The Van Buren press., 1904-11-05

mustache and make me guess all tha
wrong people, and"
Il never made yOg guess anyone" I
said, Indignantly, removing my hand
from my upper lip with jerk. Il mere
ly informed you that fell in love yes
terGay suppose there's no objection
to that? And when you suggested that
it happened at Lady Follets. l agreed"
We'll" said Elva, in judicial tone,
you didn't stay more than three-quar-
teTs OF an hour Directly you arrived
you took NE to see the ayiary. and the
rest Of the time you spent in the rosary
with Mollie Richards"
IF I'd known you were watching my
movements so carefully" ! began.
Elya bIushed luriously.
when people make themselves cor
spicuous," she said, frostily, their DO
ings are bound to form the subject Of
comment Molie Richards always per-
sists in wearing maize with her particu-
lar shade of red-auburn hair and-I
could see her from all over the garden
Almost without looking?" l sug-
gested, carelessly.
Elya passed over this remark with con-
tempt, but | couldn't help noticing that
the flush deepened
We'll, as it's not Mollie." she observed
with dignity, "and as you've called on
purpose perhaps you'll be ob,g.ns
enough to tell me who il is. so that Imay
congratulate or condon9 with you, as
the case may be-"
You'll condone,' said l. with con-
yiction.
"Why pIease?"
Because she-thts girl, who isn't
MoIlie Richards, you know. doesn't care
q straw for me-in that way, and the
whole thing is hopeless"
Elya sOttened instantly
How can You tell if you've never
asked her?' she demanded. "She may
be simply pining away for your sake,
if you only knew"-her gaze wandered
through the window and settled on a
bed Of brilliant begouias in the front
garden-"gil:s don't always wear their
hearts on their sleeves, even in these
matter-ol-fact days, Monty"
l raised my eyes They had been
busiIy engaged in tracing the pattern Of
the carpet
"Do you think it's likely" I asked.
that any girl would really fail in love
with a man twice her age, if"
con, she's young" interrupted E}va,
hastily. do you know, I'm rather glad
of that"
| held up a deprecatng hand
please let me finish" ! impl0red.
'Twice her age when she's tyranni2ed
over him. teased him and looked upon
him as an Old fogey for the greater part
Of her natural life?'
Elya eyed me sharply. The color
came and went in her checks in a way
that had never seen it before. Iput my
eyeglass in order to better admire the
effect.
"You said you'd seen her only once
or twice. she resumed. severely: but
the culver in her voice robbed the Sc
verify Of any sting
! waved my hand
Lovers liconsr,' | said. air.ly. T
couldn't diyulge everything at once"
IF you've known her so long. how
comes 1t that you y-wcll-discov-
cred the state Of your feelings yestc7-
day?"
There is a tide in the Affairs Of
men, " quoted Likewise, there Is a
psychological moment when man sud-
denly realizes fact that may have been
staring him in the face for years
"And that psychological moment oc-
Cured at Lady Follo's?'
occurred at Lady Fole"s," I
echoed, And then there was a long si-
lencc
let my eyes wander slowly round tho
room They fingered vaguely on the
ridiculous blue cats with which E,vi
aGorns her manteIshelf, and skinned
the photographs Of her numerous ad-
mirers- some Of them thrust careless,y
into the oyermantel and some, the moro
fortunate, smirkng at me from e,ab-
crate frames
think Elyas eyes must have been
wandering, too for they came 10 an
chor at the same moment as mine and
then without any rhyme or reason. they
filled quite suddenly with tears.
Now ! can never see woman cry
without feeling that something
thing drastic must be done at once.
started up, and then the rest seemed
10 follow as natural and easy conse-
Quonco,
In less time than Il takes to chronclc.
Elya was crying quietly on my shoulder,
and the blue cats were RrlnnIng dIabo'-
Ically from their several colrus Of van.
tago.
and when" | asked, after we had
become more or less normal. and 70.
turned TO earth once again. "whon was
your psychological moment Elya?"
Elya fingered gardoula In my but.
touholo-took II out-smct II. and re-.
placed II carefully
when You prolondCd=I moan whom
| thought you were pretending and that
II was MoIlIo Richards you know ." she
said incoNercnty
And the blue cats prnrod moro than
ever as much as TO say "Wo know
something about human nature. though
We are only ch.Ua"=Froc Lance.
..-
her third yoor aho Is 10 begin learning
H,rt,ut NTi,rvupt Ia. attn L.. t.tt.it
Arabic