Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

a \ r Brew j 1 Mill CE0R 4k Company (I * "Of course we can't let him do It, but It would be sport." said Subway Smith. "Think of a cakewaik between policemen and laundresses!" "I always feel devilish the moment I get a mask on," said Vanderpool, "and you know, by Jove, I haven't felt that way for years." ' "That settles it. then." said DeMille. "Monty wonid call It off himself if he knew how i^vould affect Reggie." ? Monty returned with the nnouneement tlint the marnr nf tim declare a holiday if tha American could see his way to pay for the repairs on the mairle roof. A circus which was traveling In the neighborhood was guaranteed expenses If It would stop over and occupy the square in front of the Hotel de Vllle. Brewster's enthusiasm was such that no one could resist helping him. and for nearly a week his friends were occupied In suv perlntendlng the erection of triumphal arches and encouraging the shopkeepers to do their best. Although the scheme had l>een conceived in the spirit of a lark, It was not so received by the townspeople. They were quite serious In the matter. The railroad officials sent advertisements broadcast, and the local cure called to thank Brewster for resurrecting, as it were, the obscure saint. The expression of his gratitude was so mingled with flattery and appeal that Monty could not overlook the hint that a new altar piece had Jong been needed. cnAPTElt XX. I ' fT^lIK great day finally arrived, | -and no carnival could have been I uiore successful. The morning was devoted to athletics and i ' Klile sllrtWS Tin* flronmii u-nn <li? lnirnf I war, ami tlie people mnrvele.l when 1 Monty duplicated the feats of the strong ] man in the circu s. DeMllle was called \ upon far a speech, hut, knowing only ten ' words of French, he graciously retired ^ in favor of the mayor, and that pom* ' p a*.: little man made the most of a * r .re opportunity. Heferences to Frank- 1 lin and Lafayette were so frequent tliat i P.uhway Smith intimated thnt a rubber I stamp must have keen used In writing the nddress. 1 The parade took place In the after- 1 noon and proved quite the feature of < ^M the chief of police ,\vaa finally made to see thnt If he were to he chief marshal t It was only fair that the firemen should < inarch ahead of the police. The crew of 1 the Flitter made a wonderful showing. I , It was led by the yacht's hand, which i fairly outdid Sousa In noise, though it l was less unanimous in the matter of time. All the cabs came at the eud. but I there wore so many of them and the 1 line of march was so short that at I times they were really leadiug the pro- I cession despite the gallant efforts of the ' grand marshal. From the balcony of the hotel Monty 1 and his party pelted these below with 1 flowers and confetti. More allusions to 1 Franklin aud Lafayette were made when the cure and the mayor halted tho procession and presented Monty with an address richly engrossed on Imitation parchment. Then the school children sang, and the crowd dispersed in iin ri iihhiii in iiic vvruaik. At S o'clock Brewster presided over a . large banquet and numbered anion# r bis guests evoiy one of distinction in the town. The wives were also Invited, an 1 Franklin and Lafayette were again alluded to. Each of the men made at least one speech, but Subway Smith's third address was the hit of the evening. Knowing nothing but English, he had previously clung consistently to that language, hut the third and filial address seemed to demand something more friendly and genial. Willi a sweeping bow and with all the dignity of a statesman he began: ( "Mesdanies et messieurs, j'ni, tu as, il n. nous avou " -with ^ magnificent gesture?"vous avez." The French mcuibe**s of the company were not equal to hl9 pronunciation and were under the impression that he was still talking English. They were profoundly Impressed with his deference nnd grace nnd accorded his preamble a Found of applause, The Americans (lid tbelr utmost to persundo him to be seated, but their uproar was mistaken by the others for enthusiasm, and the applause grew louder than ever. Subway held up his hand for silence, nnd Ills manner suggested that he was about to utter some peculiarly Important thought. He waited until n pin fall could have been heard before he went on. "M nitre Corbcau sur un arbre pcrc'ie"? He finished the speech as