Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-04-05
NUMBER IA.
he quarters only, suppose you give her

the quarters only, suppose you give her
to me. :"
She was standing up now and with
out a tinge Of cOwarlice was looking
him placidly in the face. His mistake
was irretrievable He flushed and STAN
mered and made matters infinitely
worse. IL she would only turn those
mocking eyes away from his crimson
cheeks for half second' All the wrath
that had been accumulating through
the sunlit hours If that serene October
morning turned inward with fierce self
denunciation, forcing him to blurt ont
II am cad. brute, an imbeclle.
not worthy To stand in the presence Of
any good and gentle woman.
Liza regarded him in reflective silence.
Il was as if she were trying to get him
i'll proper perspective.
mot quite as bad as all that, imag'
inc. You arr simply the product Of your
environment. IL was not that prnr dog )
Shortcomings you were furnishing. She
happened Ia b. the only safety valve at
hand Her helplessncss WAS your vindi-
cation.
Adrien gaped at her like a chidden
charity school culprit She was alto
gcther "A new order II womankind. II
Eben Martins daughter had been 20
years old and himself TO- the absurdity
Of his present position would have been
less apparent. She had reduced him 10
condition of absolute wordlessness.
Retreat was the only thing left 10 him.
Even that was attended with disaster.
He had flung his coat aside in order
TO give his arms fror play with the rud
Of discipline. and the contents Of one
pocket Law scattered among the bushes
He recovered the coat with jerk. fiunE
himself into il. and. seizing his gun, he
doffed his cap surlily Ia Liza and turned
his face homeward. \ bitter sense of
defeat was his only company. Sarah
Jane still crouched at the feet of her
| delivcrer.
Liza SIT down on the brick steps to
await Seth's coming. Her sketching
mood was broken up. the serenity II
her day shattered. Signs II the recent
conflict lay about her in the dowutrod
den grass and the broken rlmrod. There,
too, were bits Of paper that perhaps She
had herself careleSsly dropped fIom her
portfolio.
She reached over 10 possess herself Of
the papery litter. asking herself when
she had destroyed letter and east Its
fragments to the winds. To assist her
memory she smoothed the crumpled
| fragment across her knee. Two unbro-
ken lines revealed themselves startling
| " at a glance:
"Adriem, YOU would not bc ashamed
Of your wife if you could So her with -
That was Ill. Liza crumpled the pa
per up once more and flung IL from her
as if it had been some lnathsome rep
| tile.
With scOrn bright eyes she looked
across the broad Hat fields 90 where
Adrien, his gun resting across his Shoul-
der blades. was just disappearing be
hind a knot Of pecan trees.
$50 that il the sort of coward he ls!'
The glittering clasp OF Russian
leather wallet caught hereye IL was ~
ing on the ground beside the brick steps.
She stopped to pick it up. It, contents
were scattered loosely about, flung out
by the violence with which he had
jerked his shooting jacket from the tree.
These Liza gathered mp promiscuously
and showed into the wallet.
Once only did she pause IN her task.
IL was when her fingers came IN contact
with the stiff leather cas- Of small
ambrotype.
1t war impossible not to look. mpos-
sible not to wonder.
\ small, plain face, with sad. large
eyes and sensitive mouth. That was
all.
Scarcely the sort Of face Ia make "A
man forget to be- gentleman. said
Liza. clasping the wallet over the pc
tured face aud consigning 1t 10 her OWN
deep dress pocket.