The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-11-28

long time, two seasons, ana she had
met him every winter at dinners and
swell dances. But this summer 1t had
been different Asquith said 1t was
fate Helene thought 1t the most deli
cious bit of maneuvering love had ever
managed.
The rest of the family had gone to
Europe. Helene had hesltated. Be
tween an automobile tour of Brittany
and the Baltic coast and a quiet sum-
mer with her married cousin at Larch-
mont she had chosen Larchmont. AS
quith was a member of the yacht club
at Larchmont Every morning from
the broad veranda at Bayview cottage
she could see him out on the rocks,
sketching before sunrise.
They were splendid rocks, huge,
gaunt and gray; they rose raggedly
from the water at low tide. Ike the
bodies Of some submerged sea mon
sters. One could walk TO them easily,
stepping over little pools left by the
tide and stray strands of seaweed, and
one morning Helene walked TO them,
slim and sweet and fresh as the dawn
shoes. 1t was the shoes that did 1t.
When Asquith turned at her call for
help he found her standing in one of
the pools, and the white shoes were
ruined
Helene glanced up at the wall. A
little water color hung near her, some
gray rocks in a rose tinted sea. with
o. tn, hn
She smiled at it happily. They had
sat up there together that morning, and
she had taken off her shoes and stock
| ings-the precious ruined shoes and
stockings-and that had been all.
And Asquith had said 1t was fate.
| She laughed again. He was such a
boy, after all. She stopped to pick up
her gloves and stopped short to look
| at something lying on the floor at her
feet 1t was merely a hairpin. She
! picked 1t up and looked at 1t curiously
Her own hairpins were brown tortoise
shell ones to match her hair. This one
was gold, a small insidious gold wire
affair, very cheap and very dainty.
! The laugh was gone from her lips.
In its place was look Of wonderment,
| of almost fear. There had been a wo-
man in Hugh's studio, woman with
blond hair, who wore gold wire hair
pins, who dropped gold wire hairpins
around promiscuously. And Hugh had
told her he never painted the figure
More than that, he had told her that
no one knew of his den in the attic ex-
cept herself and a few close friends.
He had no patrons, no buyers Of pic
lures, because as yet he had never sold
any. All Of his relatives were in En-
rope too. If the halrpin did not belong
to a model, whom did 1t belong tor
With a sudden fierce impulse, she
threw the hairpin away from her. It
fell with a tiny clink against the wall.
Almost instantly she had repented.
After all, it was purely a personal
affair with Hugh, In which she had
no part. He had not expected her to
visit hil studio. She had no right to
resent another element of femininity
which she had found there. Even If
he did have models 1t was probably
necessary. All artists had to study
from life sooner or later. But was 1t
necessary that they should have hair
that matched gold hairpins2
She arose and crossed the room to
where the hairpin had fallen. For a
moment she held it in her hand irreso-
lutte. Then slowly she laid it on his
table, and beside 1t she left the new
solitaire ring. 1t would be enough. She
knew that he would understand. AS
she turned to the door her eyes filed
with a sudden rush Of binding tears
and as she felt for the latch it lifted
and the door opened.
1t was not Asquith. On the landing
outside stood a girl, plump, rosy cheek
ed and red haired, holding up her
skirts In one hand and a pail of scrub
water in the other.
"Oh, l thought Mr.. Asquith was
home" she said apologetically. "I just
cleaned up his place, maam, and ]
guess 1 lost one of my hairpins. It's 9
little wire one, but 1 need it to keep my
pug up tight"
II laid it on the table," said Helene
gently. The girl set the pail down on
the stairs and secured the hairpin, fas
tening up her tumbling red curls with
1t deity.
Thank you, ma'am," she called as
she went downstairs, and Helene wen
back to the table and slipped the rine
: in its old place just as Asquith came
up the stairs.