The sun., 1908-03-22


Of this story. am going 70 bed.
Il washes my hands OF it, | cried in
dionant.
sYou MIGHT 20 Vurder In thai dirAoshun an
not fare wuss. Smithers.' said Jarge and
sooperoilyus he wint 10 his room.
III,
I didn't like the si4ooashun; no. not little
bit But what cud do, knowing as did
from e1- 'ence that tn / had been Jarses
lest wud?
There was no moving him whin he was
in this mood his vanity hurt, his pride
reused. his avarioe timpted. To make
war thus on a woman who unly cud have
treated him 70 he deserved who probably
had not dreamed Of 'fending--t at was
Gentleman Geo &c at the wust.
Il was the real tleman George too,
knew in the grizzle that wenst may have
been my heart; little lower than the beasts
Of p-ey. All his graces, renerositiee. cav
alries were bit base imitSshuns HE the
odder Jewels with which he delighted TO
deck himsih
Whin wanst he was up aginst II, as he
t'heved himsili now, II was JargN that
was number wan, and all The rist OF man
kind. includin' little Smithers, nowhere.
But Wit he was a good fellow whin be was
a good fellow; and l wud b lonely away
from him.
Besides, there was no time for investi-
gashun or the layin' Of rounter plots. The
Mardi Gras reoepshun was at Nand; th' club
a hustle OF excited rrsparashun from cellar
10 roof; tNe great ball room In the extinshun
wing a bowwow Of flowers nd vATigatod
lights.
Before | knew. II the fsteful hour had
came; the carriages was a--ollin', the full
orchstry in the gallary was Alb omin', and
Mrs. Ke see. be the side Of old Lemuel,
was receiving the ruests as II eloh he or
sc was her dearest friend
Il fascinated me TO watch her from the
piazza t'roo the latticed window, allus
putin the bist wud and the bist fut for ard;
as wriggle as a queen and as lovely as an
angle. And niver was she too busy 10
glanct at her husband be ber side, superorily
still as from a cloud, but as much as to say;
You good old chap, you're all right, that
Y are.
II liver there was a trump, she won II
and had IT, You cud see the CLEAN OF II In
her radjunt color; you cud catch the tinge
Of it in her merry laugh.
The very men who ! knew, who she
may have known, were secrit enemies
coorted her the most. Win the formu-
larities we're over, her hand was niver
unclasped, her stip was niver out Of time
and tune, as the fun grew faster.
A rout it was and no mistake. suspict
large Of having passed about the wud that
this must be carnival night indeed. He
was ivervwhere, drinking, encouraging,
testing and suggesting everywhere excipt
by Mrs. Keesee's side, Yit l noticed that
he kept a sharp eye on her, az sharp almost
as che eve he kept on the great chime clock
in the cameras he kept on the leader OF
the orchestry, fannin' wind in the gallery.
The spirit Of the carnival-it was in the
very air; the merrimint forbid to the forty
days whose advint was DRAWN nearer
and nearer. | fought had seen doings
before; but know my eyes began TO pop
out whin the entire roomful bust out into
sinein' "Ould Ang Sion, with the cham
peen elssses flashing high and Mrs. Keesee
foated down beohune the two long lines in
an old fashioned country dance
4 piotur Of blythe loveliness abe vore,
wreathed in smiles; but Just thin the big
chime clock in the Garner began TO whang
twilve. At the fust stroke the orc hestry
stopped short. So did Mrs, Keeeee, in the
very midst, poisin' expectAnt, the personi-
fiosshun OF vague alarm.
Down wint the lights into a dim, religious
gloom. az the clock whanged on; thin et-
lence settled for the catching OF the breath
And thin, and thin, slow and solemn, like
the wall Of lost sowls, sounded the orchestry
in that miserable rniserere large bad heard
Al ST. Pontiiex's-Oh. trust him for putting
no such job--which had shaken Mrs.
Keeeee on her face TO the very earth.
A scream pierced the wall: The white
figure poised between the vibrating lines,
wavered and bint Il fell prone. Again
Mrs. Keesee lay with arms sxtinded, 10
the form Of A cross while clear and I'm.
mistakable came her pityue cry, Lord
have mercy on me, miserable sinner