Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-08

heard to speak Of her dimplss aiinost recent
| funy-they were % unreassnahly persistent
Randolph had confded to her early in the even
, Ham. ans xh hmpsndnS prs.sntsaen 70 youns
Earle had had no difficulty in identifying her.
~ know who IL ID" she said. at IL Elinor
| white. She knows very much, and she plays
rnely, and she sings DELIGHTFULLY."-, and she Il so
Miss Earie's system OF emphasfs was her own,
and italics only make IL commonplace. "Bui
abe u very nice, she added, with repentance,
'and-here she Ia" ~
II va: not necessary that abe should have
said 1t, FOR he had already seen her. Misa
mnle was woman Of that unusual kind Of
psauty which always draws attention and sell
dom fai!s to fastsn 1t. She was tall and pale,
the contrast Of her blnck hair and eyes and
| colorless complexion being almost star Ting.
her features were regular, harmonizing with
the classic head and arrangement Of the hair.
Sne was q woman, Allan decided, possibly IN
| interesting, possibly very much the reverse.
Her manner was remarkably free from auina-
| ton; her eyes fell upon every one with unvary-
ing calmness, her sweet. languid smile was owl
IDENTITY as much part Of her costume as we're
her gloves and handkerchief Was there some
| thing behind this calmnsss that It would repay
the careful observer to discover? Or was she
an artistic creation, designed for the eve rather
than the nind-stiu less the heart. Allan
turned again to Miss Earle, who watching
|
sition Of her dimples.
| 1T IL not quite what you thought, 10 it?" she
said. "And isn't that ugly gown becoming to
her?"
at 10 ugly, isn't it2 And-yes-it must be
becoming. fancy she is not one Of those I'M
sss sBBE'y women who wear ugly gowns By acct
| mo. And that IL the way It Invariably
strikes people. They notice her gown, only
after they have first noticed her. 1t is no,
given to every one to be thus superior 70 ones
"Yes?" Randolph's eyes wandered over the
details Of Miss Earles dress. She laughed.
| II understand" she said. "You had not
thought Of mine BEFORE had you? 1 hope they
will ask her to play" she went on. "They
~ fancied that she played-whether or no, a.
1t were; that one must make her acquaintance
turning over the leaves, IL one made It at all"
"She does other things" asserted Miss Earle
with gravity. Perhaps not so many other
things, but several Here is your cousin; you
will soon see for yourself"
| Al Miss White looked up and smiled In
response TO his low bow Randolph's doubt as &c
her power of being interesting vanished. This
was not the smile he had seen on her lips be-
fore. Its favor Of insipidity was gone Her
| eyes met his with a look Of half-awakened In
terest, faint color touched her cheek, and as
she spoke her beauty and the sweetness Of her
voice, by some swift association Of ideas,
brought before him the dim, lonely church.
| with its mysterious hush, and the charm of the
music evoked by an unseen hand. 1t was but
| the suggestion Of q moment; he seated himself
at her side and exchanged commonplace with
her. Her smile came rarely IN comparison with
that OF Millicent Earle. II was not so mirth-
| provoking, nor SO pervasive, but it curved her
lips INTO new line Of beauty Whom tbs
hostess asked her to play she rose without hes.
itation and went to the piano. Randolph's eyes
~ foa Il h,.x \ -
them. She was watching Miss White as she
looked over some music. Some one crossed the
room and spoke to her, and she replied
with her swift laugh and q charming
little backward motion Of her head, not
pronounced enough to be q toss The coils OF
hair turned up from the back Of her neck were
irresistibly pretty above the white silk of her
gown as she composed herself to listen. Al
Randolph, too, listened "reminiscences of the
afternoon came to him again, and this time be
did not Danish them. 1t was not absurd that
his meeting with this beautiful woman, who was
seated at the piano with her flexible white fingers
touching the keys earessingly, should bring them
back. He had associated Miss White with music
from the first, and there was a charm In her
presence not remote from that Of the quiet
harmonious interior Of the church, filed with
sweet sound. There was undoubtedly, some
connection between the impressions made upon
him by the incidents Of the afternoon and the
evening, and 1t was far from impossible that
she was the musician Of the unseen organ loft
Why not? He pleased himself with the fancy
while no watched the tall, pale girl.
| How did she impress you?'' asked Lucy, al
her own door.
Which one9" asked Randolph, manipulating
her latch key.
"Dont bandy words! Elinor White"
"How we'll you know me, Lucy! You dom,
ask me what l think Of her, but how she inn
pressed me! There is Q temptation for q man
Of my sgotism. Were you always 20 clever be-
fore you were married.? How was It 1 did NOT
fall In love with you, If you wers?"
They were standing under the hall light now
ana Lucy was scrutintzing him closely.
attributes" she said slowly, "you have always
something to conceal. That u all want to
know. You may 60 now" He turned toward
the door laughing, but he was almost annoyed.
1t would make too much Of it to tell her of bus
presence In the church, now, and yet without
| that would seem adequate to her ksenness.
Wait moment" abe said. "Just tell me
this. Project yourself forward. mentally, ten
years."
''You would have turned me out long before
then, he said, as he waited, his hand ON the
door.
wouldn't you still-in this changing, OBJ
iitt,erating sphere--still remember Elinor
Yes" he answered, after a pause. "Yes, i
mink should.
II do not understand her always, myself"
went on Lucy, absently kicking off an over
shoe, put she Is a person one remembers. /
think there Is a great deal in her to find out. !
| should like to know her better and find it.
| Good night"
| The next day Randolph was occupied until
late in the afternoon. He might have forgot
| ten the organ if he had not again found him
self before the church. Again side door was
open and he slipped in. The organist was
| there. The church was still dim and mysteri-
| GUS: The cross at the other end was covered
with a white cloth and suggested q STROUD
Randolph seated himself and listened, As his
meeting with Elinor White had brought before
his Imagination the present scene 80 here IRE
sistibly came the vision Of Elinor White He
could almost see her at the organ He
fancied her there in the dusky organ loft,
her beautiful eyes inumined by the passion
Of her art, her classic head thrown
a little back, her long, unconventional
drapery flowing down over the pedals Per-
haps the light through q stained glass window
was falling upon her hair; if so, she were in
deed study for st. Cecilia. 1t pleased him
| 10 yield to such picturesque imaginings, but he
sought no actual view Of the organist. He was
taking liberty enough in listening. Besides, If
| 1t were not shelf It we're tho long-haired en-
thusiast that he had first pictured preferred
TO escape the disappointment. The variations
| were delightfully."- whimsical this afternoon. The
player thrilled through Chopin and crashed
through Beethoven and slipped into the
highest and most ephemerai Of mslo-
dies. A. Randolph hsstened ont of the