third Sundays of the month. There was so much to learn, the interests were so diversified that I eagerly welcomed members of other professions th

men engaged in Settlement work and the quaint old French professor who taught me the language. When we could overcome his

to the dimensions of our home. I could not but contrast my simple "at homes" with those of the Dingleys. We had received several cards for their Sundays and

l of a heroine-in those days. Her hair was very golden, and as the weepy heroine she wore a black velvet dress with a long train. That black velvet (later experience told me it was velveteen) played many parts. It was a princess, and for evening wear the guimpe had only to be removed. Or, when the heroine was ailing, as becomes a persecuted woman, the princess, with the help

was Mrs. Dingley's idea to establish a salon. Certainly she was successful in drawing a crowd. The house was strikingly furnished. There was much gold furniture and antique bric-à-brac; canopied beds and monogrammed counte

ity. Two smart looking women whom I recognized as members of Mrs. D's. company appeared to get no little amusement out of th

pant on a field of cott

the empty book-shelves which lined the walls of the library. "Why not buy several hundred feet o

cheaper to use props

I meant no offense. In my effort to say something nice to my hostess I remarked that I had seen her years ago during the early days of her struggle and tha

all pleasant-faced man with a Van Dyke beard entered the room. Our host greeted him jovially, almost boisterously. "Here comes the king-here comes the king!" hummed the two actresses, winking significantly at me. There was a buzz of voices while Mrs. Dingley paraded the lion of th

or a producer, o

of laughter befor

in the gold furniture with a comprehensive sweep of her hand. She lowered her voice and leaned toward me. "He'

plains it to --?" calling Mr. Dingley by his first name. The other wo

I asked Will w

houlders. "They do say that

ean-minded men of the world: patrons of art without ulterior motives. Al

, a little way he had when

inded men of means without 'ulterior motives,' as you

*

. An air of mysticism permeated even the box couches against the wall. They had a peculiar "feel" to them and one sank into their enfolding depths as one is taught to sink into the arms of Nirvana. It must have been awful for short, fat persons to scramble to their feet, after once being beguiled into sitting on these couches. The mysticism was enhanced by burning incense, shaded lights, draperies, and the host himself, who received us in Eastern garb, resplendent with the famous jewels, a gift from some potentate or other. We were conducted to

nity hunters abounded. By the dreamy longing of their watery eyes shall ye know them. Some there were who had made several excursions int

old what ailed us; he said we didn't love enough. He assured us it was O, so easy to get our slice of the wonderful, all-pervading ether with which we were saturated. We simply didn't know how to use it. He had come to

wami slipped little printed matters into the palms of the neophytes. They told how f

oction with a tendency to promulgate the tenets of the Swami's new religion. Before we took our leave I thought the eyes of the new disciples had grown more languishing and were considerably lit up. It may have been, of course, that the Swami had taken the li

o to New York." Our hostess nodded sententiou

ton? Why not Philadelp

out those cities, and I do know m

, or Maxim's, or any of those resorts in Paris. You rarely meet a Parisian at these show-places.

e does things in Paris or New York

your husband from the start," Mr. Mollett once said to me. "He's not a bit like an actor; he's natural and not a bit of a poseur." It appears that when anyone wants to pay an actor a particularly high c

m Mr. Mollett and a note from his wife, asking whether I was in town; if so, would I waive

she had all the ear-marks of a Boston woman. She wore the practical but disfiguring goloshes of a Boston winter and she carried a reticule. Her dress might have been made in Paris, but it had

acquaintance with the owner. By the process of elimination they had formed a selected chain of the better class of actors, who found a warm welcome awaiting them whenever they played Boston. The Molletts' leaning toward the artist

than to keep up two establishments. Luckily we sublet our apartment. I was for sending Experience back to her home, though I had become sincerely attached to her and so had Boy. Will declared we could not manage without a nurse. I assured him we could. "You don't suppose you can carry that Buster aro

anything left on Wednesday when we had paid the bills. I suspected, too, that Will had some debts hanging over from last season. I knew he had drawn on the management during the summer. We foolishly took a cottage at Allenhurst on the sea, wh

ic buildings such as the library in Boston, and sometimes lunched or "tead" with friends. Will did not care to accept invitations to dinner; he said it made him "logey" to dine late and interfered with his evening performances. Altogether we came nearer to the old intim

boy and surely it brought out all the youth in his nature. His eyes would snap and sparkle with delight over a miniature railway with practicable engine and carriages, electric head-lights, block signals and the like. "Gee

