Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-03-19

had been cut out by a decorators
skillful hands. It was as though the
real sky, the real flowers, the real
earth were forbidden her for all time
and she condemned to breathe no
other air than that of the theater.
An occasional fireman passed, watch
Ing over their melancholy idyll from
afar. And she would drag him up
above the clouds, in the magnificent
disorder of the grid, where she loved
to make him giddy by running in
front of him along the frail bridges,
among the thousands of ropes fast
ened to the pulleys, the windlasses,
the rollers, in the midst of regular
| forest Of yards and masts. If he
hesttated, she said, with an adorable
pout of her lips:
"You, sailor"
And then they returned to terra
f1rma, that is to say, to some passage
that led them to the little girls dane
ing-school, where brats between six
and ten were praciicing their steps, in
the hope of becoming great dancers
one day. covered with diamonds. -
Meanwhile, Christine gave them
sweets instead
She took him to the wardrobe and
property-rooms, took him all over her
empire, which was artificial. but i'm
mense, covering seventeen stories
from the ground-floor to the roof and
Inhabited by an army of subjects. She
moved among them like popular
queen, encouraging them in their
labors, sitting down in the workshops,
giving words of advice to the work
men whose hands hesitated to cut in
to the rich stuffs that were to clothe
heroes. There were inha bitants of
that country who practiced every
trade. There were cobblers, there
were goldsmiths. All had learned to
know her and to love her, for she al
ways interested herself in all their
troubles and all their little hobbies.
She knew unsupported corners that
were secretly occupied by little old
couples. She knocked at their door
and introduced Raoul to them as a
Prince Charming who had asked for
her hand; and the two of them. sit
ting on some worm eaten property"
would listen to the legends of the
opera. even as, in their childhood,
they had listened to the old Breton
tales. Those old people remembered
nothing outside the opera. They had
lived there for years without number.
Past arrangements had forgotten
them; palace revolutions had taken
no notice of them; the history of
France had run its course unknown
to them; and nobody recollected their
existence.
The precious days sped in this
way; and Raoul and Christine, by af-
fecting excessive interest in outside
matters, strove awkwardly to hide
from each other the one thought Of
their hearts. One fact was certain,
that Christine, who until then had
shown herself the stronger of the
two became suddenly inexpressibly
nervous. When on their expeditions,
she would start running without rea-
son or else suddenly stop: and her
hand, turning ice-cold in a moment,
would hold the young man back.
Sometimes her eyes seemed to pur-
sue imaginary shadows. She cried,
This way" and This way" and
''This way" laughing breathless
laugh that often ended in tears. Then
Raoul tried to speak, to question her,
in spite of his promises. But, even
h. no
she answered feverishly:
Nothing l swear it Is
nothing"
Once, when they were passing be-
fore an open trapdoor on the stage.
Raoul stopped over the dark cavity.
you have shown me over the up
per part Of your empire, Christine,
but there are strange stories told Of
the lower part. Shall we go DOWN."
She caught him in her arms. as
though she feared to see him disap-
pear down the black hole. and. in q
trembling voice, whispered:
Never! will not have
you go there! Besides, It's
not mine everything that Is
underground belongs to him!"
Raoul looked her in the eyes and
said roughly:
$50 he lives down there, does he?"
Il never said SO. Who told
you thing like that? Come away!
I sometimes wonder If you are quite
sane. Raoul. You always take
things in such an impossible way.
Come along! Comet"
And she literally dragged him
away. for he was obstinate and want
ed to remain by the trap.door; that
hole attracted him.
Suddenly. the trap-door was closed
and so quickly that they did not even
see the hand that worked 1t; and they
remained quite dazed.
Perhaps he was there" Raoul said.
at last.
She shrugged her shoulders. but did
not seem easy.
mo, no. 1t was the trap -door-shut-
ters They must do something, you
know. They open and shut
the trap-doors without any particular
reason. It's like the door
shutters: they must spend their time
somehow"
"Rut suppose 1t were he. Christine?"
mo, no! He has shut himself up,
he is working"
ooh, really! He's working. is he?"
Eyes. he can't open and shut the
trap.doors and work at the same
Che ch}voroH