Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-10-19
ODE Deluge
BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS

toward the brougham.
He was turning all kinds of colors
and was acting in a way that puzzle,
me-then. Despite all my years in Ney
York l was ignorant OF the elaborat
social distinctions that had grown u
In It's Fifth avenu quarter. / knew
or course, that there was a fashionable
society and hat some Of the mos
conspicuous of those in ii seemed un,
able TO get used TO the idea OF beins
rich and We're in n state of great agi.
tation over heir own Importance. I'm.
portant they might be, but not to me
| knew nothing Of their careful grada-
tons of snObbism-the people TO know
socially, the people to know in a bust
ness way, the people 10 know in ways
religious and philanthropic. the people
TO know for the fun 10 be got out OF
them, the people TO pride oneself on
not knowing at all: the nervousness,
the hysterta about preserving these
disgusting gradatiOns. All this, / say.
was an undreamed-of mystery to me
VINO gave and took liking in the sensi-
Die, self respecting American fashion.
SO / didn't understand why Sam. as
l almost dragged him along, vas STAN
merlng: Thank you-but-I-she-
the fact is, we really must get uptown"
BY this time l was where | could
look into the brougham. a glance-I
can see much at a glance. as can any
EfW%AN "a u1N Vi GhNEN
year In an all-day fight for his purse
and his life, with the blows coming
from all sides. / can see much at a
glance; l often have seen much: | new
err saw more h just then. Instant
~ made up my mind that the Ell
terslys would unch with me. You've
got TO eat somewhere" said /. in a tone
that put an end 10 his attempts to
manufacture excuses. "Ill be de-
lighted to have you. Don't mak up
any more yarns"
he slowly opened the door. Anita"
sald ne. Mr.. Blackjack. He's invited
us to lunch.
lifted my hat. and bowed. l kept
my eyes straight upon hers. And il
gave me more pleasure to look into
them than | had eve before got out of
COOKING into anybody's. / am passion
ateIy FOND OF flowers. nd of children;
ahd her race reminded ms of both. Or,
rather, 1t seemed to me that what
mad seen, with delight and longing. in
complete in their freshness and beauty
ana charm. was now before me in the
iullness. | felt like saying to her. II
nave heard of you often. The children
anu the Mowers have told me you were
coming. Perhaps my eyes did say it.
Al any rate, she looked as straight at
me as at her, and | noticed that she
paIed a little n shrank-yet con-
tlnued 10 look, as IL l were compelling
her. But her voice, beautifully
clear, and lingering in the ears
IKE the resonance of the violin after
ane DOW has swept its strings and
hfted, was perfectly self possessed, as
she said to her brother: THAT will be
ueIghtful-lf you think we have time"
1 saw that she, uncertain whether he
wished to accept, was giving him a
chance to take either course. HE has
u~me-nothing but time" said L. His
engagements are always with people
amt TO get something out of him.
And they can wait" | pretended to
thipk he was expecting me to enter the
trap; l got in, seated myself beside her.
said to SAM: I've saved the little seat
FOR you. Tell your man to take us to
the Equitable building-Nassau street
entrance"
| talked a good deal during the first
half of the nearly two hours we were
tosether-partly because both Sam and
ms sister seemed under some sort Of
chiefly because | was deter
mined TO make a good impression.
.old her about myself, my horses, my
house In the country. my yacht. 1 tried
10 snow her | wasn't an ignoramus as
TO books and art, even if / hadn't been
10 college. She listened, while Sam sat
embarrassed. you must bring vour
sister down to visit me-" l said finally
see that you both nave the time
OF your lives. Make up a party of your
friends, Sam, and come down-when /
shall we say? Next Sunday? You know
you were coming anyhow. 1 can change
the rest of the party" ,
sam grew as red as If he were going
INTO apoplexy. / thought Their he was ,
AFRAID I'd blurt out something about
VINO were in the party l was proposing
% mango was soon to know better.
Thank you, Mr.. Blackjack" said his
5lSIcT. But Il nave an nQ1 pnrnnpt | f.
next Sunday. l have q great many :
just now. Without look !
.ng at my book / couldn't say when !
AN CO. This easily and naturally. In
her set they certainly do learn thor F,
that branch OF tact which plain +,
call lying. !
Sam gave her a grateful look, which I
thought l didn't see, and which | !
1ldnt rightly interpret-then. !
said he.
"All right" said L. And from that !
minute | was almost silent. 1t was
something in her tone and manner that
;ilenced me. | suddenly realized that {
wasn't making as good an impression }
had been flattering myself. :
When a man has money and is will
ng to spend it he can readily fool him >
self into imagining he gets on grandly Z
With m But l nae better grounds !
han that for thinking myself not UNI >
attractive to them. as a rule. Women
lad liked me when / had nothing; Y
a liked me when they didn't !
<now who l was. / felt that this wom- !
IN did not like me. And yet, by the y
way she loked at me in spite of her 4
efforts not to do so, / could tell that q
a some sort of unusual interest for 1
Ter. Why didn't she like me? She
me feel the reason. I didn't be- v
ong to her world. My ways and my /
ocks offended her. She disliked me n r
good deal. she feared me q little. She q
would have felt safer If she had been a
her curiosity. gazing In at I
ne through the bars of a cage. /
Where | nae been feeling and show S
my usual assurance, / now became
II at ease. i longed for them to be h
at the same time / hated to let h
Ter go--for. when and how would e
lee her again, would I get the chance
% remove her bad impression? 1t ir- L
me thus to be concerned about n
he sister of a man into my liking for 1
whom there was mixed much pity and a
contempt. But / am OF the dispo-
that, whenever l see an obstacle a
If whatever kind. / cannot restrain il
myself from trying to jump Ii. Here Ii
vas an obstacle-a dislike. To clear II 4
vas OF the smallest Importance in the
world. was a silly waste of time. Yet "
felt | could not maintain with my
'elf my boast that there were no OBJ