Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-23

country making connections. Making con-
nections!" he repeated, and chuckled. He
had the conceit of his own wisdom, and
while he was always generous in his deal
ings with his rivals, and had several times
helped them out of difficulties, he rejoiced
IN their errors and congratulated himself
on his foresight and caution.
You oughtn't to laugh at the downfall
OF other people, said Evelyn; its wicked
or you. But she was laughing herself at
his enjoyment of his own Joke and was
proud of the qualities which she knew had
contributed to his success He felt baf-
ned that he had not fully concluded all he
had intended to say about Wheaton and
ms merits, but he did not see his way back
to the subject. and he rose, yawning.
I guess it's time to go to bed" he SAID
ana he went about turning off the electric
Eghts by the buttons in the hall. Evelyn
went upstairs ahead of him. and kissed him
goodnight at his door.
YOU'D better go to the opera with the
Whlppies, he called to her over his Shout
der. as he waited for her to reach her own
door before turning off the upper hall light.
Not bit of it," she answered through
the dark.
The novel with which Evelyn tried to
READ herself to sleep that night did not
fold her attention, and after her memory
had teased her into Impotence, she threw
the book down and for long time lay
thinking. She knew her father so well
that she had no doubt of the current OF
Wheaton and disparage Wary Raridan,
and it troubled her; not because she herself
lad any well-defined preferences as be-
tween them or in their favor as against
all other men she knew; but it seemed 20
her that her father had disclosed his own
feeling rather unnecessarily and pointedly.
Suddenly as she lay thinking and staring
at the walls, life took new and serious
aspects, and she did not want 1t to be SO.
Because she had been SO much away from
home the provincial idea that every man
that calls on a girl. or takes her to a thea
ter in our free, unchaperoned way, is 4
serious sutton had not impressed her. She
had expected to come home and enjoy her.
self indefinitely, and had idealized sit
uatlon in which She should be the stay of
her father through his old age, and the
chum and guide of her brother, in whom
the repetition of her mothers character
fstics strongly appealed to her. There had
been little trouble or grief In her life, and
now for the first time she saw uncertain
ties ahead where few hours before every
thing had seemed simple and clear She
had felt no offense when her father spoke
slightingly of Wary Raridan; she knew
that her father really liked him, as every
one did. and she would rs. have hesi-
greatly, even in his possession of
those traits which betrayed the
weaknesses of his character. She certainly
had no thought of him save as a whimsical
and amusing friend, playmate who had
never grown up.
: 1t was true that he had made love to
her, or had tried to; but she had no faith
In his sincerity. She had first felt amused
and then a little sorry, when he had gone
to work so earnestly. He took the trouble
to remind her frequently that It was all
for her. and she laughed at him and at
the loye-making which he was always at
tempting and which she always thwarted.
Saxton did not come often to the house.