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Show LOTTIE DEANE'S MISTAKE, B Mr. Ro Deane was a thriving young B survuvor and auctioneer In a largo L Ono day Mm. Ross Dunne was mend- B Jns lier linib.-tml's olTlco coat and sing- Ktr inp cliccrlly over tier task. Sho wni a HH rctty llttlo woman, Kith pink ohoulcs J and wavy fair Imlrutid groat bluo eyos, 1 sunny nnd Innneunt In expression as a H Utile chilli's. If. Iter moutli was a trlflo 1 large, nobody ever noticed it for nil- 1 tulrlng tho scarlet lips and whito teeth tti.it gleamed out whon alio smiled, M vrlilch was not seldom, for sho was a H merry little body, as sparkling and H sunshiny as if she'd never a caro in tho H And really, wheu you coma to think M about it, her cares were very fow, and H licr pleasures many. Hadn't alio tho m Itanusoinost nnd dearest husband In tho m world, who petted and humored hor to H her heart's content? It is rory qucor m (ho fondness some women lutva for bo- H Ing pencil. It's rather ncat-liko trait, M this liking to bo purred and coddled so M much. Then sho had tho swooteat lovo M of a baby; but that wns rather a part- H ncrshlp concern thoro wero grand- B- parents nnd nunU innumerable, who H it in claim to baby, to say nothing H oTtht. llttlo ono's father; whllo her H handsome Hoss was all her own Indl- H vldnal proiwrty. H At least she thought ho was, till sho H very unwisely uudertook to inond that H ofDco coat of his. Sho had pounced H upon it that morning, whon previous H to a shopping expedition, sho had H penetrated to his ofllce nt tho back of H tho house bolng in want of tnoro H money nnd had contlscatod It directly, Hk declaring tliatlf wts a ihanio for any. K liody to wear siteh a dilapidated nr- L rangemont, andUior husbitnd shouldn't H do It another tlay'ijJherel j f ,fi Tlierowsjaijiog'1'oru rtjH( BtaBHMMaVUiiflBBr, nnd thou thu rtrspP Bloiie. Hv, sho it insldo HHPM; died un hur lips as a vntcd ouvolopo dropped oiit HHured to tho stooped Mekit noticing thu fululnlno HP handwriting on tho outside, opened it, V of rouroo, but with nu odd misgiving r tit her heart regarding tho act, never- B 1'crliaps she had better uot' havo K opened it. I won't midertuko to say m -whether it was best or. not; but I til- F ways believed that ''whoro ignnrnuco H wan bliss'' it was exceedingly foolish to H become onllghtonod of vour own free F will, us this child ns doing, for this H was what sho read: B DnnHK, Piianb: Of cuuito you will bo H Ht tho nmqueriiilo to-oinrrow uvrnluir. I H won't toll ;uu whulchnraeUT 1 ahull uumu, H but It you vien to wiur n pink ilouilno with u L wblto rosoln your button-liolr, mill jou wrro L to tntot unother pink rtoinliin with a red ruto H In Its bund-how cun 1 tell w ho It would boT H Bad enough or not just as onu B chose to take it. Mrs. Dcano knew m well cuough who wrote It knew that m tho letter wnsu't really half so bad as B It sounded. Still It was proof that tho V flirtation which Mrs. Dcnnc had horo- k loforo beliored to be carried on chiefly B by Miss Hollo was going altogether BH9f too fur to be pleasant to tho lookor-nn BBBk when tho looker-on happened to be HHHkv, tho wife of ono of tho parties. L As long as Miss Hollo I'restou made k eyes at handsome ltoss Duane, ouly to H lo carolessly 11 altered lu return by him, Bnnd afterwards laughed nllko by both Hfclr. and Mrs. Ucatio. Hue latter cared about She HFiho girl a gooso to herself, was politely V corilial to nerboforo folks, and uorcr Hr nnTQ lB '"Atter thought. HB Miss Fro6ton was a goose, course, r hut quite a protty, winniug little gooo r "Iter all. Sho was rather dashing In ff her ways smokod cigarettes, talked H slang both of which Airs. Preston par- H tlcultirly detested and tried to ape the H tnannern generally of the masculine B half of creatlou. Of course sho mndou BJ failuro of it, but men are romarkably IB tolerant of bright, saucy, black-eyed BBa failures of tho Hello Preston kind; nnd BBfl so. they laughed at hur a little, but BBfl flatter her a great deal more, and not BBfl a fow foil in love with her continually. BBa But Mrs. Dcauo did not chooso that BBfl her husband should bu catight in tho BBI toils of a siren like this; and she was BBa properly indlgunnt nt liudlng that tho BBa io wero on familiar terms enough for BBa notes to pass between them and such BJ BBJ "Tho bold thing to ask another BBJ woman's husband to come to the mas- BBJ qucrndo to meet her she ought to bo BBJ Ashamed of herself!" muttered Mrs, BBJ How) Doane angrily. "And ho, too, BBJ nftor pretending to mo that ho thought BBJ ttlio was horrid I liuto him!" ami sho BBJ stamped her llttlo foot, and subsided, BBJ into u fifuf the uU. BBf. But her nnttire was too healthy to permit a long indulgence In feelings of that kind: so. before long, she found herself wnnileriog what sho would do about It. Wns sho going to alt still and lot this woman win awny her husband hus-band without tin elTort un her part to prevent It? Not she. She would go to this masquerade herself. What she would do thoro sho hadn't fully determined deter-mined upon. Shu would wear n pink domino nnd carry n red roso in hor hand; and If lions' Donno should happen to mlstako her for tho fascinating Miss Preston why, how could she help It? Anv wov, sho know sho wouldn't try tn help lu