Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-09

pQra . ru0enssS In the nQSh OF Doras pre-
tended sorrow for IL SO they forgave each
other. or said they did, and then Dora ex-
planned herself. She declared that she had
not the least intention OF any wrong. You
see, Ethel, what fool the man Is about
me. Somebody says we ought to treat a
fool according to his folly. That Is all
was doing / am sure Basil is so far above
Fred Mostyn that / could never put them
in comparison-and Basil knows 1t. He
trusts me-
Very well, Dora. II Basil knows 1t. and
trusts you. 1 have no more to say. am
now sorry 1 named the subject"
Never mind, we will forget that Il was
named. The fact is, Ethel. 1 want all the
fun l can get now. When l am Basil's
wife l shall have to be very sedate. and OF
course not even pretend to know If any
other man admires me. Little lunches with
Fred, theater and opera parties. and even
dances will be over with me. Oh, dear,
how much l giving up for Basil! And
sometimes I think he never realizes how
dreadful II must be for me"
You will have your lover all the time
then. Surely his constant companionship
will atone for all you relinquish''
Take OF your coat and hat, Ethel and
sit down comfortably. / don't know about
Bashs constant companionship. Tete-a-
tetes are tiresome affairs sometimes.
yes replied Ethel she half-reiuc
family removed her coat. they were bore
undoubtedly even in Paradise. l wonder If
Eve was tired of Adams conversation. and
il that made her listen to-the other party.
! am SO glad you mentioned that circum-
stance, Ethel | shall remember It. Some
day, no doubt, shall have 10 remind Basil
or the failure of Adam to satisfy Ewes idea
of perfect eompanionship. And Dora put
her pretty, jeweled hands up to her ears and
laughed low, musical laugh with a child
ish note of malice running through It.
This pseudo-reconcliation was not con-
ducive to pleasant intercourse. After
short delay Ethel made an excuse for an
early departure. and Dora accepted It with
out her usual remonstrance, The day had
been one of continual friction, and Dora
irritable pettishness hard to bear because
it had now lost that childish unreason
which had always induced Ethers patience,
for Dora had lately put away all her ig
norant imma turtles. She had become
person of Importance, and had realized the
fact The young ladies of St Jude's had
made pet of their revered rector's love,
and the elder ladies had also shown
marked interest in her. The Dennings' fine
house was now talked about and visited.
Men of high financial power respected Mr..
Dan DeEning, and advised the special rec
ignition of his family; and Mrs. Denntng
was now found more eccentric than many
other of the new rich. who had been toll
Grated in the ranks of the older plutocrats.
Even Bryce had made the standing he de-
sired. He was seen with the richest and
idlest young men, and was invited to the
best houses Those fashionable women
who had manageable daughters considered
him not ineligible, and men temporarily
hampered for cash knew that they could
find smiling assistance for a consideration
at Bryce's little Office on William street.
These and other points of reflection
troubled Ethel, and she was glad the long
trial was nearing its end, for she knew
quite well the disa greement of that even
ing had done no good. Dora would Ger
tainly repeat their conversation, in her own
way of interpreting it, to both Basil Stan
hope and Fred Mostyn. More than likely
both Bryce and Mrs. Denning w9uld also
hear how her innocent kindness had been
misconstrued; and in each case she could
imagine the conversation that took place,
and the subsequent bestowal OF plying,
Scornful or angry feeling that would
insensibly find its way to her consciousness
without any bird Of the air to carry it.
She felt, too, that reprisals OF any kind
were out of the question. They were not
only impoHtic they were difficult. Her
father had an aversion to Dora, and was
likely to seize the first opportunity for re-
questing Ethel to drop the girls acqualnt-
ance. Ruth also had urged her to with
draw from any active part in the wedding.
strengthening her advice with the assul-
ance that when a friendship began to de-
cline it ought to be abandoned at once.
There was only her grandmother to go
to- and at first she did net find her at all
interested in the trouble. She had just
had a dispute with her milkman, was in
clined to give him all her suspicious and
all her angry words-"an imperunent,
cheating creature" she said; and then
Ethel had to hear the history of the
months cream and of the milkman's extor-
ton, with the old lady's characteristic dec
laration:
Il told him plain what I thought OF his
ways but l paid him every cent l owed
him. Thank God, am not unreasonable
Neither was she unreasonable when Ethel
finally got her to listen to her own serious
grievance with Dora.
IF you must have a woman for q friend,
Ethel you must put up with womanly
ways: and it is best to keep your mouth
shut concerning such ways. hate TO see
you whlmpering and whining about wrongs
you have been cordially inviting for weeks
and months and years"
Grandmother"
Eyes, you have been sowing thorns for
yourself and then you go unshod over
them I mean that Dora has this fine
Clergyman, and Fred Mostyn, and her
brother and mother, and father all on her
side; all of them sure that Dora can 90
no wrong, all of them sure that Ethel, poor
girl must be mistaken, or prudish, or
jealous, or enYious.'
"Oh, grandmother, you are too cruel!
why don't you have few friends on
your own side?
.tFather and Ruth never liked Dora. And
Fred-I told you how Fred acted as soon
as he saw heri"
There was Royal Wheelock. James Snt-
ton. or that handsome Dick Potter. Why
didn't you ask them TO join you at your
lunches and dances? You ought to have
pillared your own side A girl without her
beaux is always on the wrong side or the
girl with beauX is against her
1T was the great time of Dora ire.
wished her to have all the glory of it.
"An her own share-that was right All
Of your share also-that was as wrong as 1t
could be-.
Clifton is yachting, Royal and | had a
little misunderstanding, and Dick Potter Is
too ELUSIVE
But Dicks .effusveness would have been
a good thing for F'reds effusiveness. Two
men can't go on a complimentary ran-tan
at the same table. They freeze one another
out That goes without saying. But Dora's
are none of your business while
she is under her fathers roof; and l don't
know IL she hadn't friend IN the world
if they would be your business. l have al
ways been against people trying TO do the
work of them that are above US. We are
told they seek and they save, and it's likely
they will look after Dora in spite OF her
being so unknowing of herself to marry
a priest in surplice. when a fool in motley
would have been more the thing.
Il don't want to quarrel with Dora. After
all, 1 like her. We have been friends
long time
We'll then. don't make enemy Of her
One hundred friends are too few against
one enemy. One hundred friends will wish
you well and one enemy viii do you i'll.
.,n{J Tai fha .-orTd NynrT