THE REPUBLICAN , OUSTER COUNTY , NEBRASKA.
' ' ' ' ' '
'By 'RO'BE'RT &S. CHAM'BE'RS ,
Author of "The Fltfhtlntf Chance , " Etc.
COPYRIGHT , 1907 , BY ROBERT W . CHAMBERS. J
come , lib suffered himself to bo led
into the elevator n ilnluty white and
rose rococo affair. Ills slater adjusted
a tiny lever ; the car moved smoothly
upward nud presently storied , ami
they emerged tipou u wide landing.
"Here , " said Nln.t , throning open a
door. "Isn't this uomfoitableV Iblkeiu
anything you don't fancy about ItV If
there Is , tell me frankly. "
"Little sister , " he said , Imprisoning
"both her hands , "It is n paradise , but
I don't Intend to come here and squut
on my relatives , and 1 won't ! "
"Phlllpl You are common ! "
"Oh , 1 know you and Austin think
you want me , "
"Phil ! "
"All right , dear. I'll It's awfully
generoua of you so I'll pay you a visit
for a little while. You are very kind ,
Ninette. " Ho sat partly tumid irorn
Ler , staring at the sunny window.
Presently he slid his hand back along
the bed covers until It touched and
tightened over hers. And in silence
elic raised it to her lips.
They remained so for awhile , he still
partly turned from her , his perplexed
and narrowing gaze fixed on the win
dow , eho pressing his clinched hand
to her lips , thoughtful and silent.
"Before Austin comes , " he said at
length , "lei's get the thing over and
burled as long as It will stay burled. "
"Allxe is here , " she said gently. "Did
you know it ? "
Ho nodded.
"You know , of course , that she's
married Jack Ruthven ? "
Ho nodded again.
' "Are you on leave , Phil , or have you
really resigned ? "
"Resigned. "
"I knew it , " she sighed.
Ho said : "As I did not defend the
eult I couldn't remain in the service.
{ There's too much said about us anyway -
. way about us who arc appointed from
'civil ' life. And then to have that hap
pen ! "
i "Phil , do you still care for her ? "
| "I am sorry for her. "
' 'After a painful silence his sister
said , "Could you tell me how It began ,
iPhil ? "
"IIo\v it began ? I don't know that
cither. When Bannard's command
took the field 1 went with the scouts
lAllxo remained in Manila. Uuthven
was there for Fane. Harmon & Co
That's how It began , I suppose , and
It's a rotten climate for morals , and
.that's how It began. "
"Only that ? "
"We had had differences. It's been
one misunderstanding after another.
If you mean was I mixed up with
nnother woman no ! She knew that. "
, "She was very young , I'lill"
He nodded. " 1 don't blame her "
"Couldn't anything have boon done ? "
"If It could , neither she nor I did It
or knew how to do it , 1 suppose. It
( went wronc from the beginning It
was founded on froth. She had been
engaged to Harmon , and she threw
lilm over for Boots Lansing. Then 1
came along. Boots behaved like n
( thoroughbred. That la all there Is to
it Inexperience , romance , trouble. She
couldn't stand me , she couldn't stand
the life , the climate , the inconven
iences , the absence of what she was
accustomed to. She was dead tired of
It all. I can understand that And
we went under , that's all lighting
onch other heart and soul to the end
Is she happy with Uuthven ? I never
knew him and never cared to. 1 sup
pose they go about In town among
the yellow set. Lo ) they ? "
"Yes. I've mot Allxe once or twice
She was perfectly composed , formal ,
Lut unembarrassed. She 1m shifted
uer milieu somewhat , it hogiin with
the Influx of Kutbven's friends from
the 'yellow' section of tin1 younger
married set the Orchils , Fum" < . Min
eters and Delmour-Carnes By the
\vay , I'm dipping Into the youngi'i set
myself tonight on Ellwn's account. 1
brought her out Thursday , and I'm
giving a dinner for her tonight'
"Who's Eileen ? " he asked
"Eileen ? Why , don't you-why , o (
course you don't know yet Hint I've
taken Eileen for my own Kili-on Is
Molly Erroll's daughter , and tin- courts
appointed Austin and me guardians
for her and for her brother Gerald "
"Oh ! "
, "Now la it clear to you ? "
"Yes , " ho said , thinking of the trag
edy which had left the child so utter-
'ly alone In the world save for her
brother and a distant kinship by mar
rlage with the Gerarda.
