Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-20

MY doorkeeper? I'll answer for
him as I would for myself" protested
Mercier.
But, after all, NJ. Lachenel," cried
Richard, you must have some idea"
Yes, have" n. Lachenel declared.
Il have an idea and I'll tell you what
1t is. There's no doubt about 1t in
my mind" He walked up to the two
managers and whispered. Its the
ghost who did the trick"
Richard gave a jump.
What, you too! You too"
How do you mean, too? Isn't II
natural, after what / saw"
What did you see?"
81 saw, as clearly as l now see you.
a black shadow riding a white horse
that was as like Cesar as two peas!"
And did you run after them?"
II did and shouted, but they were
too fast for me and disappeared in
the darkness of the underground gal
lery."
NJ. Richard rose. THAT will do, M. |
Lachenel. You can 90. We
will lodge a complaint against the
ghost"
And sack my stable?"
"Oh, of course, Good morning"
NJ. Lachenel bowed and withdrew.
Richard foamed at the mouth.
Settle that idiots account at once,
please"
He is a friend OF the government
representatives." MERCER ventured
to say.
And he takes his vermouth at Tor
toni's with Lagrene, Scholl and Per-
tuiset, the Hon-hunter," added Mon
charmin I'VE shall have the whole
press against US! He'll tell the story
of the ghost; and everybody will be
laughing at our expense! We may as
well be dead as Ridiculous"
"All right, say no more about it,
At that moment the door opened.
/ II must have been deserted by it's
/ usual Cerberus, for Name CRY en-
/ tered without ceremony. holding let
| ter in her hand, and said hurriedly:
Il beg your pardon. excuse me, gen.
tlemen. but | had letter this morn
ing from the opera ghost. He told me
to come to you, that you had some
thing to :"
She did not complete the sentence.
She saw F1rmin Richards face; and it
was a terrible sight. He seemed
ready to burst. He said nothing, he
could not speak. But suddenly he
acted. First, his left arm seized upon
the quaint person of Name Giry and
made her describe so unexpected a
semicircle that she uttered a despair
ing cry. Next, his right foot imprint
ed its sole on the black taffeta of a
skirt which certainly had never be-
fore undergone a similar outrage in a
similar place. The thing happened so
quickly that Name CRY, when in the
passage, was still quite bewildered
and seemed not to understand. But.
suddenly, she understood and the
, opera rang with her indignant yells,
, her violent protests and threats.
About the same time Carlotta, who
had a small house of her own in the
Rue du Faubourg st. Honore, rang for
her maid, who brought her letters to
her bed. Among them was an anony.
: nous missive, written in red ink, in
hesitating. clumsy hand, which ran:
IF you appear tonight, you must be
prepared for a great misfortune at the
moment when you open your mouth
to sing misfortune worse
than DEATH
e The letter took away Carlotta's ap
petite for breakfast. She pushed bach
+? her chocolate, sat up in bed and
e thought hard. 1t was not the frs
letter of the kind which she had re
J. ceived, but she never had one coucheC
e In such threatening terms.
She thought herself, at that time
D the victim OF a thousand jealous at
tempts and went about saying tina
Z she had q secret enemy who hal
e sworn to ruin her. She pretended
Q that a wicked plot was being hatchet
l. against her. q csbal which woul'
q come to q head one OF those days
c but she added that she was not tn
woman to be intimidated
e The truth Is that, II there was
cabal. II was led by Carlotta hersel
D against poor Christine, who had n
suspicion Of It. Carlotta had neve
forgiven Christine for the triumph
which she had achieved when takin
Is her place at a moments notice. Whel
Carlotta heard Of the astounding re
o ception bestowed upon her undel
g study, she was at once cured OF a.
II incipient attack OF bronchitis and
bad At Of sulking against the manags
b ment, and lost the slightest inclfnl
ten to shirk her duties. From tina
II time, she worked with all her Nigh
to smother" her rival enlisting tn
II services of influential friends TO pc
suade the managers not to give Chrfi
4 tine an opportunity for a fresh II
umph. Certain newspapers which ha
begun 70 extol the talent of Christin
'o now interested themselves only in III
fame OF Cariotta- Lastly, In the tn,
r alter itself, the celebrated, but hear
~ less and soulless diva made the mos
~ scandalous remarks about Christin
n and tried TO cause her endless minC
unpleasantnesses.
n When Csrlotta had finished thin
II ing over the threat contained in Il
o. STRANGE letter shs got IN