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Show J True Blue $ is B - si H " ' 'I ByRKnorr ::..'.,. ? (Copyright, 1617. VTtKtrn Nwippr Union.) '"What n line sunset I" Harry Still-well Still-well pointed lo (he red nnd orungo western sky. Ills companion sighed, but said nothing, as with his back to tho window he was carefully putting away his engraver's tools. "I'oor fellow, I forgot he's color i blind," Harry muttered, then continued contin-ued louder: "But, suy, Ed, don't you see any of the colors out there?" Edward Dalton shook his head. "Life Is to me one long gray day. Of course, I don't know Just how you normal-eyed people see things. I distinguish distin-guish what you call blue, such as tho sky on a clear sunny day, and flowers like the violet and bluebell, and I also perceive what you call yellow. But all the other colors you speak of are to me only so many variations of gray, more or less luminous. What you cnll color, I call ..degrees o( ' light and shade," "And there you have the Immense advantage over us in our profession." said Stlllwell, to smooth away his1 thoughtless question that had pained his friend. "When In engraving we don't know whether n color should come out light or dark, you seo'tho right tone at once. Aro you going to Maud Leander's dance this evening?" He had abruptly changed the subject. "She. asked mo to come, ro I suppose I must," answered Dnlton, with little eagerness to go. The two young men left the studio together. For the length of a whole block Stlllwell dilated on tho charms of Miss Lennder, hinting that he wus the preferred suitor to the hand of tho heiress. Dalton listened in silence; but nt tho first corner he turned down u by-street to escape, from'hls loquacious loqua-cious companion. Edwnrd Dalton, tho congenial colorblind, color-blind, spoke truth when he said that life was to him one long gray day. Morbidly sensitive to his visual defect, he was becoming moody and unsociable. unsocia-ble. (He, Imagined that Jne lost more ot the Joys -of. 'life than -he perhaps really did. And he found scant compensation com-pensation In the fact that his eyes were exquisitely olive to form to the luminosity lumi-nosity of the colors he did not see and hence to gradations of light nnd shade Imperceptible to his many friends. The latter 'gift, characteristic of the colorblind, color-blind, tnn'de htm Invaluable to His employer em-ployer and hnd won him a fine position.- And yet bis hours'awny from his work wferA more than ?yer given over' tof'gloomy thoughts. "For he felt himself, him-self, handicapped-.In jstrlvlngtforthe prize of life. And the fairest of these was at that very moment an object of rlvalry-nmpngjdg Mends. -;:.- . . MaudXcander.wnA.the prettiest Jrtrl. in town and an heiress besides., A hdndsome'fortune had been left her" by' nn eccentric maiden aunt on condition that she be engaged on her, twenty-fifth birthday. Otherwise the money was to revert to some charity. An ay enough condition to fulfill, one would, think, for a girl of Maud's popularity. And, Indeed, suitors were not Incklng. Mnnyt,of them were merely , fortnno, hunters. Annoyed by the perslsfenco of these MaUd'had grown to dislike' them nil,, nnd hnd vowed not to marry; any one among them. ( , There 'was only one young 'man' In town Maud cared to think of as her future husband. But Edward Dalton jepralofr-TT"eBeTfsVTilslnirnnify hung over him. And, moreover, the thouxht:of : hen money ikeptlhlm back." He detested fortune-hunting. Had she 'beep 'poor ns he was the ralght havo asked her tV'share'hls growing prospects. pros-pects. The heiress could not ask.- Yet ho Wvje,d (Maud, and, was miIfc ruble because be-cause he would not tell her so. Mpudit divined, his ocHngs ,frpm( the sliy ' deference with whlchvnj np-liroached np-liroached her, In grateful contrast to tho' tongue worship of her suitors. She t hereto rp made up her mind either to 'innrry'hlm or 'to let the money go and remain, n bachelornmld. But he would not' speak, and site dured not, for fear of seeming unmuldeuly .In his eyes, while tho fatal birthday was fust approaching, ap-proaching, and n score of young men hung on her decision. Dalton went unwillingly to tho dance. It tormented him to see her surrounded by that throng of flatterers, all unworthy of her, one of whom would fcimif carry off the prize. It never occurred to him that ho stood a better clmuco than uny of them. As ho entered the room Muud was dinttlng with Stlllwell. But she dlscn-gnged dlscn-gnged herself Immediately nnd beckoned beck-oned to him. "I'm bo glnd you've come," sho fcnld cordially. "This first dance belongs to yoii," nnd off she went with him, leaving leav-ing Stlllwell to gaze after her us If ills rjgbtfpl property hnd been snatched from hlra. 