The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1901-12-27
oHERE was big crush at Mrs

'bOred, or Interested, as the case might
be.
For vivid, frank enjoyment there
were few faces to compare with one
,glrlish one-a little flushed, with shin
ing blue eyes and soft curly brown hair
clustering about it,
She was little country mouse, hav-
ng Il peep at the enchanted fairyland
If London, and at her pleasure the
srave face of her companion relaxed,
and he forgot for the moment to find it
sall a WEAKNESS to the flesh and vanity
sand veXation to the spirit.
The girl wanted to know who every
one was and all about them; she
thought them charming. and regretted
that she did not live in London.
Father hates it So" she said.
"Your father had a long spell of it,"
the man said. "But''-and he smiled
very pleasantly-'we shall very soon
have you among us, l hope, for more
than a flying visit"
The girl blushed and grew shy, and
then uttered an exclamation.
"Who is that?" she asked eagerly.
LOOh At Htis Antlt. L nat NulliAn W III
the beautiful face and dark hair"
"Ihat is Miss st. Quentin. She writes.
you know Writes well, too her new
book is an immense success, being
neither cheap nor nasty"
80. I've read it," Iilda Carson sad.
the pink flush deepening in her cheeks.
land ! liked it ever so much. | read
1t out of doors, too. and it interested
me all the time"
''Do you consider that a severe testY'
every! And am glad to have seen
her. She is wonderful. with that clear,
'colorless skin and those great eyes.
think-I think" She hesi,ated a
alttle.
"Wen?"
81 think she is a woman nobody could
help loving if they knew her"
He laughed. Her fresh enthus asm
was amusing, and he rather enjoyed it
for a change, but before he could speak
again two or three people joined them,
and he lost sight of Hilda for little.
A good many people admired Miss st.
Quentin. but very few even dimly
guessed that, while writing the stories
of others, her own life hid one away
in an inner and very sacred chamber
They said she was mot a bit impress
sionable" and, for all her beauty, very
unlikely to break her own heart or any
zone else's.
There were just two or three people
of whom Mr.. Sinclair was One-whO
doubted this dictum. and wondered If
the delicate GOODNESS of her manner did
not hide at least as much of her nature
as ii revealed.
But even those who had so much d.s-
ecernment did not knOw-nObOdy knew
of that summer eight years ago. when
she and Jack Tremain had met in the
old Suffolk mansion. Nobody knew OF
the long. long mornings in the orchard.
talking over everything and anything.
or sometimes sitting in the silence that
is only possible between friends
And nobody knew of the afternoons
on the river, or the evenings in the
moOnlit garden, or the sudden, sharp
ending to it all.
He was wrong and she was right,
and they were both very proud, so she
let him go, forgetting how hard a thing
at is to be forgiven.
And there had been times when sue
cess seemed a small thing to her, and
life very desert Of lionel ness, because
she missed one voice in the chorus of
praise that greeted her and one face in
the many friendly ones that smiled
upon her For Mary st. Quentin hat
the virtue Of her defects, and she wa.
terribly faithful.
Six months ago Maj Tremain ha(
come home, but society had seen very
little of him so far, though it was cage
to llonize him, and raved over the deeC
that gained him that coveted V. C..
Miss ST. Quentin had not seen him a
all, though she knew he was. for tn,
moment. in town, and scanned the face
in the park and street, and party, il
the hope she was half ashamed of-tha
of seeing rs
She was always a center of attraC
ton, and had not been many minutes il
Mrs. Sinclair's rooms before she wa
surrounded with a little crowd. She re
signed herself to the inevitable. an
was trying to forget her one insisten
desire, when her hostess came up wit
a bronzed, dgnfied man at her side.
"Aliss ST. Quentin. may l introduc
Mai Tremain to yOu" she said, an
then there was little exclamation q
mutual recognition, and ten minutes
ordinary chat, and-that was all.
All. yet not all. Who could say wher