A TRAGIC STORY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 722, 22 January 1910, Page 11

A TRAGIC STORY.

One might be inclined to-.dqubt whether anything, as. melodramatic as\ the stories recounted' by, Mr. E. PhilKps Oppenheim could occur in real-life, 'but the author declares.; that his. most,sensational plots have ■'been taken. from actual.' fact v,'.;

■ A certain cosmopolitan little restaurant in Paris furnished him' with the plot of! one "novel, •. and 'a: dancing-hall,, with ■another very;. tragio. story. .-''.." ■■••.. I was told ■' the ,' following incident which (says. Mr. Oppenhoim): ■ had,' also come under the personal 7 notice of <my informer.. To ; ; a-'certain .dancing-hall, well, .known 'and .■.'very. ■'• popular , at '■ that time' with; the students in .Paris, , , there came,':.one night, : a. girl whose:.disappearance and. ( every; movement clearly' demon-, strated"that she;was not ohe'of'the regular" habitues;',. '.• ,■:■:■'■ i<: " : <~:-'y :) : ..'■' . ' Night;: after;.night. . shey.appeared;' as though shev> were:'looking'■'for ; Eomeono, whom she never.'found." .AtMength,'• one evening, a"man entered withi a' party of friends. ;. Hβ - had, the face of- a saint and. the' heart'./of'-fa-'fiend.-.;'; Everybody knew his reputation,-and everyone shuddered .•.when,-;aftcr/,looking.'at.her- for.:a' moment,.he-went, upi and-:spoke^-to'.the' girl.;'.:.- ■-.•■/■'■\-;Vo'JV.-.'■■■'■■ ■,-.'. ,i' "■■ ■' ■ -.-.- He:.was the first stranger she hadVever allowed 'to' address her:•'v. She. talked : ■ earnestly, to-him. for :a .long-time. ■ The frequenters of the place were' all , deeply moved at-the'episode, for they wanted to toll iher-. what, sort'.of. a ■ man-he was; yet, for somo_ reason, noone' dared to'do'sb;'- .-.- bhe. left the, hall-with,,the' man, and many ..weeks passed: before she returned:". , when she,.did return/' someone -found out .her story. . She. was -an .'artist., with and.a','high,deirree of tech-'l mcm ; skiU.-Ono'summer'night she had been taken .to., a dance , >at-one. of these .hjolls, and had. stayed on-until.late in tne mornine, when, .suddenly, one of; the .blind of a'.,window which ,faced - the., east, v ; The Jsun -had rißon, ; ;and,, the daylight^.came streamiMr_uito i the :room, ■ produchlg an indescribably dramatic the electno .hght, :the men ' and', women in ° Temn E, dress.: the i on tte. refreshment ..tables, /and' the ' floors' ftrfwn. with,,.cigarette ; ash. :;■ ..!..:■:■■.■ :■' Theplay •of.i,the. : two. cbnflictingVlights,' and;the ;l wh()le incongruity of'the-s?ene; t ( ! v I \ spir ' her tO . 'tifit s? e =4?^ *» ■ caU,-:'"ffie,Lift: ing of the for haunt- 1 ing,this;dancmß-haU was tovfind,' among tho--.habituesr someone , -; with-.'.the ;; exiet type of spiritual face she;desired to'serve as,a model.;for ihe-jriah'-,she ■ wanted ! to represent in ofMiftiig' the blind , Th,\^ n f of ■-•day..:'.'., toniir % 8 ! '-yon see. was. an intensely poetic and ; imaginative one, and was,, full oT a deep', significance. WeU' man, the girl painted her p_icture,vhut;she had to-pay for^her ,asso i ciations.with;'him's'.' i .a'i«' \ ' - f,£ igh *v ,aftef '- llight ' !:^''«er'first: ri : Sm , .in the.fdancing-hif: shU: with .hungry eyes as thouglriSoking for-' someone 'to: come.'.: At':^'leni?th"''hi , ■S»ff. : -- IV : f*s:the, of. the,emat and ..the heart of : the' field . n , he ehe.-'rose S' where'she.was sifting; and drawing:^;rS' impnsoned.fOT-a.sborttime :- li'fi rt V s -? :an incident real life, that J. had to.: use it,' arid 'I wrSe' M ,a: story; ; almpst- M m ;^;toK