LIFE AND DEATH. Life is a river, whose perennial source | Springs from abc ve; The sweetest flower course Is human love. blocming in its Death is a cavern, whose dark bound aries have Eternal scope; he only bud that blossoms near the grave Is human hope. Charles B. Soule, fn Inaugural Bail Cinderelia. Mre. Bob Miller had many things in | her favor when she first appeared at | the national capital. She was from | New York, had been twice married, ! and had the air of always being equal to the occasion and quite up with peo- | ple and things. At the first glance she seemed to impress you as being dis- tinguished looking. Gn nearer ac- quaintance you did not care whether the distinguished look was skin deep or not, she was so gracious and charm- ing, nbtwithstanding the forty years which had passed over her head. Mrs. Bob Millar was the wife of foreman at the government printing of- fice. ‘This was not much in her favor socially, but the fact that there was | a Representative Robert Miller from New York turned out to be a great deal in her favor, Innocently enough, she left casual acquaintances under the im- pression that she was Mrs. Represen- tative Robert Miller. did them any good to balieve going to >:bkle impressions being incorre As for Bob Miller, he the conclusion that bh raaeased brightest and most lovable woman in the world. “Only, Molly darling.” “do te careful and never say that vou are Mrs. Representative Miller, for if vou do you get both of into trouble. You can pose as much as you like as the tM connected with a New Kn for that is true enough Bh %0 in for anything quite off you might hang yours “Why, Bob,” she injured surpri “you do not one moment that 1 i I am just having som sof of empty b and cringe to me el I am the wife of Representative Mil instead of the wife of hi Bob M ler, printer. well, it's their sin, pot mine.” Before the Millers had son in Washington, Mrs. tended most of the official She was known, by sight, cabinet receptions. On cabinet neadays she seldom ate a square ai home, the collations being enough to satisfy her needs At this time no cards were {ssued for the levees, it be. ing taken for granted that only those having the right to attend would avail themaelves of the Mrs Bob Miller went to her first one out of curiosity, with a native Washingtonian who was rather up to such things. It #0 happened that she made quite a hit It was purely a stroke of good Iuck she informed Mr. Bob that night As her house was small, Mrs was not called on to give rece; ber own. husband was a man of very position, and cared more for study t social pleasures. But that did prevent her urging her «juaintances to drop in for a quiet call and chat, and carriages and were in front of the dainty street, which she had fv #0 much taste and inge: . so little cost. For quite a time mat- fore bowled along y One Saturday morning, noon, a4 young girl rang Mrs. bell. A young mulatio iy altired in black gingham, apron and cap, appeared at the door, “18 your mistress at home, Mary? asked the girl. The girl sald she would and taking the young lady's card, ascended the softly carpeted stairs Miss Ethel Clifford, the early caller, sat down the dimly lit hall, made beautiful with ruge and hangings cheap at the sale of some departing diplomat's effects and awaited the Mrs. Miller “My dear girl,” was that lady's eff sive greeting when she appeared, | am so glad to gee you! 8o you have | kept your promise and will go with me to Mrz. Cleveland's reception? It is #) goad of you. I'd hate. to go alone and there is no one 1 care to have wit} meas I doyou. You area very stupid! little thing after all. How do you ex-: pect to be able to write about social | life if you do not go about more? You | «an get more material for character in the four hours you will have to wait in | tine this afternoon than you could get | in ten years otherwise.” “Yes, I know, Mra. Miller, but 1 am | #0 timid about going to the cabinet and | other official receptions. I am so afraid I'll be found out as a nobody.” | “a : sib it. not herse had come to the he would say, us will wife © 1 would 86 woul if the fawn rasaer ‘ause they believe Miller i nest been cone se had receptions Job at- at the Wed- meal well opportunity. She hinted quietly her retired dis ey not al some of it was not long b cabs Gent woman, neat- a big white sce, ir in bought coming of : She refrained from saving what she | thought "We'll be found out to be no- | bodies.” “But I do not mind this re- ception, for it Is truly a public one. | Bess, May, and Lil are going together, | and 1 sald we might try and mest | them at the north gate of the grounds.” | “Well, we'll ace when we get