The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-12-22


Would yeu like me to record a sol
emn affirmation upon the suBject9'' he
inquired.
mo" I smiled at him as gayly as
I could. Il won't be made an accessory
before the fact.
''What fact?"
Perjury He shrugged his shoul-.
ders.
''You are in teasing mood, p he sug-
gested.
Am II You don't mind. do yoU?"
''Not a bitlp he laughed. He had
no business to have such frank, hon
est laugh, thought, indignantly. Il
should mind very much If you were
in earnest, Miss Eve
More Of the 'wayl' Really, Mr..
Chalmers, you are excellent. He re-
garded me carefully and grew rather
grave.
81 am afraid" he remarked, at
length, 81 have done something to dis
please you" / looked at him Innocent
ly. It hurt me to meet his eyes, but
/ did not finch
'The weak spot of man." 1 pro
nOunced, ''is his vanity. He considers
all his doings of pleasing or
displeasing-to others"
''To his particular friends" he cor
rected.
Sam I honored by inclusion in that
category" Yesterday the question
would have appeared needless. To-day
it seemed absurd.
"It is matter which requires two
persons to settle. So far as I am con-
cerned-" He paused and glanced
swiftly at me. Possibly you would
say it was only part of the way if 1
finished the sentence?"
studied the tennis carefully.
"Do you wish me to finish it?' he
asked. He has the gift of throwing a
great deal of Suggestion into few
coIorless words.
"It is hardly worth while. A com
pliment is obviously the proper thing.
You never fail in your duty on such
occasions"
do I seem so hopelessly insincere ?''
"On the contrary. You seem so un-
mistakably in earnest. That is why
consider you so splendid" laughed
quite a merry-sounding laugh this
time. But, ohl was so miserable.
"BIiss Eve!"
Don't try heroics, Mr.. Chalmers.
When you look So innocent and IS
jdred
Upon my word, he said, with some
heat, 81 think I am"
"Do you? I am so sorry. Shall I
pretend to believe it all?" I asked.
''I'm rather good at pretend myself, I
think. OF course, I can't do it so we'll
as you, but"
He rose hastily to find a wandering
ball. I was glad to see him throw it
so savagely. It was a little consola-
tion to hurt his vanity.
you are-impossible- even
ing" he remarked, with his usual good
humor, when he had returned.
81 am sorry, because-do you know
was thinking that am myself for
once"
''YOu are not bit like yourself" !" he
contradicted.
Really! Am I such simple self
that you have learned all about me
in few days acquaintance ?' 1 asked,
scornfuIly.
Il didn't mean that, of course" he
said, slowly. "No doubt there are more
charms to discover, impossible as it
seems" 1 bowed mockingly. "But one
infers from the known to the un-
known"
"Supposing there is known to in
fer FROM" l suggested. He looked at
me in astonishment.
do you mean to say that, after our
pleasant fortnight ?''-I raised my eye
brows. 'Of course, speak only for
myself"
81 concede the pleasant" I said,
with smile that was not intended to
look genuine.
DO you mean that we haven't shown
most of our real selves? That we have
just played play?"
"You know we have" 1 said with an
air of fTankness. SIT has been great
fun. I really have enjoyed it immense
ly. But I am not such a practical
NSSSA eS yONy anu AAAA 8SLLA4lB a 44bGAC
tired of pretending" He drew his
breath sharply. 1t occurred to me that
perhaps he really had cared little.
Il do not understand" he said.
"Surely you don't mean-you can't
mean-that you have merely been pre-
tending to be good friends with me 2"
''Of course not" 1 said, lightly.
''We're excellent friends, / hope. But
friendship has certain limits" The
night before he had held my hand ever
so tightly in the dusk, and when we
parted he tried to-he almost-Oh,
well. I'll tell the truth. He kissed me.
''Is it absolutely impossible Tor
friendship to grow" He touched my
hand, and I drew it sharply away.
''It depends upon persons and cir
cumstances, of course, replied, cold
ly.
''In our case, and circumstances? 2"
My heart beat furiously that he should
dare to go so far. would draw him
a little further, decided. So 1 looked
at my shoes and said nothing. eve?
Pretty little Eve2" I turned and
laughed Up at him.
"Tt Is Sc sillv-pvhen neither of ms iz