rpetual motion of the tail which wagged automatically reminded him most strongly of the original. It did no good to tell him that Santa Claus would bring Snyder down the chimney. Boy had his own ideas about fairies and their ilk. He refused to leave the shop without the dog. Needless to say the dog went home with us. Will never could endure Boy's shrieks. But, in extenuation, let it be said that not one of the toys Boy found grouped about his tree on

rpenters then put together the improvised banquet board-great long planks of lumber resting upon saw-horses. From the iron landing of the first tier of spiral stairs upon which Will's dressing-room gave I watched the caterer's men lay the tabl

they came, interspersed with the snap of a whip. A great shaft of light from above shot obliquely across the stage. From out of the clouds, as it seemed, a full-fledged Santa Claus descended like a flying machine. With the aid of a little "sneaky" music furnished by the orchestra and the faithful spot-light which dogged his very footsteps, Santy placed the huge tree in the centre of the table a

warm, red glow poured from imaginary fireplaces off stage. To the accompaniment of ohs! and ahs! and a merry potpourri from the or

ling everybody else what a good actor he or she was. It developed into a veritable mutual admiration society. Will kicked me under the table several times when the character man told him what a good actor he was; it

e?" chaffed one of the actors. The

ven gave him as much as that," measuring o

across the table and threw him violets from her huge corsage bouquet. "Ev'ry matinée day I send th

f merriment even if they were not entirely free from sting. After dinner there was vaudeville. The star gave some imitations of a café chantant which brought down the house. The musical director had composed a skit which he called "Very Grand Opera." The theme hinged on a l

ed the grumpy old gentleman to have so much ginger in him. A goo

e to the boarding-house where the child-actress of the company was staying. At the street end of the alley which led from the stage-entrance a big burly policeman stopped

y took a walk after a matinée. He said it refreshed him for the evening performance. He would come in, glowing from the exercise, simply radiating health and energy. I knew what time to expect him and I would sit listening for the elevator to stop on our floor. I knew Will's step the minute he came down the hall. When he opened the door I instinctively sniffed the fresh

I asked, pounci

swered with one of his q

If the shadow of a thought that an admirer of Will's had sent him the f

y best

ar. "Will-weren't they horribly expensive?" Just the same I was pleased to death-as I had heard matinée girls say-and I made up my mind to forego something I needed to offset Will's flattering extravagance. I nu

s at a club. As I passed through the hall to the lift a bell-boy overtook me. He told me there was someone in the parlour waiting to see me. I asked for a card but none had been sent. Wondering who could be calling on me-I had so few acquaintances in Boston-and anticipating a pleasant surprise I followed the boy to the parlour on the second floor. It was a large room and I stopped in the port

Mrs. Hartley, didn'

f a bell-boy which diverted my attention for a second. When I looked at

hough her voice was scarcely audible. She looked toward the door in a bewildered manner as if her only desire was to get away. There was something so distressing, so pathetic about her embarrassment;

t of sauciness to the upturned nose; not a speculative quirk to the corner of the mouth or a fetching droop to the eyelids which sometimes illuminates the plainest of faces. Perhaps she realized the niggardliness of her gifts. There was an evident attempt at primping. Her hat sat uneasily upon a head unaccustomed to the hair-dresser's art. The shoes, too, I felt, were painful: they were so new and the heels so high, and unstable-a radical departure from the common-sense last which was as much a

our, but to-night he is dining out. I know he will be sorry to have missed you, for I am sure he wants to thank you in person for the lovely flowers. Yes, he told me all about it and we both appreciated your sweetness in sending them. I hope Mr. Hartley wrot

fraid I've kept you too long.... You've been very kind.... I hope you haven't b

for a cup of tea. But you will come again, won't you?-perhaps you'll telephone me one morning-not too early--" I laughed a little as I pressed the button-"we're not early risers, and we'll arrange a time when Mr. Hartley can be with us.

at ease with herself? She was but one of the silly creatures who "chase" the actor and pander to his vanity. I regretted the impulse which promp

lse was to throw them out the window; then I thought better of it-and of her. They represented a woman's illusions-no, two women's illusions.... Will had deliberately fooled me; even Miss Merdell, the tall good-looker, k

would have made me tumble to the truth and when I didn't he concluded it was a shame to put me wise. And, after all, what di

fact, she came several times. Will declare

tulated. "I'm willing to give her photographs and advice

o hopelessly plain. Alice was smart and there had been others and would probably be more to come. I reached the po