The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-10
A DANGEROUS LOVE.
San Francisco Argonaut.

| air of incompletion. The walls of adobe ana
stone the incongruities of design. the irregular
uneven streets full of rock in the rough, together
with hillsetting of numerous abandoned pros
pect-holes and rudimentary tunnels gave
whimsical suggestion that Titans had left I'M
\ finished a town they had been cutting out from
the earth's raw material
This was the outside aspect as seen through a
| pair of tall windows, with curtains stretched
| back to gather every ray of light from the dim,
dull sky. That light scant as it was brought
out the home like cheer within The warm red
of carpet and casual fittings comforted the eye.
| At the windows broad shelves full of plants,
that gave the sole suggestion of luxury, barring
the aromatic brilliancy of a fragrant cedar fire.
l A room of whose possibilities the most had been
made, full of the personality Of its tenants;
| room where man was very apt to get sense
of repose and mnstration-chief requirements
\ of the masculine nature.
| Edward Lamb found its effect like that, lean
! ing at ease in a homely big chair that had the
knack, like all the chairs at this house, of fit
/ ting the human frame. A large, fair man,
I slightly inclined to stoutness, he was of that
/ type of Irish beauty that involves wholesome,
| clear skim flushed with delicate rosiness,
| abundant blonde hair and deep blue eyes, with
| more sleepy tenderness than was strictly essen
l 'Tm very fearful I'm in for another fort
] night he said; mot much chance of the roads
opening while this sort of thing goes on"
Miss Soulsby left the window and came back
| to her low seat on the hearth, laughing The
| impotence of his words swas so completely at
| variance with the elaboration and contentment
| of his tone.
possess your soul in patience" she said. SIT
| is only question of days for you, and then
| She made expressive little gesture of farewell
and departure
'And youl-are not you coming East some
dayl"
''Oh, yes" she answered, with a certain blithe
Skepticism, ''when sell mine"
Mr.. Lamb smiled at her satirical touch upon
! the sanguine creed of the camp. ''Ledyard was
wondering what could keep me here" he said,
inconseguently; "a Bohemian born, for whom
the noise and hurry of cities is the breath of
life"
Madelon Soulsby looked at him intently.
''Wen," she said, little sharply, what has kept
your
And yet he knew that she was perfectly aware
what had kept him Idlers both, they could
hardly have counted the long, companionabe
afternoons they had spent together that winter.
The little town was agog with the lrishman's in
| fatuation. 1t would have needed more than their
| joint asseveration to have convinced the Cos
| sips that between these two no love-making had
BEEN
YES / ought to have gone last week." he
| said ignoring her audacity, when Ledyard went"
why did you not go2' she persisted.
The household cat had leaped upon her lap-a
vicious, big beast, whose claws had "a wicked way
OF unsheathing themselves upon fondling fingers
Mr.. Lamb found himself dwelling on the fact
that he never had seen Dick requte Miss
| Soulsbys careless endearments. The lazy
creature laid himself luxuriously across her
knees, like great, gray muff as the girl nestled
her hands on his warm fur-delicate hands
those always cold: not clammy, but cold with
| firm and reticent force of their own.
Some day-who knows2-it may be made
penal offenSe-their exercise of this capacity
some women have for indirect challenge; this
tacit wooing that perhaps outweghs man. pre-
rOgatve of Outspeaking.
Edward Lamb was a phlegmatic man enough
ordinarily. and little given to impulses; but just
now he would have bartered his souls salvation
for the right to displace Dicks parted fur with
his own handsome fair head, to feel tnat caress-
ing touch press down his throbbing eyelids. 10
his dying day he would not forget the picture
| that instant photographed on the retina of his
! heart For him, hereafter, no wonder OF art,
nor revelation of living beauty could dispel the
| memory of the graceful girlish shape whose
quietude told Of repression, not inertia; the air
of absolute self confidence and cool impartial
sef-disdain; the bright face, with that knocking
phase of mingled wooing and warning; tho
grave childish usefulness on that rounded brow;
the sweet lips Just now curved in scOrn; the in
tent amber eyes.
Mr.. Lamb averted his gaze and took up a
novel from Il couch in the ingle nook. By the
malignity of that perverse fate who misIegulates
Il
novel treating of the domestic adventures of
young journalist and the pathetic small ecOno-
mics of his wife. Both had read the tale; inevi
| tably their comments must partake of sentimen-
| tai coloring.
as it the manlier way" said MIR. Lamb. with
fine air of unconcern and Indifference, ito offer
q woman such life as thatl-Or would one bet
| ter protect her from self sacrifice by keeping
| silenceF
That man is most fatuous who fancies that
woman will not make instant personal appica-
| ton of such q speech An exasperating smile of
discernment bent Miss Soulsbys lip.
Men have the prerogative of committing
any madness" she said; with women rests
the veto power of self protection against such
insanity"
''Are you so worldly7"
II may we'll be-, said the girl, bitterly; 81
have known privation all my life long
that teaches the true value of this worlds
goods"
Involuntsrily his gaze fell straight upon her
garh-soft rich gray. its outlines defined here
and there by broad bands of gay Roman stripe
in some velvety- looking wooden fabric.
Il cannot conceive your having known the
need of money" he said; few women arc
conscious how pointed was his speech.
''Few are" she asserted, laughing, happily
for themselves and the peace of their households
/ see You like my frock-men are short
sighted-blind bats! You like it, and whyl Be
cause 1t is nicely proportioned, and it is true to
| its purpose. 'Do you sect" She held her dra-
perry forward naively. "This is frock for the
house-not the sort of costume one would wear
on the street Harmony, adaptability; that is
| it, not elegance. The whole thing cost me
| three dollars"
'What"
'It is quite true. paid that for tho gray
hateaA The bright stripes was the best portion
of w6an-out shawl, and [ had the buttons"
| with an air Of triumphant conclusion.
Mr.. Lamb found something very brave and
very pathetic in the simplicity and detail Of this
confession. This endurance of vanitys morti-
ication appeared heroic as contrasted with the
lavish expenditure of other women far less
lovely and worthy, But then, men usually
willing to concede great virtue to the practical
| ity that achieves slightly results. If Miss Souls
| by's attire had been unbecoming or if Miss
Soulsbys self had been less pleasant to the eye,
no doubt her exposition of ways and means
might have seemed sordid and revolving