Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-09-17

Softly she turned the knob, tender
smile curving her lips, her eyes luminous
with anticipation, softly pushed open the
door and entered the room.
Donald was sitting at his desk, as she
had anticipated, but there the picture OF
her fancy ended She did not cross the
room to lay her hand upon his shoulder,
because in the way, very close to Donald,
and pushing back her 3lair with little
start of confusion. as if she had been
still closer, sat Mrs Rogers
"Well. upon my wordl' she laughing.
| ly exclaimed, first TO recover her voice in
the surprise of the renconter, Ibid you
blow DOWN"
Il should suppose it would seem sufi.
GENTLY evident" with faint, sardonic
smile, angrily conscious of her battered
hat and the dusty untidiness of heI
dress, while her glance took in the ex-
quisite neatness of the others toilet, the
smooth hair and the dainty. dustless
gown. Evidently Mrs. Rogers had come
In before the storm began, Anita shrewd
/ ly inferred, measuring the time in her
mind, at the same time noting that the
door TO the outer Office was closed.
Donald had hurried forward, flushing
a little with surprise or embarrassment,
to give her chair. 'It's an i'll wind
that blows nobody any good" he said,
with that little mockery of his old man
ner he had come to assume before others.
1T is pleasant that you let yourself be
blown this way; but | must say APP
prove your taste rather more than your
judgment. should hardly have sup
posed you would care TO venture out
such a day as this"
"Oh, am sure you could not have ex-
| pected me" a little sneer in her tone his
trained ear could not miss.
Il believe most women like TO go beat
ing their way through Storm" chimed
| in Mrs. Rogers in her vivacious way.
at seems somehow to satisfy that GRAY.
ing for antagonism that seems to be in
herent in the female heart"
"Do you think sog' returned Donald
with smile OF careless courtesy, tiny
frown furrowed between his eyes. "And
do you enjoy this peculiar cravingg"
"Oh, yes; we all do. And most of us
wear our lives out beating against the
wind = that ia, contriving imaginary
troubles to fight; don't you think so, Mrs.
| BartelsY"
1--WE are not always driven to taxing
/ our imaginations, | think; Providence
spares us the effort" sharply CHANGING
from under her long dashed, insolently
dropping eyelids. She had become per.
suaded that Mrs. Rogers held something
| in her hand which she was concealing in
fold of her gown.
Providence ahr' with shrug of her
shoulders. Better call it the devil and
spell it as it should always be spelled,
own minds that leads them to look fol
trouble and find it, nine times out of ten,
Mrs. Bartels. If women never hated
until there was reason for hate, if they
Were never jealous until they had cause,
| if they never went mad in any of the
thousand and one phases of feminine
madness there would be lots less trouble,
Mrs. Bartels, and" with a careless in
consequential little smile. "Orodelphia
would be good deal pleasanter.
''Do you think sou indifferently, her
ewes fixed with the sharp scrutiny of a
| cat watching mouse. She was bound
to see what was in that hand. All the
time it had been creeping upward with
a scarce percephble movement, crump-
ling something more closely in its grasp,
until. as Mrs. Rogers rose with her last
word, with swift movement she pushed
something under the edge Of her basque,
but not so dexterously but that the keen
eyes watching had caught a glimpse, a
mere corner betrayed, of a little roll OF
bank notes.
"But | must not stay here arguing
moral questions while my poor boy lies
hazarding his immortal soul with pro
family" she exclaimed, with her childish
laugh. "The doctor is laid up with rhef-
1 matism, you know" she explained TO
| Anita as if it were the most cheerful bit
of news possible, "and his remarks some
times seem fairly to impart asulphurous
odor to the room. 1t is considered good
for rheumatism-sulp | don't
know but the doctor has some scheme of
( his own for fighting the disorder with
the fumes of his diabolical EXPLANATIONS,
at least il seems to ease his mind wonder
fully"
Donald joined in her laugh, but with
a perfunctory air. "You should hire a
Chinaman to help him swear" he care
lessly suggested.
II hoped you would volunteer, with a
laughing pout. Il came around, you
know. to see if Mr.. Bartels and you,
innocently turning to Anita, as if in
genuously impelled to explain her pres
ence there, "out of kind charity, to
revive my dropping spirits. would not
come around late this afternoon for a
little game of tennis; but the wind
seemed to answer for you before | had
fairly gotten the invitation out of my
mouth.
Il should not have supposed you could
consider it necessary to wait for even the
wind to answer such an invitation as
that" with an insolent smile, after a
brief stare OF incredulity. You know
.l,a+ 40 NOT plav tennis Mrs Rogers