Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-23
She Hrgus Daily Short Story
1.-The Morning After. by Cecily Allen.
lCopyrighted 1903. by Homer Spraguel

| the narrow white and gold door. and
| he forgot the audience, forgot every
thing but her-her clinging white gown
frosted with pearls, her slender white
| throat
She was looking thinner than when
she left McKeesport, ::nd her face had
| a wistful expression " here once 1t had
| been trifle imperious.
| So much music had done for her.
| Like Undine, she had found her soul,
but somehow Victor Marshall caught
| himself wondering, under the spell of
her playing. why the kiss of music and
| not of love had awakened that soul.
He woke with start. The audience
was applauding. and ushers were hur-
| rying down the aisle with monstrous
floral offerings. American Beauties.
| with stems three and four feet long,
overtopped by golden :. chrysanthe-
NUNS.
Victor Marshall leaned back griinly
in his chair. What was $40 worth of
| lilies and violets in New York?
| The piece de resistance of the con-
| cert was over, a concerto in which the
| violiniste had outshone the popular
string sextet.
| Marshall reached for his hat Part
| of the audience was making for the
| entrance, eXclaiming the personalities
of regular concert goers. Another group,
a smaller one, was making its way in
| timately toward the door leading to
the dressing room. obviously to con-
| graduate the star.
Impulsively Victor Marshall started
to follow the smaller group, then stop
ped, with a grim smile on his lips.
Every one of these men wore evening
clothes. He'd look well in his plain
business suit offering congratulations
along with countesses and society lead
| erS.
So he went back to the hotel-but not
to sleep. All night he fought it out
with himself. Sometimes he paced the
floor. Sometimes he stood gazing over
the twinkling lights of the city. And
by morning he had found himself.
He would drop in to call upon his
old sweetheart, but in the most cor
rect and casual way. OF course Nc.
Keesport had not dreamed that she
had advanced so far in her profession
The Countess of Carchester. Mrs
Roger Standbilt! They We're names to
conjure with.
j, And he had thought that because be
had won the d. r. and Fort G. suit he
had the world at his feet and Maude
Mowry would be glad to come back
and reign over the Queen Anne cottagt
he had bought without even writing t.
her.
lie did not dare to think of the new
bay window he had designed for tn,
south room, nor the rugs he had select
ed at the mechanical exposition, no
the Marshall mahogany he had bough
from the rest of the heirs
1t was 4 in the afternoon when, re
freshed by Turkish bath and thicl
beefsteak. he felt fit to present him
self at the studio of Miss Maud
Mowry. Violiniste." Under the yer,
eyes of very towering studio building
and in the dim light of fading day an,
shaded electroliers it seemed to ra
diate that vague artistic satmospher
: of which Victor Marshall had rea
! much.
Maude was glad to see him. unfeigr
eddy, frankly glad, and Marshall al
gued that it was the proper attitud
of the great and the successful towar'
old time friends. He leaned back Il
| the carved French chair where b
could keep the masses of fragrant flora
c offerings in full view to temper hi
: speech. They We're warning agains
4 personalities and "reminiscences.
II But try as he would to talk glitter
S ing generalities. Maude steadily an,
persistently led the conversation bac
G to McKeesport, old friends and wha
a Marshall felt was the danger zone TO
: himself He would not tell her of tn
T. ID. r. and Fort G. case, because sh
). might guess that behind this triumph
lay his hearts secret. the years O
v work for her. Oh, no! He would b
game and as coolly worldly as herself
The chimes in q nearby church tow
er rang 6. and be rose abruptly.
|