ALPINE'S FALSEHOOD.
So dearly loved, so deeply false,
Ah, why should I regret thee?
'Twas fatal to my peace of mind
The hour when first I met thee!
MRS. A. MCV. MILLER.
When the curtain rose that night on Ralph Chainey in the beautiful
play, "A Parisian Romance," there were seated in opposite boxes the
beautiful rivals for the handsome actor's love--Alpine Belmont in
one box with her haughty mother, and in the other Kathleen Carew,
chaperoned by Mrs. Stone and with Teddy Darrell hanging adoringly over
her chair.
Kathleen was all in white--a simple form of mourning--and white
flowers, set off by their own green leaves, were her only adorning.
And Teddy Darrell? Well, the young swell "was gotten up regardless," as
one of his friends remarked--"a golden youth" like himself. His evening
dress was faultless, and his button-hole bouquet matched Kathleen's
white flowers. His diamonds were magnificent, and his whole air was
so hopeful and exuberant that when Ralph Chainey from the stage first
caught sight of him his heart sunk with despair. He felt that "flirting
Teddy" was a rival to be dreaded.
"Why need she have come to torture me with the sight of all I have
lost?" he thought, despairingly; but he went on splendidly with his
part in the play. A stubborn pride came to his aid. She should not
see how he was suffering, this lovely, scornful girl leaning back in
her chair to look up into the handsome face so close to her own as
attentive Teddy wielded the white ostrich feather fan. She scarcely
seemed to see what went on upon the stage; she did not look across
into the box where her step-mother and Alpine were staring in angry
surprise. She looked only at Teddy Darrell; she smiled only at him. It
was such a pronounced flirtation that the crowded house observed it
and smiled indulgently at the handsome pair, declaring that it would
certainly be a match.
Whispers, too, were circulating among the people who had known Kathleen
Carew in her life-time. Who was this girl with the face and smile of
the dead heiress?--that luring face so subtly beautiful that no one had
dreamed the world could hold a copy.
Curiosity moved a gentleman, when the curtain fell, to go and ask Mrs.
Carew about it.
"I am as much amazed as you are," she replied.
"Then you can not tell me who she is," he said, regretfully.
"She is masquerading under the name of my dead step-daughter, and
pretends to be resurrected from a trance, or something like that. We
first heard about it yesterday," was Mrs. Carew's curt reply.
"Then you have not seen her until to-night?"
"No," nervously.
"Shall you acknowledge her, Mrs. Carew?"
"No. She is an impostor, and we will have nothing to do with the minx."
"Speak for yourself, mamma," said Alpine, pertly. "I'm not sure she's
an impostor, for it is Kathleen's face and her very gestures. I am
going over to Mrs. Stone's box and find out the truth for myself, if
Mr. Layne will take me."
She rose, drawing the blue wrap about her white shoulders. Mrs. Carew
stared aghast.
"You will not, you _must_ not!" she exclaimed, angrily.
Alpine bent down and whispered rapidly in her ear:
"What does it matter? I have her money safe; she could not get it
if she lived a thousand years, and I have my own plans. You must not
interfere with them."
When Alpine took that tone, her mother knew that protest was useless.
"Do as you please," she muttered, angrily, and tossed her head as
Alpine went out leaning on Mr. Layne's arm.
"What is the girl up to, I wonder?" she mused, uneasily. "She always
had a sneaking fondness for Kathleen, and would be just silly enough to
bring her home to live with us. She shall not do it, no matter what the
world says. I always hated the girl for the look she has of her dead
mother."
Mrs. Carew was jealous of the very memory of poor Zaidee, and could not
bear the sight of her beautiful daughter. She writhed with anger when
she saw Alpine embrace Kathleen.
"Kathleen, is it really you? Oh, you darling, let me kiss you!" she
cried, effusively, and put her arms impulsively about the young girl.
Kathleen recoiled from her at first. She thought that Alpine knew
all about her mother's cruelty; but as Alpine held her in that warm
embrace, she exclaimed:
"Kathleen, why did you not come home to us?"
Kathleen released herself from Alpine, answering, bitterly:
"I came, but your mother denied me, and put me out into the street,
unconscious, to perish in the snow."
"Impossible!" cried Alpine. But there came to her all in a rush the
memory of that night when her mother had told her that a woman had come
to see Ivan, and she had driven her away.
"She deceived me; it was Kathleen," she thought, and exclaimed, eagerly:
"My dearest girl, she did not tell me anything about it, but of course
she believed you were an impostor. You believe me? you will let me be
your friend, Kathleen?" anxiously.
"Come and see me at Mrs. Stone's to-morrow, Alpine," her step-sister
answered; and then turned to the gentleman.
"How do you do, Mr. Layne? Will you, too, take me for an impostor?" she
inquired, holding out her little hand to him.
"No, indeed, Miss Carew, for I am sure there can not be a copy of your
beautiful face in all the world," he replied, gallantly. Being an
elderly widower, he felt privileged to pay broad compliments.
Kathleen blushed and smiled, and the curtain rising at that moment
showed Ralph Chainey that Alpine had seized the first opportunity to go
and see Kathleen.
He was intensely pleased with Alpine's loyalty.
"She is a better girl than I used to think," he decided, and made up
his mind to go to her box the first opportunity to thank her for her
goodness.
He did not dream that Alpine was whispering at that moment little
poisoned arrows into Kathleen's ear about himself, nor of the cruel
pain that tore Kathleen's heart as she heard of her lover's liking for
Alpine.
"When he came yesterday, he told me of your being at Mrs. Stone's. What
a shock it was to know you were really living! But I must go back to
mamma now, and to-morrow I'll come and see you, and hear all about your
little romance," tearing herself away.
Just as she expected, Ralph hurried to her box as soon as the curtain
fell.
"What did she say?" he whispered, eagerly; and Kathleen, who was
watching them, felt her heart thrill with renewed bitterness as she saw
the curly brown head bent low over Alpine's straw-gold one.
"He is doing it to pique me," she thought; but she could not turn her
burning dark eyes away from the sight.
Alpine looked up smilingly into the pale, anxious face.
"She told me to come to-morrow and see her and hear her story; there
was not time to-night," she replied.
He was disappointed; she read it in his speaking countenance, and
added:
"She gave me one bit of news, but I am not sure that I ought to tell
you."
"Please do so," he urged.
"It will pain you, I fear," sighed Alpine.
"I am strong enough to bear anything except--suspense," setting his
teeth firmly.
Mrs. Carew was looking at them curiously:
"Mamma, will you please excuse us for whispering? I have something to
tell Mr. Chainey--a secret."
"You are excusable," the lady replied, sourly, turning away her head.
Alpine whispered to Ralph:
"Kathleen is engaged to be married to Teddy Darrell, and is the
happiest girl I ever saw!"
He was silent a moment, then murmured, bitterly:
"She has no heart! How could she turn so quickly from one love to
another?"
"She is fickle as the wind," Alpine answered, with a contemptuous shrug.