Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-08
n52.9 }s}
WRITTEN FOR THE STAR By OHIO 3. sENGA
Copyright. 1906 by Ruby Douglasy

| as
Awaiting the arrival Of the carriage sent
| to convey her niece from the station. the
reflections of Mrs. Winthrop were OF a
character somewhat disturbing.
Suppose she should prove to be alto
Eether impossible! Oh. well.v grimly. IF
| she is too greatly lacking in the requisites.
1 can send her home again..
"Ah, Patriciar'
Mrs. Winthrop half rose and smiled WIN
ningly at the tall. slight girl who almost
ran across the great room to greet her.
Not a motion of the 1.-THE. graceful body
escaped the keen vision of Mrs. Winthrop.
She moved as a young princess might.
you look just as you have in my
dreams. Aunt Anne" cried the girl. de-
| lightedly.
Mrs. Winthrop looked the girl over with
critical, gratified eyes. as the removal OF
| form the beauty Of whose delicate curves
| the world-wise woman instantly recognized
Her cheeks were like apple blossom petals.
| the tints varying and changing with eacn
emotion. Her hair and eyes were very
dark, and 1t was only when the light shone
| fully into them that Mrs. Winthrop dis
| covered that the eyes were blue.
Mrs Winthrop made courteous inquiries
alert to discover possible inaccuracies or
| faulty intonations. Her mental comments
! ran on in satisfied undercurrent: voice
and manner perfect! Youth. beauty, grace
-ah,. Myles Carver. when you shall
sec"
T."I have SO longed to know you. dear
Aunt Anne" the girl exclaimed fervently;
IT have felt that you would be to me like
the mother lost when still so young that
cannot now remember"
1 The simple earnestness Of the girl
1 brought q strange. unwelcome thrill to the
| worldly heart Of Mrs. Winthrop. She
laughed. almost nervously.
1T must be on my guard or you will make
| me sentimental. l think you will be
pleasure to me, Patricia
The note which Mrs. Winthrop dis
| patched few days later informing her
| godson Of the arrival of her niece was the
| first intimation Mr.. Myies Carver nae ever
You must come to dinner. MY dear
Myles. and see the little thing and help me
| plan her debut. L cannot expect her to be
much Of a success socially, but I want to
give her an Opportunity-and you are old
enough to know what capitalized opportu-
nifty means In an old woman's letter.
Your affectionate godmother.
ANNE ADAMS WINTHROP.
Myles Carver. conceded to be the great
| est catch" among Boston's younger club
men, good-naturedly resolved to make the
young stranger a temporary social star.
and to marry her Off before the close of the
season.
"Evidently commonplace" he solilo-
Quized. well, there's Homer Brayton-it s
time he was married. 1 hope she isn't too
| He confided his resolve and his selection
Of Brayton to HIS godmother. who nodded
wisely and purred softly. II knew you
would help me, Myles dear"
He raised his aristocratc eyebrows in
surprise when the commonplace girl en-
tered the room. A slight diffidence at
meeting a stranger but added to Patricia's
fl.& v>o;-~ No.,
Wfnthrop's half-shut eyes observed the
| light Of artistic appreciation that leaped
into Carver's face.
He was surprised-Mrs Winthrop made
mental note of that-it was not easy to
surprise Myles Carver. Her satisfaction
| increased as the evening progressed. She
had not erred in sending for Patricia.
why haven't l seen her before? de-
| manded Carver, automatically. when alone
with his godmother. land where did she
acquire that quaint almost foreign fashion
Of speech? 1t is irresstibly charming
my brother married an Austrian-a lady
OF high birth. I never have seen the girl
until now. When shall we introduce her?
We must plan something unique, and"
it be well. Aunt Winthrop. to-not to
hurry? She is SO young. and-and-"
Perhaps you are right" indifferently.
her eyes looking of into space. and ap-
the unwonted light in Carver's dark face.
''1'll come again tomorrow earnestly,
land we can confer together
"And young Brayton?" resignedly.
"Oh, as to that-well. don't you see. Aunt
Winthrop, he isn't just the one-now I've
seen her. He-he has no soul-the girl is
miles beyond his comprehension. I'll
have to consider further Well talk about
1t tomorrow"
Not until he was outside the door did Mrs.
Winthrop permit herself to smile. and then
guardedly.
In the weeks that followed Patricia grew
fond Of her aunt and became accustomed
to the almost constant presence of her
aunt's godson. Mrs. Winthrop's love for
the girl threatened to rival her idolatry for
Carver.
In this paradise came a disturbing ele-
ment in the guise Of Carver's half-brother.
who should have been deep in his studies
in the art atmosphere" Of Paris.
Standish Buckhannon. slender, boyfsh,
beautiful as a beautiful woman. looked
straight into the deep blue eyes Of the
Princess Patricia and laughed softly in pure
pleasure.
$50 this is Patricia" holding her hand in
both his own. Mrs Winthrop wrote me
about you but she doesn't do you justice.
You are a stunner!!'
Mrs. Winthrop and Myles Carver were 81
lent from sheer CONSERVATION. but Patricia
returned the admiring gaze with level eyes
and laughed. too, like delighted child.
"You must take a strong grip on me-
Mylesy," holding out his hand to Carver
with smile no mortal could resist, cor l
shall steal Patsy there and run away with
her Great Gainsborough. isn't she joy!''
This was the footing upon which he i'm
mediately established himself. and no one
could rebuke him. He admired Patricia
as openly and enthusiastically as II she
had been a painting.
''Oh. Patsy DEAR" he would say, ait fairly
makes me ache to look at you and think
I don't know enough yet to put all that
bloom and beauty onto canvas"
Sex and a lack Of opportunity were all
that prevented Mrs. Winthrop from being
a great general She took Carver into
her confidence rgarding the apparent In
fatuation Of standish for her niece.
"Standish-Standish! You don't mean"
''You are not usually SO dense, Myles
dear; I mean Standish Buckhannon, your
half-brother. There is nothing against him
but his poverty-your mother made a great
mistake in marrying a poor southerner
when your fathers will allowed her only
small annuity. Standish has every other
requisite"
"But-but," protested Carver, "Standish
is-why, he is only twenty
HE Is nearly tWenty-one," calmly land