there. The reception is to begin at two! o'clock. We'll have lunch, and then | start right down town. We can take the herdic, a few blocks from here, and ride down to the corner opposite the White House grounds. Oh, you will have a good time-see {if you don’t. What hve you got on, my dear?” The girl stood out in the strong light nea the back window, and threw off § her long light ulster. The other re- garded her with pleasure, Ethel Clif. ford was one of those girls whom one person might meet to-day and declare she was handsome, and whom another might meet to-morrow and say she was not even pretty. Her looks | changed like April weather. That day : she was radiant, Her well formed | face was glowing from her late bath, | and the long walk in the crisp Febru-! ary sunshine, Her light brown halr | was well groomed, and its waves and curls, over which she had spent some | litle time, repaid her efforts. Her | her lips were red and soft and | her well shaped, while | On the light brown hair jaun- | tily sat a toque of dark blue velvet, trimmed with silver fur and the wings of a sea gull. Matching her hat in color was her tailor made suit of cloth, trimmed with the same silver fox, and her hands nestled warmly in a muff of blue velvet, silver fox, and violets, She looked dainty and sweet, and pleas- ing to the most critical eye, for youth beamed ail oyer her. “You do look lovely, my dear,” ex- claimed Mrs. Bob. “You have great about your dress No one would that you were working for your living as a stenographer. All the more credit tO you and me, my dear, that we are taken for people who have a long purse at command. 80 you managed to get off to-day?” “Yes, old Tait was in one of his good He got fifteen claim through fubil and suflic earth, tact humors yesterday, a ! doliar the He as jubilancy had subsided thousand urs after iently Le ant, his rip LT h 10 Mrs would im to come down attend Cleves t probably Bob Miller, seal attired and a plush sack, with a dainty little bonnet perch ed on her sliver hair, and a Ethel Clifford, panied Ly was conveyed down red horses, covered anket r th two i to the re ! But as need they epLion land what to the north gate then for hi block away The arrived callers were made to take proper policemen were tioned at close intervals to prevent late nl we as piaces, as omers getting ahead, Ethel was whom She tris it as fair, Had proba biy and her charms would n on his sreeliv & ¥ 3 . po tured!y amused herself ¢ t faces Ors It park, tia Foye her discomion her neigh and their talk rather was ing in the but her her swallow 4 mint NOL Max: any compiaint Hill lonaened at n the line : reached the door of the Red ' 2 ’ Sahar ne Pir romp ime the usher asks for callers Clifford Snifferd.” her to Mrs murmurs Ethel the 11 CALI omer p stich pisses into { East Room Mrs. Bob regognizes in the reesiving line one of the whom she had winter, and she me information TY, Lr IAG eR swveral times that hastens to impart the to Ethel, “Oh, don’t tell me, Mrs. Miller am so disappointed. 1 don't know wh Mre. Cleveland looks like, That man calling me ‘Miss Snifferd’ quite finish- ed me, | remember that she gave me a wal as though she had with any one for a that the others greeted me as if had hold of a wet dish rag, landed in here “Never mind, my dear.” sald Mrs. Miller consolingly: "we'll take a walk into the conservatory, look at the pes. | ple, and (ry and «ip into the line again, I've often done that, Have your senses i at only * t4 a ay Hl Clash nol shaken hands wie k $3 YS they and look.” Acting on Mrz. Miller's suggestion, they wandered as best they might through the open rooms into the con- | looked out the big Bast Room windows down toward the Mon- ument. gazed at their full length fig- about falling in line again. They were | noel discovered, but were again pre. Ethel took never-to-be-forgotten picture in her memory of the beautiful mistress of the On coming out of the mansion they encountered three young men, ace quaintances of Ethel. By one of those a fourth young man was introduced to her as Mr. Horace G. Denison, of Vir- | ginia, the grandson of a former Presi. | dent. Ethel waz much impressed with | both the lineage and lineaments of Mr, | Denison. He was about 26 years of | age, well built, with a clear cut, clean | shaven face, dark eyes, and rather Jong | black bair. He was politeness person | ifled—not the politensss acquired in a short time and aired only on special occasions, but the politeness that is In. ———— nate in a Soutkstn gentleman. He fell into step with Ethel and Guy Morton, | and they talked about the reception, | the people, the flowers, and the Marine | Band, : This gallant descendant of as