The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-13
BETWEEN TWO FIRES
By MRS. {. WILLIAMSON
Author of "Lady Mary the in Grew"
Fortunes Sport
By MRS. c.. N. WILLIAMSON

and down. Tn SO restless I feel a.
II | would die" she exclaimed. "It'.
just as If the air were full of cleo.
tricity; don't you feel it so p
i Yes, ] do" I answered., II sup.
pose it's the change Is
i! No said Marion, looking eerie
and haggard as. witch. Its because
something's going to happen"
This was really curious, for 1t ap-
peared that sshe had exactly the sen.
sation i was trying to control.
g.. IN superstitious," she went on;
more so Tonight than I ever was
|-somewhere; and I'd got to obey it
l know now how the sailors felt when
the syrens lured them Do you guess
why 1 came to, your room? 1t was
because when we washed our faces
before going in to supper I left my
nat mere. I'm going out, Margot..''
rGo1ng out?" I echoed in surprise
Why, Marion. you can't. Do you
realize it's after. midnight 2"
can't help that" she said. "I'd
go If 1t were the dark hour before
dawn I tell you I should die IL ]
should stay indoors. Oh, don't be
afraid that mean to walk the streets
OF Paris. I'm going to have a closed
carr1age-a coupe-and drive and
drive till I feel better, if It's till
doomsday. The coupe's ordered al
ready; they won't say anything about
1t to our people. OF course, Lady
Gawain would make a fuss, she's so
| conventional"
"she isn't" I retorted. defending
my favorlte aunt. But anyone would
| make fuss about such a plan. It's
| perfectly mad. Don't go, Marion.
What you need is q draught to quiet
your nerves."
THE air will quiet them better than
| anything she said, land the bigness
and darkness Of the night. know
myself what need. I always
pie like you don't understand my
moods"
Calm! If Marion really thought me
calm, either / must have better self
control than I'd fancied, or she be less
obserVant.
BY this time she was putting on her
hat, stabbing in the sparkling hat pins
viciously.
I had not taken mine off when we
went to supper, but I took up my
jacket which was hanging over
chair. Very we'll, you are older than
l am, and your own Mistress" said.
Il can't prevent you from doing what
termined to go for a drive secretly, in
Paris after midnight, I shall go with
you. I'm sure that father would at
least approve Of that"
I was afraid that Marion would OBJ
ject, as she is often very contrary; but
she didn't, and judging from the eX-
preston Of her face, which was less
tense and drawn for q moment, one
might even have thought this was the
thing she had wished for.
"All right, come along" she said.
1T will do you lot Of good, just as
IF Aunt Glenn sees us, of course she
won't let us stir a STEP I remarked
much as it will me, if you only knew
it," 49,. =,
"She won't see u.s." returned Marion.
"They are all gobbling their supper as
If they hadn't anything to eat for a
week." .... .....
This was very rude of her, but there
was no good in telling her SO, and
said nothing. We went quietly down
in the lift, did not meet any Of our
party, and we had not a minute to wait
at the door before a very nice coupe
drove up, almost like a private one.
What the hotel people thought Of
us don't know Marion said that she
had made perfectly good excuse, but
felt SO annoyed and nervous L
wouldn't even ask her what it had
been.
She made me get in first, and gave
some directions to the coachman in
rather a low voice so that could not
hear. I didn't know whether she had
done this on purpose or not, but for
awhile I wouldn't give her the salts
faction of being questioned. I sat
leaning back against the cushions,
pretending to be perfectly Indifferent;
and don't think I did care very
much. After awhile, tho, it began to
dawn gradually upon me that we were
not being driven aimlessly, but as If
with an object, and I remarked it to
Marion. I'VE seem to be going to
some place in particular, not just driv-
ing about; and we're driving fast" T
said.
II suddenly thought Of a place it
would be interesting to go to-" Marion
replied with kind of sharp dryness.
ooh. you needn't look frightened; I
don't mean to go in, but only to watch
the people moving in and OUT
Her mood was so very queer that I
asked no more questions, and sup
posed that she had told the coachman
to drive near some place Of amuse-
ment which closed very late; tho why
she should be amused by watching the
audience I could not see, especially as
she had said her longing was for fresh
air and great dark spaces. !
My knowledge Of Paris is mostly
confined to the hotels, shops and thea
ters, and drives in the Bots de Boul-
ogne; and Marion's is exactly the same
as she has never been to Paris without
me, at all events since she was a little
child. I thought she had made some
in giving her orders to the
cabman, therefore, when at last he |
drew up in a dull little street, with
hardly light in any of the houses,
and began to walk his horse very
slowly.
a.'What are we doing here?" I ex-
claimed.
r"This is where I want to see the in
teresting people go in and out said
in a defiant sortoof way.
t'Why, what street is it 2" I asked.
eft is the Rue d'Anjou," she an
swered, but the name suggested moth
ing to me.
TT don't think it looks very promis-
ing" said I.
Don't you? Wait few minutes
and you may change your mind. All!
- she thrust her head from the
window with a whispered ejaculation
Of such excitement that peered Curl
ously over her shoulder.
A closed carriage was driving into
the street. 1t stopped before a gate
set in an ugly high wall; and our
coupe was in such position on the
opposite side Of the way that we could
see groom jump down, open the door
and help a woman in a long white
cloak to get out. The street was
rather dark but sere was enough
light from a lamp near by to give us a
Of beautiful profile and shin
ing waves of heavy auburn hair