'ills frowns promised nothing noth-ing good to his friefid. Ah ho watched them swing- nround tho 'room un ugly thought took shapo In his mind. Seising Seis-ing the 'first opportunu moment ha asked Maud for n diinco. "It's hot here' he paid niter ho hud ohtnlncd her promise, "would you not rnlher go Into u cooler room for u while?" "Yes, If you like, for a moment," sho said. ,tl ... J Stlllwell glanced around to where Dnlton was talking with another girl. Then he quickly took Maud out Into an adjoining conservatory, nud seated her on n bench hidden by ferns. "I'm glad that Dalton seems to bo enjoying himself with tho girls this evening," he begnn artfully. "I'oor fel-1 low, his Infirmity does make htm unsociable unso-ciable at times." "His infirmity? Why, what Is tho matter with him?" sho nsked nhtrmed. "I have never heard of nn thing." "Don't you know that he's colorblind?" color-blind?" ho rapped out. i "Color-blind?" Maud echoed. "Yes. He's really unfit to lie among people. It's n wonder he doesn't make a guy of lilniKclf, going about In green troupers nnd led waistcoat, for he'd never know the difference. Ho knows It, too, nud Is getting more morose In consequence. People with such Infirmities Infirmi-ties are always unpleasant to live with for any time." "Doesn't he see any color nt all?" Maud nsked. "Only blue and yellow, I believe," ho answered. Maud grew thoughtful, and Stlllwell took her back Into tho room, curious to know what would be tho effect of his words. She danced little after that, and Dnlton soon disappeared. Ten days before her blrihday Maud Leander suddenly took It Into her head to have her parlor re-carpeted and re-hung. re-hung. "I'm tired of 'those red hangings," was all the explanaUons sho vouchsafed vouch-safed to the aunt who llved(wlth her. "I want other colors, blue for the carpet, and white and gold for the wall." "It seems foolish to do this now," said the aunt, disapprovingly. "With jour birthday so near at hand, you should think how best you cun fulfill the conditions of tho will! nnd decora deco-ra to your rooms afterwards. It's a trifling mutter now. "The color of my rooms is by no means n triflo Just now," said Maud emphatically, and then relapsed Into silence. "What huve you decided to do on your birthday?" the aunt asked again. Maud shrugged, with a twinkle In her eye. "You know. that you must decide then or loso a life Income," the aunt persisted. "It would be a pity to have all that money go out of the family." "If I can't get tho hucbnnd I want 1 won't take any, and I don't care who gets the money. I'm not TTbargaln to be given awny In that fashion. These hangers-on have Just disgusted me. They don't come for me, but for my money, and I won't have one of them. I want a man who will love me for my. own sake. And If there Is none, I'd rather lose a life Income and be my own mistress." "You girls are getting altogether too independent," sighed Aunt Mary, who belonged 'to an older generation. By the end of the week the room wasjre-hung, a symphony In blue undi gold, and Maud was receiving the duty-calls duty-calls after her party. All her suitors came. And Edward Dalton came, too,' one stormy evening, when no one else ventured out, and Stlllwell was kept awpy by an appointment . Entering the parlor, that In Its bright colors had hitherto seemed to him' merely grey.i he- opened, his eyes wide in surprise. What a transformation 1 It wus radiant with color und light, nnd in this blue glow stood she, no longer the grey figure ho had had always al-ways found her, but-gowned, in blue from head, to foot. , Never had alio, looked so bewitching.' And' never hud' sho been v' so gracious; ' Love overbrimmed over-brimmed his heart, and yet Ills tongue found no words to uttcr.lt. When, after an hour he rose to''go ami her soft hand lingered -a moment In his for tho good-night 'nnd' her eyes were fixed Intent on hisYlth a question, passionate words rose to his lips. Then suddenly ho turned and, left her.' Maud"'wcnt back Into her blue-'and-.gold1 parlor with tears in her eyes. Hud It-all been no 'Illusion? lie did not care .for.jher? Long and", long she 1 bought lt'flll over, .She hud .done ull what .maiden could, do to make a man speak, and1 nil for no'thlpgf There still' was time. Day by duy she' waited, but he did not come 'again. She lost-heart'ior ever) thing mid even refused to Join a party her best friend gave In her honor on tho oe of i her birthday. Thut evening sho wqntcd to bo nlouo,nnd gmo strict orders 'to the . K 1 .t ... 4 mmu to auimt no visitors. Tiieu, gowned' gown-ed' In her pule blue muslin, she went down luto her blue-und-gold imrlor to (veep over the drenm-of her hopes that wero vanishing. And as sho sat then qll tho color seemed to fade out of the room. "I must see Miss Leander, If only for one moment." Shu Hew to the door. "Oh, come- in Mr. Dalton. I've been waiting for you," sho burst out, with iso much fervor that his love, too, at last was klnclle'd Into speech". When Aunt Slury cun'io down, an hour Inter, she found them .sitting hand In hand on the sofa, happy nu two children. chil-dren. "'ell, I'm glnd It's you, Edward," nlie Mild cordially, blinking his hiiud lu both her own. And glnd e or) body elp In town was, except the disconcerted suitors. |