For awhile he sat brooding , arms
loosely folded , immersed once more In
Ills own troubles.
"It seems a shame , " he said , "that a
tfamlly like ours , whose name has always -
ways spelled decency , should find them
welves entangled in the very things
their race has always hated and
snanaged to avoid. And through me
100. "
"But no disgrace touches you , dear , "
Kbe said tremulously.
"I've been all over that , too. " lie said ,
with quiet bitterness. "You are partly -
ly right ; nobody cares In this town.
Even though I did not defend the suit ,
nobody cures. And there's no disgrace ,
3 suppose , If nobody cares enough even
to condone. Divorce is no longer no-
Jlcedj it U n matter of ordinary occur
rence , a matter of routine in some
Bets. Who cares except decent folk ?
And they only think it's n pity and
wouldn't do It themselves. If Allxe
found that she cared for Itnthven 1
don't blame her. Laws and statutes
can't govern such matters. If she |
found she no longer cared for me. I
could not blame her. But two people
mlsmnted have only ouo chance In this
world-to live their tragedy through '
with dignity That la absolutely all
life holds for them ; beyond that , outside -
side of that dead line , treachery to ,
self and rarp and civilization ! That Is '
my conclusion after a year's experl-1
enco in hell. " He rose and began to
(
pace the tloor. fingers worrying his
mustache. "Law ? Can a law which ,
I do not accept let mo loose to risk It
all again with another woman ? "
She said slowly , her hands folded in
her lap : "It ; is well you've cotno to
me at last. You've been turning round
and round in that wheeled cage until
you think you've made enormous prog
ress , and you haven't. Dear , listen
to me. What you honestly believe to
be unselfish and high minded adher
ence to principle Is nothing but the
circling reasoning of n hurt mind an
Intelligence still numbed from shock , a
mental and physical life forced by
sheer courage into mechanical routine.
I tell you your life Is not finished. It
Is not yet begun ! You need new du
ties , new faces , new scenes , new prob
lems. You shall have them. Dear , be-
Hove me , few men as young ns you , as
attractive , as human , as lovable , aa
affectionate as you , willfully ruin their
lives because of a hurt pride which
they mistake for cousolence. You will
understand that when you become con
valescent. Now kiss mo and tell me
you're much obliged , for I hear Aus
tin's voice on the stairs. "
"Well , we've buried It now , " breath
ed Selwyn. "You're all right , Nina ,
from your own standpoint , and I'm
not going to make a stalking nuisance
of myself. No fear , little sister. Hel
lo" turning swiftly "here's that pre
posterous husband of yours. "
They exchanged a firm hand clasp ,
Austin Gerard , big , smooth shaven , hu
morously inclined toward the ruddy
heaviness of successful middle ago ;
Selwyn , lean , bronzed , erect and direct
In all the powerful symmetry and per
fect health of a man within sight of
maturity.
"Nina's good enough to want me fern
n few days" began Selwyn , but his
big brother-in-law laughed scornfully :
"A few days ! We've got you now ! "
And to his wife : "Nina , I suppose I'm
duo to lean over those Infernal kids before -
fore I can have n rnlnuto with your
brother. Arc they in bed yet ? All
' down In a min
right , Phil. We'll be
' In the li
ute. There's tea and things
brary. Make Eileen give you some. "
AXDS clasped behind his
back , Selwyn stood In
the center of the library ,
considering his environ
ment with the grave , ab
sent air habitual to him
when brooding And as he stood there
a sound at the tloor aroused him , and
he turned to confront a young girl In
hat. veil and furs , who was leisurely
advancing toward him , stripping the
gloves I'lom a pair of very white hands.
