Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-12-29


ed him from New York, but to his
guests they offered unlimited opportu-
mites.
Hopper Harrison had remained in the
north to renew arrangements for the
now hated ball and to look after the
advance details of the yacht cruise.
DR.. Lotless and his sister, with Sub
way Smith and the Grays, made I'D
Brewster's party. Lotless dampened
Monty's spirits by relentlessly putting
him on rigid diet, with most discourage
ing restrictions upon his conduct. The
period Of convalescence was to be an
exceedingly trying one for the invalid.
At first he was kept indoors, and the
hours were whiled away by playing
cards, but Monty considered bridge
the pons asinorum and preferred to
play piquet with Peggy. 1t was one
of these games that the girl interrupt
ed with a question that had troubled
her for many days. Monty" she said,
and she found it much more difficult
than when she had rehearsed the scene
in the silence of her walks. 1--WE heard
a rumor that Miss Drew and her moth
er have taken rooms at the hotel.
Wouldn't it be pleasanter to have them
hereT'
A heavy gloom settled upon Brew
ster's face, and the girls heart dropped
like lead. She had puzzled over the
estrangement and wondered if by any
effort of her own things could be set
right. At times she had had flashing
hopes that it did not mean as much to
Monty as she had thought. but down
underneath, the fear that he was I'M
happy seemed the only certain thing
in life. She felt that she must make
sure. And together with the very hui
man desire to know the worst was the
puritanical impulse to bring it about.
you forget that this is the last place
they would care to invade" And in
Brewster's face Peggy seemed to read
that for her martyrdom was the only
wear. Bravely she put it on.
Monty, forget nothing that l real
ly know But this is a case in which
you are quite wrong. Where is your
sporting blood? You have never fought
a losing fight before, and you can't do
it now. You have lost your nerve,
DOh JOu oNt thub tliS 10 tIc
time for an aggressive campaign ?"
Somehow she was not saying things at
all as she had planned to say them,
and his gloom weighed heavily upon
her You don't mind, do you. Monty"
Che added more softly this sort of
thing from me? I know ought not to
interfere, but I've known you so long.
and hate to see things twisted by
very little mistake"
But Monty did mind enormously. He
had no desire to talk about the thing
anyway, and Peggy's anxiety to marry
him off seemed bit unnecessary. Man
ifestly her own interest in him was Of
the coolest. From out Of the gloom he
looked at her somewhat sullenly. For
the moment she was thinking only of
his pain. and her face said nothing.
Peggy" he exclaimed finally. re-
senting the necessity of answering her,
you don't in the least know what you
are talking about. 1t is not Il tit of an
ger on Barbara Drew's part 1t is Sc
riOus conviction"
"A conviction which can be changed"
Che girl broke in.
Not at ALL" Brewster took it up.
"She has no faith In me. She thinks
I'm an ass"
Perhaps she's right" she exclaimed,
a little hot. Perhaps you have never
discovered that girls say many things
to hide their emotions. Perhaps you
don't realize what feverish. exclamato-
ry. foolish things girls are. They don't
| ta ha 81,
they love, and they wouldn't II they
did. You are little short of an idiot,
Monty Brewster, II you believed the
things she said rather than the things
she looked"
And Peggy, fiery and determined and
defantly unhappy, threw down her
cards and escaped so that she might
not prove herself fearfully feminine
She left Brewster still heavily envel-
oped in melancholy, but she left him
puzzled. He began to wonder If Bar
bara Drew did have something in the
back of her mind. Then he found his
thoughts wandering off toward Peggy
and her defiance. He had only twice
before seen her in that mood, and he
liked it. He remembered how she had
lost her temper once when she was fif-
teen and hated girl he admired Sud
denly he laughed aloud at the thought
of the fierce little picture she had made
and the gloom which had been so sed-
ulously cultivated was dissipated in a
moment The laugh surprised the man
who brought in some letters. One Of
them was from Hopper Harrison and
gave him all the private news The ball
was to be given at mid-Lent, which ar
rived toward the end of March, and ne.
gotiations were well under way for the
chartering of the Filter, the steam
yacht belonging to Reginald Brown,
late Of Brown & Brown.
The letter made Brewster chafe I'M
der the bonds of inaction. His affairs
wprp Qattiup into n diScouro zinc state