he was being carried bodily from the room lir TlMtlllo nnd Rrnmlnn Tim Pmnoli. men then Imagined that Smith's remarks lind been Insulting, and his friends had silenced liim on that account. A riot seemed Imminent when Monty succeeded in restoring silence and with a few tactful remarks about Franklin and Lnfayetto quieted the excited guests. (P* The evening ended with fireworks and n dance in the open air?a dance that grew gay under the masks. The wheels had been well oiled, uud there was no visible failure of the carnival spirit. To Brewster It seeined a mad game, and he found it less easy to play a pnrj behind the foolish mask than he h Jt ster's ions 1 GE BARR M'CUTCHEON RICHARD GREAVES) ? expected. His own friends seemed to elude him, and the coquetries of the villuge damsels had merely n Meeting charm. He was standing apart to watch the glimmering crowd when he was startled by a smothered cry. Turning to investigate, he discovered a little red domino, unmistakably frightened and trying to release herself from a too ardent Punchinello. Montv's nr. rival prevented hltn froui touring off the girl's mask and gave kim an entirely new conception of the strenuous life. He arose fuming anil sputtering, but he was taken In hand by the crowd and whirled from one to another In whimsical mockery. Meanwhile Monty, unconscious that his mask had dropped during the encounter, was astonished to feel the little hand of the red douiino on his arm and to hear a voice not all unfamiliar in his ear. "Monty, you are a dear. 1 love you for that. You looked like a Greek athlete. Do you know?It was foolish? but I really was frightened." "Child, how could it have happened?" he whispered, lending her away. "Fancy iny little Peggy with no one to look after her. What a beast I was to trust you to Pettlngill. I might have known the chump would have been knocked out by all this color." lie stopped to look down at her, and a light came Into his eyes. "Little Peggy In the great world," he smiled; "you are not fit. You need?well, you need?just me." Rut Mrs. Valentine had seen him as he stood revealed and came up in search of Peggy. It was almost morning, she told lmr, and quite time to go back to the hotel and sleep. So in Rragdon's charge they wandered off. a hit reluctantly, a bit lingerlngly. It was not until Monty was summoned to rescue Reggie Vanderpool from the stern arm of the law that he discovered the Identity of Punchinello. Manifestly he had not been In a condition to recognize his assailant, and a subsequent disagreement had driven lUe flrst out of his hoad. The poor boy was sadly bruised about the fare ami ills arrest had probably saved hint from worso punishment. "I told you I couldn't wear a mask," tie explained ruefully as Monty led him iiome. "But how could I know that he could hear me all the time?" iivEVO tils" rf\lesfs*over To'MoriTe Carlo. IIo meant to stay only long ouough to try his luck at the tablvu and lose enough to make up for tha^ays at sea when his purse was necessarily idle. Swoarengeu Jones was forgotten, and soon after his arrival he began to plunge. At first he lost heavily, and it was with difficulty that he concealed Ills Joy. Foggy Cray wus watching him and in whispers Implored him to Btop, hut Mrs. I)an excitedly urged liira to continue until his luck changed. To the girl's chagrin it was the more reckless advice that he followed. Iq so desperate a situation he felt that ho could not stop. But his luck turned too soon. "J can't afford to givo up," ho snld miserably to himself after a time, "I'm already a winner by $5,000, and I must at least get rid of that." Brewster becamo the center of Interest to those who were not playing, and people marveled at his luck. They quite misinterpreted Ills eagerness and tho flushed anxious look with which he followed each spin of tho wheel. He had chosen a seat beside au English duchess whose practice It was to appropriate the winnings of the more Inexperienced players, and he was aware that many of his gold pieces were being deliberately stolen. Here, he thought, was at least a helping hand, and he was on the point of moving his stack toward her side when DeMille Interfered. He had watched tho duchess and had called the erounier's attention to her neat little method. But that austere individual silenced him by saying in surprise, "But she's c duchess-what do you expect ?'' Not to be downed so