"How do you do. Captain Selwyn ? "
Him said "I am Eileen Erroll , and 1
am commissioned to give you some tea
Nina and Austin are In the nursery
telling bedtime stories and hearing as
sorted prayers. The children seem to
be quite oraxy about you I congratu
late you on your
popularity. "
"Did you see
me In the uurs-
o r y on a 1
fours ? " inquired
Selwyn , recog-
n I 7.1 n K her
bronze red hair
Unfeigned
laughter was his
answer He
laughed , too , not
very heaitlly.
"My first
glimpse of our
legendary nurs
cry warrior was
certainly aston
islilng"slipsald ,
looking around
at him with
frank malice
Then , quickly :
young ylrl in licit "But you don't
ciwl furs. mind , do yon ?
It's nil In the family , of course. "
"Of course , " he agreed with good
grace ; "no use to pretend dignity here ;
you all sen through me In a few mo
ments "
She had given him his tea. Now she
sat upright In her chair , smiling , dis
trait , her hat casting a luminous
shadow across her eyes ; the Huffy furs ,
fallen from throat and shoulder , settled
loosely around her waist.
Glancing up from her short reverie
she encountered his curloiM gM.ft1
"Tonight Is to bo my llirt dl'.iuci
dance , you know , " she said 1'Hlnt
tints of excitement stained her whin *
skin ; the vivid scarlet contrast of hoi
mouth was almost startling "On
Thursday 1 was Introduced ' Mu ex
plained , "and now I'm to have the juy-
est winter I ever dieauicd of And
I'm going to leave yon In a moment If
Nina doesn't hurry and come Do you
mind ? "
"Of course 1 mind , " he protested
nmlably , "but I suppose you wish to
devote several hours to dressing "
She nodded. "Such a dream of n
gown I Nina's present ! You'll see It. 1
hope Gerald will be here to see It He
promised. I hope you'll like my broth
er Gerald when you meet him Now
I must go. "
Then , rising and partly turning to
collect her furs :
"It's quite exciting to have you here.
We will be good friends , won't we ?
And I think I had better stop my chat
ter and go. because my cunning little
Alsatian maid Is not very clever .yet.
Goodby. "
She stretched out one of her amaz
ingly white hands across the table , giv
ing him n friendly leave taking and
welcome nil In one frank handshake ,
and left him standing there , the fresh
contact still cool In his palm.
Nina came In presently to llml htm
seated before the Ore , one hand shadIng -
Ing his eyes , and ns ho prepared to
rise she rested both arms on his shoul
ders , forcing him Into his chair again.
"So you have bewitched Eileen , too ,
have you ? " , she said tenderly. "Isn't
she the sweetest little thing ? "
"She's ah as tall as I am , " ho sold ,
blinking nt the fire.
"She's only nineteen ; pathetically un
spoiled n perfect dear. Men are go
ing to rave over her and not spoil her.
Did you ever see such hair that
thick , ruddy , lustrous copper tint ? And
sometimes It's like gold afire ! And
a skin like snow and peaches ! She's
sound to the core. I've had her exer
cised and groomed and hardened and
trained from the very beginning every
Inch of her minutely cared for exactly
like my own babies. I've done my
" /Voto / must go. "
best , " she concluded , with n satisfied
sigh , and dropped into a chair beside
her brother.
"I should say , " observed Selwyu ,
"that she's equipped for the slaughter
of man. "
"Yes , but I nm selecting the vic
tim , " replied his sister demurely.
"Oh ! Are you ? Already ? "
"Tentatively. "
"Who ? "
"Sudbury Gray , I think , with Scott
Innis for an understudy , perhaps the
Draymore man as alternate I don't
know ' . "
; there's time.
"Plenty , " ho said vaguely , staring
Into the flrc , where a log had collapsed
Into incandescent ashes.
She continued to talk about Eileen
until she noticed that his mind was on
other matters. His preoccupied stare
enlightened her. She said nothing for
awhile. "
But ho woke up wlicn Austin came In
and settled his big body in a chair.
