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Show H ! K6ff yellot&t Garter. I fl j i You are quite right, Billy. That garter has a j if c ! history. Some time, if you care to hear it Tell (j i it now? Well, first fill your glasses. So! jl ' I I had just come out of the Waldorf, where I i! ' , had heen dutifully drinking tea with my mother l i jjj j and young sister, when I first saw her. Hj j'l I Released, I was hurrying thankfully toward the H club, bent upon rewarding my virtue with a high- B ball of Scotch. B, j ! I did not see her face then, but in no country B; Hi j' and I have scoured many in quest of the unusual H'' J'l have I seen a form to be compared with her. B j J ' Such a torso! Such grace of movement! Such a B, jf queenly upholding of the head! B j I stopped an instant to -stare, then walked B !, slowly behind her until we reached the shopping B , district. Bu 1 1 i Suddenly a clanking sound as of metal falling B; il'l f struck my ear; simultaneously she disappeared Bg ! j ' into a shop. Bl'j j j She had dropped her garter. Yes; the yellow HHJ ' ' hand you have, Billy, lay upon the sidewalk. B II ' ' Only an instant, for I had it in my hand and B jj V into my pocket inside of three breaths. BMji I With my treasure trove I reached the club a B''i few moments later. H, Both of you, Billy and Dick, were at the club B Sl when I entered. That little cad, Baron Von Wal- Hf ! , dermuth, joined us just after I arrived, so I had no V ' n opportunity then of telling you of my adventure. B lf Later I kept my own counsel for other reasons. B j j I never drank so many highballs In my life. B iff Sober? Of course I was sober, dead sober! B; ! I am afraid I was rather dull. Candidly, neither Bnf 1j the place nor the company had any meaning to me. Bf'.i 1 heard nothing consciously save the musical H0j! 1 tinkle of metal on stone. I saw only a woman's form, the perfection of which seemed to blot out every other woman on earth. I remember planning on my way homo a dozen ways of returning the souvenir when I had discovered dis-covered where my "Lady of Mystery" dwelt. My last decision was to keep it until the opportunity op-portunity offered, when, without hurting her delicacy, deli-cacy, I could render unto her the bauble that was hers, begging as my reward the precious relic back. I stayed at home that night. The yellow garter furnished me with food for more interesting reflection reflec-tion than would the society of any woman. For me the unknown has always had a charm more powerful than the veriest certainty. Unbelievable Unbe-lievable are the vagaries of Eros. Will you who know me so well, believe that I, impregnable as women dub me, wore that pretty yellow band around my arm for a whole week; then, being afraid an accident might betray my folly, I hung it in my curio cabinet Yes, that is the right place, old man! The second time I saw my enchantress she was In a sumptuous carriage driving through the Park. She was alone. Vainly I tried to catch a glimpse of her features. A few sunny waves of hair were disclosed by the favor of the wind, and an obstreperous obstrep-erous drapery veil a brown veil I noticed she again wore. Thus I became aware that she was blonde. Being Be-ing swarthy, fair women are my especial admiration. admira-tion. I followed her carriage for half an hour. My racing automobile never ran so sleepily. Finally, lest she see me, reluctantly I went my way. I cannot describe to you how madly even the thought of this woman made my usually unfever-ish unfever-ish pulses whirl. She possessed me absolutely! I thought of nothing save her. Around her incognita I wove the most entrancing romances, in which, of course, I was speedily to become an active participant. I imagined her peerless body reproduced in the rarest marble of Carrara. I saw her at the head of a splendidly appointed table my table. I called to memory the golden voice of a world-famed world-famed actress and gave her one still more golden. I bought for her my wife sables fit for an empress, em-press, and showered jewels upon her rarer than those worn by any woman of our most extravagant set. In brief, I had fallen insanely in love is any love sane, my brethren? with a woman whose face I had never seen, whose name I did not know, whose past and present were as unknown to me as Sanskrit. Unaccountably? Assuredly! My millions were as ashes if they could not help me to win her, and yet, so great was my repugnance re-pugnance to sharing my secret with any one, that I would take none of the usual means toward discovering dis-covering her identity. Even you, Billy, never knew she existed. Certainly Cer-tainly I trusted you, but do not interrupt. The only clue I possessed was the name graven upon the silver clasp of her garter "Audre." You can see it plainly. Oh, yes, a foreign name! French undoubtedly. I looked through the Social Register, I read industriously in-dustriously the society journals, I sought everywhere every-where fruitlessly for a woman named "Audre." For a month I wandered about aimlessly; I shunned the club. I neither wanted to see nor talk to anyone. I was eating out my heart in longing for her. Finally I concluded that she had left the city. This was last June. Halfv mad with unrest, I determined to leave America. I went to Europe in July. I came back in September. I visited Paris. I thought I might And her there. She may have been in Europe, but I did not run across her. The name "'Audre," however, I learned, was as common in Fr'ance as "Helen" is here. In October, one afternoon about half after four, I was spinning along the avenue in my "Red Devil," when I again saw my beautiful Audre for so I always called her to myself. She had a small coin purse in her arm, and was pouring, literally pouring, its contents into the hands of an old woman whose face was horribly scarred by fire, and who was blJnd. Her carriage stood by the curb. She had alighted to perform this act of charity. I could not hear what she was saying, but I saw the illumined countenance of the aged beggar, whose