The Arvada enterprise., 1913-07-31

| the cnGrM OF tnelr OeIlSllIui make
believe, They looked at each other.
in the dressing-room. with their sad
eyes, without exchanging word.
Raoul had to restrain himself not to
cry OUT
81 am Jealous! am Jealous! l
am jealous!"
But she heard him all the same.
| Then she said:
Come for walk. dear. The air
will do you good"
Raoul thought that she would pro
pose stroll IN the country. far from
that building which he detested as a
/ prison whose jailer he could feel
walking within the walls the
TALLER Erik. But she took him
| to the stage and made him sit on the
wooden curb OF a well, In the doubt
full peace and GOODNESS of first scene
set for the evenings performance.
On another day, she wandered with
him, hand in hand, along the desert
ed paths of a garden whose creepers
had been cut out by decorators
skillful hands. 1t 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 a regular
| forest Of yards and masts. II he
hesitated. she said, with an adorable
| pout of her lips:
You, sailor"
And then they returned to terra
iirma, that is to say, to some passage
that led them to the little girls dane
| ing-school. where brats between six
and ten We're practicing their steps, in
the hope of becoming great dancers
one day, covered with diamonds"
Meanwhile, Christine gave them
sweets instead
N'iS 'p'h nun " VIC W al uiObt anu
| property-rOoms, took him all over her
empire, which was artificial, but i'm
mense, covering seventeen stories
from the grOund-tioor to the roof and
inhabited by an army of subjects. She
moved among them like a 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 inhabitants 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 It's 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 ineXpTessibly
nervous. When on their expeditions,
she would start running without rea-
son or else suddenly stop; and her
hand, turning ice,Cold in n 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 a brcathless
laugh that often ended in tears. Then
Raoul tried to speak, to question her,
in spite of his promises. But. even
before he had worded his question.
she answered feverishly:
Nothing 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 dlsap.
pear down the black hole and. IN
trembling voice, whispered:
Never, will not have
you go there! Besides. it's
not mine everything that Is
underground belongs to HIM"
RaouI looked her in the eyes and
i