Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1904-07-16
l'sOsVsOS0OsO0
IN SPITE OF
PREJUDICE
BY KEITH GORDON
CopyrigIit, 1905, by T. C. Mcclure

unshakable conviction as she lay, her
chin propped upon her hands. amid
the subdued richness of the oriental
pillows. NO; might love a convict or
| might love a Hottenot, but widow
er. never"
Her cousin, Mary Singleton, n prac-
tical young woman more given to jests
than sentiment, eyed her curiouSly, but
did not speak.
"Just fancy" Constance continued,
second choice, listening to n rehash
of his first lovemaking. Gracious"
Her tone implied that the thing was
we'll nigh unimaginable, but her cousin
only laughed bit skeptically and took
the other side of the question.
"Do you mean to say that because
a person has loved once he - or she,
for that matter-cannot love again
without feeling that it is u rehash Of
the old love?" she asked, with yawn.
MY dear girl, you're all wrong! The
second love is simply n different mat
ter"
"The average human being" she
continued shrewdly, lis capable of a
good many loves. l don't at all believe
in these one love individuals-the sort
who mourn forever, you know. That
sort of thing is simply emotional
poverty
Having delivered herself of this
worldly observation, she glanced at the
clock and began to coil up her looscncd
hair In way that signiiied that it was
time that she went to her room to dress
for dinner.
'Soulless crenture!' tnuntcd Con-
stance, with an indulgent but gently
superior air. Defend widowers II
you choose, but none of them for me-"
"You girls with fine sentiments"
Mary retorted teaslngly, her hand on
the doorknob, "are just the ones to
look out for And she passed out,
smiling, into the hall. A moment later
she opened the door again and. thrust
ing her head into the room. said in an
enigmatical manner:
by the way. Con, be sure to tell
Douglas Stane that when he asks
you" Then, before her cousin could
reply, she vanished, slamming the door
behind her.
Constance stood in the middle Of the
room for II moment perfectly motion
less, wondering If she could have heard
Alright. Douglas Stane u widower!
For of course that was what Mary
ment Douglas Stane a widOwer. And
in the four months in which they had
been growing daily fOnder of each 9th
er she had never before heard the fact
mentioned.
With quick movement she glided
toward the door and locked it. Then,
with her hands Clasped with painful
tlghtness, she stood In the middle Of
the room and repeated with growing
1ncredulity: "a widower! Douglas
Stnne widower"
at can't be true-it can't bet
can't be!' she protested, with moan.
His likeness rose before her-tall,
broad and bit stern of face. Then,
going hot and cold by turns. she sank
down upon the divan once more and
buried her head in the pillows.
Her lover" That was what her
heart cried out, and, though she would
not permit herself to say it. there was
wild, sweet bliss in the thought.
Subtly she had known it almost from
the first. But a widower!
She shivered now at the very remem-
brance OF things that had once thrilled
her-the unconscious sOftening Of his
keen eyes when they met hers, the
elusive but unmistakable tenderness of
his touch when he helped her over
rough place or held her wrap. Time
was when the carcss of his glance
made her blood tingle. Now she re-
membered 1t with a sort of lOathing.
Had his eyes not sOftened for some
other woman?
Thus she wrestled with love and pain
until the striking of the clock reminded
her that the dinner hour was ut hand.
Jumping up, she began to dash cold
water over her flushed face and wet
eyes, while she tried to steady her
surging emotions.
Everything went wrong" she apOl-
ogized when she appeared at the din
ner table rather fiurried and breath
less. Couldn't get my hair up right.
hooks wouldn't hook. and buttons
wouldn't button"
Her cousin smiled.
"Methinks the lady doth protest too
much," she thought to herself.
"Dick just telephoned," she announc-
ell, feeling rather small and guilty as
she noted Constances flushed face and
feverish eyes. "IIe and Douglas Stane
are coming up after dinner to take us
down to the Spouting Rock"
Constance opened her lips with the
evident intention of declining, but be-
fore she could speak her cousin con-
tinued glibly:
81 just accepted for both Of us be-
cause I knew you would like to CO."
Then she continued under her breath:
"Poor old Douglas! Wouldn't like to
hear what she says to him! How shall
ever make my peace with them. l
wonder?"
When, the dinner over. they sat on
the broad piazza in the twilight she
half regretted her prank and decided
to speak, but before her good inten-
ton crystalllzed into words Constance
spoke to her, and Mt the studied indif-
ference Of the latter's voice and the
aJ onp,,i Of bar tnnppar oil hpr