easily, DeMille watched the play from behind Monty'q chair and cautioned Ills friend at the first opportunity. "Better cash In and change your sent, Monty. They're robbing you," he whispered, "Cash in when I'm away ahead of the game? Never!" and Monty did his best to assume a Joyful tone. At first he played with no effort at system, piling his money llat on tho numbers which seemed to have,least chance of winning, but be simply could not lose. Then he tried to reverse different systems lie had heard of, but they turned out to lie winners. Finally in desperation he began doubling on one color in the hope tlint he would surely lose In tho end, but bis particular fate was against him. With his entire stake on the red,the ball continued to fall in the red holes until the croupier announced that the bank was broken. Dan DeMllle gathered In the money nnd counted (40,000 before he handed It to Monty. Ills friends were overJoyed when he left the table and wondered why he looked so downhearted. Iuwnrdly he berated himself for not taking Peggy's advice. "I'm so glad for your sake that you did not stop when I asked you, Monty, but your luck does not change my belief that .gambling. Is. jiext to. stealing,? ?????- mm. wjmmm? ???. Peggy was constrained to say as they went to supper. "I wish 1 had taken your advice," he said gloomily. "And missed the fortune you have won? How foolish of you, Monty! You were n loser by several thousand dollars then," she objected, with whimsical Inconsistency. "Hut, Peggy." he snhl quietly, looking deep into her eyes, "It would have won me your respect." CHAPTER XXI. MONTY'S situation was desperate. Only a little more than $0,000 had l>een spent on the carnival, and no opportunity aC " ... <.. Hung iu? roiiiorio winnings secuietl to offer Itself. Ills experience at Monte Carlo <11(1 not encourage him to try again, aiul Peggy's attitude toward the place was distinctly antagonistic, The Riviera presenting no new opportunities for extravagance, It became necessary to seek other worlds. "I never l>efore understood the real meaning of the phrase 'tight money,' " thought Monty. "Lord, if it would only loosen a hit and stay loosened!" Something must be done, lie realized, to earn his living, perhaps the role of the princely prolllgntc would be easier In Italy than anywhere else. He studied the outlook from every point of view, but there were moments when it seemed hopeless. Baedeker was provokingly barren of suggestions for extravagance. and Monty grew impatient of the book's small economies. Noticing some chapters on the Italian lakes, in an inspired moment he remembered that Pettingill had once lost his heart to a villa on the lake of C'oino. Instantly a new act of the comedy presented Itself to him. He sought out Pettingill and demanded a description of his castle In the air. "Oh, it's a wonder," exclaimed the artist. And his eyes grew dreamy. "It shines out at you with its white terraces and turrets like those fascinating castles that Maxtield Parrisli draws for children. It is fairyland. You expect to wake and find it gone." "Oh, drop that, Petty," said Brt-w^' ster, "or it will make you poetical. What I want to know is who owns it and Is it likely to be occupied at this sonsou V" "It belongs to a certain tnarquise. who is a widow with no children. They say she has a horror of the place for some reason and has never been near it. It is kept as though she were to turn up the next day, but except for the servants it is always deserted." "The very thing," declared Brewster. "Petty, we'll have a house party." "You'd better not count on that, Monty. A man I know ran across the place once and tried for a year to buy it. But the lady lias ideas of her own." "Well, if you wish to give him a hint or two about how to do things, watch,-" \ me. If you don't spend two weeks iu^ tftltrstfn for hoiue." - ?lie secured the name of the owner and found that Pettingill had even a remote idea of the address of her agent. Armed with these facts, lie set out in search of a courier, and through Philippe ho secured a Frenchman named Bertier, who was guaranteed to be surprisingly ingenious iu providing methods of spending money. To him Brewster confided his scheme, and Bertier realized with rising enthusiasm that at last he had secured a client after his own henrt. He was able to complete the address of the agent of the mysterious marquise, and