The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1897-02-06
The Time Of Roses.

'Why have you so persistently avoid
ed me ever since -since-Well, since
Lady Barlstons garden party?' I in
quired Of Miss Windram, as soon as I
succeeded in elbowing my way through
the dead wall of Mrs. Bennett Wyses
guests, who stood between u.s. The re-
suit Of a brief calculation, entered on
the next morning, was to convince me
that during the six minutes it took me
playing the part Of pick, in order to
reach Miss Windram, made as many
enemies as I had made during the
thirty years of my life preceding Mrs.
!, Bennett Wyse's ''At Home"
'Haye avoided you, Mr.. Glyn?" she
asked, opening hel: eyes very wide and
(but this was doubtfuD very innocently.
''The question is not if you have done
it, but why you have done it, 1 said
with some measure of severity.
Suppose I deny that that is the ques-
tion?" she suggested, quite pleasantly,
though without quite such show of in
nocence as had been associated with
her previous inquiry. It is quite posi-
BILE to speak pleasantly without any
particular eXuberance of innocence.
''Suppose you deny it? Well, in that
case you will have-have denied it,"
said I, But it so happens that you
will not deny it, Miss Windram."
II am not so sure of that. If any one
would make it worth my while l
might"
mo one will make it worth your
while. There is nothing left for you
but to speak the TRUTH
"Great heavens! 1t is come to that?"
''Why have you avoided me? We
were good friends up to that day.
have put blue mark opposite that day
in my diary"
Eyes, we were good friends; good
friends are those who have sound
quarrel every time they meet, 1 sup
pose?'
''Precisely; friends whose friendship
is strong enough to survive quarrel"
''Did we quarrel that Way?
'We certainly did not Where would
society be if a man and a young woman
Huarreled because, when he asked
her"
''Is there any need for you to tell
every one in this sitting room what
one problematically foolish young man
asked a certainly idiotic young
we1nan?"
I felt that there was something in
her question. I had, however, been
speaking louder than usual; it only
seemed SO because Of a sudden mo-
mentary diminution in the volume Of
sound proceeding from the 200 guests
Of M Irs.s Bennett yse who had all
been speaking at the same moment. /
tried to explain this to her; and then
she asked me what I thought of the
SignOra Duse as an Interpreter of emo
tiOn as compared with Nine. Sarah
Bernhardt, and If I held that an actress
who was an admirable exponent of the
strongest emotions might be depended
on to interpret the most ponderful pas
sions.
ut is a nice question: I felt bound
to say. ''Let us clear out from this
rock and think I'll be able to tell you
all that know regarding the higher
emotions. These people are not to be
depended on; one minute they are talk
ing fortissimo, the next they are pianis-
simo."
Would you have them rehearsed,
Mr.. Glyn?"
"Well, good deal might be done by
judicious stage management"
"And a conductor with an ivory
baton? There is something in that, I
admit. Your idea is that they shall be-
come forte when you are speaking, so
as to afford background for your wis
dom"
"Wisdom? What man, with the least
pretense to wisdom, would come into
a crowd like this for the sake of talk
ing to girl who has persistently avoid
ed him for the past year and month %
What man, indeed?"
And this brings us back to the orig
inal question. Why have you so per-
sistently avoided me?'
l could see that she was a trif1e put
out by my persistence in returning to
the topic which had originated with
me. She had apparently found some
imperfection in the feather tips Of her
fan, and thought that it would be un-
wise to neglect the opportunity of pull
ing off all the uneven fuffs. Some of
them settled on my waistcoat, where
l allowed them to remain undisturbed;
a few made a bee line for the cav
ernous nostril Of our neighbor, Gen.
Firebrace, and he sneeZed with cOnsid-
erable force Of character.
"Well, you see, SO many things have
happened since May the third last year.
Mr.. Glyn," said Miss Windram, when
she had satisfied herself by the repeat
ed opening and closing Of her fan that
she had remedied the defect in it's con-
struction.
"What things-in addition to your
avoidance of me?" I asked.
"Well, you have published book, to
begin with. Isn't that something's" she
said.
IF we avoid all the people who have
published a book our circle of acuuaint-
ances would become appreciably mar
row, Miss Windram. Anything else?"
Hasn't it gone into six editions %
she cried, in tone of accusation.
Il don't deserve the blame for that
said I in a way that was meant to show
her L felt the injustice of her accusa-
ton. ''Blame the public, if you wish.
The public are invariably idiotlc, the
editor Of the Universe announced in
connection with that book Of mine. He
was right, though the fact that the pub
lie steadily refuse to buy the Universe
points in the other direction
"Oh, it is all very we'll to try and
throw the blame on the public said
Miss Windram, with a shrug, "but is
that quite generous of you, Mr.. Glyn?'
Perhaps it isn't. Was it on account