Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-12-07

air OF SlaFAlg the care Oh Int
with the Almighty.
but even Monsoon could find nothing 10
c~riticise either In my apartment or in my
country house. And, by the way, ne
showed his limitations by remarking, after
he had inspected: Il must say, Slack
lock. your architects and decorators have
done well by you" AS If a mans sur
roundings were not the unfailing index to
himself, no matter how much money he
spends or how good architects and the like
he hires. AS If a man could ever buy good
taste.
/ vas pleased out Of all proportion TO its
value by what Ellersly and his wife looked
and sad. But, though ! watched Miss Eli
iersly closely, though 1 tried to draw from
her some comment on my b~elongings-on
my pictures, on my superb tapestries, on
the beautiful carving of my furnlture-I
got nothing from her beyond that first look
of surprise and pleasure. Her face re-
sumed its statIelike calm, her eyes did not
wander; her lips, like a crimson bow
painted upon her clear. white skin. re-
manned closed. She spoke only when she
was spoken to, and then as briefly as pos
sible. The dinner-and a mighty good din
ner 1t WaS--would have been memorable
for strain and silence had not Mrs, Oilers
ly kept UP her mcessant chatter. / can't
recall a word she said, but / admired her
for being able to talk at all. / knew she
was in the same state as the rest of us.
yet she acted perfectly as her ease; and
not until thought it over aftcrward did ]
realize that she had done all the talking,
except answers to her occasional and cley-
erly-sprinkled direct questions.
Ellcrsly sat opposite me. and / was irri-
tated, Il thrown into confusion, too.
every time | lifted my eyes. by the
crushed. criminal expression of his face.
He ate and drank hugely-and ex-
tremely bad manner it would nave been
regarded in me had | made as much noise
as he, or lifted such quantities at a time
into my mouth. But through his noisy
gluttony he managed somehow to main
tain that hang-dog air-like a thief who
has gone through the house and, on his
way out, has paused at the pantry, with
the sack of plumber beside him. to gorge
himself.
looked at Anita several times. each
time with a carefully framed remark
ready; each time / found her gaze on me-
and l could say nothing. could only look
away in a sort Of panic. Her eyes were
strangely variable. l nave seen them Of a
gray, so pale that it was almost silver
like the steely light of the snow line at the
edge of the horizon: again, and they were
so that evening, they shone with the
deepest, softest blue, and made one think,
as one looked at her, of a fresh violet
hACHSil ~ Al DUCK Ul tlCdI ICE.
l sat behind her in the box at the
theater. During the first and second inter-
missions several men dropped in TO speak
to her mother and hcr-fellows who didn't
ever come down town, but / could tell they
knew who | was by the way they ignored
me. 1t eXaspcrated me to a pitch of fury,
that coldly insolent air of theirs-a jerky
nod at me without SO much as a glance,
and no notice of me when they were leav-
inc M hoy haNppI a faint S11oaraitiOIIc
smile as thoy passed with eyes straight
ahead. / knew what It meant, what they
were thinking-that the "Bucket-Shop
King" as the newspapers had dubbed me,
was trying to use old ElIersly's necessities
as a Jimmy and break into society"
When the curtain went down for the last
intermission. two young men appeared: /
did not get up as / had before, but stuck
to my seat-l had reached that point at
which courtesy has become cowardice.
They crancd and strained at her round
me and over me, presently gave up and
retired, Disgusting their anger as contempt
for the bad manners of a bounder. But
that disturbed me not a ripple, the moro
as / was deiighting in a consoling dis
covery. Listening and watching as she
talked with these young men, whom she,
evidently knew well. 1 noted that she was
distant and only politely friendly in man
ner h~abitually, that while the ice might
thicken for me, 1t was there always. I
knew enough about women to know that,
if the woman who can thaw only for one
man Is the most difficult, she is also the
most constant. 'Once she thaws toward
me-" I said to myself.
When the young men had gone, 1 leaned
forward until my head was close to hers,
to her hair--finc, soft, abundant, electric
hair. Like the infatuated fool that / was,
/ tore out all the p~igeon-holes of my brain
In search of something TO say to her,
something that would start her TO thinking
well of me. She must have felt my breath
upon her neck, for she moved way
slightly, and it seemed to me a SILVER
yisibly passed over hat wonderful white
kin of hers.
+ drew back and in~Voluntarily said, BEG
| pardon. / glanced at her mother and it
was my turn to shudder. ] can't hope to
give an accurate impression of that stony,
mercenary, mean face. There are looks
that paint upon the human countenance
the whole OF a life, as a fash of lightning
paints upon the blackness of the night
miles on miles Of landscape. That look of
Mrs. Ellersly's-stern disapproyal at her
daughter, stern command that she be
more civil, that she unbend-showed me
the old woman's soul. And / say that no,
OLD harpy presiding over a dive is more,
full of the venom of the hideous calcu-
IIdtlOES OF the market IpI ubSn ana DlOOu
than is "a woman whose life is wrapped up
in wealth and show.
III you wish it," | said, on impulse, to
Miss E,lIersly in a low voice, Il shall never
try TO see you again.
/ could feel rather than see the blood
suddenly beating i'm her skin, and there
was in her voice a nervousness very like
fright as she answered.: I'm sure
mamma and | shall be glad to see you
whenever you come
"You?" l persisted.
yes she said, after "A brief hesitation.
"Glad?' L persisted.
She s~miied-the faintest ohange in the
perfect curve of her lips. You are very
persistent. aren't your
esyery.' I answered. That is why ]
have always got whatever l wanted"
Il admire 1T, said she.
mo you don't" ! replied. You think
Il is vulgar, and you think / am vulgar
because / nave hat quality-that and
some others"
She did not contradict me.
.sWeil. | am vulgar-from your stand.
point 1 went on. II lave purposes ano
passions. And / pursue them. For in.
stance, you
40" she said TRANQUILITY.
you L repeated. Il made up my mine
the first day l saw you that I'd make yol
like me And-you will