nn Inquiry was Immediately telegraphed to him. The agent's reply would have been discouraging to any 0110 but Brewster. It stated that the owner had no intentlou of leasing her forsaken castle for i iieriou wiiaievoi'. i no profligate I learned that ft fair price for ?n estate of tlint kind for a month was 10,000 francs, and he wired an offer of five times that sum for two weeks. The agent replied that some delay would he necessary while he communicated with his principal. Delay was the oue word that Brewster did not understand, so he wired him an address In Uenon, and tho Flitter Avas made ready for sea. Steam had been kept up, and her coal account would compare favorably with that of an ocean liner. Philippe was breathless Avith Joy when lie was paid in advance for another month at tho hotel on the assumption that the party might be moved to return at any moment. The little town avos gay at parting, and Brewster and his guests Avere given a royal fareAvell. At Geuoa the mail had accumulated and held the attention of the yacht to the exclusion of eA*erythlng elso. BroAA'ster avos somowlint crestfallen to learn that the lady of the villn haughtily refused his princely offer. lie avoii the lifelong devotion of his courier by promptly Increasing it to 100,000 francs. When this, too, met with rejection there was a pause as well as a serious consultation between the two. "Bertler," exclaimed Brewster, "I must bnvo the thing now. What's to bo (lone? You've got to help me out." But the courier, prodigal us he was of gestures, hud no words which seemed pertinent. "There must be some way of getting nt this marquise," Monty continued reflectively. "What are her tas/es? l)o you know anything about her?" Suddenly the face of tho courier grew bright. "I have It," he said, and then he fnltcred. "But tho expense, monsieur?It would be heavy." "Perhaps wo can meet It," suggested Monty quietly. "What's the Idea?" It was explained, with plenty of action to mnke It clear. The courier had heard in Florence thut uiudumo la marquise had a passion for iNitomo biles. But with her Inadequate fortune uud the many demands upon It It was a weakness not readily grutlflcd. The machine she had used during the winter was by no menus up to date. Possibly if monsieur? Yet It was too much. ito nnaBut Brewster's decision was mad< "Wire the fellow," he said, *thot 1 wi add to my last offer a French machln of the latest model and tbo best mak< Say, too, that I would like Immc.llat possession." He secured it, and the crowd v:a transferred at once to fairy lam' There were protests, of course, bu these Brewster had grown to expeel and he was learning to curry thing with a high hand. The travelers lia> been preceded by Bertier, and th greeting they received from the stew ard of the estate and his innumerabl assistants was very Italian and full o color. A break In their monotony wa welcome. The loveliness of the villa and it grounds, which sloped down to th gentle lake, silenced criticism. For tixne it was supremely satisfying to d nothing. 1'ettingill wandered abou as ttlOlllfll ! ?> n/ii- ti ?.. real; lie was lost in ii kiml of a I mosphere of ecstasy. To the others who took it more calmly, it was stil a sort of paradise. Those who wer happy found in it an intensification o happiness, and to those who were sa< is offered the tenderest opportunitie for lneluucholy. Mrs. Dan told Brew stor that only a poet could have lini this inspiration. And Peggy added "Anything after this would he an an tieliinax. Iteally, Monty, you wouh better take us home." "I feci like the boy who was shut ii a closet for punishment and found i the place where they kept the jam,' said Subway. "It is almost as gooi as owning Central park." The stables were well equipped, am the days wore on in a woiulerfu peace. It was on a radiant afternoon when twelve of the crowd had starlet out after tea for a long ride to wart Lugano, that Monty determined to eal Peggy Gray to account. He was cer tain that she had deliberately avoidet him for days and weeks, and he eoult find no reason for it. Hour after hotn he had lain awake wondering when lie had failed her, but the conehisioi of one moment was rejected the next The Monte Carlo episode seemed tin most" plausible cause, yet even befor that he hud noticed that whenever In approached her she mnunged to bi talking with some one else. Two o three times be was sure she