The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-06

I
| have felt, and that have told you
| already"
Miss Winchester passed her hand
quickly across her forehead, as if to
| brush away the little frown that had
l settled there.
''Other people have sometimes told
me that they had found it, she went
on, steadily. 81 may be unjust, but it
| has seemed to me that usually they
there have been some of them have
envied from. the bottom of my heart.
| Is it nv fault that have not been able
to be satisfied. too? You know l have
been more or less admired, but so far
it has always happened that the admir-
alton / have received has seemed to
| me too light a thing to be serious with.
Can you imagine what it means to
know--or think you do-exactly what
you want, and to really wish for it,
and never to have it come near you,
but instead to have The cheapest, taw-
driest limitations of it thrust into your
hands? Why, it seems to me it is the
life of Tantalus,''
Miss Winchester was breathing
rather hurriedly now, but she took
courage from the impassive, attentive
face of her listener and went on brave
| ~:
after few experiences I stopped
expecting anything different. But l
could not change my ideals, you know.
because life and love did not prove
what Ihad thought them
Amory's eyebrows went up line at
this statement, but he said nothing.
and the girl went on:
Then, pretty soon, l met you. You
struck me at first as such Philistine
of the Philistines, with your ire
proachable surroundings and your air
of having seen and experienced every
thing. and found it all pretty good
yet of thinking all the while there was
really nothing worth putting yourself
out for but a comfortable life and your
little jolle-that I never dreamed you
were going to care anything about
anyone suidifferent as L am. nor that
you could care in the way you have"
I'm the way 1 do. i,,.Amory corrected
her carefully.
81 thought you, were Stoo =. satisfied
even%to be interesting. admit that l
was mistaken and that you are several
things no one would ever dream you
were-good things, mean-and / ad-
init that like ,you very. much, but
don't you see?-it is,yourrvery excel
lencies:that are against you. You are
worse than the others, because you
come SO near, and yet5do no: attain.
1t is criminal in man to approach SO
near woman's ideal and then fail
Of it,
The light that burned In Mr. Am
ory's eyes was got wholly amizble, but
his voice was quiet as he said:
Il knew all this in eneral way be
fore; that is, / suspected it. We are
not getting on. Those objections OF
yours, those deficiencies ,of mine--I
beg you to specify them"
IF you were used TO arguing with
women observed Miss Winchester
maliciously, you would nos expect to
get on"
You are not like other women" he
said, simply, with a lovers conviction.
''You will not evade or put me Off
The girl flushed. Have l not said
eneugh?" she demanded. ibid L not
tell you in June it would be sacrifice
to marry you?'
What then?" he urged. did you
not also tell me once that love could be
demonstrated only 10y sscrifce?"
Am l pretending to love you?" she
rorted, holly.
Il had forgotten that momentarily, y
u1urmured Armory, dejectedly. But
the objections? Surely. have a right
TO those"
Very well, if you insist. But if you
do not like what L say. remember did
not say it willingly" she warned. I'm
the first place, ] admire men who have
force, who can be powers in the world.
do not mean that you are weak, but
that you are indifferent. You are only
q power in the world of diners-out."
Il admire the beautiful self-posses-
sion with which you say horribly cruel
things"
Il knew you would take it badly
Duc uAtl lOb HCtH " bt cruel. ain
only trying to be true"
Il WISH" he said, ferveutly,. chow
wish you would be untrue to that cold
soul of yours for five minutes. I
wonder if you have any idea how dear
you can be when you are not trying to
be Conscientious
LAS I was saying, you care too much
for social
chester. striving to speak with the
cafmuess of a disinterested critic, and
failing signally.
"Ah, yes. What else?'
"1 GU care too much for the things OF
the vorld--the luxuries and pleasures
pf 1t. You care about being comfor-
table" she said, disdainfully.
What else?"
She hesitated. ''Whst right have l
TO say that yours is not spiritual
life? And yeti is nott'
in short-why don't you sum me up
by saying that it would not occur to
me that l needed the consultations of
religion so long rs the cooking was ex-
cellent at my club?''
How furious YOU are, How I must
have irritated you. to make you say
that"
''lrritated is not precisely the word 7
should use" he returned when it
comes to making race with woman,
/ probably am out of It, but that does
not make it any the pieasanter 70 be
told so You have been very explicit
You leave little TO my imagination.
think I understand you now. OF course
when l hoped to meet your require
ments l was under the impression that
they were reasonable ones. You