Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-12
CHAPTER v.
"After the Opera is Over

IN the listless, desultory manner of those
who have not gone home till morning. till
daylight did appear. The dominant note
OF a summer cottage Is the rocking chair,
and there were two in the sewing room,
where Katherine and Dorothy swayed gent
" back and forth they talked. They sat
close to the low, broad window which pre-
sented so beautiful a picture of the blue
bay and the white shipping. The huge
CONSERVATION lay moored with her broad
side toward the town. all sign of festYlty
already removed from hull and rigging,
and. to the scarcely slumber-satished eyes
of the girls, something or the SADNESS OF
departure seemed to hang as haze around
the great ship. The girls were not discuss
ing the past but rather anticipating the
future; forecasung It, with long, silent
pauses Intervening.
so you Will not stay with US? You are
determined to turn your wealthy back on
the poor kempt family katherine was
saying.
But 1 shall return to the Kempt family
now and then, If they will let me. l mus
get away for a time aui think My HE
has suddenly become all topsy-turvy, and /
need 10 get my bearings, as does salp
that has been through = storm and lost
her reckoning"
She dunno where size are. as the song
says"
Exactly: that Is the state of things"
Il think it's too bad. Dorothy, that you
6id not allow US TO make Iublic announce
lleut OF your SOOG fortune. just Imagine
what ovation you would have had on
board the cruiser last night If 1t had seen
known that the richest woman in that as
semblage a pretty, shy little creature
sitting all by herself, and Eever INDUCING
in even one dance"
Il shouldn't IN the least care for that
sort of ovation, Kate, and If every one pres
ent We're as well pleased with the festivi-
ties as 1, they must all have enjoyed them
selves immensely. l believe my friend Kate
did my share of the dancing as well as her
own"
She danced, and she danced, and she
danced them a din 1 think those are the
words of the Scottish song that the prince
quoted He seems UP in Scottish poetry and
does not even resent being called Scotch
man. This energetic person of the song
seems TO have danced them all to a stand
still as I understood him, for he informs
me "a means all and din means done
but l told him I'd rather learn Russian
than Scotch; II was so much easier and his
highness was good enough to laugh at that.
alp -
"Oh. yes, he did"
And you refused?'
II refused"
II didn't think he had sense enough to
ask a girl to dance"
You are ungrateful, Katherine. Remem-
Der he introduced YOU to the prince"
Yes. that's so. / had forgotten. l shall
never say anything against him again"
You like the prince then2'
"Of all the crowned heads. emperors,
kings. sultans. monarchs of every descrip-
ton, dukes. counts. earls. marQuises whom
have met and who have pestered my
life asking me to share their royal per-
quisites. 1 think l may say quite truth
fully that I like this Jack Lamont better
than any one of them
surely, Prince Jack has not offered you
his prinCipality already"
No, but with an eye to the future I
have persuaded him to give up Tolstoi and
read Mark Twain, who IS not only equally
humorous but much more sensible than
the Russian writer. Jack must not be al
lowed to give away his estates TO the peas
ants as his silly sister has done. may need
them later on"
"Oh, you've got that far, have your
u have got that 1ar; he hasn't. he
doesn't know anything about it, but I'll
wake him up when the right time comes.
There are many elements OF sanity about
him. He told me that he intended to give
up his estates. but in the first place he had
been too busy and in the second place he
needed the money HIS good sense, how
ever, requires refining, so that he may get
rid OF the dross. / don't blame him; /
blame IolstOI For instance. when / asked
him II he had patented his liquid city In
ventiOn, he said he did not wish to make a
profit from his discovery but intended IL
for the good of humanity at large Imagine
such an idOtic idea thatr'
Il think such views are entirely 10 his
credit" affirmed Dorothy.
"Oh. of course. but the plan Is not prac-
ticaUle. II he allows such an invention TO
slip through his fingers, the Standard Oil
people will likely get hold OF IT, form a mo-
nOpoiy, and then where would humanity at
large be? l tell him the right way IS to
patent II. make all the money he can and
use the cash for benehting humanity under
the direction Of some charitable person like
myself"
Ibid you suggest that 10 him?"
J. did not intimate VINO the sensible per-
son was, but eIucldated the principle OF
the thing
Yes and what did he say?'
Many things Dorothy many things AT
one time he became confidential about his
possessions In foreign lands 1t seems he
owns several castles. and when he visits |
any Of them he cannot prevent the mouJiks |
u that is the proper term for the peasantry |
over there. from prostratlng themselves on
the ground as he passes by beating their
foreheads against the earth and chanting,
r. choice Russian. the phrase. Defer defer |
here comes the lord high eXe-utioner.' OF
words TO that effect I told him l didn't
see why he should interfere with so pic
tlresquc custom, ana he said II visited
one OF his castles that these estimabIe peo-
PIE az q word from him. would form a cor
ouru} rIat in the mud with their bodies.
So that ] might step dry-shod from the
carriage 70 the castle doors, and l stipulat-
90 that hs should at least spread bit OF
stair carpet over the poor wretches before
/ made my progress across his front yard
Well You did become confidential II you
discussed visit 20 Russia
prove OF my forward conduct?"
u ann sure You acted with the utmost
prudence. Kate
y didn't lose any time though, did /"
'l dom. know row much time is required
20 attain the point OF friendship you reach
cd ] ara inexperienced 1t is true I have
read pf love at first sight, and I am merely
waiting 20 he told whether or not this Is an
Instance or IL"
.oH you are very difndent, aren't you,
sitting there so hsshfuIlyr'
Il may seem timid or bashful. but It's
merely sleeplHoss"
You're bit OF a humbug. Dorothy"
'Why7'
Il don't know why hut you are. No. II
was not case OF love at first sight. 1t was
case OF feminine vengeance. Yes. you
may look surprised. but I'm telling the
truth After ] walked so proudly of with
his hsgh mightiness. we had a most agree
able dance together; then l proposed to re-
turn TO you. but the young man would not
have II go. and Tor the moment / felt fiat
tered BY and by l became aware how
ever. that It was not because OF my COM
pany he avoided your vicinity, but that he
was sacrificing himself for his friend
What friend2'
Lieut.. Drummond, Of course"
"IIow was he sacrificing himself for
Lieut.. Drummond?'
II surmise that the tall lieutenant did not
fall a victim to my wiles as / had at first