bad sect his intention before she took refngt with Mrs. Dan or Mary Valentine 01 Pettingill. The thought of the las name gave Monty a sudden thrill What if it were he who had come between them? It troubled him, bu there were moments when the Ulei seemed impossible. As they mouulci and started off the exhilaration of tin ride made liim lionefnl Tiiov have dinner in the open air in tin shadow of nil abbey ruin some miles away, and the servants had been sent ahead to prepare it. It went well, ami Vlth vMrs. Dan's help the dinner was made gay. Qn.the return Monty, whc joi'u Peggy- She seemed eager to IX with ^hc rest, and he lost 110 time witl a preamble. "Do you know, Peggy," lie began, "something seems to be wrong, ami 1 am wondering what It Is." "Why, what do you mean, Monty V" as he paused. "Every time I come near you, child, you seem to have something else to do, If I join the group you are in it is tlx signal for you to break away." "Nonsense, Monty! Why should 1 avoid you',' We have known one an other much too long for that." But he thought he detected some contradictioi In her eyes, and he was right. The gowns afraid of him, afraid of the sensa tlons he awoke, afraid desperately ol betrayal. "Pettlngill may appeal to you," he said, and his voice was serious, "but you might at least be courteous to me." "How absurd you are, Monty Brew ster." The girl grew hot. "You needn't think that your million gives you tlx privilege of dictation to all of youi cmests." "Peggy! IIow cnn you?" be Inter Jeeted. She went on ruthlessly, "If my con duet Interferes with your highness pleasure I can easily join the Prestom in Paris." Suddenly Brewster remembered thai Pettlngill had spoken of the Prestons and expressed a fleeting wish (hat h< might be with them in the Latin quar ter. "With Petttnglll to follow, I sup pose," he said Icily. "It would certain ly give you more privacy." "And Mrs. Dan more, qPPdrtUuitle*,' she retqrted as lie dropped back towan the qthera, The artist Instantly took his place The next moment he had challengec her to a race and they were flying down the road In the moonlight. Brew ster, not to be outdone, was after them but It was only a moment before lib horse shied violently at something black In the road. Then he saw Peg gy's horso galloping riderless. Instant ly, with fear at his throat, he had dls mounted and was at the girl's side, ahe was not hurt, they found; onlj bruised and dazed and somewhat lam ed. A girth had broken and her sad dlo turned. The crowd waited, sllenl mill som what awed, until the carriairc with the servants cnuic up nuil she was put Into it. Mrs. Dan's maid was there, and Peggy insisted that she wonui have no one else. Hut as Monty helped her In lie had whispered: "You won'1 go, child, will you? IIow could thing; go on here?" CHAPTER XXII. THE pcaeefulness of falrylanc was something which Brewate could not afford to continue and with Bertler he was sooi planning to invade it. The automoblt which ho was obliged to order for th mysterious marquise put other idea into his head. It seemed at once ah solutely necessary to give a coachlni party In Italy, and, as conches of tb< right kind were hard to tiud there au< ??? ?W? fMftSHMMMMinifti 11 HAIR, 8 DEN' c S Crown, Brid^'iwork an 2 Office over Mutual Dry I. a it iiNiiu^ioaivtiiiiimie * ' JM DR. J. M. WALLACE. J ! WALLACE < ? jj| DBTSri ISK Crown and Bridge Work e ?l$ A Specialty. Phone I it . S I changes of horses must uncertain, | , nothing eon hi ho more simple ami mull urnl tlinu to import automobiles from I e Paris. Looking Into the matter, lie , found that they would have to he pur-1 ,1 chased outright, as the renting of live s machines would put his credit to too severe a (est. Accordingly Bcrtier telI egrnpliod a wholesale order, whieli . taxed the resources of (lie mnuufncturers nud caused much complaint from j some customers whose work was unaccountably delayed. The arrangement j made by the courier was that they t were to be taken back at a greatly re* duced price at the end of six weeks. 1 The machines were shipped at once, five to Milan and one to the address of 1 the mysterious marquise in Florence. 1 It was with sharp regret that Monty broke into the idyl of the villa, for 1 the witchery of the place had got into I his blood. But a stern sense of duty, 1 combined with the fact that the l'aris . chauffeurs and machines were due in 1 Milan on Monday, made him ruthless. 