New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-31

wena."
That was the way she wrote TO him.
| Bradford placed the letters on the table. lie
made no movement toward opening the other docu-
ments
| He looked about him. He put his hand to his
forehead and found it damp He spoke half aloud
! 10 himself. For people who are not on the stage
do sometimes make very short soliloquies
: II wonder what made her cry a little when
Vanessa left her? Does she still have that lurking
passion for my cousin? OF course Vanessa thinks
| am donkey not TO know how TO win Rowena 5
love. She knew how. Unfortunately it IS not
art one may communicate.
Bradford turned mechanically to make some
change in his toilet, preparatory for the late lunch.
Then he bad an impulse to reread his letters
But he resisted that impulse
There is nothing between the lines absolutely
nothing he thought.
At the lunch-table there was considerable talk
about what going on in the East, meaning
Boston. or course art was mentioned. Miss
Philips said that sometimes people were not
utterly stupid. Sometimes even a professional
critic knew good thing when he saw it, and.
what was more, was not afraid to say SO. For
instance, they were recognizing Mrs. Bradfords
power
Lister remarked that he had noticed that it
was quite easy to recognize the power of an at
tractivc woman, and of course Bradfords wife
was an attractive woman.
This reused Miss Phillips into strong invectve
against the way men had of judging womans
work. She hoped the time would come when
work would he Judged as work. her cousin Ro-
wena would shrink angrily from any other juds
mcnt
Bradford listened in silence. When he saw
opening he changed the conversation. He
found that it was growing more and
more difficult for him TO hear his
wfcs name mentioned. As he Joined in the gay
talk that going round the table he was
very grim in the secret reccsscs Of his mind
where, as his cousin might have said. his real
self his ego dweit. lie was getting very re-
sentful and indignant also still in those same
secret rcccsses of the ego Indignant with him
self that h had no power. since he could not
change circumstances to change his attitude to-
ward those circumstances. An absorbing vOca-
ton would be fine thing for him now. In
fortunately lie could not help himself, on the in
slant to an absorbing vocation, as he now helped
himself to sugar for his cup Of chocolate Was
there no Office he might run for" People seemed
quite absorbed. he had noticed. in running for
Office He advised himself To occupy his mind.
While he was talking he recalling Nanessa's
very recent advice 10 him 10 20 home and make
love 10 his wife The advice. when il was given 10
him. and now that il came back with renewed
emphasis was OF a kind that had a certain in
cbriating stimulation in it. The more he thought
Of il the less powerful was that inward grim
ness Nevertheless il was not advice upon which
he intended 10 act. Quite the contrary. We
sometimes love 10 think of things never mean
10 do. because it would De agreeable If we
could do them.
In Boston the next few weeks passed more
slowly than usual with Rowcna. Because she
was not at work. She made much Of by
Mrs Sears. She was al receptions, concerts, she
hardly knew what. Mrs. Sears gave a reception
in her honor. She thought people were very kind
10 her. Bat a crowd Of people oppressed and
wearicd her She did not wish to appear in
tcrestcd when she was really bored. II seemed
kind Of sacrilcgc TO force a smile so often. One
cannot feel like smiling hour after hour. She
made up her mind that she could never he what
is called n society woman She confessed ~
much 10 Mrs. Sears, who only laughed and said
that one az least grew Ia wish 10 bc bored
She took Sarah Kimball TO great many plays
and 10 some OF the concert. Among the last
was a recital by that young man with the thin
foreign face and the rampant. unconventional
hair Sarah Kimball had expected somebody 10
rccitc pieces. She said II she had known II
was no such thing that she wouldn't have
gone. She never did care much for piano play
ing She had heard a good deal Of it at one
time for schoolmatc of hers had been n " real
good player could play The Shepherd Boy
quite remarkable She wondered how this fellow
made his hair fy up like that Could IT be by
means Of any kind of crimpng- pins ? II was odd
that man should want his hair like that
hat
amused and Interested by this prattlc Of her
sisters. Perhaps the fact that Sarah kimbah
was 50 pretty had something 10 do with this
ntcrcst-and she was growing prcttcr Rowena
thought there was more in her fa,c somehow.
Possibly that was because she was older, and was
seeing something Of life.
Mr. Soulc had ceased to make his frequent
calls lie did not come at all Sarah kimball
wondered at first about this fact Rowcna sug
gcstcd that he might have left town lie might
have gone South again.