The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-05-30

swering her as they entered the room.
Doris rival was a glowingly beautiful
girl-red Tipped, round faced and gorgeous
ly dressed, with great deal Of rustic and
perfume. Young as she was she had
"manner," but It was q very young man
ner, almost oppressively girlish.
Doris greeted her quietly and pleasantly,
, listening TO her descriptions of how she
and her maid had been several times lost
on tho 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, O fire screen and 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 week.
! How quiet it seems here tonight. The
room seems to have moved farther out Of
town since / 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"
| But she patronized Doris quite prettily
and said it 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 it was vulgar
| commonplace and that the self conscious
| giggle with which the girl received It was
! irritating. He looked anxiously to see
| how Doris took 1t. She was sitting still
and straight in her chair admiring her
dyal's beauty with q sort of wondering
| tolerance.
After they had finished tea Doris pro-
duced cigarette case and passed 1t first to
her new guest, who gave little shrek of
horror.
"Not for the worldI" she screamed ~
never did such a thing in my life
wouldn't 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 like man
who didn't smoke, but don't think girl
ought TO copy mans hablts-that's un-
womanly," and she turned her big eyes on
Linley, inviting his approval of her senti-
ments.
He had often approved Of them before.
| In her mothers crimson drawing room
they had seemed quite pleasing But now
hs Doris bent her face toward the lamp,
with u cigarette in her lips, her indiffer-
tnc4 seemed so much more dignihed, more
delicate, than the others blatant bid for
his favors, that he answered half Grossly:
81 like to see women smoke when they
smoke gracefully."
Doris, moving toward her straight chair
again, smiled little. He tried to meet
her eyes, to claim understanding with her,
but missed her glance as she passed Her
smile puzzled him. There was something
strange in IL. The other girl was speaking
"Oh, l dare say, when you don't care
for the woman very much. You wouldn't
like your wife or sister to smoke, would
your"
Linley looked quickly at Doris to see II
she resented the stupid rudeness of the
speech. She did not appear to have heard
It, She moved her cigarette from her lips
for moment to ask her guest, who was
lounging about in her chair in various at
titudes Of "girlish grace" If she would
not like cushion for her elbow. Liniey
had to rise and hunt for the cushion. He
was exceedingly irritated; he wished Doris
would appeal TO him to defend her habits,
but as she did not he spoke on his own
account.
81 should have no objection to my wife
smoking, or my sister, If i had one, but
unfortunately have not"
"Oh, but thought you and she, )" with
O gesture toward Doris, "were sort OF
adopted brother and sister. l thought you
said So.
This was given with an air of childish
| ingenuousness, but IL was the greatest
mistake the poor girl could have made Just
then. She ought not to have implied chat
he had discussed Doris with her. Very
likely he had, but she should not have re-
membered 1t then.
II don't recollect ever saying anything
of the kind" he answered.
Doris interposed with q question as to
| the reported engagement of popular ao-