Barton County democrat., 1901-10-04
THE TANGLE.
By Mary L. Pendered.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A LISON COLE was wondering wheth-
n er she might not be able to slip
away without offending her hostess,
when a voice said: 'Miss Cole, may
| introduce Mrs. Kynast&n to you?''
and in a moment she was face to face
with the one woman in the world she
most desired to avoid. 1t had come
upon her SO suddenly that she almost
lost her presence of mind, and a leap
of color dyed her face so richly
that she was painfully aware of it.
The strange futter of her heart and
the mist i'll her eyes prevented her
for second from either seeing or
hearing distinctly the individual who
was smiling and speaking to her-a
tall, plump woman of middle age, we'll
dressed, comely, with soft, shining
eyes and pretty teeth. .
''Io have long wished to know lob,
Miss Cole, ''9she was saying, fer I
have heard so much about you, and
love 3our pictures SO well.''
GIou are ve1y kind" Alison mur-
INJURED family. So this was the Vvo-
mMp. She had met her at last, after
Is years. q
Yes; it was Is years since She had
played, with James Kynaston, in the
commonest of all tragedies, where
love. is the hero, circumstance the vii
liafSs conscience thee stalAing specter.
1t seemed a long while-15 years
Q when she had passed through Heaven
and hell in six months, Sntering with
wings and coming out a strange chrys-
ais that was still alive and able to-
notice vaguely the other curious
wingless things about it.o That state
had not lasted either. She had moved,
cr;,wled, walked and learned to feel
again, looking back on the past as on
a previous incarnation, with but a
faint sense ofsidentity.. Nova great
cloud of time was lifted; the old. days
were painted before her in a sudden
glare of light. She eshrank ana trem-
bled.
cYou Gang think what pleasure you
have given me over and over again. -
Mrs. Kynaston went on, gazing with
frank admira ton at the paling face in
front of her; those two last pictures
of yours in the Academy-The Way In
and The Way Out-are my favOriteS of
s. all. They are exquisite! The express
sion of the woman's eyes in the ene
where oher lover is seen going away
in the distance haIHnted me for days.
How can you put such pathos and
life into mere paint and canvas? It is
wonderful! BuH I do not marvel SO
much now that have seeen YOU"
Her eyes begged a question, but
alison could not ask it. q She could
. only mutter: 1T is very nice of you.''
Mrs. Kynaston, smiling sweetly, con-
tinued:
Your face tells me plainly that you
know what suffering is, and that you
are full of sympathy for those Owho
suffer. Am 1 not right?'
lit is aa question of art, you
know" faltered Miss Cole. trying not
to meet the earnest eyes fixed on her.
And heart. But it is alp amazing.
| have so often longed to be clever
Never do that" Alison exclaimed,
impetuously, adding, in l9wer key:
believe me,S it is undesirable.,'
Undesirable! To be clever! You
cannot meaPo it, Miss Cole.o I would
give the world to haze your genius,
your brain. 8rhey would haveobrought
me good deal of happiness that
have missed. But you will not under
stand-I can't explain
Alison felt cold. The woman's
voice, warm and sweet as it was, had
become a stabbing pain to her; its
note ,of sadness wrung eher heart
When. she spoke. agai1 her voice was
husky.
You are, fear, under, a delusion, v
she said. 1.-The clever and talented
woman is one of natures mistakes,
a freak that had better, perhaps, be
..strangled at her birth Too often