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INTO MARVELOUS LIQHT
SYNOPSIS.
Julian Deveaux, a New York actor of bad character,
goes South for rest and recreation. He falls deeply in
love with a young Southern girl who gives him only
cordial friendship in return, but consents to marry him
at the sudden death of her father, who also wishes the
union. John Marsden, a young preacher to whom De
veaux had become attracted in New York, comes South
to perform the ceremony. The couple go at once abroad
and in Paris, Christiania, the wife, gets the first glimpse
of the husband’s unfortunate disposition. Later, a
woman connected with Deveaux’s past, meets and fol
lows the couple, returning on the steamer with them to
America. She takes occasion to warn Deveaux that his
wife does not love him. But the man determines to rid
himself of this woman by police aid, and devotes him
self to his wife. He has planned a surprise for her in a
handsome home in New York, and he calls on John
Marsden to urge him to visit Christiania in her new
home. The girl herself remembers Marsden and is anx
ious for another meeting. The preacher, hoping to help
and guide her, consents to make the visit which he has
shunned as long as permissible. After his first call at
the Deveaux home Christiana accompanied by her aunt,
Mrs. Wayland, attend services at John Marsden’s church.
He dines with the family afterward and Julian Deveaux
brings a friend home to dinner also. He openly boasts
of the manner in which he has desecrated the Sabbath
while the friend alluded to Deveaux’s past career as an
actor. This allusion is the first intimation the young
wife has ever had of her husband’s past calling.
(Continued from last week.)
1 ‘ I beg. your pardon. But Mrs. Deveaux must see
you on the stage to fully appreciate you. Unless
she sees you there, she cannot realize what a tal
ented fellow you are, don’t you know. Mrs. De
veaux, I fear your husband has been very modest
if he has never told you that he is one of our most
noted actors. You would be quite jealous, if you
could see how the ladies rave over him, don’t you
know. He is a deuced good fellow not to become
the most conceited man in the world, don’t you
know. But if you will pardon my being so per
sonal, I must assure you that Deveaux can never
become half so popular as his charming wife is al
ready. Allow me to congratulate you upon your
success, for you are acknowledged belle of New
York, don’t you know.”
‘ ‘ She is overcome with modest blushes, I must
make a little bow to you for her,” interrupted Mr.
Deveaux.
The two men continued the light talk so rapidly,
there was little opportunity for anyone else to ven
ture a remark. The look of half contempt which
Christiana could not conceal from Bradmore he ac
cepted as admiration. He had decided at the ball
that he would get up an affair with this young
bride. In fact, he thought she should feel compli
mented to receive his marked attentions. So dur
ing the remainder of his stay, he was most atten
tive to her. Deveaux accepted it as a matter of
course, and was only amused. It would please him
very much for Bradmore to fall at his wife’s feet,
to receive only scorn and contempt in return. He
chuckled to himself in contemplation of it.
This situation left Mrs. Wayland in conversation
with John Marsden. She had opportunity to ex
press her pleasure in resuming their acquaintance,
and to implore him to be as Christiana’s brother,
and to protect her should she ever need a protector.
“Mr. Marsden, of course you know what the
temptations of a society woman are. In the eyes of
the world, my niece has made a brilliant marriage,
and I have no complaint to make against Mr. De
veaux as to his devotion in every way. But she
is slowly drifting into the world’s maelstrom from
whence so few are ever rescued. Something im
presses me that you alone can protect her. Let me
entreat you to make every effort to keep before her
the higher life. I have never seen her so affected as
she was at church today. So I believe it lies in
your power to save her, if any one can.”
“God help me to do it,” was all he could answer,
The Golden Age for May 3, 1906.
By LLEWELYN ST EP HENS
CHAPTER XVIII.
“Howe’er we trust to mortal things,
Each hath its pair of folded wings;
Though long their terrors rest unspread,
Their fatal plumes are never shed;
At last, at last, they stretch in flight,
And blot the day and blast the night.”
—Holmes.
Julian Deveaux had spent that Sabbath morning
not at his club, but in the apartment of Ariane
Bouvier. She had heaped such threats and en
treaties upon him, she was slowly but surely accom
plishing her purpose. He went to make a short call
upon her, but she gave him some drugged wine, so
he remained for hours, and was recalled to himself
only by the entrance of Horace Bradmore, whom
she had induced to call to arouse Deveaux’s jeal
ousy. It had the desired effect. Thus it was he
invited Bradmore to accompany him home, while
he, himself, possessed of the most reckless mood
to which he had given way since his marriage.
