Life — September 25, 1884 — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

- LIFE: CHAPTER II. cc ELL me all about it,” said Miss Wonder as she sat on the cliff with Gabriel the next morning. “ You know that is my first visit to America, and I don’t under- stand how your government is carried on.” “Tt is very much like the E have a Queen and her privy council. The Capital of the coun- try is where the women are most numerous—in Boston. It is there that thee Houses of Parliament are situated. The Upper House is called the House of Ladies, and the Lower, the House of Deputies. The women would not submit to be- ing stigmatized as ‘commons,’ so they adopted from the French the name of the popular branch of their legislature. The deposed President and his Cabinet are living in exile abroad. You have seen our new flag—the yellow crown over the green and white bars?” “Yes,” said Miss Wonder, “and I caught a glimpse of some of your policewomen as we came through New York. But about yourse//. I hear that you have only one servant—a veteran gate-keeper. What do you do when heis ill “Oh, the old porter never ails, he is always brown, stout, and healthy,” said Gabriel, cheerfully. “I manage to live quite comfortably, and although I never steal, | supply my table by hooking fish and poaching eggs. You, I understand, have every imaginable luxury. As your father is so wealthy, I suppose you never need make anything for yourself as 1 do —you purchase endlessly.” “ You are right,” answered she. “ With me it is always the sweet buy and buy.” That night, as Gabriel sat at the dinner table in Coupon Cottage, he gazed around at the weird party which had met | together. “ Did you ever see such a gang?” whispered Mrs. Sozo- dont Carey, whom he had brought in. ‘There is Ralph Sherman, Speaker of the House, and his daughter, Martha. | Just | Next to her is Sir James Joker, the Red Republican. cast your eye on old Solomon Wonder, doing the polite to the Dutchess of Croton, while the Duke who is between Georgy Wonder and Mrs. Tilton is glaring across at Bumley Bar- kins. Was there ever before such a funny mixture at anything but an auction ?” Mrs. Carey was a professional beauty, whose chief support was the revenue derived from the sale of her photographs. When they were hardly out of their teens, Gabriel had been violently in love with her, but that was all over, long since— at leastso Ae thought. She had been married and was now living apart from her husband, while Gabriel (previously heart whole) began to realize that he was deeply interested in Georgy Wonder. Once or twice during dinner his glance met hers, and an involuntary twitching of his right eye- lid was sympathetically answered by a similar winky movement on her part. This was all perceived by Mrs. Carey, whose quick wits were whetted by jealousy, and it en- tered like iron into her soul. She still loved Gabriel with all the intensity of a professional beauty’s love—she saw that 175 | she was naught to him now, and she resolved to destroy him, if she could not possess him. However, she bode her time, and meanwhile eat her vol-au-vent of pigeons @ /a financtere. “ How rich this is,” she said, a moment later, as she point- | ed with her fork to an entrée that lay on her plate. “ It is | fried. Everything that is fried is so very rich.” glish system,” he replied. “We | MRS. CAREY OVERHEARD THEIR CONVERSATION, “ Then I wifh they would fry me,” remarked Gabriel, try- | ing to be agreeable, but he could not entertain her, for he | could think of nothing but the wealthy Englishman's daugh- ter. | It was before the guests parted that evening, that Sir James Joker, who was an old class-mate of Coupon’s, made an op- portunity for speaking to him in private. He unfolded a plan for the dethronment of Queen Gail; the resurrection of the Republic, and the re-establishment of the exiled President. He claimed Coupon's assistance, and almost before the latter realized the danger of the undertaking, he had pledged his hand and his life to the Republican cause. Mrs. Carey over-heard their conversation, and saw that it was her chance for revenge. The next morning she took the train for Boston, and having gained an audience with Her Ma- jesty, she revealed the plot against the crown, and gave as the names of the ring-leaders, Gabriel Coupon, Earl of Bar Harbor, and Sir James Joker. Her card was well played, and —paradoxical as it may appear—she knew that the Queen would soon take the Joker, while she had trumped Coupon's suit for Georgy Wonder's hand. Apparently the game was hers. | [Ve"D. F. of Yale,” Esq. Dear Frep:—I have waded on, until I am far out of my depth. As you are fond of involved situations perhaps the foregoing will suit your dramatic taste. Stick in some of your morbid sentiment, and a little of your analytical business. Hast- ily, J. B. On’ R.] (To be concluded.) comicbooks.com