Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-05

any one should be heavy Of heart on such a
morning, but Evelyn Porter was not happy.
She sat leaning forward with both hands
resting on the ivory ball of her parasol A
Querulous note crept into her voice. 1t is
strange how the heartache to which the
face never yields finds ready prey in the
voice.
ut Is cruel Of them to say it!'
But 1t is natural too. dear" said Mrs.
Whipple. MAR people must have wonder
ed about you and Wary. If 1t will help
any, l will confess that 1 wondered a good
deal myself Now you won't mind. will
you? It seems hard, now that he has gone
but before-before, it was not unreasona-
bler
But the gossip! I don't care for myself,
but 1t is cruel to him, to his memory, that
this should be said. If 1t had been true; If
If we had been engaged, 1t would not be
so wretched; but this-oh, it hurts me!'
She lay back in her chair. Her eyes were
overweight her words ended in wall.
Mrs. Whipple felt that Evelyns view of
the matter was absurd. If the people of
Clarkson were trying to read an element OF
romance into Wary Raridan's death, they
were certainly working no injury to his
memory. Such view OF the matter was
fantastic. Evelyn did not know that an.
other current story coupled her name with
that of James Wheaton, who was spoken OF
In some quarters, and even guardedly In
newspapers outside Of Clarkson, as Rari'
dams rival for the affections Of William
=
dered hourly since the tragedy at Poindex-
ter's when she remembered how much
Wheaton had been about with Evelyn. He
had been with her almost as much as War
~. Mrs. Whipple recalled the carnival OF
two years ago with shame. Her heart
smote her as she, watched the girl. 1t was
a hideous thing that EVIL should have crept
so near her life. Wheaton had been a
strange species of reptile among them all.
Poor dear! You must not take 1t sov'
The silence had grown oppressive. 1t was
incumbent upon her to comfort the girl If
she could.
lit isn't a thing that you can help, child:
There's no way Of stopping gossip; and If
they persist in saying such things. they
will have to say them, that's all. If you
wish-if it will help you any, 1 will refute
1t when I can-I mean among our friends
only"
"Oh. no! That would make 1t worse.
Please don't say anything"
Mrs. Whipple did not accept solicitude
for Warry's memory as a sufficient ex-
PLANTATION Of Evelyn's. troubles; nor was 1t
herself. The girl had natul ally felt Warry's
death deeply; she made no secret Of her
great fondness for him. But If Evelyn had
really cared for Wary with more than a
to her in this way. She assumed this
hypothesis as she made irrelevant talk
with the girl: Then she thought OF
Evelyn had cared for-if Wary had been
the friend and he the loveri She gave
rein for q moment to this idea. Perhaps
Evelyn followed the man now with SYM
pathy-the thought was repulsive; she re-
jected 1t instantly with self-loathing for
having harbored an idea that wronged
Evelyn 80 miserably.
"What father feels is that his mistake
In Wheaton argues a great weakness In
himself" Evelyn was saying. She was
that she spoke Whsaton's name without
hesitation: she had dropped the prefix Of
respect. % every one had: We have q way
Of eliminating II IN speaking Of men who
are markedly. good or bad.
Father takes 1t very hard. He isn't