, 1906-12-21
E~E-~N~--N~~N~E
lOn Fashion'sS
{ Highway |
BY FRANCES RIVERS
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
Nv FRANCES RIVERS
Acknowledgements

Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles.)
Toward five o'clock, on a supremacy
hot July day, MI. Godfrey Boyne
strolled leisurely along the gravel
path Of the promenade.
He loitered, seemingly at random,
making his way slowly between groups
Of animated people, stopping for no
reason, and remained idly agaze v e
the heads of the crowd on fashions
highway.
Amongst these men, Immediately
valeted, in all this fashionable life
which, motley and picturesque, dis
played its plumage in the sunshine to
the envy of the questionable in the
| shade, he was an alien, made so by
ten years expatriation.
At any rate, he thought, applying
this recollection az healing JUNCTION to
the scratches imprinted on his vanity
by the acid of such general forgetful-
ness, Audrey has remembered; and he,
smiling, recalled the facility with which
intimacy with Lady Annandale had
been resumed; the friendly informal
ity with which she had reentered into
relations with him; the ~bewildering
immensely of her social influence; the
celebrity which, at first as the wife,
then as the widow, of a viscount, no
torious in caree n memory for his
many vices, she had acquired.
He had taken himself to Fash
ions highway, the purpose of
joining Lady Annandale being less
distinct in his thoughts than the wish
to see her. So Immersed was he in
reflection that he failed to notice that
a victoria had stopped opposite to
him. Suddenly q footman addressed
him:
81 beg your pardon, sir" said he,
"but her ladyship sent me to say that
she wishes to speak to you"
Godfrey turned; Lady Annandale
was stepping from the carriage.
You can go home" said she to the
footman.
Very good, my lady"
Then she gave to Godfrey her hand.
This place" she glanced round at
the radiant prospect-"seems scarce
ly the spot suited to serious discus
sion. We might, perhaps, over there"
So, side by side, Lady Annandale
and Mr.. Godfrey Boyne walked across
the soft, green turf and established
themselves upon chairs under the
sweet-scented lime trees, whose shell
tering boughs masked them from OBJ
servation.
He beamed amiably round.
This is certainly very NICE" he as.
sented.
Il have brought you here, that you
may continue your last nights inter,
rupted account of the woman with
whom you were in love-" said she.
WAS in love? It's absurd to use
the past tense. l am in love with her.
Love is not a state from which you
can recover as from a n epidemic. !
am, Of course, speaking Of the real
thing"
Il see; something other than firt-
alton"
Filtration is but the froth OF
love-"
Lady Annandale laughed. Passion!
does your real thing include that?"
dSSlou 4 lOfCo ule5o, DtSlutS
being Cupid's pseudonym for the work
he is ashamed to acknowledge"
II had no idea l was speaking to
an expert; but how, may l ask, did
you come to study the subject so pro-
foundly?"
In Ceylon, beyond loves influence,
I devoted some attention to the sci
ence.'
She raised her eyebrows.
rs that all you learned?
THAT, and to make money"
etc make money!"
Certainly. I'm a wealthy tea-plant-
er OF Ceylon."
"a wealthy tea-planter, did you
say? But to return to your love-" she
suggested.
"You can't return to a thing you've
nevel parted from, can you?"
"Tlen you know more of the sub
ject?'
"a great deal more"
"Htw much?"
Here it is. I see a boy and girl,
the joyful intimacy of their childhood
deepening into the poetry of youth"
And, of course, the girl knows that
the boy loves herr"
naturally; since not an hour Of
the lay passes but he tells her 3d."
Tells her? Surely not"
"By every means in his power, ex-
cept his tongue. He doesn't put it
into words, because he knows that to
do Sc would be hopeless If she doesn't
understand without that"
"Dn't you think she might make
a mistake If he says nothing?"
"Eit she must know that he dreams
his of the flu -ure, in which, hay
ing made a nest and lined it softly
with down, he will come to her and
say: 1t awaits you Then he hopes
that with the gracious spirit mani
festin all her bearing, the girl, with
love and tenderness shining from her
eyes. would, putting her hand in his,
say I am ready"
bur vision is charming, idyllic;
butlow about the girl and her dreary
day of waiting, for I suppose the boy
to hive gone OF into the world?"
'Te had to go into it to fill his
mas part"
iefore going he should have told
heIin words of his love-"