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To-day's Short Story.

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To-day's Short Story. A THRILLING EPISODE. What a wrotch.edly enowy, blowy sort of a. night it was, with the raiercuny ranging I don't know how many degrees beiow zero! We were all at dinner in the rather ommd. rate hoarding-blouse. into which Tom and I had drifted after our morey went and we broke tip. It was not nearly so I for Toon as for me—the loeirrg or our money, I meam- his days being occupied with law. for clients were beginning to be more plentiful, amd his nights in gazing into Alice Warfield's hand- some eyes. and helping her build air castles of their future, whilst I, his forlorn lrOtle 6iater spent my evenings, as a rule, at toy room, varied by an occasional rubber of whist in the parlour. Of the two I motto preferred solitude, as the company of Mrs. Warner, our stately landlady, was apt to be depressing. She was a widow, and had lost all her children, among them being a daughter j whom she said I resembled; and she would ga-ze at me pensively for a. time, and then bilently wipe her eyes, so that I began to feel I could do her a tamtoess by keeping ouv of her sight. Then there were Mr. and Mrs. Norwood, the latter being a large, talkaitoye, loud-wtoed woman, wtoom I did not much affect. Beskte, these there were several medical ftudent% who attended the university, tund. oh. yur! Mr. Jans, who was a pusele to everyone in the house. He woe probaihly about 35, and by no means a ha-ndsome man, he rarely talked, and was particularly umxxman/uiiioaitdve about himself. On the rare occasion when be did talk he proved to be a briliiamt ooxv T and there was no doobt in OUT minds as to his being a gentdesoan. Bat I have been chattering so maicfti about the people that I am forgetting all about what I started to write. As I have said, it was an extremely dis- agreeable evening in my room, and I had just decoded in my own mtind that I wuudd spend the evening over a novel in which I was much interested, when Tom oame bounding up the stairs to propare for dinner, and looking in my room for a moment, ead,d- I say, Neil, you look rather moped up here; wouldn't you like to go to the theatre ? Alice is away, you know, so I am at your disposal for to-night. I have tickets for the Lyceum; don't know much about the play, but if you say so, we will go." As a matter of course, I said Yes," invi- tations to the theatre being rather rare with me; and eight o'clock found Tom and myeelf takug our seafta in the orchestra. chaios of the Lyceum Theatre. What was my surprise to find sitting neit to me Mr. Jans, our fellow-boarder! He ex- pressed his pleasure at this unexpected meet- ing, and began forthwith to make himself particularly agreeable. The play was one. of those spectacular affairs that have become such favourites with a oertain class of lake days, and as I did not particularly oare for it I gave myself to being entertained by Mr. Jans. Glancing at my prograzame during a pause in the conversation, I saw in great letters that the world-famed Madame Sylphide would delight the audience by a specimen of her wonderful dancing. Presently the curtain rose, and amid thunders of applause Madame Sylphide advanced toward the front of the stage. Mr. Jans had been in the midst of am animated sentence, but the words died on his lips, and, turning to him presently to smile over the excitement miadame's entrance had created, I saw that he was utterly ookmrteag,- and seemed labouring under an intense excitement. I concluded it was beet not to notice his changed appearance, and turned my atten- tion to Madame Sylphide. 9he wae appa- rently not over twenty, but I afterwords learned she was nearer forty. She was beautiful, with an alluring, enticing kind ot beauty. To me she seemed extremely fragile. and her eyes were sunken. She smiled, bowed, and kissed the tips of her fingers in every direction as bouquets were showered at her feet. The orchestra began an enchaalting waltz, and she floated in the very poetry of motion. The audience seemed spellbound as She moved in and out in graceful evolutions. Presenting without any warning, she gasped, the motion ceased, and she fell to the floor, while a stream of blood gruabed from her mouth, crimsoning the airy fabric in which she was enveloped. The excitement became intense, and I was luet in wonder at the action of Xr; Jams. As madame fell he made cne bound from his seat, dashed ove-- the footlights, and linelt before her, raising her in his arms. How Tom rescued me from the mass of excited people and got me home, I never clearly understood. My brain was occupied in puazling over the tie existing between Madame Sylphide and Mr. Jans. That one existed there was no doubt in my mind. Could she be his sister? There was no like- ness certainly, but very often brothers and sisters did not resem-ble each other; somehow I did not favour a closer relationship. The papers next day were filled with the tragedy at the Lyceum, and the horrible dance of death, for Madame Sylphide never rallied from the hemorrhage we had witnessed. Mr. Jans did not return for more than a. week after the occurrence at the theatre, and he appeared more reserved and melancholy than ever before. &ome days after he had come back he came into the, parlour where I was sitting, idly araziug out of the window, and asked me if I would go for a walk, I was inwardlj amazed at the request, for previous to tbe-night at the theatre he bad treated me with ordinary civility, it i& true, but had never gone out of 1. A ma way 110 entertain me. in spite of my surprise I managed to reply in the affirma- tive. and getting into my jacket and hat, sallied forth. I feel, Mi3s Cameron," he began, "that an explanation is due in regard to my leaving you so abruptly that night in the theatre. I can condense everything into a few words by telling yoa that the unfortunate woman was my wife. I married her when a mere boy, for. her beautiful face, and lived to heartily repent my folly. My life with her was ona long torture, and when patience had ceased to be a virtue, I left her five years ago in Paris, after settling am amrple income upon her to prevent the necessity of her going on the stage. She had inherited OOD- I sumption, and the doctors especially prohibited any form of excitement; but she! refused to listen to advice, and the traigia --o you witnessed was the result It was sad indeed," I remarked. My life," he continued, for years baa been that of a wanderer upon the face of the earth, and not until within the last few months did I beigin to dream of a happiness that might have been. I feel that this is not the time to speak of my hopes, but I cannot let the opportunity p.aæ without saying one word in regard to them. Since I have known you. Miss Cameron, and witnessed your un- selfish devotion to your brother, your bright courage through all your trouble and low of fortune, I have learned to love as I never dreamed it possible. I see ttyat I have taken you greatly by surprise, and I will not let, you answer row. I sail for Europe to-morrow, bt will return within t." year, and shall then cla.im from you the assurance that will intake me the happiest or the moet miserable of men." What my answer was can be readily imagined, as I have been Mrs. Jans for a yoar. Philip's unlucky past is buried in deep ohMvion, and we are as bapipy as it is pos- sible for two mortals to be in this work-a- day world. I

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