"Drlnn , the little mini , called mo
back on some flimsy pretext , " he said ,
relighting his cigar. "I forgot that
time was going , and she was wily
enough to keep me talking until Miss
Paisely caught me at it and showed
mo out. I tell you , " turning on Sel
wyn , "children arc what make Hfo
worth wh" He ceased abruptly at a
gentle tap from his wife's foot , and
Selwyn looked up.
Whether or not he divined the Inter-
ferenee , he said very quietly : "I'd rath
er have had children than anything In
the world. They're about the best
there Is In life. I agree with you
Austin. "
His sister , watching htm askance ,
was relieved to see his troubled face
become serene , though she divined the
effort.
"Kids arc the best , " he repeated ,
smiling at her. "Falling them , for
second choice I've taken to the labora
tory. Some day I'll invent something
and astonish yon , Nuuu"
"We'll fit laboratory
you up a corking
tory , " began Austin cordially. "There
Is"-
"You'ro very good. Perhaps you'll
all be civil enough to move out of the
house If 1 need more room for bottles
and retorts. "
"Of course Phil muut have his labora
tory , " Insisted Nina. "There's loads
of uuuscd room In this big barn , only
you don't mind being at the top of the
house , do you , Phil ? "
"Yes , I do. 1 want to bo in the
drawing room or somewhere so that
you all may enjoy the odors and get
the benefit ot premature explosions.
Oh , comu now , Austin , If you think
I'm going to plum myself hero on
jou"-
"Dou't irotlce him , Austin , " said
Nina ; "uu only wishes to bo Implored.
And by the aumu token you'd both
bettor let me Implore you to dress ! '
She rose and bent forward In the tire-
light to peer nt the clock. "Goodnessl
Do you creatures ihlnk I'm going to
give Eileen halt an hour's start with
her maid and 1 carrying my twelve
years' handicap tooV No , Indeed ! I'm
decrepit , but I'm going to die fighting.
Austin , get up ! Vou'ru horribly slow
anyhow I'lill , Austin's man such ns
he Is will be at your disposal , and
your luggage Is unpacked. "
| In the hallway Selwyn and Austin
encountered a radiant and bewildering
, vision awaiting them Elluen In all her
glory
I "Wonderfull" said Gerard , patting
the vision's rounded bare arm as ho
hurried past. "Flue gown , line girl !
| But I've got to dress , and so has Phil
ip " Ho meant well.
"Do you like it. Captain Selwyu ? "
asked the girl , turning to confront
him where he had halted. "Gerard
Isn't coming , and 1 thought perhaps
you'd be Interested. "
The formal , half patronizing compli
ment on his tongue's tip remained
there unsaid He stood silent , touched
by the faint under-ringing wlstfulucss
In the laughing voice that challenged
hli opinion , and something within him
responded In time :
"Your gown Is a beauty ; such won
derful laoe. Of course anybody would
know It came straight from Paris or
from some other celestial region. "
She colored cnchnntlngly and. with
pretty , frank Impulse , held out both
her hands to him.
"You are a dear , Captain Sclwynl It
Is my first real dinner gown , and I'm
quite mad about It , and somehow I
wanted the family to share my mad
ness with me. Nina will. She gave It
to uic , the darling. Austin admires It ,
too , of course , but ho doesn't notice
such things very closely , and Gerald
Isn't here. Thank you for letting mo
show It to you before 1 go down. "
She gave both his hands a friendly
little shake and , glancing down at hei
skirt In blissful consciousness of its
perfection , stepped backward into her
own room.
Later , while ho stood at his dresser
constructing an immaculate knot in his
white tic , Nina knocked.
"Hurry , Phil ! Oh , may I come In ?
You ought to bo downstairs with us ,
you know. And It was very sweet of
you to bo so nice to Eileen. The child
had tears In her eyes when I went In.
Oh , just n single diamond drop In each.
