The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-01

opposite. or medium height, fine COM
plexlon and attractive manners, she seem
ed the very embodiment Of comfortable
satisfaction in life and living.
After a week at the hotel they had tax
en- a small furnished cottage near :he
Northwest ARM" a location on the bay
that was always to the fore in gayety.
It was a modest little abode, with tiny
drawing room, minute garden and small
tennis ground sufficiently good for firt-
ing purposes but appallingly bad for play.
soon Mrs. Yivians cottage seemed in
its little way the center Of amusements.
Here In the afternoon were to be had
tea. cake and tennis, and here were to be
found a charming hostess and a lovely
girl, clad always in soft-tinted gowns Of
marvellous fit and simple material. Nice
little frocIs,' the men called them, and
believed that she made them herself,
which added one more to her list Of at
fractions. It showed how well a girl could
dress on next-to-nothing a year if she
chose. AS the season advanced the lumpy
tennis ground became even more freely
patrorized than some of the smoother
ones near by, and Miss Vivian was the
fame around which the moths in every
branch Of service futtered Gradually it
came to be said among them that no one
was really '1n it, but Jack Mellish, and
it was a shame. too Somebody should
tell the girl what a flirt he was.
But the proper someone to make the
announcement was not mentioned and 80,
no one volunteering, Jacks attentions
went on unchecked, grew more and more
marked and his devotion more exclusive.
Miss Vivian went everywhere, and Jack
danced attendance on her He hung about
her at polo. took her out In the sl1iff on
the Arm" filled her programmes with
big Us that reached over five or six
dances, danced some of them and sat out
the rest in the conservatory. Winnie
looked younger and more innocently de-
lighted every day until even the girls
began to pity her. They knew what must
come sooner or later, in spite OF her
present triumphant possession of the
.handsomest man in the service" They
knew Jacks reputation and his determin-
alton not TO sell" himself except to a
very high bidder, and every one knew
how little Mrs. Vivian seemed to pos
sesS.
jack voice was softly modulated as
he approached her. but his cold gray eyes
never softened. Indeed, they seemed to
grow even colder and harder as he
watched his little victim, as the outsid-
ers watching the game, could not but
feel that she was. Mrs. Vivian had come
In May, and this was September. Hav-
ing brought about q state of affairs en-
ttrely satisfactory to himself distanced
all competitors in the conquest for Win
nles smiles and posed sufficiently long
as conspicuous first favorite, he sat in
his room in the barracks thinking that
this would be good time to apply for
six months leave and go home in the
middle of the month. Miss Winnie might
find some one else to dance with during
tho remaining month of her stay. He
knew shat they had their cottage until
the middle of October, and to go off a
month before they did and leave Winnie
lanenting was the sort of proceeding. that
commended itself to his peculiar temper
ament.
1t was about the proper time that Win
ME should be left in the lurch More
over, there had of late been something a
little odd in Mrs Vivian's manner toward
him. That Same afternoon she had
seemed markedly embarrassed ''She
could scarcely have wished to ask NV
Intentions l suppose she was trying to
sound me-" meditated he. Winnie had
seemed happier than ever. How pretty
she really was and how clever. How wei
she danced. What a sad pity 81 was thai
she should be so poor.
If * were not for that latter fact there
was absolutely no knowing what he
might not be tempted to do. But as II
was-"No. no, nay boy" He was not go
ting to throw himself away Hike that. He
could nor help feeling rather sorry, too.
Poor 4iltie girl, how Ter eyes had danced