The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1906-12-13
Temper and
Green TuIIe

tspyns,t. pa ~ Rusy npuql..

, her oui u his mlnt sore put TO Il 10 he
! FREE aud Ms own man again. She was
: eapricsoas. lDconstsnt, vain, she was
self willed md full Of wilcs. she was
Oh. she was Alexandra Lee lie would
moi think Of ber.
A great deal that had happened tina,
night was blurred 10 him But the
bang ~ the carriage door an they
started home reverbcratcd In his mind
Hike the crack Of doom. II had slipped
from his hand and swung 10 with
crash. Alexandras laugh Knocked him
win any one else. George, Ia have
said the door slammed"
He remembered how she looked as
be turned. something strange in her
eyes that matched. In impression, the
misty multitudInous rulings and BIZ.
lowings OF her gown that frivolous,
auttering. elusive green tulle he had
watched all evening as she danced
with every other man IN the room
with Herbert Hartley. dawdling.
dangling derelirt, slgnpost to every
path but that OF rectitude OF all men
In the world, Herbert Hartley
From her carriage corner Alexandra
sighed "fve had such good time,
and now ! suppose there's the piper TO
pay"
III you mean there is Hartley to set.
tie for
HERBERT You've tone that hints
at thirdly and fourthly, brethren and
poor HERBERT He's SO much more OF
song than a sermon"
That began It, He had never meant
10 quarrel, only 10 deal with her In a
firm. prompt fashion as a man should
Firm, prompt he had been. with GER
tain ability OF exposition that served
him well In courts of law, but with
Alexandra
She bent down as he ended. Are
you there AlcxamdraY she asked OF
the door. Poor dear, there IL nothing
left to pick up. Oh. I'm tired tired
I'm stIfied. cant breathe. There. (
take II back" And she tossed the
ring across to him. Now one can
draw free breath"
Alexandria he begged
But he had cut. and she meant he 1
should pay And hers was a pretty I
gift OF table turning.
He held his anger down No more
doors should slam by chance about 4
him. and II was only as they neared
the house that he Interrupted.
nNIA Haven't .yufna1 antrfhtnfy this
way. Discuss me again. The point is
Herbert Hartley"
Then | must put on my bonds
again? Where is the rngf"
But he hadn't the ring.
You had II last"
81 laid IT in your lap"
But It was not in her lap nor the
seat nor the carriage. Alexandra
laughed oh thrifty George, are you !.
sure you've not taken 1t back for safe
keepingT
He stood a long moment Mt her door.
"And Hartleyf" he said
Insistence was match to her powder.
How can answer unless we're en-
gagged? And people can't be engaged
without rings, can they, George? You
fail TO remember. Bring 1t back to me
and good nightr
After week Of wrath mingled with
pain he got himself under control and
wrote her. But the answer came back
the same absurd, maddening almost
insulting relteraton--the ring, always
the ring. A pcrversity first or pre-
text, did she use II now as a weapon
He hadn't the ring, she knew
Life was turmoil once Alexandra Ell
tered. and he remembered with what
peryerse astuteness she had said her
self TIN like a mustard plaster on
your mind You'd better take me OF
before | raise blister"
But she was In every wind that blew
and without her nothing was worth
while that once had been.
SO for fortnight he had gone about
his accustomed ways, and, though
many a futter of familiar skirts had
set his heart a-jump, yet he never had
met Alexa since that night. Then
case Of some importance took him out
OF town with such sharp demand upon
all his faculties that he had known a
sort of respite.
But back In the town his work was
all to do again He went his way
down to his office; he bowed to peo-
pie who drove past with n swift hope
that Ale1a would not be with them.
And then unexpectedly with a group
near the Hurds--there was Alexa!
Yes. II was Alexandra and Evelyn
Hurd, and with them Herbert Hartley.
The group stood until he had almost ,
reached them, when Hartley turned,
and Evelyn went back to the house
while Alexa stopped by the Hurds
waiting carriage.
He knew she had seen him long be
fore, built was one Of her inslncerities
surprise He put sitter guard upon /,
himself I,
A sitter guard She called it by
another name. She hated him when :
he was like that How futile he made
her feel, how trivial, how vain! Well,
at least she would make him feel once
more and betray IL; she would wiring
out Of him protest =
And then her mind misgaye her. =
Was she being left with the situation a
on her handsi Would he accept with a
ont protest? Would he never speak, 9
She looked up and then down again 3
10 her ungloyed hand on which his r
eyes were fixed A seal ring Of Her
berts took the place OF the one That n
was lost A joke-a stupid joke-but /,
stupidity lent her stammering tongue. I,
George, George" she called after II
him. but she entreated only an lnhexi- G.
ble back With Herbert's name on her
lIps and Herbert's ring on her finger
she was indeed left committed TO the
situation the last Of her desiring. a
Alexandra Haunted Herbert Hartley o.
ia q r,s,.u folds face, shs. waved him II