When their guests had departed, and Mr. Deveaux
and his wife were alone, he anticipated a stormy
scene; but when she referred in no way to what
had so humiliated her, he rejoiced inwardly that
he had gotten her so well trained as not to take
him to task about any of his words or deeds. So
he did not realize at all what he had done, but be
gan talking just as if nothing unusual had occurred.
“By the way, pet, Bradmore has invited us to
join a theatre party Wednesday evening. I wish
you to look your very best. He is evidently quite
charmed with you. Nothing would be more fun to
me than to see him deeply infatuated with you, for
half the women in New York are crazy about him.
When he entertains he does it royally, and this af
fair is to be in your honor. After the play we are
to have supper at the Waldorf Astoria and make al
most a night of it. But you know, real life only
begins in New York after the electric lights are
turned on. It is just then time to begin to live.
There is a cold glare about daylight that has no
inspiration in it to me. So give me a kiss now, and
I’m off to the club, for I have an engagement at
nine o’clock.”
He went away humming gaily, “There little girl,
don’t cry, don’t cry.”
If Christiana’s heart had spoken aloud during
this interview with her husband, it would have
awakened him to the fact that he no longer pos
sessed in his wife the demure little girl he first met
at Monteagle. She forgot her aspirations of the
morning to become a woman strong enough to rise
above her environment, to become such a woman
as was John Marsden’s ideal. One desire now pos
sessed her, to show her husband that she was not
a mere child, a doll or a toy with which be might
amuse himself, and, furthermore, she would make
him feel some of the stings with which he had
seemed to poison her very souL Her idol had fallen
into dust. And she did not know that when one
idol falls to raise up others brings only disappoint
ment again and again. She had yet to learn that
there is but one idol whose garments never
trail in the dust of sin, disappointment and suffer
ing. Strange that mankind seldom look up to the
cross of Christ until they have waded there through
blood that has been wrung from their hearts by
suffering.
Mr. Deveaux returned home about three o’clock
that night. Christiana sat up, pretending to read.
She skimmed over page after page, without the
slightest idea of what she was reading. She did not
ask him where he had been, nor what had kept him.
But her very silence infuriated him.
“By the gods,” he exclaimed, “I thought 1 had
given you time to practice smiling again, but 1
s°e I have not. But I swear, I’ll st°y aww next
time until you will be glad to give me a smile when
I return. I have just had a splendid offer to play
for three months in Paris, and if we have manv
more scenes like this, I shall certainly be tempted
to accept it, and go over alone.”
“It would be an excellent idea,” she coldly and
quietly replied.
“Then you deliberately tell me that you wish
to get rid of me, do you,” he burst forth with in
creased fury. “A woman never does that, except
for one reason, and that is when she has fallen
in love with another man. Well, if you are infat
uated with Bradmore, you are welcome to him, for
he will lead you a gay dance. He has tarnished the
reputation of no less than a dozen prominent women
in New York about whom there had never before
been a breath of scandal.”
“Then why do you bring him into your home,
and deliberately set a snare for your wife? Tell
me! Tell me!”
“I did it principally because he has so long
boasted of the hearts he has broken, and because
he has so long posed as a rival. I longed to see
him at the feet of my wife, never dreaming that
she, like other weak creatures, would immediately
fall a victim to his fascinations.”
“You talk like a mad man. You shall not con
tinue to heap such insults upon me. Leave my
room this instant, and do not return until you are
ready to implore my pardon.”
“Once I was told that you did not really love me,
now I am convinced of it. You drive me from you.
I go, and my grand lady, there are others who will
gladly welcome me.”
lie went with a very tragic air, while she stood
pointing to the door with a hand of scorn and com
mand.
When he had gone she locked her door, and her
mask of reserve gave way. Such paroxysms of suffer
ing overwhelmed her, she felt almost crazed. But
she determined to suffer alone. As usual she appear
ed at breakfast with her aunt, and pleaded only a
headache. She expressed surprise that her husband
did not come down. She waited a, few moments,
then went to his room. He was not there, neither
had his bed been touched. Had he really left the
house as he had threatened to do? Yet whatever
her thoughts she must not reveal them to any one.
Mastering herself, she returned to the breakfast
room, and said in a very matter of fact way:
“Julian stepped out before breakfast, but I
thought he intended to return. He must have met
seme one who detained him on business. We shall
rot delay breakfast any longer. Serve it at once,
Jennings.”
(Continued next week.)
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