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Show Km? il i Hjj 13 he Clttbman and the Wm Comic Opera Girl, m Hw With a rouge pan in one hand and a big fluffy HF puff in the other, the Comic Opera Girl was put- Wm ting the finishing touches to her lengthy apres le EHf theatre toilet. in "My gloves, Struthors, and see, Spunky is deny de-ny vouring my feather boa horrid pest! I wish the BiB little wretches were not the rage. My lip rouge, Ban' please, and catch up that chiffon knot on my ffi shoulder Don't sew it, stupid; it's bad luck flu Now drop everything like a good soul and lidr' race about and find me a velvet somewhere 1 WML shall wear my pendant tonight It may console- HI me for the tired linos in my chin Make haste, H; you irritating old poke." Mtf The Comic Opera Girl sprinkled the palms of Hg. her hands somewhat lavishly with a heavy per-I per-I m: fume and then, raising the bottle to her tinted I In lipsN swallowed a part of the contents. Then she 1 H gathered up her filmy, trailing laces, several tele-I tele-I mm grams and a poem to her ankles lying on the IB. dressing table and, with a mumbled "good night" H to the sleepy night watchman prowling about the K passages with a smoky lantern, made her way H. across the dark, deserted stage, followed by her K weary maid and a fat, fluffy poodle that snapped jB continuously at nothing in particular. BT The Man in the Cab. 9 As the stage door shut behind her with a heavy B slam and she stood in the white glare of the electa elec-ta trie light, a pale figure against the dark back-WL back-WL ground, a cab drew up from the shadows and a IK man sprang out. flf "Gad!" he exclaimed. "I have waited an ter- B nlty! Every one else has left. What took you ft such an infernally long while?" ; The nomic Opera Girl settled herself comfort- fl: ably in the hansom and adjusted a curl on her U , forehead with minute care and precision before jBj ' answering: "If you must know, I was busily em- jBjjjjr ployed thinking up various bitter and scathing M remarks that I felt it my duty as a woman scorned H to address to you, you ungrateful"wretchj How 8 dared you run off in that atrocious manner and , marry without even asking my blessing or so ft. much as "by your leave?" K She laughed easily and the Clubman .breat ' K' a sigh of relief. B "You always did enjoy taking the very course B one might haxe expected of you, didn't you?" he B ; said. "It's rather a pity I could noc have foreseen fl ' you were going to be so jolly philosophical about B it, or indifferent I don't know which. Fact is, ft knowing your usual devilish disposition, I have B been expecting rather a mal quatre d'heure." IJBje "Egotist!" smiled the Comic Opera Girl, as m-" she struck a match on her cigarette case, "you fl; marry another woman, but I still live, and you Bl feel a miracle has been wrought. I will confess 3 the news came as a shock at first, and I had St rather an inclination to gnash my teeth and rear 11' and rail upon the perfidy of man after the ap- B"' proved manner of penny novelette heroines. But I then I decided upon suppressed emotion as being more my style and less wearing on the nerves. I The Other Girl. "But tell me about everything I'm devoured with curiosity What is she like? Is she pretty? That is always a woman's first question, isn't it? , Describe her to me, please truthfully and without with-out embellishment. , Mind, I shall never forgive you if you enthuse." - "She's adorable," said the Clubman, refiect- l ively, "a mere slip of a girl. Winsome, tender, j loving " I' "Guileless! soulful! and all the rest of It!" I" broke in the Comic Opera Girl, impatiently. "Oh, I yes, I know the kind the usual typo an all-wise ? or otherwise Providence usually allots to an un- I deserving fellow like yourself. And now, why did 1 1 V 1 I I you marry? I .can't for the life of me imagine. Possibly it was for love but that might surely have been obtained without the added responsibility responsi-bility of nuptial ties. Certainly it was not for money. Perhaps it was for a new sensation?" The Clubman puffed cpmplacently at his cigarette. cigar-ette. "It may not be in the best possible taste for me to mention it to you, but the fact is I love my wife." "Really?" ' "Really." They both laughed. The Comic Opera Girl shrugged her