Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-21


Il supposed that was settled Jack. Be-
Sides did speak to you-more or less"
good deal less than more. lived on
snubs, like dog on bones: And they were
And I'll tell you, while were dancing. just
how you wrung my soul"
Pm so angry that I wouldn't" MUIR
INJURED Mrs. Rochester. 'if you didn't dance
"Oh, you've told me that before. and
always suspect that you mean II to give
me kind of dig in the ribs
"JackP' They were moving about the
floor now. People looked at them and said
What nice pair they make--both so
handsomev' Then whispers were exchanged
why doesn't she marry himr' and Has
he asked her?" and Good gracious. he's
They say she keeps on refusing him once
every week regularly. by the day and the
time of the clock"
But these were only the airy fatalities Of
gossip. Griffith had always told himself
that Sara Rochester would laugh in his face
If he ever dared to propose marriage. He
was all very well to dance with. and to
fight with, and to call on at the last minute
for one of her nice little dinners when
somebody else couldn't come and had left
that vacuum which society, no less than
nature, abhors. But ask her to marry him!
Why she'd tell him he was crazy; that was
all 1t would be. And instead of getting on
together as they did, now and then being
partners at the Delmonico and Sherry ger
mans, now ana tnen staying at tue SAME
country house and behaving "chummy' to
one another during the Meadowbrook hunts
now and then, in short, reaping solid en-
joyment from each others company-in-
stead of all this, Griffith had solemnly
unused, it would just be the end of every
thing with the dear little woman. and some
other fellow would step in and he'd get
dazzling. inscrutable smile the next time he
spoke to her at an assembly or a Patri-
archs' or any other COMPOUNDED place. and
she'd glide off from him on the other Eel
lows arm and there would be an end OF his
treasured intimacy with the sweetest and
loveliest woman in the town-not to men
ton all other towns on the habitable globe.
Dig in the ribs Jack. I will not stand"
said Mrs. Rochester, while they glided
along together. You know I will not"
danced. with his slow, capable step. I'D
like to see any man dare to do 1t. I'd
well, I'd kill him here In this ball room"
He heard her irrepressible laugh bubble
up in the region of his right shoulder. "FIow
dare you? I wasn't thinking Of that 1
meant your phrase-Why Will you talk
IN such vulgar style? you, who tell me that
you're a poet-painter or painter-poet-
which is it?''
"Both-when I'm with you"
II began tonight by lecturing you"
Yes; 1 know. Scalping me-
You're wasting your time scandalously.
You've got an idea that you can paint in
q new, astonishing fashion. You caught
1t from some of those artists you saw last
year in Paris. You did some really good
work before that. If you'd gone on, being
Industrious and sincere in your own line Of
accomplishment, and not drifted into all
sorts of lazy habits both before then and
since then, you might"
Heavens! Do spare mel! entreated Grit
nth. He had his revenge an instant later.
He paused in the dance with his most
genial bow. and placed his partner just at
the side Of a certain ravaged widower, Mr..
Vanderdecken. whose attentions he knew
that Sara Rochester almost loathed.
Il saw you commit your act OF bastard
ly desertion." said Evan Mowbray to him.
as they left the ball together. little while
before the beginning of the german. In
stead Of aggravating that woman as you're
constantly doing, Jack. why on earth don't
you ask her to marry your"
They were walking side by side along
the still, starit avenue.
LAS If she would, Evan! Besides, don't
aggravate her. She's forever nagging at
me-"
'Nagging' is beautiful. Jack. to say of
ones lady love"
she isn't my lady love, a. you romanti-
cally put ii. She'd no more accept me than
the man in the moon-if there were one
Besides" Griffith added, gravely, IT hope
I've too much self-respect to ask her.
Everybody'd say-you know what every
body'd say. Evan"
Oh what everybody say" retortcd
fond of her for three years. and She
why the 'nagging you speak of. old boy.
only means how fond she is of you.'
It's too late for DelmoEicos, isn't it?"
said Griffith, as they neared that far-famed
inn. Come across Madison Square to my
diggings, Ev, and I'll give you
Not a drop more. I've had two glasses
Of champagne and slice Of canvas back.
and I'll be sworn"
'Oh. well. don't swear or be sworn" said
Griffith, drowsily. How nice that Farra-
gut statue of st. Gaudens' looks under the
electrics, doesn't IL? There's an artist Ey
WI WI fal
through the park. So dangerous, don't You
know? Tramps and sandbaggers and all
that sort OF thing. It's only a bottle of
very old Scotch, which my dear friend
last month. There were six. II I'm not
mistaken he added. dryiy. you drank
II. Jack! How outrageous of you,"
With my assistance. after balls, din
ners ano other pow-woys like the present"
You may well say with my assistance"
grumbled Mowbray. AS 1 perceive" he
added, in amicable sarcasm. that you're
grossly Intoxicated, III see YOU across the
park to the stoop OF your residence"
He did more. AS Griffith turned up the
lights in his studio a letter caught his eye,
lying on a little dark table where his mail
was usually placed.
Another burning screed. 1 suppose" The
envelope gave spiteful crackle as he tore
it open.
Jack" said Mowbray. Il see some embers
there. and I know where you keep your
wood"
'Evanr'
''Eh2 Behind that folderol japanese cur
tain: isn't itf I'll just"
'Evanv'
Griffith had caught his friends wrist,
With the other disengaged hand he lifted a
letter high, so that the two fresh-nt gas
burners could strike II. Then. nutteringly,
he gave the letter to Mowbray. He himself
flung his form into an armchair.
Read, Ev, read"
Read what?" same the half-dazed reply.
"That-that! Uncle Johns dead, out in
Nevada, ana he's left me two millions.
some lawyer there writes to some lawyers
here. There can't be any mistake. Readr
II wonder how people will act" said
Griffith to himself, quite late on the fol-
lowing afternoon. He had taken for
granted that everything would get into the
papers. sooner or later. but he hadn't been
prepared for the perfectly famboyant ac-
count of his new Inheritance with which
three or four journals had greeted him
while busted over his coffee and egg. ''Con-
found their calling me second-rate
painter!' he muttered. This was q stab
whose wound even last nights benign
tidings could not properly salve. 1t meant
very sharp thorn under a very big rose
Later came talks with the lawyers down
town. Griffith signed a few papers, and
ent All the while he felt either as II his
feet were a pair Of wings or else as IL his
arms We're When he got uptown again he
remembered that he had a certain sum in
a hank there. which only yesterday had
seemed to him like a snowdrift under the1
spell of a vigorous thaw. Now he went to
the bank and drew a fairly large check
yrifh xpho alf Tn,