Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-03-24

Jim. ] wish he were here tonight 70
tread measure with me in the old rooms.
You would be sure to fraternize with
Jim. You could not help liking him."
Thorne drew in his lips ominously. He
could help liking Jim Byrd well enough,
and felt not the faintest desire for either
his presence or his friendship. The In
PREVENTION OF q woman with whom two
men are in love has never yet established
alnity between them: the very sugges-
| tion of such thing on her lips is sufi-
cient to cause an irruption of hatred,
malice and all unkindness.
Moreover, Thorne was in fury with
himself. He had thought of sending for
flowers for Pocahontas at the same time
be dispatched the order to the Rich
mond florist for his aurt. He had fever
ishly 1ouged to do it, and had pondered
the matter fully half an hour before de-
Gliding that he had better not. He had
not scrupled to pay Pocahontas atten-
lions before he realized that he was in
love with her, but that fact, once estab-
ished in his mind, placed her in a diff
ferent position in regard to him.
She was no longer the woman he
wished to draw into a Irritation pour
passer le temps; she was the woman he
wished to marry-was determined to
marry if possible. The instinct, common
to every manly man, to hold in peculiar
respect the woman whom he wishes to
make his wife, led Thorne to feel that,
until he should be free from the fetter
[ that bound him, he should abstain from
paying Pocahontas marked attention: to
feel that she would have cause of COM
plant against him if he did not abstain.
So he argued the case in cold blood;
but now his blood was boiling and he
dubbed himself fool in language concise
and forcible. See what had come of his
self denial? Another man had done
what he had left undone; another hand
had laid in hers the fragrant offering it
should have been his to bestow. Fool
that he had been, to stand aside and let
another man seize the opportunity!
Jasmine, tool Pahl The heavy per-
fume made him i'll. He was conscious
Of fierce longing to snatch the blossoms
from her hand and crush them down
into the heart of the fire and hold them
4 there - the pale, sickly things. He
would have given her roses, passionate,
glorious roses, deep hearted and crimson
with the wine of love.
Pocahontas had small time for won
dering over her cavaliers sudden mo-
roseness, for no sooner had she entered
the parlors than old friends crowded
forward to speak to her and claim a
dance; the girl was popular among the
young people of the vicinity. She was a
wonderful success that night. Not even
Norma, for all her rich, tropical beauty,
was more admired.
"Our little squaw is smashing things,
Berke," remarked Roy Garnett, later in
the evening, as he joined his brother-in-
law in the recess by the fireplace. "The
men all swear she's the handsomest
woman in the room-and on my soul /
believe they're right"
"She does look well, !" responded Mason
with all q brothers calm moderation.
"Her dress is in good taste, and she
handsomest woman in the room by long
odds. Look at Norma Smith"
81 have looked at her." retorted Roy
shortly, land so 1 suppose have the
other men. There's no more comparison
between her and Princess than there is
between q gorgeous, striped tulip and q
white tea rose" (For some inscrutable
reason Roy had never been able to en-.
dure Norma, and even grudged acknowl-
edgment of her undeniable beauty,
"Look at that fellow Thorne, nowI" he
added, with the pleased alacrity of one
producing an unexpected trump. 81
should say that he shared my opinion.
He hasn't danced voluntarily with an,
other woman in the room, nor left he!
side a moment that he could help. II
looks as though he were pretty hard hit
doesn't it?"
Garnett was right, for after the cpl
sode with Jim Byrd's flowers Thorne had
thrown self control to the winds. He
danced with Pocahontas as frequently
as she would allow him, lowered con
stantly in her vicinity, and only los
sight Of her when dragged off by hi
aunt for duty dances. Twice during thu
evening-and only twice-did he leav'
her voluntarily. and then it was t.
8 dance with Norma, whose suspicious h
did not wish to arouse. The instinct o
=. rivalry had overthrown all restraint, ant
for this evening he was madly deter
! mined to let things take their course
. They were here, he and his family, il
Jim Byrd's place, living in the housC
!. that had been his, entertaining tn
Y friends that had been his, in the yer,
" rooms that so short a time ago hat
echoed to his footsteps and resound
ed with his laugh. He had been thrus
aside and must continue to stand aside
the past had been his, let him keep GU
8 of the present; let him beware how h
! marred the future. And for the bon
8 that held himself, Thorne had forgotte
x all about it. In his passion and excite
= ment it was thing without existence.
y Later in the evening there came
CLEAN of brightness for little Blanche;
b blissful hour which Unidentified her fo
the boredom so unfinchingly endured
. As Norma only did what pleased hel
! most of the drudgery of entertaining fe
q mon blanche. whose prieyous portion