Let him blunder if he llkod; sho didn't caro. iler mind onco mado up, sho looked to see where tho uoto wus dated. It was written tho day beforo sho found It, so that tho masquorndo wits to bo that very ovenlug. No tlmo was to bo lost, evidently, if sho wanted to attend. They had received cards several days beforo, but Knss had deelarod himself avorae to ''olng, and so Mrs. Deane had thought no more about It. Now sho saw his decision in a different light. I "Ho didn't want me to go." sho mur-murod mur-murod to horsolf, "and ho thought ho could muko sonio oxcuso to bo away this evening, so that I needn't know ho wont. But we'll bco how his plans turn out. I'm verv much afraid ho'll bo disappointed. "Wo' 11 see." aud tho red lips wero compressed firmly, and tho little hands were tightlv clenched. Whou everything wus finished sho sat down on tho sofa in tho pretty parlors par-lors Thoro lions fouud bore, sitting soberly, bending forward a little, with hor whito hands clasped in her lap. She did not look up to greet blm when ho onterod. Sho was too angry, nud sho waved him back haughtily whon ho Jtoopod to kiss her. "Why. pet, what'u the matter?" ht said, amazedly, as he stopnod baok, his hand on tho tablo beside film. Sho sat still, with drooping eyes and averted face. "I do not wish to talk to you." was all sho said. I Ho starod, bewildered. I "But, Lottie, darling, I don't understand under-stand what has conio over you so suddenly? What have I dono?" And ho could stand thero aud ask her that so coolly! Lottie was almost frantic. And then the dinner-bell rang una savod them from a sceno for that tlmo. j Ross Doano fallowed his wifo to tho dining-room, feeling very much as if be wus droaming. When tho meal was ovor bo retired to tho ofllco to taka a stnoko and to think It over. Lottio went upstairs to wait for him, to lcavo the houo beforo sho begau to dross. Sho sat whero sho could watch the garden gate, nnd thero sho waltod with nervous impatlonco for him to go out that sho might follow and tho first uct of tho tragi-comedy bo ready for performance. per-formance. Eight o'clock struck, and lu a fow jukkLBBhjimirdlilm moving BBBBBBBBJHBBv, camo to rBBJBBBJBBJBBBBp called: "LotUonrelwon't "vo'ii como down stairs?" V But Lottie would not answer. She hud no dcslro to rccoivo his good-bye kiss whou she know ho was hurrying away from hor impatient to mcot that "bold girl" who was trying to win him awny from his wife, llo called oneo more nnd thon sho hoard him pass Into tho parlor. After that thero was along sllcucu, nud Mill sho sat there and wondered what delavcd him so. Nino o'clock struck; then 10, and nobody no-body had passed out nt tho front gato she watched so jealously. What could It uicau? Had he been so cowardly ns to slip out by tho back wny for foar sho I might seo him? She couldn't belluvo that nt him; but sho didn't understand why ho waited till so lato boforo going away. Half past ton; a quarter of cloven. She couldn't bear this nuy longer; but would just And out what it aieaut. Just ns tho clock struck 11, sho camo dowu into the parlor. Thoro Uy Ross, ' sound nslrop on the sofu, tho evening paper tossou carolessly ou thu floor bo- , sldo him. I "UussI Rossi Wttko up! Don't you know that It's 11 n'clook nnd you nro uot dressed for the masquerade." "Who what?'' muttered Ross, stretching lazily. "Eleven o'clook! Well, what of It. dearie?" "Tho masquerade, Ross; don't you remember It is this evening and you nro not dressed?" "Tho musquerndo, Lottio? Why, I thought wo had decided not to go." "So wo did," sho answered, bitterly "but I supposed Miss Preston had persuaded per-suaded you to change your mind." "Miss Preston? What tins sho to do with our going, ono way or tho othor? Oh, I begin to smell a rut." ho crlod exultantly, now fully wido awake. "Seo horo. puss; what did you rucau by having tho sulks to-night, nnd refusing re-fusing to kiss vour llego lord, or ovon bo civil to him", eh?" "Oh, Ross, I thought" 'Yes I know what you thought." lie had hor in his arms now. "You saw that nolo Miss Bollesaw lit to send mo tho other day, and you thought your husbaud could caro enough for a girl, who throw herself at his hoad in that bold way, to dccolvo his wife his own wife, whom ho loves bettor than all tho world bosldo," ho added lower nnd more earnestly. "I don't think you huvo n vory high opinion of your liusbaud, pet." "I did lind tho note. Ross," she sobbed, sob-bed, "In tho pocket of your office coat, nud 1 I Pleaso forglvo me, dear;" and sho clung to him closor whllo ho soothod aud petted her. "Never mind, llttlo glrllo; I don't wonder you doubted mo for n minute. I ought to huvo burned that note, and then you'd uot havu been so troubled. But perhaps It's Just ns well. You' know for certain, true,' now, how much Influence Miss Hello has over me, don't you?" And ho patted her chook and laughed a little. I I think Mrs. Duanomanagod women I know how to do theso things In soma Perfectly polite nud pleasant way to let Miss Pnrston know why Mr. Deane did , not at'end tho masquerade and also tho fate that notes addri'siwl to him woro likely to meet. At any rato,. the young lady wastes no more of her time on othor womon's husbands but is do-votlug do-votlug all hur energies to procurlup ono of hor own. Evening World, |