Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-13

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"She's years older than You arer'
blurted out Roger, who often found it
difficult to reconcile Lesley distracting
| youth with the extreme agedness Of her
| conversation.
"She is 20, and she has wasted four
whole years of her life and shan't
waste any more" said Lesley eng
matically, though she often said to
Yelverton things she never dreamed of
| saying to any one else. He was SO safe,
| dependent, something like Bob, as men
often are like one another, much oftener
than women are like women.
Ibid you see her snub Ronny yester-
day." said Lesley in great delight. 81
never saw a man look SO astunisked in
all my life. If only he had been taken
| in hand earlierr' And Lesley sighed as
if she had been bringing up men il the
way they should 60 ever since she was
born.
You're fearfully down or us poor
DEVILS" said Roger, with the air of
| having discovered something quite orig
inal and greatly calculated to astonish
| her.
1 L
| to one man, and he loves me as much as
ON the day he married me, in spite Of
temrers and fat or lean, tho loss of any
| charm / ever possessed, and all the 9TH
| or lis, that flesh is heir to, I'll believe
| in q mans love, and not before" said
Lesley decidedly.
"There are plenty of men who would
do that" said Roger eagerly. Nothing
will ever rid you of your ways Miss
Malincourt, orr But in his excite
ment he had raised his voice, and soft
Ssh" here cut him short.
The conversation had by no means
proceeded uninterruptedly. but in tags
and scraps between the coming and CO.
ing Of those artists who divided with
the composer the honors of the after
noon.
He was now ON the platform, and all
the women's heads ard bodies were
slanting one way toward him, as you
will see a row of trees ON the seacoast
much exposed to the fury of the gales
permanently forced out of the perpen-
dicular for all time by the wind
''There is immense vitality in that
last look Of pity around, and the bent
backs and vaporing faces were straight
ening themselves with long drawn
sigh. do you see how crisply his hair
curls? Hair is an infallible guide to
temperament.
"Then I've got none at ALL" said
Roger, smoothing the top of his head,
''for mine is as straight as-as tallow
candles and much the same color" he
added ruefully.
Is it nearly over:" said Lesley, look
ing round. And don't you think that
| concerts and-and loads of silver gilt
! are conducive to an extremely elevated
| style of conversational
On her other side Lady Appuldur-
| combe was saying in rufled but extreme
| ly low accents, close to Mrs. Fane's
ear:
"You got an entirely wrong account,
my dear; it was not nearly SO bad as
| her boxing the dukes ears, after all.
Lesley was being literally stalked down
by the man, who, for all his position,
has no business at all in society, though
it does consist of the best and the worst
, in the world, you know. He has the
reputation Of forcing himself on any
woman he admires, the more especially
If she does not admire him. Well, he
came up to Lesley the other night and
held out his hand, when she had already
passed him without recognition. Every
body was looking and scented mischief
because. as Ronny says, in the shocking
slang of the dag, She makes US all pull
our socks up ard when Lesley looked
Eastwood straight in the eyes and turn
ed on her heel people smiled. but he
simply walked round, SO as to intercept
her, and said, Miss Malincourt, you
have forgotten me; wo met * the opera
last night
"She drew herself up, and said, 4 de-
cline the honor of your acquaintance"
, looking SO tall she seemed to tower
above him, though he is feet 3, and,
though 1 saw she was trembling in ev-
cry limb, she looked like Ronny does
when he is reused, and nothing will
move him. She was just turning to me,
when the great bully came back, bring
ing his hostess, who said, with perfect
Inconsistencies of the situation, Miss
Malincourt, permit me to introduce to
you Sir Graham Eastwood.
Lesley had big fan of crimson
roses in her hand, and for q moment
thought she would have struck him
across the face with it, she was SO
transported with anger; then, 4 have
twice tonight refused the honor Of this
mans acquaintance, she said, and all
the women who had been run down
and insulted By the brute (excuse me,
my DEAR looked as if they could have
clapped their hands and kissed he-r'
"And what did he do Them
"Slunk away, and he will never be
admitted TO that house, and a good
many others, again. But you will ad-
init that it is rather-rather-for a
chaperon, you know"
"Oh, very. But it's extraordinary
how women like her, considering how
wild the men are about her. see she
and Cynthia are great friends. kear
some news about the latter. Is it true:''