Your sympathy and interest did It. I
think the child misses her father ou an
occasion such as this the beginning of
life , the first stop out Into the world.
Men do not understand what It menus
to us. Gerald doesn't , Pin sure. I've
been watching her , and I know the
shadow of that dreadful tragedy falls
ou her more often than Austin and I
are aware of. You nro among your
own people , anyhowl"
His own people ! The impatient ten
derness , of his sister's words had been
sounding In his cars all through the
evening. They rang out clear and In
sistent amid the tumult of the dinner.
He heard them In the laughing confu
sion of youthful voices. They stole
Into the delicate undertones of the mu
sic to mock him. The rustling of silk
and lace repeated them. The high
heels of satin slippers echoed them In
Irony.
Ills own people !
The scent of overhauled flowers , the
sudden warm breeze eddylug from a
capricious fan , the mourning tin 111 of
the violins , emphasized the emphasis of
the words.
And they sounded sadder and more
meaningless now to him. here In his
own room , until the monotony of their
recurrent mockery began to unnerve
him.
him.Ho turned on the electricity , shrank
from It , extinguished it. And for a
long time he sat there ! n the dark
ness of early morning , his unfilled pipe
clutched In his nerveless hand.
> O pick up once more and
tighten and knot to
gether the loosened
threads which represent
ed the unfinished record
that his race had woven
Into the social fabric of the metropolis
was merely un automatic matter for
Selwyn
His own people had always been
among the makers of that fabric. Into
part of It.s vast and Intricate pattern
they had woven an Inconspicuously
honorable record chronicles of births
and deaths and marriages , u plain
memorandum of plain living and up
right dealing with their fellow men.
Some public service of modest nature
they had performed , not seeking It , not
shirking , accomplishing It cleanly when
It was Intrusted to them.
His forefathers had boon , ns u rule ,
professional men-physicians and law
yers. His grandfather died under the
walla of Chupultepec eustle while
twisting n tourniquet for a cursing
I dragoon ; uu uncle remained indefinitely
jit Mulvern mil ; an only brother at
Montaiilt Point sickened In the trencU-
i > before Santiago
| Ills lather's services us division mod-
Icn ) officer In Sheridan's cavalry had
been perhaps no m r * dvvoted , no inor *
loyal than the sorv'oss of thousands
of officers and troopers , and Ma reward
was n pension offer , declined. Ho prc -
tlccd until his wife died , then retired
to his country home , from which IIOUBO
tits daughter Nina was married to Aus
tin Gerard.
Mr Solwyn , Sr. , continued to pay his
tuxes ou his father's house In Tenth
street , voted in that district , spent a
month every year with the Gerarda
and judiciously enlarged the family
reservation In Greenwood , whither ho
retired In due time.
Thu first gun off the Florida keys
sent Selwyn'fl only brother from his
law ofilce In hot haste to San Antonio
That same gun interrupted Solwyn'a
connection with Neergard & Co. , op
erators in Long Island real estate , and
n year later the captaincy offered him
In a western volunteer regiment oper
ating on the Island of Ley to completed
the rupture.
And now ho was back again , a
chance career ended , with option of
picking up the severed threads his
Inheritance at the loom and of rety-
lug them , warp and weft , and continu
ing the pattern according to the de
signs of the tufted , tinted pile yarn
knotted In by his ancestors before
him.
Meanwhile he was looking for two
things an apartment and a Job the
first energetically combated by his 1m-
mcdlato family.
It was rather odd the scarcity of
Jobs Of course Austin offered him
one , which Selwyn declined nt once ,
enraging liln brother-in-law.
"But what do I know about the in
vestment of trust funds ? " demanded
Bclwyn. "You wouldn't take mo If 1
were not your wifo's brother , and
that's nepotism. "
Austin's harmless fury raged for
nearly ten minutes , after which ho
cheered up , relighted his cigar and re
sumed his discussion with Selwyu con
cerning the merits of various boys'
schools , the victim In prospective being
Billy.
