Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-01-17

lar, half inquisltiye wonder. So inter
esting was the sensation that when
she held his cup toward him he didn't
Immediately see it.
Don't you want anyY' She smiled
a little,
He started, embarrassed by his w
hardness. I'm afraid I'm dull" lie
said. I've been So
$50 keen a worker in the last week."
For a moment he felt relieved. Then,
us a fresh silence fell, his sense of
awkwardness returned. He slipped his
tea and ate Il biscuit. He found him
self wishing. for almost the first time,
for some Of the small society talk that
came so pleasantly to other men. He
felt that the position was ridiculous.
He glanced at Ewes ayerted head and
laid his empty cup upon the table.
Almost at once she turned, and their
eyes met.
John" she said, do you guess at
all why l wanted to have tea with
youy"
He looked down at her. NO" he
said honestly and without embellish-
ment.
The curtness of the answer might
have displeased another Eve
seemed to take no %offense.
II had ~ talk with the Fraides to-
day." she said. "a long talk. MIR.
Fraide said great things of You, things
/ wouldn't have believed from anybody
but Mr.. Fraide." She altered her posi-
ton and looked from Loder's face back
into the fire.
He took II step forward. What
things" he said. he was almost
ashamed of the sudden, inordinate
satisfaction THAI welled up at her
words.
"Oh, l mustn't tell you" She laughed
q little. But you have surprised him."
She paused, slipped her tea, then looked
up again with a change of expression.
John" she said more seriously,
there is one point that sticks a little.
Will this great change last?" Her
voice was direct and even, wonder
fully direct for a woman. Loder
thought. 1t came to him with a GER
tain force that beneath her remarkable
charm might possibly lie a remarkable
character. 1t was not a possibility
that had occurred to him before, and
it caused him to look at her a second
time. In the new light he saw her
beauty differently. and it interested
him differently. Heretofore he had
been inclined to class women under
three heads-idols, amusements and
membranes. Now it crossed his
mind that a woman might possibly fill
another place-the place of a COM
panion.
"You I very skeptical,' he said,
still looking down at her.
She did not return his glance. 81
think I have been made skeptical." she
said.
AS she spoke the image of Chilcote
shot through his mind Chilcote. IT.
ritable, vicious, unstable-and a quick
compassion for this won;sl so inev-
itably shackled to him followed it.
Eve, unconscious of what was pass
ing in his mind, went on with her SUBJ
ject.
when we were married." she said
gently. II had such a great interest in
things, such a great belief in life. l
had lived in politics. and 1 was marry
ing n of the coming men-everybody
said you were one of the coming men.
l scarcely felt there was anything left
to ask for. You didn't make very ar
dent love" she smiled, 'but | think
l had forgotten about love. l wanted
nothing so much as TO be like Lady
Sarah-maEried to q great man" She
paused. then went on more hurriedly:
For awhile things went right; then
slowly things went wrong. You got
y%our-your nerves"
Loder changed his position with
something of a%bruptness.
She misconstrued the action.
please don't think l want to be
dis~agreeable," she said hastily. II
don't. I'm only trying to make you
understand why-why lost heart"
II think l know Loder's voice broke
in involuntarily. Things got worse,
then still worse. You found interior
ence useless. AT last you ceased to
have a husband"
Until 4 week ago." She glanced up
quickly. Absorbed in her own feel
ings, she had seen nothing extraor-
binary in his words.
But at hers Loder changed color.
ITS the most incredible thing in the
world" she said. Its quite incred-
ible, and yet l can't deny it. Against
all my reason, all my experience, all
my inclination, l seem to feel in the
last week something Of what l felt at
first" She stopped with an embar-
raised laugh. ut seems that, as if by
magic, life has been picked up where l
dropped it six years ago." Again she
stopped and laughed.
Loder was keenly uncomfortable. but
he could think of nothing to say.
1T seemed to begin that night l dined
with the Fraides," she went on. Mr.
Fraide talked so wisely and so kindly