The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-09
Ecarlate
A Mans Dream Ma
terialized.
By CLARISSA MACKIE


When Dacre married his friends said
of him that any woman who allied her.
self to him would not be able to hold
him. He was a man about town. a
clubman, man who was always wei
come behind the scenes at the thea
tiers and was very often found there,
especially when the chorus and ballet
girls were pretty. Some declared that
the girl he married was one Of a thou
sand; just the woman, In fact. to hold
such man as Dacre. One who was
familiar with his makeup replied that
IL she did hold him she would have to
do 1t In gauze and tights.
Dacre before the wedding made all
sorts of promises to his fiancee. He
would eschew theaters-that is. he
would never go behind the scenes. He
would cut all his old friends who were
'fast." In short. he would make a
model husband, devoted to his wife
alone. That he loved her she did not
doubt. What she feared was that some
one would steal him away from her
through his senses.
To every ones surprise, Dacre kept
his promises. For a year he never
went to the theater except with his
wife. Then when the baby came and
she had new being to look after he
was left occasionally alone of an even
ing. One night to pass the time he
sought amusement in what for him
was a dangerous place. The queen of
the ballet captured him, and from that
time forward he was devoted to sue
cession Of dancers. At last the pre-
dictions of those who knew him best
had come true. His wife's life was
changed from happiness to misery.
Then came the peerless Ecarlate.
Shortly before her coming Mrs. Dacre
had exacted a promise from her hus-
band that he would abstain from an
acquaintance with any more women
OF the stage. He kept his promise, but
every night that Ecarlate danced he
was in his accustomed seat In the
theater He had been captivated by
the poetry of motion and could not
mad temptation to break his word to
the woman he really loved
One night when Dacre was at the
theater just before the dancer came on
the stage the lights were lowered and
the orchestra softly played dream
waltz. Then came change.
The violins suddenly swept into a
legat0 movement, and as If treading
lightly on the delicate measure small
scarlet clad form swayed on to the
darkened stage and fiuttered there un-
I'll the cold circle of the spot light
searched and found her.
It held her there, quivering crea1
ture Of tantalizing mystery, battling
airy thing Of midnight hair. glorious
eyes and unknown features, for Ecar.
late was always masked
Above the black velvet mask show.
ed a white forehead, with the soft
black hair banded with jewels. Below
1t there were rose red lips, curved in
tender smiles, and dimpled white
chin. Through the Sits In the mask
her eyes worked disaster.
The mystery of her unknown fea.
lures only added to her charm in the
eyes of men, especially Jack Dacre.
Dacre leaned with his elbows on the
railing of the box, and quite oblivious
to significant glances he watched the
dancer He stared at her until his
heart ached with longing that the mask
might be lifted so that he could feast
his eyes on the loneliness which he had
never yet seen.
His eyes never left her while she
danced. Occasionally she flashed a
melting glance toward the box where
he always sat when she danced, and
then her head was turned aside so that
he might see that she wore his nightly
Offering, scarlet cactus flower tucked
In the duskiness of her wonderful hair
MY scarlet beauty he muttered
restlessly as she swayed In the dizzy
mazes of her famous butterfly dance.
Scarlet she was from the flower in
her hair to the tips Of her tiny satin
slippers.
With snowy arms she lifted the scar
let chiffon wings Of her filmy skirts,
her head fell back, and she melted
into the rhythm Of one of her charac-
ter dances.
When it was over she withdrew, her
arms loaded with flowers, her eyes
smiling at Dacre's frowning face.
With her departure Jack Dacre went
away. For him the performance had
ended with the vanishing, OF Ecarlate.
For an hour he sat on the lounge of
his club. drinking little. thinking all
the time Of the strange woman whom
he madly loved. although her face was
unknown to him. Even her home was
an impenetrable mystery. She came
and went like bright meteor flashing
across the midnight sky. Her man.
ayers were dumb on the subject. 1t
was whispered that she was of royal
birth.
II was nearly midnight when Dacre
let himself into his own house and
gave his hat and overcoat to a sleepy
servant
"Is Mrs. Dacre out this EVENING"" he
asked, with foot on the stair.
Mrs. Dacre returned an hour ago.
l believe she is in her boudoir, sir"
Dacre went on up the stairs and
turned into his own room. For a mo-
ment he hesitated; then he crossed to
the door OF his wife's dressing room
and laid his hand on the glass knob.
Would it respond to his pressure7
Bis hand gripped the knob. 1t turn