A little later , reverting to the sub
ject of his own enforced Idleness , Sel
wyn said , "I've been on the point of
going to BCO Neergard , but somehow I
can't quite bring myself to it slinking
Into his office as a rank failure In one
profession to ask him if ho has any
use for mo again.-
"Stuff and fancy ! " growled Gerard.
"It's all stuff and fancy about your bo-
lug any kind of a failure. 1C you want
to resume with that Dutchman , go to
him and say so. If you want to Invest
anything In his Long Island schemes
he'll take you in fast enough. lie took
In Gerald and some twenty thousand ! "
"Isn't ho very prosperous , Austin ? "
"Very on paper. Ixmg Island farm
lands and mortgages on Hampton hen
coops are not fragrant propositions to
me. But there's always one moro way
of making n living after you counted
'em all up on your fingers. If you've
any capital to offer Necrgard , lie won't
shriek for help. "
"But isn't suburban property"
"On the Jump ? Yes both ways. Oh ,
I suppose that Neergard is all right. If
ho wasn't I wouldn't have permitted
Gerald to go Into it. Neergard sticks to
his commissions and doesn't back his
fancy In certified checks. I don't know
exactly how ho operates. I only know
that we find nothing In that sort of
thing for our own account. But Fane ,
Harmon & Co. do. That's their affair
too. It's all a matter of taste , I tell
you. "
Selwyn reflected : "I believe I'd go
and see Neergard If I were perfectly
sure of my personal sentiments toward
him. He's been civil enough to me , of
course , but I have always had a curi
ous feeling about Neergard thut lie's
forever on the edge of doing some
thing-doubtful. "
"Ills business reputation Is nil right
He shaves the dead line like u safety
razor , but he's never yet cut through
It On principle , however , look out for
an apple faced Dutchman with a thin
nose and no lips. Neither Jew , Yankee
nor American stands any chance in a
deal with that typo of financier. Per
sonally my feeling Is this : If Pvo got to
play games with Julius Neergard , I'd
prefer to bo his partner. And BO I told
Gerald. By the way"
Austin checked himself , looked down
at his cigar , turned It over and over
several times , then continued quietly :
"By the way , I suppose Gerald is like
other young men of his age and times
Immersed In his own affairs thought
less perhaps , perhaps a trlflo selfish In
tlio cross country gallop after pleasure.
1 was rather severe with him about his
neglect of his sister. Ho ought to have
come here to pay his respects to you
too. "
"Oh , don't put such notions Into his
heud"-
"Yes , I will , " Insisted Austin. "How
ever Indifferent and thoughtless and
selfish he Is to other people , he's got to
be considerate toward his own family ,
and I told htm so. Have you seen him
lately ? "
"No-o , " admitted Selwyn.
"Not since the first time when ho
came to do the civil by you ? "
I "No , but don't"-
i "Yes , I will , " repeated his brothor-ln-
law , "and I'm going to have a thorough
explanation with him and learn what
he's up to lie's got to be decent to his
(
bister , lie ought to report to mo occa-
I slonully. That's all there Is to It. Ho
lias entirely too much liberty , with his
bachelor quarters and his junior whip-
pcrsmippur club and his house parties
1 and his cruises on Neergard's boat ! "
i He got up , casting his cigar from him ,
and moved about bulklly , mutteilng of
matters to be regulated , and firmly too.
But Selwyn , looking out of the win
dow across the park , knew perfectly
well that young Erroll , now of ago ,
with a Hinall portion of hlb luindiomo
Income ut his mercy , was past the regu
lating btage and beyond the authority
1 of Austin There was no harm In him.
He was simply n Joyous , pleasure lov
ing cut ) chock full of energetic In
stincts , good and bad , right an3 wrong ,
out of which , formed from the act *
which become hnbits , character ma
tures. Thin wna his estimate ot Qer *
nld.
The next morning , riding In the park
with Elloou , ho found u chance to
speak cordially ot her brother.
