Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-04

| colored her cheeks and chin and the soft
| Gark furs about her throat and her fun
| toque framed her face until 1t looked fall
| and delicate as flower. That was moi
| altogether sincere" she said, leaning to-
ward him. quite Indifferent to the throne
| of shoppers on the sidewalk, though many
| of them turned TO stare. Il can detect any
| note of insincerty In your voice; you are
not clever at society falsehoods; they take
| woman No: you do not come to see
| me- and l cannot tell whether 1t Is because
| you are too Indifferent or because you
| really dislike me as much as you do Mrs
Whiting.'
| Ryland glanced at her with keen amuse-
ment: she could not be unaware Of his
| admiration, and this little maneuver was
| the first evidence he had seen of kinshir
| to the other pretty girls whom he had met
Neither of your reasons is the correct
one he said smiling; the truth is IN
! afraid to come
| She laughed lightly, drawing back into
| her corner. 'Why?' she asked Win ele'
i waited brows
| Because there are moments when even
sane men lose their heads" he replied; !
don't mean to let you make a fool OF me-
"Ah now you speaking the vernacu-
| lar of the ballroom she replied colby; Il
didn't expect that of you >.
Cant you credit me with speaking l,
| sincerely" he asked. carried on by DE,
sire to impress her now that she had
drawn back before his advances
| She laughed a little bitterly. II hear it
| too often" she said; when you come
| want to talk of the real things of life. to
| in. but you pull the shade down with a
| triv,ality Nine men out Of ten say the
same things to me-.
You are paying the price of popularity.
| he retorted; land after all what do you
mean by my serious world? The House Is
pretty serious at times and frequently a
| bore"
You are not usually so dull she replied
smiling; 1T is the world of thought and
fancy as we'll as of reality. I saw you the
| other night when Mrs. Whiting and l were
| returning from the White House You
were walking under an electric Hght. pre-
| cisely like other people, but you were Nv
| ing In your own kingdom and, like the
princess In the fairy story, you had shut
| the door,
Ryland looked up at her with a smile,
there was a light in his eyes. My dear
MISS Hadding' he said. II am quite sure
l never shut the door of that kingdom upon
you: / couldn't; you preside over 1t too
! often"
Mary, leaning her elbow amidst the fur
rugs rested her chin In her hand and re-
garded him with an enigmatical look. "Ah,
how much | thank you. she murmured;
Il have always walked in dreamland Do
you believe there was ever any place as
beautiful as a castle in Spain?
Ryland shook his head. Never. I've
had so many fall that it keeps me rebuild
ing them year In and year out. but l keep
on just / did when l was little chap
and believed l born for great things.
And I'm living in one now" Mary re-
| joined with a pathetic smile: there are
| beautiful rosy clouds behind 1t and its tur-
| rets made OF vapor; some day-some
| day very soon--it Will melt away and I
| shall never see it again"
'Ah. but you will: III come and help you
| rebuild he said half in Jest half In
| earnest: and I'm the most famous archl-
| tect in SPAIN
| He laughed as he spoke and WAS SIR
| prised to see tears in her eyes. She smiled
| contradicted: what was II that had touched
her so deeply? What was the enigma that
| made the girl so inexplicable and so charm
! ing? He laid his hand the side OF the
| automobile intending to ask her another
| question, to solve. perhaps. the mystery of
| her emotion, but he was destined to inter-
| ruption.
Molly Lane burst out of the swinging
| doors with her arms full Of packages and
| her head full of gossip. Lawrence had TO
I stand aside and help her in and stow away
| her bundles at their feet. while she ban
| tered with him about his long face and the
| price of conserves.
Il only let you in for a tenner, Lawrence,
/ which was dirt cheap" she said consoing-
| ly; "there-that will do, you're a dear at
| fixing a rug Was l long? Mary and you
| didn't bore each other, fancy" she added
| laughing maliciously; you both looked as
| If I'd caught you stealing pears when
came out. Lawrence. have you got your
| cigarette case with your
He 81. rs hand In his pocket and pro-
duccd II with q show Of reluctance. II