The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-07-14
CHAPTER XVIII.


CAl'GHT.
Karloff came around to music. The
drama,is,'s wife should play Tosti's
Ave Maria. Miss Annesley should play
the obligato ON the violin and the
prima donna should sing: bul just at
present the dramalist should tell them
all about his new military play which
was to be produced in December.
Count. beg to decline" laughed
the dramatist. 81 should hardly dare
TO tell my plot before two such military
experts as we have here. should he
told to write the play all over again,
and now ii is too late"
Whenever Betty's Slanres fell on her
fathers face. the aladncss in her own
was somewhat dimmed. What was
making that loved face so care-worn,
the mind so listlcSs, the attitude so
weary? But she was young; he
spirits of youth never flow long in one
direction. The repartee, brilliant and
III the same time every sting with
drawn, flashed up and down the table
like so many tiretics on IL wet lawn in
July. and drew her irrcsislhly
AS the courses came and passed. SO
the conversation became less and less
general; and by the time the ices
were served the colonel had engaged
his host. and the others divided into
twos. Then coffee. liluenrs and cigars,
when the ladies' rose and trailcd into
the little Turkish room. where the
Observation-Disclosures butler" sup
piled them with the amber juice
A dinner is a function where every
body talks and nobody eats Some
have eaten before they come. some
wish they had. and others dare not eat
for fear of losing some of the gossip.
After the liqueurs my butler con-
clnded that his labor was done and he
offered short prayer of thankful
ness and relief. Heavens. what mad,
fantastic impulses had seized him
while he was passing the soup. Sup
posing he had spilled the hot liquid
down karl0ff's back. or poured out a
glass of burgundy for himself and
drained II before them all, or slapped
his late colonel on the back and asked
him the state of his liver? 1t was
maldcning and he marvelled at his es-
cape. There hadn't been a real mis-
hap. The colonel had only scowlcd at
him; he was safe. lie passed secretly
bow window which let out on the low
balcony. The window was open, and
occasionally he could hear voice from
beyond the room. which was dark.
1t was one of those nights. those mild
November nights. to which the novel;
lists of the old regime used to devote
whole page; the sivcry pallor on
the landscape. the moOn-mists, the
round, white, inevitable moon, the stir
ring breezes. the murmmr of the few
remaining leaves, and all that. But
these busy days we have not the time
to read nor the inclination to describe
Suddenly upon the stiffness of the
night the splendor of human voice
broke forth; the prima- donna was
trying her voice violin walled q
note. hand ran up and Down the
keys of the piano. Warbmrton helG
his breath and waited He had heard
TOstis Ave Maria many times but
he never will forget the manner in
which It was sung that night. The
songsress was rare-free and among
persons she knew and liked. and she
put her soul into that magnificent and
mysterious throat of hers And throb-
bling all through the song was the
vibrant, loving voice Of the violin.
And when the human tones died away
and the instrument ceased to speak,
Warburton felt himself swallowing
rapidly. Then came Schumann's Trau-
merei on HE strings, fIandels Largo.
Grieg's PapilIen, and ballade by
Chaminadc. Then again sang the
prlma donna; old folksy songs,
sketches from the operas, grand and
light. Faust, The Barber of Seville,
La File de Madame Ansot. In all his
days WarburtOn had never heard such
music. Doubtless he had-even better;
only at this period he was in love.
The Imagination of loves young dream
is the most slretchable thing l know
Of Seriously, however. he was a
very good judge of music, and ! am
convinced that what he heard was out
of the ordinary.
But ] must guide my story into the
channel proper.
To BE Continued