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Show &te New Years Ball "IWt merciful goodness!" Ihe man cried out, driven lo bulf-cruzcd desperation. desper-ation. "Iion't you understand? Cuu't you mi, I, 'i slim, I? It Is ruin! It Is complete ruin!" She stood before htm like one of the antique (lick statutes that look calmly calm-ly out from Jeweled eyea. Her cold mouth curved a little. "1 auppose you mean (hat our expenditure ex-penditure has been too heavy; that we must retrench. You are dramatic about It aa you aro about everything." She shrugged her shoulders. "And you know that 1 detest the drnmallc." As he saw that still she did not understand, un-derstand, the moisture came out on his forehead. "No, I do not menn that we must retrench, aa you conceive tho word. Rose. I mean that everything la gone." "Everything!" "You will not stnrve. You will have a house over your head. Hut " "Thank you." Hhe smiled Ironically. "That Is much. Yus, I think 1 Uliiler-atnnd Uliiler-atnnd now." 8hn turned to the door. "Rose!" Ilii rnlled her hark. Ills eyea strained out of his nshen face. ''If you knew If you knew how I have stru,:g!u ngii'n. t It! Kor months It has limn eomlii't. Hut I always hoped that I would retrieve all. One unfortunate Investment followed another. an-other. HUM 1 would not toll you: I could not-could not! Hut now 1 will explain everything." "Oh. pray spare me!" She drew nlde the folds of her luuiserobe. ns II his outstretched bund might selie nnd detain her. "I wbh for no explanation of disagree ible events. Afii r our New Year's eve hall I wl l hear ns mm Ii of what you tuny have to say as care to know though speech Is uselon enough now." "After the ball?" he repented. "You do not liiian -lt Is not possible thnt you think of still giving this New Year's ball?" "Certainly." She gaxed ut him cold, ly. "This ball ahull be given. My Invitations went out today." "Hut It Is monstrous!" cried Edwin Thompson. "Do you realize whut will be said of us? In a fortnight more the whole world will know that I am a bankrupt. My honor " "Your honor!" she Interrupted, laughing a little. "A mini who marries a girl nbovo him socially, but of Im- poverlshed family, under tlio claim of being wealthy, nnd who. five years la-tor, la-tor, announces lo her thnt he la bankrupt, bank-rupt, need talk little of his honor!" Bhe turned nwny again and nnally. aa ahe uttered the words. They had been spoken In h"r even, clear, rrnel voice. Hurely In the live years of their married life Edwin Thompson had learned to know those tins wo'l. They hud never wanned with love or melted with tenderness. They hud remained what they hnd been when he, a self-made self-made man, a man who had arrived at grent riches, despite hla youth, had paid hla addreasea to the daughter of the old Vlokas. and had been willing that she should marry him without, as she confessed with explicit calmness, loving him In the least. Mrs. Edwin Thompson had given her ball and It marked the summit of the holiday season. The early morning hours wore on towarda the dawn. The last carrlago rolled away. Mrs. Thompson Thomp-son would fall; but It would be a full enwrapped In aplendor. She waa about to move past her husband hus-band without a word. He checked her. "I have been waiting lo aee you until un-til the last guest had gone. There hna happened one thing of which I wish to apeak to you very briefly. I shall not keep you long. I had a relative an uucle of my mother. Me was an unmarried un-married man, and rich. Kor yeara we held no communication with each ulh-er. ulh-er. It camo to mo that I would appeal to him not for myaelf for you." He paused. She stood, her head half averted, reluctantly waiting. Il0 looked at her. She did not see the glunre. Ho resumed. "I wrote three days ago. Today I received re-ceived this letter." H i took out a fo'd-ed fo'd-ed aheet. "It la from the old man's lawyer. My mother's uncle died a week ago, and I am heir-at-law of all his property. The sllenco that fell upon the great room could almost be heard. Not a muscle of Itosea body moved. Her head was still averted. "I tell you this, because It la you not I who heri afti r will own this Ur-tune. Ur-tune. That Is all." When she turned sharply he was gone. The blood surged to her cheeks, and left them again deadly pule. Wna It true? Yes; she knew that It waa. Bhe might taunt him with having won her by false claims, but ahe knew, In her soul, that fulslty and he could not together be mentioned. Hla word waa never doubted. Whut did he mean, then, by saying that his fortune, which bad fallen to him In the hour of direct di-rect need, like rain from the clouds. 1 I 1w.n to he heis. tot his? (', ,il,. .i,g up 1 the long, ru-tl.i train ( h r imll-di.'ss, imll-di.'ss, she mount,-, l , sihm p, , op. n the door o! In. ,ir, s lag mi, in -' i:.wln - niv I!,. 1!" Ihe e;y hrrkt-from the Hps thit U ' I glow n stiff and still. Hhe en pt I, "am. I!, r white nrin nnd w.l t sun k I ng ilust his lipl fte.l hail. I. "Edwin! Why did you ilo this' Yoi , Wen. about to Like your life! Why' Why?" Her hands cl , ,1 upon l.! wrist, i 'he 're-llke I'll, ore recalled him I it,, (V trance in which be had stood li ' I then. " Vhy not" He apoke tioirsely. "Can you love re.-? i'lin nimhlm; re-' re-' call the words you inten d two weeks I "K.lwln! Kors' t Cieni' Forget!" "I thought I knew . .,, on IIS heroic. "I the.llgl.t I k,ew , cold- but not -not aa you revealed I yourself Hint day I always hoped, hoped for your henrt snnio time. That afternoon 1 saw ymi nnd your heart as they were. You tnve what you wish a fortune. Me yilu will not need." "I do!" she rrlM. "You must listen to me. You must understand me. though I scarrel' understand myself. My heart wna cruel and cold because It had never been awakened. I never knew you aa you are as the man you Edwin Thompson and his wife have been abroad two years. Tliel.s Is a harmonious household. Their fortune generously expended draws aociety about them. Hut Mrs. Thompson has ceased to be a "society woman." "Hlnre when have you so changed, Rose?" aska her friends. Rhe smiles In a sad yet happy way and repllea: "tilnce my last New Year's ball." |
