Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-28

could easily borrow of her dreSsmaker,
since Mrs. Whiting was willing to pay her
bills Such things were frequently done by
married women, who borrowed or the
butcher and the baker and the cahole-
stick maker on their husbands credit, ana
Mary could do so on her aunts me long
, and the short of It was. May stated, she
needed money and she saw no reason why
Mary should not pay her way ana return
the four hundred advanced in Paris. There
had been no suggestion of this at the time.
and Mays determined demand for money
filed Mary with Indignation and disgust;
but she felt that 1t was equally useless 70
indulge in either emotion, since May could
not be made to feel them and was OBJ
stinately Indifferent to everything but the
one object which she pursued with recent
less persistence. The letter ended with
complaint of Mary's inexplicable silence
and a broad hint that it would be to her
profit to answer and to answer to some
purpose. There was also the remark that
1t lacked but two or three weeks of the
end of the time set for her visit, and that
she would soon have to render an account.
All this was true, but Mary flung the
letter into the fire. where she had flung the
others. and determined to ignore It, The
thought of obtaining money, as Leonard
had suggested, under false pretenseS filled
her with horror. and the impossibilty OF
satisfying Mays cupidty through any lib
erality of her aunt was too patent to need
consideration. Instead she took out her
own account book and went over 1t with
desperate hope that she could wrest four
hundred out Of her meager allowance and
thus purchase a temporary immunity from
Mays eager pursuit of dollars and cents.
But a very brief survey Of her circum-
stances showed her the impossibility Of do
ing this and saving even half enough to
meet her own expenses should she be
forced to return Unexpectedly to her old
life in Paris If she could stay longer with
Mrs. Whiting it might be possible to do
something, but she was equally certain
that II her stay was prolonged Mays de-
&c u-nJy ha Dlrti n1ln fol
Mrs. Whiting had already limited at
more lengthy visit, but Mary was not as
yet even assured of that, and she closed
her little book with sigh of despair and
went down to luncheon in a depressed
frame of mind. Want of money at the
opportune moment, as she reflected, was
well nigh an insurmountable barrier to
success.
before she reached the dining room the
murmur Of voices appraised her of the pres
ence of unexpected guests. She found
them already seated at the table; Mrs.
Whiting had Col. FoXboro on her left, and
on her right sat Representative Apple,
while Frances Fennel, who occasionally
came to lunch when no one OF distinction
was there, sat beside her own vacant place
at the other end of the table. Frances was
keenly aware of the changes which had
fallen upon her condition, and of the gra-
dations of society since she had ceased to
be the possible heiress of a rich uncle and
ened her naturally malicious temper until
she was not unlike a hornet on warm
window-pane. Her sharp little eyes noted
the lines of anxiety about MaryS mouth.
and she ate her bass fEspagnoe with
keener appetite because Mary had none.
Meanwhile. Mr.. Apple. who had tloated
hopelessly adrift, like a balloon with
broken string. in the thin and effervescent
atmosphere of Mrs Writings and Col.
Foxboro's conventional small talk, turned
for consolation to Mary Hadding. He was
little man with high forehead and
scanty, irregulariy cut brown hair which
fresh cocoanut shell. He wore god-rimmed
spectacles. and his nostrils had the tremu
lous senstiveness of racehorses. while
his mouth and chin We're inherited from
grandmother who had resembled hen
turkey. He had come to Washington lit
tie more than year before, for his first
term, with a confirmed conviction that he
had received a call from Providence to
right the wrongs of the universe, and with
a considerable idea of his own size on the
horizon. Fifteen months of hard congress
sional experience had produced consider
able shrinkage; he saw himself dwindling
slowly from the proportions of a hero to
those of an ant. He seemed to be looking
through an inverted telescope which made
personal things appear smaller instead of
larger and he chung with desperation to
the only remaining realities of his exist
ence. namely, Mrs. Apple and the seven
little Apples, who, though triumphantly re-
futing race suicide. were vainly endeavor
ing to apply an unincreased congressional
salary to ever-increasing expense of
living IN city which is growing yearly
more luxurious and eXorbitant. Mary who
was both shrewd and sympathetic, was not
slow to divine something of his Situa ton
and she knew instinctively now to soften
the edges and meet half way his awkward
attempts at conventional talk. In few
minutes he had forgotten his painfully
adopted role, and leaving Col. FoXboro and
Whiting to their devices ma wa
telling Mary about Mrs Apple and the
children. wholly unconscious of the derisve
smile in Miss Fennel's eyes
Mrs. Whiting. relieved to have him off
her hands. divided her attention between
Col. Foxboro and broiled quail. and the
luncheon passed off with an ease and salts
faction that made both the hostess and the
colonel keenly aware that the girl was a
social godsend.
But Mary's tact was destined to a yet
more severe test; they had no sooner ad-
journed to the library, where the men
lighted their cigars, than Schelling was
announced. Frances had returned to her
desk. Mrs Whiting and Col. Foxboro were
absorbed IN the discussion of a new scan
dal, which required a secluded corner. and
Mary found herself left to entertain Mr..
Apple and the millionaire. who were. to her
amazement, apparently Intimately ac-
quainted.
Schelling had made up his mind that Miss
Haddng was eminently suited to grace
9Th avenue and having reached this deci-
sion he was losing time in pressing
rather ponderous suit. Like most men of
business acumen he believed in striking
when the iron was hot. Though he could not
aver that he saw any signs Of heat in
Mary's cold and somewhat disdainful bear
ing, he knew that Mrs. Whiting favored
his pretens!ons, and he was prepared to
bring matters to a climax at the earliest
possible opportunity. He seated himself.
therefore. near Mary possible. and
looked at her from time to time with an
air of proprtetorship which aroused her in
tense indignation. But on account of her
peculiar position she was forced to treat
him not only with courtesy. but also with
Kindness. trying on one hand to propitiate
Mrs. Whiting. and on the other to hold him
at arms length She managed now with
her usual tact, TO keep The two men talk
ing, and SO delayed Apples departure.
when as she foresaw, she must fall into
Seedlings hands. Mrs. Whiting had sent
for more cake and wine. and the big mag
nate took his glass ard looked over it at
the worn face of the representative
Il was in the House this morning An
pie" he sad with a chuckie, and | heard
your colleague scoring the President. BY
Jove it made me laugh; what's he got IN
his crop? Couldn't he get those post office
appointments"
The little man stirred uneasily in his
chair. Il don't know about that he said