The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-11-16

Because. If you are. it Is q very dangerou.
and selfish practice. and l think your theory
Of nonresponsibility is a very wicked one"
We'll. 1 wouldn't say it to a child"
unused Clay. but to one who must have
heard 1t before
"And who, you think. would like to hear
It again, perhaps" interrupted Miss Lang
ham.
mo. not ct ALL" said Clay. 1T don't say
IT to give her pleasure. but because it gives
me pleasure to say what I think"
"If We are to continue good friends, Mr..
Clay" said Miss Langham. in decisive
tones, we must keep our relationship on
more of a social and less of a personal
basis. It was all very well that first night
l met you," she went on, in a kindly tone.
"You rushed in then and by a sort Of tour
de force made me think a great deal about
myself and also about you. Your stories Of
cherished photographs and distant devotion
and all that were very interesting; but now
We are to be together a great deal. and II
We are to talk about ourselves oil the time
l for one shall grow very tired OF 1t. As a
matter of fact. you don't know what your
! feelings are concerning me. and until you
do we will talk less about them and more
| about the things you are certain of. When
are you going to take US to the mines, for
instance. and who was Anduella. the LIB
orator of Olancho. on that pedestal over
there? Now, isn't that much more in
structive?"
Clay smiled grimly and made no answer.
but sat with knitted brows. looking out
across the trees of the plaza. His face
was so serious and he was apparently CIV
ing such earnest consideration to what she
had said that Miss Langham felt an un-
easy sense of remorse. And, moreover. the
young mans profile. as he sat looking
away from her. was very fine, and the
head on his broad shoulders was as well
modelled as the head of an Athenian statue.
Miss Langham was not insensible to beau
ty OF any sort. and she regarded the profile
with perplexity and with a softening spirit.
You understand she said. gently. being
quite certain that she did not understand
this new order of young man herself. You
are not offended with me?' she asked.
Clay turned and frowned and then smiled
In a puzzled way and stretched out his
hand oward the equestrian statue in the
plaza. "Andulla or Anduella, the Treaty.
Maker. as they call him. was born in 100"
he said; 'he was a most picturesque sort
of a chap and freed this country from the
yoke OF Spain. One OF the stories they
tell of him gives you a good idea Of his
character" And SO. without any change
of expression or reference to what had just
passed between them. Clay continued
through the remainder of their stay on the
balcony to discourse in humorous. graphic
phrases on the history of blanche. its he
roes and its revolutions. the buccaneers and
pirttes of the old days and the concession
hunters and filibusters of the present. It
was some time before Miss Langham was
able to give him her full attention. for
she was considering whether he could be
so foolish as to have taken offense at what
she said. and whether he would speak Of It |
again. and In wondering whether a personal
basis for conversation was not, after all,
more entertaining than anecdotes Of the /,
victories and heroism Of dead and buried
Spaniards.
THAT Captain Stuart said Hope to her
sister. as they drove home together through |
the moonlight. Il like him very much. He
seems to have such a simple idea OF what
Is right and good. 1t II like . child talking. l