The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-04-25

the hope of becoming great dancers
one day, covered with diamonds"
Meanwhile, Christine gave them
sweets instead
She took him TO the wardrobe and
proDerty-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 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
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
wit hor
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 fnexpressibly
nervous. When on their expeditions,
she would start running without rea-
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 a GREATNESS
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 1t 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
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
said roughly:
so he lives down there, does he?"
81 never said so. -. Who told
you a thing like hat? Come away!
| 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 it; and they
remained quite dazed
Perhaps he was there" Raoul said,
at last.
She shrugged her shoulders, but did
not seem easy.
NO, no, it was the 'trap-door-shut-I
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"
But suppose it were he, Christine?"
mo, no. He has shut himself up,
he is working"
ooh, really He's working, is he?"
"Yes, he can't open and shut the
trap-doors and work at the same
time" She Shiyered
What is ne working at?'
"Oh, something terrible! i
But it's all the better for US. d.
When he's. working at that, he sees
nothing; he does not eat, drink, or
breathe for days and nights at a
time he becomes living
dead man and has no time to amuse
himself with the trap-doors."
She shivere6 again. She was still
holding him in her arms. Then she
sighed and said, in her turn:
Suppose 1t were he!"
Are you afraid OF him."
mo, no, of course not she said.
For all that, on the next day and
the following days, Christine was
careful to avoid the trap-doors. Her
agitation only increased as the hours
passed At last, one afternoon, she
arrived very late, with her face so
desperately pale and her eyes so des-
perately red, that Raoul resolved to