Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-14
cigar he was relighting.

cigar he was relighting.
Don't worry about her. You may trust
her around the world. Evelyn has already
manifested an interest in my advice, she
added, smiling to herself in the dark-"and
she didn't seem much pleased with it,"
Evelyn and SaXton had met the others,
who were coming up from the walks, and
there was a redistribution at the house; it
was too beautiful to go in, they said, and
the strolling abroad continued. great
flood of moonlight poured over the grounds.
A breeze stole up from the valley and made
a soothing rustic in the trees. Evelyn res
cued Wheaton and Miss Warren from each
other; she sent Raridan away to impart,
as he said, further western lore to the
Yankee. She followed, with Wheaton, the
arc which the others were tranScrfbing. A
feeling of elation possessed him. The tide
of good fortune was bearing him far, but
memory played hide and seek with him as
he walked there talking to Evelyn Porter
he was struck with the unreality of this
new experience. He was afraid Of blunder-
ing; of failing to meet even the trifiing de-
mands of her careless talk He remember
ed once, in his train-boy days, having
pressed upon a pretty girl one OF Miss
Braddon's novels: and the girls scornful
rejection Of the book and of himself came
back and Knocked him. Raridans merry
laugh rang out suddenly far across the
lawn; he had done more with his life than
was a foolish fellow. Saxton passed them
with Miss Marshall; Saxton was dull; he
had failed in the cattle business. James
Wheaton was not a towns Jester, and he
was not failure. Evelyn was telling him
some of Belle Marshalls pranks at school
"She was the greatest cut-up / suppose
she'll never change. l don't believe we do
change so much as the wiseacres pretend,
do your
She was aware that she had talked great
deal and threw out this line to him little
desperately; he was proving even more dill
ficult than she had imagined him.
He had been thinking Of his mother-for-
gotten these many years-who was old even
when he left home. He remembered her
only as the dominant figure of the steam
ing kitchen where she had ministered with
rough kindness and severity to her uncouth
brood. His sisters-what loutish, brawl-
ing girls they were, and how they fought
over whatever silly flnery they were able
to procure for themselves! faint flower
scent rose from the soft skirts of the tall
young woman beside him. He hated him
He felt suddenly alarmed by her question,
which seemed to aim at the undercurrent
of his own silent thought.
There are those of US who ought to
change" he said
The others had struggled back toward the
yeranda and were disappearing indoors.
'sThey seem to be going in. We can find
our way through the sun porch; l suppose
it might be called moon porch, too, she
said, leading the way.
They heard the sound of the piano
through the open windows, and a girls
voice broke gaily into song.
.Ifs Belle. She does sing those coon
songs wonderfully. Let us wait here until
she finishes this one The sun porch
opened from the dining room. They could
see beyond It, into the drawing room: the
singer was in plain view, sitting at the
piano; Raridan stood facing her. keeping
time with an imaginary baton
Al man came unobserved to the glass door
of the porch and stood unsteadily peering
in. He was very dirty and balanced him
self in that abandon with wnicn intoxi-
GATED men belle Newton's discovery He
had gained the top step with difficulty; the