shoulders. "Yes as most men love their wives. It really shouldn't cause the other woman much jealousy." Frank Confessions. "I love her," continued the Clubman, "and with no lukewarm passion. I do not worship and hate her in one breath. I feel no thrill when her cool little hand touches mine. The thought of her does not come between me and my daily paper, and yet I say In all sincerity, I love her. It's a clean, decent sentiment in my life, and I'm proud of it." "Of course you are," laughed the Comic Opera Girl, lightly. "Tremendously so! A man always delights in one pet virtue almost every one possesses pos-sesses one. I know a rascally chap whose reverence rever-ence for his mother is the pride of his life and the torture of his friends' existence." She made a moue at the Clumban, and sat blowing cigarette smoke through her nose. Perhaps Per-haps it was not so much a taste for cigarette smoking as a .sly ruse to draw attention to her nose. It was really an irresistible little nose. The Other Attraction. The Clubman drew closer. "I rather fear I am going to miss all this terribly," ter-ribly," he said. "You, our bully little suppers, the comfy old flat, our cool night drives in the park and beyond, and all the rest of it that has gone toward malting this such a marvelously jolly summer. Yes, I shall miss it all terribly, and I'm just selfish enough to hope that you will, too. I want you to think of me and want me sometimes, some-times, and then be lonely and miserable; yes, just a wee bit miserable when I'm not there. It's a great deal to ask, I know, but I can't bear to jW relinquish the little corner I have gained in your B heart. I know there are times to come when I B shall hunger for your good fellowship, your sym- B pathy. It's always good to feel that some one B cares I" jB He bent and pressed his lips to her arm. Jfl "And so this is really and truly good by?" the B Comic Opera Girl said. Jfl "It must be, dear. It would have ended sooner B or later in any event, and, besides, you and I B would not miss the piquancy of one's little ro- B mance by trying to make it last forever. It is" B always well to part with a few desires unsatis- H fled and retain some of one's illusions. Of course, fl ' we shall meet again soon, I daresay. It's a small H worfd', and each of us is always running up B against the other at unexpected moments. In H that case, I hope you will do the generous thing m and not make it awkward. Forgive me if I seen ft brutal, but it's a delicate point, and I lack the Hi experience that enables one to handle such mat- Hi ters with finesse. H? The Man's Point of View. HI "Do not," he continued, "I entreat you, hesi- Hi tate to call upon me if at any time I may grant Hi you a favor. I will do anything in the world for K you, within reason and you know it. And I H want you to appreciate as I do the debt of grati- H tude I owe you. We have been so happy together, H you and I, and what a jolly little comrade you m have been, too the best pal a fellow ever had. H You should have been born a man, dear." H It was his highest form of praise. H "You are my one consolation that I was born Hi a girl," she said, and smiled wira no humor in H her eyes. H The cab turned into Fifth avenue and pulled H up before a corner building. H "You may drop me nere," the Clubman said. H "Good by, you wretched little, stoic. Try and con- H jure up a heart' throb 'ribw and thefn, 'will you, H for old time's sake?" Hj He brushed his lips lightly across her cheek. fl She selected a rose from the cluster fastened fl to her bodice, a dash of vivid red against her fl white shoulders, and, pressing it to her face for a B moment to hide the quivering of her chin, held it B toward him. B A wave of color suffused her cheeks as he B raised the flower reverently to his lips. B If he dropped it into the street a moment later B she did not know it- Hi! Parting of the Ways. fl The carriage wheeled away from the lights of H the clubhouse into the semi-darkness. B The Comic Opera Girl sat smiling into the fl gloom and then, with a hurt cry, buried her face jH in her hands and sobbed aloud. fl The Clubman, standing bareheaded on the H pavement, resumed his hat and his normal expres- H sion. H "Ye gods be praised! That's over with!" said H he. Helene Lucas, in New York Telegram. H |
