Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-10-17

Tor at last, and then you sit and twist
your mustache and make me guess at
the wrong people, and"
Il never made you guess any one"
said, Indignantly, removing my hand
from my upper lip with jerk. Il
merely informed you that fell in love
yesterday. suppose there's no objec-
ton to that? And when you suggested
that It happened at Lady Toilets, |
agreed"
WELL" said Elva, in a judicial tone,
you didn't stay more than three.quar.
tiers of an hour. Directly you arrived
you took me to see the aviary, 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.
Elva blushed furiously.
When people make themselves con.
spicuous," she said, frostily. their do
ings are bound to form the subject Of
comment. Mollie Richards always per.
sists in wearing maize with her par
ticular shade of redauburn hair, and
Il could see her from all over the gar
den"
Almost without looking?" sug.
gested, carelessly.
Elva passed over this remark with
contempt. but ! couldn't help noticing
that the flush deepened.
well. as It's not Mollie," she oh.
served. with dignity, "and as you've
called on purpose, perhaps you'll be
,obliging enough to tell me who 1t ia
SO that I may congratulate or condons
with you as the case may be-"
you'll condone," said !, with con
ylction.
why. please?"
Because she-this girl, who isn't
Mollie Richards you know, doesn't
care straw for me-in that way, and
the whole thing is hopeless"
Elva softened instantly.
How can you tell II you've never
asked her?" she demanded. "She may
be simply pining away for your sake,
II you only knew"-her gaze wandered
through the window and settled on a
bed of brilliant begonias in the front
garden-"girls don't always wear their
hearts on their sleeves, even in these
matter-of-fact days, Monty"
| raised my eyes. They had been
busily engaged In tracing the pattern
, Oi the carpet.
do you think it's likely" | asked,
that any girl would really fall in love
with man twice her age, if"
"oh, she's young" interrupted Elva.
hastily do you know. I'm rather
glad OF that"
held up deprecating hand.
please let me finish" | implored.
I"Twice her age. when she's tyrannized
over him, leased him and looked upon
him as an old fogey for the greater
part of her natural life?"
Elva eyed me Sharply. The color
came and went in her cheeks in a way
that | had never seen II come and so
before. put my eyeglass in order TO
better admire the effect.
You said you'd only seen her once
or twice." she resumed severely; but
the culver in her voice robbed the Sc
verify Of any sting.
waved my hand.
Lovers license!" said, airily. Il
couldn't divulge everything at once"
IF you've known her SO long, how
comes II that you only-well-discov
cred the state of your feelings yester-
day."
There is tide In the affairs of
men," ! quoted. Likewise, there Is
q psychological moment when q man
suddenly realizes fact that may have
been staring him in the face for
years."
And that psychological moment oc
Cured at Lady Follet's?"
Occurred at Lady Follet's," ! echo
ed And then there was long sill
ence.
let my eyes wander slowly round
the room. They fingered vaguely on
the ridiculous blue cats with which
Elva adOrns her mantelshelf, and
SKINNED the photographs Of her mum
erous admirers-some of them thrust
carelessly into the oyermantel, and
some, the more fortunate, Sinking at
me from elaborate frames.
| think Elva's eyes must have been
wandering, too, for they came to anch'
or 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-some
thing drastic must be done at once,
| started up. and then the rest
seemed to follow as a natural and easy
consequence.
In less time than It takes to chron.
icle, Elva was crying quietly on my
shoulder, and the blue cats were grin.
ming diabolically from their several
Isoigns of vantage.
And when," | asked. after we had
become more or less normal, and re-
turned to earth once again, when was
your psychological moment, Elva?
Elva fingered a gardenia in my but.
tonhole-took 1t out-smelt 1t, and re-