The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-07-04
The Quarrel
BY KEITH GORDON
Copyright, 1905, BY Frances Wilson

line side, while she, being every inch a
woman, could see only the feminine as
pect of the matter that rose between
them like wall.
According to his reasoning, the great
finger Of her left hand-his gift-was
the solemn, final expression Of his
faith, his choice. II was the official seal
affixed to his avowed belief that she
was the supreme woman.
In his deeper, finer moments he would
reliye the moment when he had put 1t
there, when the splendor Of his own
destiny had sobered and steadied him
till his whole being had gone out in the
wordless prayer. God grant that may
make her happy"
From that moment she was the fixed
star Of his life. Indeed, she scarcely
seemed to him separate entity, but
rather the finest part of himself. And
this was where the trouble began. He
was dashing and debonair, and the
armament Of his life was strewn with
stars of lesser magnitude, mere pin
heads beside her, but in the aggregate
by no means without interest and beau
ty. That they were feminine stars goes
without saying, and If there were mo-
ments when they shone and twinkled
for his especial benefit how could he
do less than to acknowledge the COM
pliment7
To him 1t seemed no more than a
laughing byplay, the light, graceful
variation of the grand love theme of
his life. But the fixed star saw it diff
ferently-saw it with eyes that deepen
ed and darkened with tragedy which,
after a few weeks of smoldering, burst
into the fame Of anger
Never, perhaps. had she appeared to
him so superb, so obviously queen Of
had faced him, white with scorn, and
accused him in plain, brutal, everyday
English Of being firt.
At first sheer amazement held him
silent. But from the torrent Of words
that rushed from her lips he was soon
in possession Of the sum of his Of
fenses-hls attentions to Miss Lincoln,
his evident enjoyment of the society Of
Mrs. Colin Stuart, not to mention Bet
ty Pell and Lucia Armitage!
AS Van Pelt listened to the cutting
words of his f1ancee bis first amazement
gradually CONCEALED into something
else. He had paid some attentions to
Miss Lincoln, who was a visitor and
friend Of his sister, and Mrs. Stuart
had asked him for dinner or so, and,
as for Betty and Lucia, he never miss
ed chance to join them. Had they
not been comrades since the days when
their nurses wheeled their perambu-
lators to the park side by slider
And, though he had frequently en-
countered Flavia under these circum-
stances, no hint Of his possible displeas-
ure had ever occurred to him. She
was she not the only one, so near, so
much part Of himself, that there was
no more need for explanation than
there was to his own soul? So at these
encounters his eyes had leaped to meet
hers without self consciousness and
without apology.
At first her confidence met his
nobly. Then little gnawing doubts
crept In. She would have liked him to
protest, for, alas, she was but a wom-
an! And sometimes the high, white
place of his soul, where he kept her
enthroned, made her SILVER and long
to be petted and scolded. And IN
place of that he made her a goddess,
supposedly with the power of reading
hearts.
you have-quite f1nished2"
His cool, drawing voice filed her
first pause with an icy suavity, and the
steel of his eyes met the fire of hers
unfinchingly. Involuntary she caught
her breath. He not only showed no
inclination to explain, to exculpate
himself, but he had the look of a man
who has received a mortal wound,
whose deepest feelings have been
mercilessly scoffed at, jeered at, tram
pied in the mire
At the words her heart turned to
ice. Truth to tell, her outbursts had
nothing more serious than the quick
resentment of a warm hearted, high
5DlkAlCQ WOuudA at u 1uuCIoQ nSAlSCL
from the man she adored A pair of
open arms and eyes that loved back,
begging for tolerance and forgiveness
that was what she wanted and ex-
pected. But this man with the hard
glance and the inclsive, cold voice
what had she done?
Despite her terror the world old bat
10 h0k III,
in her heart, and it was pride that won.
"Finished?" she queried bitterly,
with an infection that conveyed that
If she ceased it was by no means be-
cause she had reached the end of the
list. 1--WE will call it so at least" And
with the words she drew off the ring
and held it out to him. He received it
with a low bow.
Obviously the episode was ended.
But at the door he turned back.
when you have thought the matter
over more calmly you may possibly
have something to say to me. give
you one week to reconsider"
His mastery of himself, his unyleld-
ing resistance to her, thrilled her
through and through. Never had she
loved him so absolutely, but there was
no trace of her feeling in her hooking
reply.
"a weeks grace! So good of you'll"
she laughed rather wildly. "And yet
do you know, 1t is seven days more than
I shall need. l shall never
But he had gone. A moment later she
heard the street door close with an ON
nous bang. She stood stupidity in the
middle Of the room trying to realize
that there was no future-nothing but
dreary waste that belied the name
ahead of her. Then she looked at her
left hand, now so bare, so naked, no
longer hand consecrate, but SIMPLY a
womans hand shorn of all its sweet
significance, it's badge of dear depend
ence gone.
A clock struck the hour In silver
tones, fetching her back to the dull
present oh, yes, Mrs. Colin Stuart's
tea. She must go to that whatever hap
pened; she must go to everything and be
gay, gay, gay! Otherwise people would
say ulHI she cared. lie mlgnL even
think that she did The thought made
her cheeks burn. And gay she was, so
gay indeed that more than one of her
friends turned long, inquiring looks up
on her, looks full of puzzled questioning
Once during the week of respite she
met him, but at his cold, impassive
greeting the little choking gladness that
the sight of him had brought and which
FOR fleeing second shook her with its
expectancy flickered out He had bow
ed with cold courtesy-and passed on
But one thought stood out clearly In
the 1nIaral s.n1,f 1,cI.,ra &c hc.,. dorz.nl..