Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1896-06-06
clarence

MN to further reckTessness and tri-
umph. Once he thought he recognized
Miss Faulkner's figure at distance,
and even fancied that she had been
his attentions to the fair woman beside
him, and looked no more.
But he was glad when the guests be-
gsn to drop off; the great rooms
thinned, and Susy, appearing on the
arm Of her husband, coquettishly re-
minded him of his promise. "For l
want to talk to you of old times. Gen.
Brant," she went on, turning eNplana-
torily to Boompointer, married my
adopted motherin California, at Robes,
dear old place were | spent my earli
est years. So you see we are sort of
relations by marriage" she added, with
delightful naivete. Rockers once vain
glorious allusion to his relations to the
man before him flashed across Brant's
mind, but it left now only a smile on
his lips. He felt he had already become
Il part of the irresponsible comedy of
life around him. Why should he resist
or examine it's ethics too closely? He
offered his arm to Susy; they descended
the stairs; but instead of pausing in the
supper-room, she simply passed through
| it wiel a significant pressure of his arm,
and drawing aside a muslin curtain,
stepped into the moonlit conservatory.
Behind the curtain there was small,
rustic settee; without releasing his arm
she sat down, SO that when he dropped.
beside her their hands met and mutual
! ly clasped.
Now, Kla'uns," she said with a
slight comfortable SILVER as she nestled
beside him, ''it's little like your chair
down at old Robes, isn't it? Tell me.
And to think it's five years ago. But.
Kla'uns, what's the matter? You are
changed" she said, looking at his dark
face in the moonlight, "or you have
something to tell mo-
81 have"
'And it's something dreadful, I
know" she said, wrinkling her brows
with a pretty terror. Couldn't you
pretend you had told it to me and let us
go on just the same? Couldn't you,
Ha'uns? Tell me-
81 am afraid couldn't he said, with
a sad smile.
''Is it about yourself, Kla'uns? You,
Know" she went on with cheerful ra-'
pidity, 81 know everything about you
| always did, you know-and l don't
care and never did care, and it don't and
never did make the slightest difference
to me. So don't tell it and waste time,
Kla'uns."
Its not about me-but about my
wife," he said, slowly.
i Her expression changed slightly 80,
herr" she said, after pause. Then
half resignedly: go on, Kla'nns."
He began. He had dozen times re-
hearsed to himself his miserable story,
always feeling il kcenly, and even fear
ing that he might be carried away by
emotion or morbid sentiment in telling
it to another, but to his establishment he
| found himself telling it practically,
calmly, almost cynically to his Old play
mate, REFRESHING the half devotion and
even tenderness that had governed him,
from The time that his wife, disguised as
a mulatto woman, had secretly watched
him in his Office, to the hour that he had
g. I)dSSeti HcI Tic l1IlcS. lie WIFI
held only the incident of Miss Faulll-
ner's completely and sacrifice.
"And she got away-after having
kicked you out of your place, KIa' uns ~
said Susy when he had ended.
Clarence stiffened beside her. But he
felt he had gone too far to quarrel with
his confidante. "She went away L
honestly believe that we shall never
meet again-or / should not be telling
you this!"
''Kla' uns,' she said lightly, taking his
hand again, don't you believe it! She
won't let you go. You're one of those
men that a woman when she once has
hooked on to won't let go of even when
she believes she no longer loves him-or
meets bigger and better men. Ireckon
it's because you're so different from
other men-lnaybe-there are so many
, different things about you to hook on
to-and you cont slip of as easily as
the Others. Now, if You were like old
Peyton. her first husband. or like poor
Jim. or even my Boompointer, you'd
be all right! No, my boy, all we can do
is try to keep her from getting at you
here. I reckon she won't trust herself
in Washington again in hurryl''
But / cannot stay here-my career
is in the field
'IoiT career is alongside o. me,
lIoney-and Boompointer. But nearer
me. Well fix all that. 1 heard some
thing about your being in disgrace,
but the story was that you were soft
on some secesh girl down there and
neglected your business. Kla'uns, But