Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-01-05
A TURN OF THE WHEEL.
BY EVELYN THORPE.

tOin WOulu nave llkeu 10 say SOutH
thing more-to have softened in some
way the edge of what had gone before.
But after all, what could one say2
Maskelyne did not seem to expect, or
wish for, anything further. He walked
on by her side speechless, sullen, staring
in front of him. Once or twice, when
the roughness of the descent rendered
such service necessary, he offered his
hand, and always without looking at her.
Flora concluded determinedly at last
that the silence should not be broken by
her. He was taking his refusal as man
might be expected to take these things.
OF course it hurt their pride dreadfully.
And moi more than one of them out of
thousand really cared enough for girl
to be truly her friend after she had done
his vanity this, to him, unpardonable in
jury.
The camp was in sight now, in the
valley below them. Flora hoped, petu-
lantiy, that, since her rejected suitor
would assume so uncomfortable and dis
agreeable an attitude he would at least
keep as much as possible out of her way
until she should start for the East, in a
few days.
This Maskelyne scrupulously did.
And yet Flora was scarcely satisfied.
There was vague discomfort in her
senses.
Once she brought herself sharply to
task. Well, after all, what did she
~ftwantl Would she have liked to accept
Maskelyne, to marry him3 She was very
young. she knew she was beautiful, and
now, with all this money that had come
to them, ambitions, slumbering before,
Z had sprung into life vivid and insistent.
And why not2 Was it not natural,
Flora Wade asked herself, defiantly, that
girl who felt such capacities within
her as she was conscious of should want
to exercise them in brilliant field, and
WELD such social prestige as they gave2
For a little while, few years at least,
she wanted to live--to live!-and to en-
Joy her life! II she married now poor
engineer in the Western wilds, what
wol / her life be2 of course, if one
lows a man very much. .. But
she lid not love Maskelyne, she assured
herself, fiercely. Not, at least, enough
for that. Oh yes, he would think her
frivolous, fiippant, vain, shallow,
worldly coquette.
He would say she had trifed with him
had led him on.
Flora stopped in her inward soliloquy.
Her heart beat Just little more quickly.
slowly in front of the open door, He
was not conscious of being seen. He was
walkingwith his cap pulled over his eye
brows andamoody look in his down bent
eyes.
"He might at least have the decency
to wish me bon voyage" thought
Flora, with angry bitterness.
She was going East the very next day.
Her trunks were packed. A letter from
the distant relative, a fashionable woman
of society, who was to chaperon her dur
ing the next few years, and who already
had Flora's younger ster with her, lay
before her. Wis ons and dreams of sue
cess, of happine such as the brilliant
world gives, opened beyond. Flora sat
staring out at the westering sunlight till
it had quite faded and the shadows filed
the valley. When she finally rose from
her chair, as one shaking off sleep there
was suspicious moisture in her dark
eyes.
After all, if Howard Maskelyne had
bidcd his time, if he had not been pre-
cipitated, perhaps Flora Wade would
not have gone East the next morning,
Who knows2
Howard Maskelyne remained West
for three years. His resolution to succeed
Ito "get ahead"- had, as some of his
companions who knew him better thar
the rest perceive without perceiving the
cause, been reinfor ed by SOFT Of
dogged defiance. He gave himself uI
to his work with that undivided anc
tireless allegiance which a man mauifests
toward the stern aspects Of life when hi
has suffered a sentimental disenchant
ment--if, that is, he does not take thu
opposite course and slight that aspect
altogether. He did not take vacation
when he could have done so HI
seemed to dread even a days idleness
He grew older, and the lines deepene6
in his face. Some of the other fellow.
surmised, at times, that there was
woman in the case. But their habitua
cast Of thought did not induce them tt
dwell upon suppositions of this natur,
very abidingly.
It is probable that Maskelyne woull
udNo SuHo oH III tuiS luSulou teu year
longer, slowly but surely r.sing in hi
profession, and making money which b
/. did not seem to care for or know what Il
do with, If his father had not suddenl,
died. Maskelyne, on this event, cam
East. Old Mr.. Maskelyne had been
frugal person, highly respected as an ex
cellent citizen. He had not aeen hel,
to have laid by much Of this world
goods But it proved contrary to expec
tation, in the course Of investigation
that he had left q large fortune behind
Howard Maskelyne was East. He deter
mined to stay.
He took up the old existence now, b
s his long absence he ONE new one, lisi
lessly. He thought the zest would com
back. but somehow itdid not. Hclooke