Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1892-05-06
she repaired to her cousins room and
assisted him in his hurried preparations.
CHAPTER XII.


Norma was exultant. The thing she
had longed, thirsted and well nigh
prayed for was coming to pass. Thorne
would be a free man once more, free
to come back to her, free to bring
again the old sweetness to her life,
free to renew the spring of years ago.
Sitting by the library fire in the gloam-
ing after her cousins departure, Norma
dreamed dreams and was happy-her
eyes softened and her lips smiled. Then
her face darkened slowly and the hands
in her lap clinched themselves. In her
fierce joy in the possibility Of her re-
ward coming to her at last, was mingled
dread that the cup might be dashed
from her lips a second time.
= During the first couple of months after
the removal to Virginia Norma had re-
laxed her constant, imperceptible watch
over Thorne. He had accompanied them
to the new home unsolicited; and hav-
ing come, he had remained. Small Won
der that Norma had been deceived; for
vanity aside, she could not help but
know that no woman in that region
not even Pocahontas Mason-was her
peer in beauty, wit or accomplishments.
What had she to fear, with habit and
contrast both in her favor? Norma neg
lected toprovide against one subtle and
most powerful element-novelty.
For the past few weeks, first one
thing, then another; trifles light as air,
but forging chain heavy enough to
link suspicion with certainty, had filled
the girl with the old fever of unrest.
Was she never to be at rest? Would the
glory of the past never shine upon the
present?
Like most women who allow their
minds to dwell constantly on one theme,
Norma exaggerated the past. When she
first left school there had been a little
semisentiment and good deal of rather
warm cousinly attentions ON Thorne's
part, but without serious intention. As
has been stated, Thorne liked women;
he sought their society and was apt to
endeavor to awaken their interest, to
gain their affection. He thought that
the restless craving of his nature was for
love to be given him. It was not. It
was the wild passion in his breast seek
ing to give itself. What he needed was
not more love drawn into the reservoir
of his heart, but an outlet for that al.
ready accumulated. This he had never
had since he had reached manhood, save
only in his affection for his child and
that was as yet too small q channel to
afford vent for the power of love behind.
And SO it came to pass that in his need
for an outlet he had made a great deal
Of love to great many women and had
looked more than he made.
AS Norma budded into beautiful wom-
anhood he had been attracted by her
and had yielded to the attraction, in
tending no harm but accomplishing q
good deal. He had liked and admired
his cousin then, and in exactly the same
manner and degree he liked and ad-
mired her now.
To the young lady the affair wore a
totally different aspect; the Irritation,
which had meant nothing to him and
had been long ago effaced from his men,
DRY, meant everything of value on earth
to her, and was as fresh in her mind as
though the years that had passed had
been days or hours. Thorne's marriage
had been great blow to her-great and
unexpected. She had observed his at
tentions to Ethel Ross and ragged at them
in secret, but she had seen him equally
devoted to score of other women, and
the devotion had been evanescent; with
her rage and jealousy had mingled no
definite alarm
The engagement an affair of six Weeks,
had been contracted while she was away
from home, and the first intimation she
had of it came tiepough letter from
Ethel Ross inviting her to officiate as
bridesmaid. Norma read and the heart
within her died, but she made no sound.
for she was a proud woman-as proud
as she was passionate. She even acceded
to the brides request. and, as Thorne's
next of kin, led the bevy of girls selected
from the fairest of society to do honor
to the occasion; her refusal would have
excited comment. But as she stood be-
hind the woman, who she felt had usurp-
ed her place, fierce longing was in her
heart to strike her rival dead at her feet.
After the marriage she continued her
intimacy with Mrs. Thorne-and with
Mr.. Thorne. When clouds began to
gather along the matrimonial horizon,
and ''rifts within the lutte" to make dis
cord of life's music, she beheld the one,
and hearkened to the other with savage
thrills Of satisfaction. She did nothing