Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-10-18

told herself somewhat grandiosely, I
and certainly the corpse had shown
no sign Of life until this afternoon,
when a girls nonsense drew that fash |
from mans eye and that instructive !
cruel response from herself.
Edward Banks was an elder son OF
the house by another marriage. He
was removed by age and certain dif-
ference, not SO much age as change
of mental outlook, from the merry.
pleasure-loving throng Of half broth
ers and sisters, whom he secretly
protected from themselves at every
turn. There was nothing superior in
his attitude. "Old Ted" was looked
up to laughingly, yet with much ear
nestness underneath the fun, as ming
ling in himself the joint roles of an
autocrat and a most susceptible chan
cellor of exchequer. He was inevita-
| bly, the arbiter of family destinies In
his quiet, conclusive way Of decision.
Barbara stepped into the family at
| titude straightway. Oddly enough.
although her years and his own tai
lied, she regarded him much as his
young sisters did, to his own amuse.
| ment at first. Lately vague douht
crept in. It was never expressly de-
| fined. not even when his flashing eyes
set her pulses dancing on the summer
afternoon when they sat looking at
the blue waters of the bay beyond
| the tamarisk bushes at the garden
end.
She escaped with only one thought
not that-not that again! A line OF
Browning came to her, then and later
as the situation developed:
She had
A heart-how shall l say?-too soor
made glad,
y Too easily impressed.
It was not comment that woule
have come from anybody else on thi'
girl with the brown hair, and eyes
which few looked long enough to nm
the hidden light that sometimes re
| deemed them from insignificance t
positive beauty. Edward Banks ma
!. discovered the latter and he locke
again. always to encounter that II
, slant withdrawal of the vague some
" thing that tanta1ized him beyond tn
soft reticence of voice and eye, tns
echoed in and out Of the music 81
II nlaved to herself of an evening IN u
% shadows of the great, and, as 81
d. thought, empty drawing room
g He watched and waited. Baroa1
ly e1uded more than ever. He told hl1
self that he was too old to make e
q. periments. he must be sure, thoui
,e averv dav caution became harder; 81
x felt that what had been was retul
er ing. and would not let hersei1 5
X. the difference of this, the real tnlI
ed from that old imitation passion.
es He hid his feelings far less clever
~, than he imagined from their obje
nd She was continually averting TN
in slight expression, scheming agall
Ith betrayal and against her own respon
ne. day after day, until she felt 1orceo
nj art She dispatched letter tt
de- would bring her telegram
led she would fly. -,
arb She looked across the gay dln1
yirl table and out of the oriel WINDOW
the pauses of laughter and talk OF
Goa came like a faint song betWs
=: the nauses of laughter an dtalk OF
nleasant company, vague, sad
So frain of waves that Tapped the
.,1u of the cliff below the gardens.
.oi Barbara thought, not OF the pea
~ of the evening, but OF how oesol
she would be tomorrow nlgnt d.
'.,s from them all, alone! The souno
her own name broke In.
ls1e' "why! You will be all by y
en &c selves tonight, Ba, you ana leu
hod forgotten we are all going ou
ne this pastoral play rehearsal tn
uo. How rude of us''-the speaker la
e'n. Nv ed without penitence. you must
" tertain one another, Ba; play 10
Old Ted would like that
le . "He would" interpolated EdW
len .And if he's good he may sn
SUN un in the drawing-room; he could n
, .ar ~ be happy after dinner thout.
ue' Couldn't hep Barbara ave
% W., the glance direct across tne u
49, table.
.sa,f They went off in body oes
con. fiddles, mandolin, guitar anu
had properties. I'VE snail DC p~o
she ten"