"I've meant to look up Gerald , " ha
said , as though the neglect wore hU
own fault , "but every tlina something
happens to switch mo on to another
tracjc. "
"I'm ufrald that 1 do a great deal ot
the switching , " she said , "don't 1 ? But
you've been so nlco to mo nnd to the
children that"
Miss Erroll's horse was behaving
badly , and for u few moments she be
came too thoroughly occupied with
her mount to finish her sentence ,
The belted groom galloped up , prepared -
pared for emergencies , and ho and Set-
wyn sat their saddles watching u pret
ty bottle for mastery between a beau
tiful horse determined to bo bad and
a very determined young girl who hnd
decided ho was going to be good.
Once or twlco the excitement of so
licitude sent the color flying Into Sol-
wyn's temples. The bridle path wan
narrow and stiff with freezing sand ,
and the trees were too near for such
lively maneuvers , but Miss Erroll had
made up her mind , and Selwyn already
had a humorous idea that this was no
light matter. The horse found It seri
ous enough , too , nnd suddenly conclud
ed to bo good. And the pretty scene
ended BO abruptly that Selwyu laughed
aloud as ho rejoined her ,
"Thoro was n man Boots Lansing
In Bannard'fl command. One night on
Sam in- the bolo men rushed us , nnd
Lansing got into the six foot major's
boots by mistake seven leaguers , you
know and his horse bucked him clean
out of thorn. "
"Hence his Christian namo. I sup
pose , " said the girl "But why such a
ntnrv Hnntnln Si livvn7 I
stuck to my saddle. "
"With both hands , " ho said cordial
ly , alwnys alert to plague her , for she
was adorable when teased , especially
in the beginning of their acquaintance
before she had found out thnt It was
a habit of his , and her bright confu-
GcmM EnolL
alon always delighted him Into furthu
mischief.
"But 1 wasn't a bit worried , " he con
tinued. "You hud him so firmly
around the neck , ueslues , wuat norse
or man could resist such u pleading
pair of iirniH around the neck ? "
"What you saw. " she said , Hushing
up , "Is exactly the way I shall do liny
pleading with Hie two animals you
mention. "
Later uhe remarked , "It's Just ns
Nina wiyH , after all , Isn't It ? "
"I suppose no , ' ' he replied suspicious
ly. "What ? "
"That Gerald Isn't really very wick
ed , but lie likes to have us think HO.
It's a sign of extreme self conscious
ness , Isn't It , " she added Innocently ,
"when a man Is afraid that n woman
thinks he In very , very good ? "
" " "is the I'm
"That. he said , limit
going to ride by myself. "
Her pleasure In Selwyn's society hud
gradually becom ! such genuine pleas
ure , her confidence- his kindness so
unaffectedly sincere , that Insensibly
she had fallen Into something of hln
manner of badinage especially since
she realized how much amusement ho
found In her own smiling confusion
when unexpectedly assailed. Also , to
her surprise , Hlio found that ho could
bo plagued very easily , though she did
not quite dare it at first , In view of
his Impressive years and experience.
But , once goaded to It , she was aston
ished to find how suddenly It seemed
to readjust their personal relations
years and experience falling from his
shoulders like a cloak which had con
cealed a man very nearly her own age ,
years and experience adding them
selves to her , and nt least an Inch to
her stature to redress the balance be
tween them.
It had amused him immensely as he
realized the subtle change , and it pleas
ed him , too , because no man of thirty-
five cares to be treated like a grand
father by n girl of nineteen , even If
she has not yet worn the polish from
her first pair of high heeled shoes.
"It's ustonlshlug , " he said , "how lit
tle respect Infirmity and ago command
In these days. "
"I do respect you , " she insisted , "es
pecially your Infirmity of'purpose. You
said you were going to ride by your
self. But , do you know , I don't believe
you are of a particularly solitary dis
position. Are you ? "
lie laughed at first , then suddenly his
face fell.
"Not from choice , " he said under hla
breath. Her quick ear heard , uud she
turned. Rcml-serious , questioning hka
with raised eyebrows.
"Nothing , 1 was just muttering.
I ( CONTINUKD NKXT W I Kj
