweet mind would have
been coarse. Besides, the request from
mistress to man was equivalent to royal
command. l hope, however, that had there
been any fear of unfortunate consequences
to her. | should have been strong enough
to resist temptation.
/ told her tnat If she thought it best to
condescend to nv companiCnShip, should
be highly honored And l added that had
with me a dece IT suit of black. We then
parted; L went to find doctor for Miss
Randolph. and t. see about carriage to
go back for the others to the village of LIE
Beausset At also occurred to me that 1t
would be nice to have few flowers with
which to deck the table for the happiest
dinner of my life. The shops were not yet
all closed and at one not far from the
hotel | selected some exquisite La France
roses and a dozen sprays of forced white
lilac. which had once heard Miss Randolph
say among her favorite flowers. When l
came to pay The BILL however-three francs
a spray for the lilac. and a franc for each
of the twelve roses-there were only few
coppers in my pocket. l remembered then
that l had spent my last franc in Mar
settles. without attaching any Importance to
the matter. as I'd wired for remttances to
arrive at Cannes. and my screw due to-
night would see me through till then. Now
the situation was bit awkward. wanted
TO take the flowers with me and give them
to the head waiter to place on the table
where Miss Randolph and would dine. L
could not have them sent over and ask the
hotel people to settle. because then they
would appear her bill tomorrow morn
ing. now she would certainly not pay
|
give up the bouquet; besides, l would need
more ready money tonight. l had visions
of ordering tirst-rate wine. and letting the
goddess suppose it was vim compris with
the table d'hote dinner l therefore con-
fessed my pennilessness to the shopman,
and asked If l should be likely to find
mont -de-piete still open. He replied that
the pawnshops did their busiest trade in
the evening about this time. told me where
i could find the best, and agreed to keep
the flowers until my return.
The one thing of value l had with me
was my monogrammed gold repeater, which
my father gave me when l went up to Ok
ford. and ! didn't much like parting with
It. especially | can't get it back
tomorrow. but will have to send back the
ticket for it from Cannes, when I'm in
funds. However | had no choice, so put
my poor turnip up the spout, and got
tenner for II. With this in French money
i retraced my steps to the florists. and
bore off my fragrant spols in triumph to
the hotel. Hardly had | given the flowers
or TWO on the menu and bottle of Mumm
to Ice iced, when penciled note from Miss
Randolph was handed to me. 1t contained
wire from Aunt Mary. saying that she
and Jimmy would not leave their present
quarters. on account of the storm. | sent
word to have the carriage stopped and
luckily for the driver the message was Just
In time Then II struck me that in the cir
cumstances l had better put up at another
hotel for the night l made all arrange
ments. had my bag taken over to little
commercial sort of house near by and left
myself just twenty minutes to battle and
change Gladstone could do 1t in five I've
been told. But ii was all / could manage
In fifteen. for l had decided to do myself
well, not TO shame my dinner companion
Thanks TO my little trick of going to a
different hotel from the party when we are
stopping anywhere longer than one night
can always indulge In civilized garb of an
evening therefore In the dressing case.
which is my little all on the car, | carry
something decent. Our mutual tailor
Monte, Is not to be desplsed: and when
I'd got into my pumps and all my things,
don't think there was much amiss
arrived at our rendezvous-the hall of
the hotel-tust one minute before the APP
pointed time; and five minutes later | saw
Her coming downstairs
/ have sometimes caught n pIin,Dsa of bar
IN the evenings. dressed for dinner at good
hotels. and her frocks are like herself al
ways the most perfect. Tonight she had
no luggage except a bag | had carried
nevertheless she had somehow achieved a
costume In which she was a vision Per-
maps II were a woman | should have
seen that she had on her day skirt with an
evening bodice. but being merely a man
over his ears In love- l can only tell Won
.hat the effect was dazzling. In admira-
uoh or her l forgot my own transforma-
non uhul l saw her pretty eyebrows go up
with surprise. o. f
felt my heart thump behind my rather
JoiIy White waistcoat. On the second stan
from Ine bottom she stopped and exclaIm-
Su' w n.y. Brown. how nice you look,
iou re exactly like a There she ston.
PED getting delciously pink as n she'd
peei naughty child pinched by a grown
up IN the midst of a malapropos remarl
could MI up the blank for myself and
was hiShly complimented by her oninion
thdt 1 was exactly like a gentleman /
explained that the clothes were Mr. Win
sion $ and had been donned with a highly
iauuapie motive. II was evident that she
approved both cause and effect: and We
went IN TO dinner together
can describe TO you. my boy the pure
reHSh' Of that moment; the pride | felt i'm
mr. beauty. the new and intoxicating sense
Vi possession born of the tete-a-tete Tut IL
~" cyulu nave seen the lovely shadow her
saaSles made on her cheeks as she sat
Mt