1 He was astonished that his orders to [ decamp were so meekly obeyed, forj getting that his solicitous guests did > not know that worse extravagance lay . bcyoiul. lie took them to Milan by t? train and lodged them with some splene dor at the Hotel Favour. Here he e found that the fame of the princely e proiligate had preceded him, and his r portly host was all deference and at\ tention?all regret, too, for monsieur i was just too late to hear the wonderful r company of artists who had been singt lng at I.a Scala. The season was but j just ended. Here was an opportunity - missed, indeed, and Brewster's vexa-' t tion brought out an ironical comment i to Bertier. It rankled, but it had its 1 effect. The courier proved equal to i the emergency. Discovering that the > manager of the company and the prin} eipal artists were still hi* Milan, he i suggested to Brewster that a special t performance would be very difficult to I secure, but might still be possible. His i cliicf caught at the idea and authorized > him to make every arrangement, re> party. i "But the place will look bare," protested the courier, aghast. . "Fill It with flowers; cover It with t tapestries," commanded Brewster. "I put the affair In your hands, and I ' trust you to carry it through in the right way. Show them how It ought to , be done." Bertler's heart swelled within him at * the thought of so glorious an opportunity. Ills fame, lie felt, was already t established In Italy. It became a mat- j tor of pride to do the thing handsome-: ! ly, and the necessary business arrange-' i monts called out all his unused re- j I sources of delicacy and diplomacy. When It cnmc to the decoration of the ' opera house he called upon Pcttlngtll for assistance, and together they superi Intended an arrangement which cur: tained off a large part of the place and ' reduced It to livable proportions. With the flowers and the lights, the tnpest tries and the great faded (lags, it be? came something quite different from : the usual empty theater. To the consternation of the Italians, - the work had been rushed, and it was on the evening after their arrival in - Milan that Brewster conducted his ' frtenda ill sl.itd In llin S.-nln II ?*,i-J nl i most a triumphal progress, for he luid | generously if unwittingly given the t town the most princely sensation in < years, and curiosity was abundant. ? Mrs. Valentine, who was in the carriage with Monty, wondered openly - why they werp. attracting so much at - tentiop. ' They take us for American dukes ' and princesses," explained Monty. 1 ''They never saw a white man before." "Perhaps they expected us to ride on buffnloes," said Mrs. Dan, "with Indian I captives In our train." 5 "No," Subway Bnitth protested; "I - eeetu to see disappointment in their , faces. They are looking for crowns and j scepters and a shower of gold coin, r Really, Monty, ysu don't play the game . as you should. Why, 1 could give you points 011 the potentate act myself?a . milk white steed, a few clattering at* , tendunts in gorgeous uniforms, a lofty nod here and there and little me dis. tributlug silver in the rear." "I woiuler," exclaimed Mrs. Dan, "if ; they don't get tired now and then of being potentates. Can't yon fancy livi ing in palaces and longing for a thatch, ed cottage?" I "Easily," answered Subway, with a [ laugh. "Haven't we tried it ourselves? t Two months of living upon nothing but i fatted calves is more than I can stand. We shall be ready for a homo for dyspeptics if you can't slow down u bit, Monty." 1 Whereupon Mrs. Dan evolvod a plan r and promptly began to carry It out by inviting the crowd to dinner the next a night. Monty protested that they o would he leaving Milan in the aflere noon and that this was distinctly his H uffair, and he was sclllsh. h Hut Mrs. Dan was very sure. "My g dear boy, you can't have thing* your 0 own way every minute. In another mouth -you wilj be unite spojled. Aijy e*ioa???i*2?fiec9rrT*n93*9'? & HAIR, | nsTs. S d Regulating a Specialty. 