afflictions, at least, were genuine. Again I tried to catch a glimpse of Audre's face. Never was mask more impenetrable. As before, she was veiled in brown. Her bounty being dispensed, she re entered her carriage, which turned and drove off. My adoration increased fourfold. She was an angel. I could have knelt and "worshipped her for her divine pity to one in need. The dim day seemed flooded with sunshine. I was in a most benign be-nign humor. I had sen her. Fate would certainly throw us together before the end of the season. Alas, a week, I told myself, means aeons hence. I, too, went over to the old beggar and thrust a bill into her shaking hand. That night I had an imperative engagement. I hurried to the club, dined, and thence to my room. Before I dressed I committed the asininity of almost devouring the yellow garter with kisses. You know Dr. Trentworth? You remember him, Billy. Mrs. Trentworth No. 2 was Edith Barton. Bar-ton. By way of dowry she brought the doctor a-warm a-warm million or more. Upon this particular night the Trentworths were giving a large musical; one of the stars from the Opera was expected. From college days Bob Trentworth and I were inseparable chums. He ended his social carer when he married a singer of bad repute. What was more to the point, the doctor promptly disowned him. Poor Bob! However, How-ever, for some unknowable reason, the old man seemed to take me into his heart after Bob's unfortunate un-fortunate act It became my habit to attend all the Trentworths' social gatherings. I was per- sona grata at all times, and would as soon have remained away from a reception at my mother's home as from one at the doctor's. He called me and treated me as his "boy." This night I received an order over the 'phone from Dr. Trentworth to come early and take a look around the rooms to see that all was as it should be. A ridiculous idea of my ability as a censor of the fitting was one of the doctor's illusions. At eight sharp I reached the house. Was it a vision I saw, or was it She? As I put my foot upon the lower step of the stoop the light from the open doorway shone upon the exquisite form of Audre. I remember exclaiming audibly, "Thank God!" I fear I bore you with my lover's rhapsodies, but bear in mind they were tributes to he unknown. un-known. She! I do not bore you? Thanks! I am glad you are interested; my story ends shortly. As I gave my Inverness and stick to a man, I saw Audre disappearing at the top of the stair. I felt happier than had a kingdom become suddenly sud-denly mine. I had found my wife. By some curious mental quirk, any idea of failing fail-ing to win this goddess-like woman never once entered en-tered my love-addled brain, and yet conceit is not my besetting sin. "The man who can win them all" was never my role. I cannot explain this phase of my insanity. I went about the rooms humming a jubilate to myself. The one woman in the world, my bride-to-be, was under the same roof with me. I longed for the heaven-sent moment-when I should look into her eyes. But I will spare you and hasten the denouement. denoue-ment. The guests arrived. The artists were very late, as is their way. The star did not show up, which is also the way of stars. The rooms became crowded. To me they seemed quite empty. Eagerly I waited for Audre. I stood near th? entrance to the drawing-room. Suddenly the doctor's man, James, approached and whispered something to our host. Quietly, professionally, yet swiftly, Dr. Trent-worth Trent-worth left the room. His guests were too absorbed in being amused and amusing to notice him. He ran up the staircase. I had never known him to do that before. Gouty men are ineligible sprinters. About ten minutes passed. Ten lives it seems to me. Occultly, I knew it was she was was ill. God ! How I longed to rush up and beg, because of the love I bore her, to be of some assistance. So thinking, I felt James touch my elbow. , jfl "The doctor wants you third, story front," he 1 j !aV whispered. H A moment later I knocked atthe door desig- i jk nated, and was admitted by Dr. Trentworth, into l H a room strangely still. qk The old man's face looked white and drawn. i M "Ned, I am in trouble, my boy; I want you to i j help me think," he said. I " I assured him of my fealty, whereupon, speak- A H ing in sharply drawn sentences, ho said: M "There is a woman on that bed in the corner E M dead. She was a patient of mine. I allowed her to 1, M come here tonight for the first time to hear the M music; she begged me to. She lived out of town. l M She was very rich. I had a chair placed in the ;l M upper hall for her. She was a world-famous singer , H and a notoriously evil woman, not fit to touch the H hand of a good woman or little child, still, I pitied H her. Her sufferings almost equaled her crime. I H have used my utmost skill for the past year, trying J H to save her. In vain; she was self-doomed. J H "Ned, my boy, have you no suspicion who this H woman is? Think!" si "Yes; Bob's wife." 1 H "My poor, poor lad! We must send for him. ! H We'll cable him to come homo. Her vices must j H have made life a hell to him. He has been suffl- i H ciently punished. H "James found her leaning over the banister il H stone-dead. Her heart was weak. "Come" he motioned me toward the bed. 1 H "This woman," he said sternly, "was one of the most beautiful women in Europe, and one of the I H very worst." , H He pulled aside the coverlid under which lay R H the superb form I had so worshipped. H From the face the doctor carefully removed a ji H wet handkerchief. Ir . H I drew near to look for the first time upon ir the features of the woman who had bewitched me. ' H In that moment I have of ten thought I ex- J H hausted my entire emotional capacity. The mem- h iH ory of what I saw will remain with me through i" jfl Hfe. i m I need only say that one-half of the face was ft quite gone. 1 H 'J M Yes it is a horrible story; horrible! H Ah, John, that garter in the cabinet throw it , Into the fire. Now , another bottle of Ruinart. Minna ij! H Thomas Antrim, in Town Topics. I H |
