Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-10-19

CNh~ 49,
toward the brougham.
He was turning all kinds of colors
and was acting In q way that puzzled
me-then. Despite all my years in New
York | was ignorant OF the elaborate
social distinctions that had grown III
in its Fifth avenue quarter. / knew
Of course, that there was q fashionabl,
society and hat some of the most
conspicuous of those in it seemed un,
able to get used to the idea OF being
rich Inc were in a state of great agi-
tation over their own Importance. Inn
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 TO know In ways
religious and philanthropic, the people
TO know for the fun to be got out OF
them, the people 20 pride oneself on
not knowing at all; the nervousness,
the hysteria about preserving these
disgusting gradations. All this, | say,
was an undreamed-of mystery TO me
who gave and took liking in the sensi-
ole, self-respecting American fashion.
So | didn't understand why Sam, as
| almost dragged him along, was STAN
mering: Thank you-but-I-she-
h fact is, we really must get uptown
BY this time / was where / could
look into the brougham. A glance
can see much at a glance, as ear any
man who spends every day of every
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; often nave seen much; | new
err saw more than just then. Instant
ly, ! made up my mind hat the Ell
lerslys would lunch with me. you've
got TO eat somewhere said /. in a zone
that put an end to his attempts to
manufacture nyr1caG ssT'll no 1n-
lighted to have you. Don't make up
any more yarns"
He slowly opened the door. Anita"
said he, Mr.. Blackjack. He's invited
us TO lunch.
lifted my hat, and bowed. 1 kept
my eyes straight upon hers. And it
gave me more pleasure 10 look into
them than had ever before got cut of
looking into anybody's. i am passion
ately fond OF flowers, and of children;
and her face reminded me of both. Or,
rather, 1t seemed TO me that what l
had seen, with delight and longing, in
complete in their freshness and beauty
and charm, vas now before me in the
fullness. | felt like saying TO her, 81
have heard of you often. The children
and the flowers have told me you were
coming" Perhaps my Eyes did say it.
AT any rate, she looked as straight at
me as at her, and / noticed that she
paled a little and shrank-yet con-
tlnued to look, as If l were compelling
her. But her voice, beautifully
clear, and lingering in the ears
Ike the of the violin after
the bow has swept it's strings and
lifted, was perfectly self possessed, as
n said to her brother: THAT will be
delightful--if you think we have time"
saw that she, uncertain whether he
wished to accept, was giving him a
chance to a k either course. He has
tme-nothing but time" said /. His
engagements are always with people
who want TO get something out of him.
And they can wait" l pretended to
think he was expecting me to enter the
trap; got in, seated myself beside her,
said TO Sam: I've saved the little seat
Tor 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
together-partly because both Sam and
his sister seemed under some sort of
strain, chiefly because / was deter
mined to make a good impression. /
told her about myself, my horses, my
house In the country, my yacht. I tried
to show her / wasn't an ignoramus as
TO books and art, even if / hadn't been
to college. She listened, while Sam sat
embarrassed. You must bring your
sister down to visit me-" | said finally.
I'll see that you both have the time
OF your lives. Make up a party of your
friends, Sam, n come down-when
shall we say? Next Sunday? You know
you were coming anyhow. / can change
the rest of the party"
Sam grew as red az If he were going
into apoplexy. l thought then he was
afraid I'd blurt out something about
Whn yyara In the MARTY 7 uraa rrn-o1;.-
to change. / was 10 to know better.
Thank you, Mr.. Blackjack" aid his
sister. But l have an engagement
next Sunday. / have a great many
engagements just now. Without look
ing at my book l couldn't say when I
can 60" This easily and naturally. in
her set they certainly do learn thor
oughly that branch of tact which plain
people call lying.
Sam gave her a grateful look. which
he thought / didn't see, and which 1
didn't rightly interpret-then.
Wen fix 1t up later, Blackjack"
said he.
"All right" said ]. And from that
minute l vas almost silent. 1t was
something In her tone and manner that
silenced me. / suddenly realized tina
| wasn't making as good an impression
as | a been fattering myself.
When a man has money n is will
Ing to spend it he can readily fool him
self into imagining he gets on grandly
with women. But | had better grounds
h a that for thinking myself not I'M
attractive TO them. as a rule. Women
had liked me when l had nothing;
women had liked me when they didn't
know who l was. | felt that this wom-
an did not like me. And yet, by the
way she loked at me in spite of her
efforts not to do so, l could tell that
/ had some sort of unusual interest for
her. Why didn't she like me? She
made me feel the reason. / didn't be-
long to her world. My ways and my
looks offended her. She disliked me a
good deal; she feared me a little. She
would have felt safer IL she had beer
gratifying her curiosity, gazing In at
me through the bars of a cage.
Where / had been feeling and show
ing my usual assurance, / now became
Ill at ease. / ionged for them to be
gone; at the same time / hated to let
her go-for, when and how would ]
see her again. would / get the chance
60 remove her bad impression? 1t ir-
ritated me thus to be concerned about
the sister of a man into my liking for
whom there was mixed muc pity and
some contempt. But / am of the dispo-
sition that, whenever / see an obstacle
of whatever kind, / cannot restrain
myself from trying to jump ii. Here
was an obstacle-a dislike. To clear il
was of the smallest Importance in the
world, was a silly waste of time. Yet
/ felt l could not maintain with my
AIH .@ar 5000 ~