Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-05-14
A VICTORY.


were not engaged, but he had been devoted
20 her. And now this girl-not a bohe-
mian like Doris, but young and fresh-had
stepped I'm between them.
And Doris wanted TO keep him. That
was where the sting lay. She was fond Of
him and she knew II. She had had no de-
sire that other men should imagine that
she was still free to choose. There had
never been any profession or even any pre-
tense of mere friendship between them.
She was too proud for coquetry or conceal
ment. 1t had been plain to her, as IL had
been plain to every one who had known
them, that Edward Linley was her lover.
He had gone too far to draw back with
honor, and Il had not occurred to her to
expect dishonor from him, or to be on her
guard against IL.
So far he had been trying to win her,
and she had conceded passivcly but frank
ly and without pretense of resistance. Now
1t was her turn to win him. She must as
sert her right or lose him, and she did not
want to lose him; she had looked the
thing full In the face and learned so much.
If she could have found 1t in her heart to
let him go, she would have been glad, but
she had found that she could not spare
him, so she had dried her eyes, set her lips
firmly and made her effort.
She had done one Of the impossible
things few women can do gracefully.
She had made acquaintance with the girl
and asked her to tea to meet Mr.. Linley.
And the girl was coming, in spirit Of
half contemptuous triumph, sure Of her
conquest, and not unwilling to give her
poor pale rival a chance of carrying defeat
with good grace. She was to be brought
by her maid, and called for by her mother
in the brougham, which would mark the
difference between her chapcron guarded
innocence and poor Doris emancipation
very effectively
Meanwhile, Doris was getting her room
ready, a pretty room-brown and white
for the most part. She was putting out of
sight the scraps Of gorgeous oriental en-
broidery and bowls of red china which
gave color to Ii and leaving the tout en-
semble entirely pale and subdued.
Then she took off the colored shades
from the lamps, and SO filled the room
with clear white light. 1t was not un-
becoming to her. She had not dressed spe-
cially for the occasion; she wore as she
generally did, long straight brown tea |
gown, with white lace at the throat and |
wrists. She had scarcely troubled about
the arrangement of her hair. 1t was un-
rufflcd, that was all. She sat straight and |
still in high chair and read book until |
her guests arrived.
They arrived together-that is, they met
on the doorstep. She heard her rivals
laugh of greeting and exuberant dismissal
of her maid all the way up the stairs as the
hall door was opened. Linley was still an
swering her as they entered the room.
n ~ oil haan f11
girl-red Tipped, round faced. and gorgeous
ly dressed, with great deSei rustic and
perfume. Young as she was, she had
"manner," but 1t was very young man.
ner, almost oppressively girlisl3
Doris greeted her quietly and pleasantly,
listening to her descriptions of how she
and her maid had been several times lost
on the way, and were only saved from
wandering up and down the dark street all |
night by meeting Mr.. Linley Only after
seeing her guest accommodated with an |
easy chair, a fro screen and q fOotstool did |
Doris turn to Linley and say she was glad
he had been able to come. She had not
seen him for so long.
'It is long, he said-"over q week.
How quiet it seems here tonight. The
room seems to have moved farther out Of
town since 1 was last in it,
Doris did not answer him. Her other
guest was the greater stranger and claimed
her attention. She claimed good deal Of
attention, talking fast and smartly to show
herself mistress OF the situation. Besides
vivacity was one of the attributes Linley
had admired in her. Doris made tea and
waited on her guests. The other girl was
luxuriously helpless-that was to show
that she belonged to the upper classes"
trf cln
and said 1t must be SO nice to be useful.
she was quite sure she could never be
useful"
OF course Linley said she made up for
that deficiency by being always ornamen-
tal-that was the inevitable answer to her
speech and manner. All the same, he was
painfully conscious that ID was a vulgar
and that the self conscious
giggle with which the girl received IL was
irritating. He looked anxiously to see
how Doris took 1t. She was sitting still
and straight in her chair, admiring her
rivals beauty with O sort of wondering
tolerance.
After they had finished tea Doris pro-
uuced a cigarette case and passed 1t first to
ser new guest, who gave little shrek of
horror.
Not for the world" she screamed. "I
never did such thing in my life.
on any ACCOUNT
is the smell unpleasant TO your" Doris
asked. pausing In the act Of Offering the
cigarettes to Linley.
"Of course not. shouldn't ike man
Who didn't smoke, but don't think girl
,ught TO copy mans habitG---that's un-
and she turned her big eyes ON
Linley, inviting his approval of her scnti-
nents. a..
He lad often approved of them before.
In her mothers crimson drawing room
they had seemed quite pleasing. But now
rs Doris bent her face toward the lamp,
with cigarette in her lips, her indiffcr-
cnce seemed SO much more digniled, more
delicate, than the others blatant bid for
his favors, that he answered half Grossly:
81 like TO sec women smoke when they
smoke gracefully"
Doris, moving toward her straight chair