Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-01

vastly more expeditions
 K She counted out four ten-dolla
 notes from a roll in her hand ant
 signifed him to approach. He tool
 the money, coolly counted it, and pu j it in his vest pocket.
 Thank you, Miss"
 do not say she looked disap-
 pointed, but I assert that she was
 slightly disconcerted. She never knew
 the effort he had put forth to subdue
 the desire to tear the money into
 shreds, throw it at her feet and leave
 the house.
 When the gentlemen wish for ci- gars or cigarettes, you will find them in the usual place, the lower drawer in the sideboard" With swish she was gone.
 He took the money out and studied 1t. No, he wouldn't tear 1t up; rather he would put it among his keepsakes.
 I shall leave MT Robert, or M'sieu Zhames, to recover his tranquility, and describe to you the character and quail ity of the guests. There was the af- fable military attache of the British embassy, there was a celebrated Amer ican countess, famous dramatist, and his musical wife. Warburton's late commanding colonel, Mrs. Chadwick, Count Karloff. one of the notable grand opera prima-donnas. who would, not sing in opera till February, cabinet officer and his wife, Col Annesley and his daughter. You will note the cosmo. politan character of these distin- guished persons. Perhaps in no other city in America could they be brought together at an informal dinner such as this one was. There was no question of precedence or any such nonsense. Everybody knew everybody else, with one exception Col. Raleigh was com- parative stranger But he was a like able old fellow, full of stories of the wild, free west, an excellent listener besides, who always stopped goodly distance on the right side of what is known in polite circles as the bore's dead-line. Warburton held for him 8 deep affection, martinet though he was, for he was singularly just and merci- full.
 They had either drunk the cocktail or had set it aside untouched, and had emptied the oyster shells, when the ordeal of the soup began. Very few of those seated gave any attention to my butler. The first thing he did was to drop the silver ladle. Only the girl saw this mishap. She laughed; and Raleigh believed that he had told his story in an exceptionally taking man. ner. My butler quietly procured another ladle, and proceeded coolly enough. l must confess, however, that his cool ness was the result of physical ef- fort. The soup quivered and trem- bled outrageously, and more than once he felt the heat of the liquid on his thumb. This moment his face was pale, that moment it was red But, as I remarked. few observed him, Why should they? Everybody had something to say to everybody else; and a butler was only machine any way. Yet. three persons occasionally looked in his direction: his late colonel, Mrs. Chadwick and the girl; each from a different angle of vision. There was a scowl on the colonePs face, puzzle ment on Mrs Chadwick's, and I don't know what the girls represented, not having been there with my discerning eyes.
 Once the American countess raised her lorgnette and murmured: What a handsome butler!"
 Karloff, who sat next to her, twisted his mustache and shrugged. He had seen handsome peasants before. They did not interest him. He glanced across the table at the girl. and was much an- noyed that she, too. was gazing at the butler, who had successfully completed the distribution of the soup and who now stood with folded arms by the sideboard. (How I should have liked to see him!)
 When the butler took away the soup- plates. Col. Raleigh turned to his host.
 George. where the deuce did you pick up that butler?"
 Annesley looked vaguely across the table at his old comrade. He had been far away in thought. He had eaten nothing.
 What" he asked.
 ''I asked you where the deuce you got that butler of yours"
 "Oh, Betty found him somewhere. Our own butler is away on a vacation. I had not noticed him. why?"
 Well. if he doesn't look like a cub lieutenant of mine, was born without recollection of faces"
 An orderly of yours. a lieutenant, did you say?" asked Betty, with smol- dering fires in her eyes.
 Yes"
 That is strange" she unused
 Yes: very strange. He was a dare- devil if there ever was one"
 "Ahl'
 Yes: best bump of location in the regiment. and the steadiest nerve."- dropping his voice.
 The girl leaned on her lovely arms and observed him intercstedly.
 "A whole company got lost in . You know that on the prairie a snovstorm means thst only a compass can tell you where you are: and there wasn't one in the troop = ze s.~. sLn rar-