Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-24

With all these purposes at work 1t
can be readily understood that Mortimer's
visits to Ringwood were not exactly rose
leaved. In truth the actors were all too
conventionally honest-too unsocialized-to
subvert their underlying motives.
Allis. with her fine intuition, would have
unearthed Mortimer's d-isapprobation Of
racing-though he awkwardly strove to hide
it-even II Alan had not enlarged upon this
point. This knowledge constrained the girl,
even drove her into rebellion. She took his
Misunderstanding as a fault, almost as a
weakness, and shocked the young man with
carefully prepared racing expressions;
revelled with strange abandon in talks OF
gallops and trials, and workouts, and
breathers; threw iron-mouthed horses. pull
ers. skates and drivers and other equine
wonders at his head, until he revolted in
sullen irritation. In fact they misunder-
stood each other finely, in truth their diff
ferent natures were more in harmony two
miles apart-the distance that lay between
the bank and Ringwood.
BY comparison, Cranes visits to Ringwood
we're Utopianly complacent.
Extraordinarily enough, Mrs. Porter. OPP
posed to racing as she was. fell quite readily
under the glamor Of his artistic unob-
u , a A1a $500 WV
the science OF waiting. His admission to
the good lady OF a passing interest in
horses was an apology; there seemed such
an utter absence Of the betting spirit that
the recreation 1t afforded him condoned the
offence.
|. There was this difference between the two
men, the old and the young; Crane knew
exactly why he went there, even to the ut
most contamination, while Mortimer had
asked himself more than once, coming back
from Ringwood feeling that he had been
MISUNDERSTANDING even laughed at
why he had gone there at all. He had no
definite plans-eyen desire; he was i'm
PEELED to It out of some unrecognized force,
II was because Of these conditions that
the one potter turned his images so per-
fectly and the other formed only poor, con-
torted. often broken. dishes OF inferior clay,
1t stood In the reason Of things, however
that Mortimer, in spite Of his uneompromSH-
ing attitude toward racing, should be
touched by its tentaeles, II he visited at
R~ingwood; his extreme stand weakened by
attrition.
His nrst baptism came with much pfeeipi-
fancy, on the occasion Of his fourth visit to
the Porters. He had driven out with Alan
to spend his Saturday afternoon at Ring
wood. An afternoon is not exactly like an
evening In the matter of entertaining e
guest; something must be done; cigars, or
mutie, or small chatter are insufficient. II
enc 10 on the western slope Of life's Sierra
perhaps a nap may Kill the time probably
enough, but this was a case where a young
man had to be entertained. a young man
dlhacult Of entertainment under the cireum-
s~tanses.
Alan had some barbarous expedition Of
Juvenile interest on hand; the unearthing
Of a woodehuek. or II might have been a
grounding, In a back field. but Allis would
rot become a party to the destruction Of
animal life for the sport Of the thing. She
had a much better program mapped out for
Mortimer. come way she felt that II he
could see the thoroughbred horses in their
stalls. could come TO know them individu.
ally. casually though it might be, he would
perhaps catch a glimmer Of their beautiful
characters. So she asked Mr.. Mortimer tC
go and have a loOk AT her pets.
Alan would have none Of IL; he was OF
to his woodehuok or grounding.
I'm glad you don't want to go and kill
anything" she said, turning gratefully Il
Nor inner, when he refused Alan's Invitation
saying that he preferred to look at the
horses. I'm show you Diablo. and Lucretia
and Lauzanne the Despised-he's my horse
and I'm to win a big race with him next
year Gaynor is down at the stables anc
I'll give YOU a tip"-Mortimer vinced-'1i
you want 20 stand well with Mike let hin
suspect that you're fond Of horses"
At the stable door they met Nike osynes
Mae usually vaeillated between a eondi-
tion Of chronic anger 81 somebody OF some
thing, and an Irish drollery that made poo
pie who we're sick at heart laugh.
Allis vas as familiar with his moods AZ
she was with the phases Of Lauzanne's
temper. She had developed the sense OF
reading minds In = remarkable degree; the