3 Goods Co., Union, S. C. " DR. H. L. FELLERS. Wi fc FELLERS, i 7ISTS. St Offices: Rooms 1 and 2 %jl 117. Nicholson Building. jjjjj tiling to prevent that. My duty fa plain. Even if 1 liave to use heroic measures, you dine with me tomori row." | Monty recognized defeat when he 1 met it and graciously accepted her | very kind invitation. The next 1110 uient they drew up at the opera house and wore ushered in with a deference only accorded to wealth. The splendor f of the effect was overpowering to Brewster as well as to his bewildered guests. Aladdin, it seemed, had fairly ouni.mc liiuiseir. The wouuer of It was; so complete that it was some time before tliey could settle down to he opera, which was "Aida," given with an eiithusiasin tltat only Italians can compass. 1 Hiring the last intermission Brewster and Boggy were walking in the foyer. They had rarely spoken since the day of the ride, but Monty noticed with happiness that site had on several occasions avoided I'cttingill. "1 thought we had given up fairyland when we left the lakes, but I believe you carry it with you," she said. "The trouble with this," Monty replied, "is that there are too many people about. My fairyland is to be just a little different." "Your fairyland. Monty, will be built of gold and paved with silver. You will sit all day cutting coupons in an otiiee of alabaster." "Boggy, do you, too. think me vulgar".' It's a beastly parade, I know, but it can't stop now. You don't realize the momentum of the thing." "You do it up to the handle," she put in. "And you are much too generous to be vulgar. But it worries inc. Monty: it worries me desperately. It's the future I'm thinking of?your future, which is being swallowed up. This kind of thing can't go on. And what is to l'oilow it'.' You are wasting your .substance, and you are not making any life for yourself that opens out." "Beggy," he answered very seriously, "you have got to trust me. I can't back out, but I'll tell you this?you tW.' .iinoniw-klntnil in mo in tlm There was a mist before the girl's eyes as she looked at b:?n. "1 believe you, Monty," she said simply. "1 shall not forget." The curtain rose upon the next act, and something in the opera toward the end seemed to bring the two very close together. As they were leaving the theater there was a note of regret from Beggy. "It has been perfect," she breathed, "yet, Monty, isn't it a waste that no one else should have seen it? Think of those poverty stricken peasants who ailore music and have never heard an opera." "Well, they shall hear one now." Monty rose to it, hut he felt like a hypocrite in concealing his chief motive. "We'll repeat the performance tomorrow night and till the house with them." lie was as good as his word. Bcrtier was given a task the next day which was not to his taste. Rut with the assistance of the city authorities he carried it through. To them it was an evidence of insanity, hut there was something princely about it, and thoy were tolerant. The manager of the oi>era house was less complacent, and hehad an exclamatory terror of the dana age to his uphojstory. Rut Rrewstcp had discovered that In Italy gold Is a panacea for all Ills, and his prescriptions were liberal. To him the day was short, for Peggy's interest in thw> penance, as it came to he called, wast so keen that she insisted on, having a hand in the preliminaries^ There was. something nhont tl\o> partnership thirt appealed to Monty. To her regret the ReMille dinner Interfered with the opening of the performance, hut Monty consoled her with the promise that the opera and its. democratic audience should follow. During the day Mrs. Dan had been* deep in preparations for her banquet, hut her plans were elaborately conceal-, ed. They culminated at S o'clock in the('ova, not far from the Scnln, and the dinner was eaten in the garden to the sound of music. Yet it was an effeot'of n-KI. ...1.1.-1. 11..,. n oh>i|?iviij nun muni .11 is, i/iiu surprised her guests. They were prepared, for anything but that, and when theywere served with consomme, spaghetti ?a concession to the chef?and cl ops and peas, followed by a salad and coffee, the gratitude of tlio crowd was quite beyond expression. In a burst of enthusiasm Subway Smith suggested a testimonial. [TO BE COXTINtntD.] The tVlac. The wig is older than civilization, for the savage used one to make him more ] formidable on the Hold of Imttle. The French revolution killed the article as a piece of headgear. Itefore the guillotine fell In France the wigs which adorned the heads of Its victims cost $1fi0 to $'200. The costly decoration lingered a long time on ofliclnl heads In Eugland. So recently as I808 A.*chhishop Sumner found it necessary to wear one at Iho marriage of tho princess royal. _ ___ . < '