The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-14


and analytic because they want enthusiasm
and ''gush" instead of insight. / used to
be just as cold as you, and that was the secret
OF our friendship. We could laugh together at
the whole silly coedie humane, could we not?
We neither of US ever got any wounds, and it
was so entertaining to see the other victims
carried off dying from the fight. But we were
cruel. DO you remember how we used to
make our jokes in Paris about this heartbroken
Romeo and that love-sick Julietl Well sup
pose punishment was only fair and rghtful. 1t
ought to have come to both of US, for we deserved
it. But it came only to one.h
Hugh Varian leaned forward with a very
earnest and meaning look, as he responded
''You simply amaze me- don't think guess
your meaning. But If do
'Of course you do, broke in his companion.
The next moment she had burst into tears For
quite a little while she wept almost silently. He
watched her and his face had paled while he did
So At last he said:
''You followed Paul Charlton to this country
You came here because he came. see it all,
now. / never dreamed of it before. And he
is engaged to marry that girl Gertrude Innsey.
Mrs Thorndike had almost crimsoned before
| he ended. Il should be very angry" she
faltered, IF anyone else were as mercilessly
blunt as that. But II suppose have brought
it upon myself, Hugh Varian WE'LL am not
a sad fool2 To think that of all men alive it
should be he.'
Varian shook his head "He can't dream that
he has even reused your caprice He painted
pictures for you in Paris. You were his rich and
lofty patroneSs. He would as soon have thought
of trying to get the sun in heaven. And don't
Il can't believe that you would ever have
thought about him at all if he had been on level
with yourself or had shown you the homage of
having been fascinated by you, such a throng
of the others did This is a mere vagary on your
| part. You must dismiss it. Can it be really
true that you crossed the ocean because this man
hadn't laid his heart at your feetE Tell me 1T is
not true and will firmly believe you. Marveis
1 ola ooI 10
Mrs ThorRdyke had by this time gained her
wonted composure. II can really explain to you
nothing" she said, measuring each word ''The
whole thing flashed upon me one morning IN
Paris, when he bade me q polite, ceremonious,
grateful farewell, after telling me that he had
taken passage for this country. / spent the rest
of the day in agony. paced the floor of my
chamber like panther. felt like one of those
feline creatures in French novel My punish
ment had come at last! / would not even admit
my maid for hours lest she might guess my Sc
cret from my face. You are the only person 20
whom have ever breathed it. don't quite un-
derstand why dot is like talking to ones
| physician"
"Ah." said Varian, with kind of solemn ex-
ASPIRATION, zones physician advises
She had knotted her hands together and was
staring down at them they lay in the lap of
her dress. what do you adviser she asked.
THAT you return at once to Paris-and for
get"
Il can't forget"
Then return, all the same"
She very slowly shook her head mot yet"
she replied.
Have you seen this New York GIRL Miss
Innsley?"
'Oh, yes; number of times. know her
well. Have you ever met herr"
'You shall do so at my house this evening, if
YOU wish, said Mrs. Thorndyke. 'She and her
iance dine with me quite informally. Pray join
US"
Varian accepted this invitation. but he did so
in rather bad humor. He knew Paul Charl-
ton WELL and liked him not little He had
heard that this Gertrude Innsley was girl of
rare good sense, and of just the properly grave,
intellectual turn to make such a man as Chari
ton happy. She had enough fortune to produce
a neat tributary stream in the direction of what
her lover had already earned. Charlton had
made name for himself in Rome as painter
of profound originality. He ha9 touch of
weirdness mixed with the poetry of his art
conceives with striking force. His enemies
serted that he was all conception and that he
let execution go quite to the dogs. But the
truth was that he let Unhealthy of execution go
to the painters who were in love with mere
prettiness and there lay about the whole story of
whatever detraction and discountenance he had
thus far had to fight against
These two men had known each other we'll
abroad, and worked in widely different fields
with not little sincere congeniality. Charlton
had often frankly complimented Varian as a
novelist; indeed, he thought there were certain
points about his friends books that were unsur-
passed. nearly indispensable But he had his
little stiletto of criticism, which he now and
then knew how to draw red blood with. On
the other hand it was very much the same with
| regard to Varians feeling toward his friends
| pictures. They had each given the other GER
| tain thrusts, and were both perhaps the better
| for the antagonist dealt with
In character they were almost antipodal.
| Hugh V, rian was all repose, concealment pol
/ sh, discretion. Society accepted him and re-
| speeted him; be represented so much of that
| graceful yet emotionless decorum, which is one
of its chief cults and tenets. He was not at all
| salient as member of it, but then he was never
| in the least diminutive. He had held his own
| among the best people in foreign circles but he
! had never Haunted his own there or seemed to
| heed much whether not it were paid great
| Difference His place and fame in modern let
| ters had come to him slowly. but he had never
seemed in the least haste either for distinction
| or achievement His dead parents had long ago
left him comfortably prosperous
Paul Charlton, the contrary, had had
| years ago. to strive hard for actual bread. But
| he had always served his ideals with rigorous
| fidelity There were those who knew-and none
| knew better than Varian-that he might re-
| peatedly have gained money and kind of sue
cess by sinking individuality and forsaking
cherished principles. But the want and strife
| and worry had now given place, with him, to a
secure peace and wholesome competence. He
was recognized; he was even, in some quarters,
| quite greeniy laureed.
| He had far more picturesque and distin-
| gushed look than his friend He was not very
tall, and his figure, slenderly built. expressed by
| its brisk movements its often odd postures, an
almost painful overplus of nervous energy. His
head, with its broad forehead and full temples,
was clad with flowing silky hair, black as night
and the eye with which he met yours when his
firm thin hand took your own was very dark in
deed and of vivid brilliancy. He never wore
either mustache or beard, but blush line
marked his upper lip and found correspondent
hue about the compact moulding of his delicate
| cheeks and chin This effect came most proba
! bly, from the extreme softness and clearness Of
his complexion, which was quite olive in tint
| Hugh Varian had wanted very much to meet
of assertive dutles-the looking up of near rela-
tives not seen for several years, and the investi
| CATION of money affairs which might we'll have