The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1907-03-07

long time, two seasons and she had
met him every winter at dinners and
swell dances. But this summer it had
been different. Asquith said it was
fate. Helene thought it the most deli
cious bit of maneuvering love had ever
managed.
The rest of the family had gone to
Europe. Helene had hesitated. Be-
tween an automobile tour of Brittany
and the Baltic coast and quiet sum-
mer with her married cousin at Larch-
mont she had chosen Larchmont. AS
quith was a member of the yacht club
at Larchmont. Every morning from
| the broad yeranda at Bayview cottage
she could see him out on the rocks,
| sketching before sunrise.
They We're splendid rocks, huge,
gaunt and gray; they rose raggedly
from the water at low tide, like the
| bodies of some submerged sea mon
| sters. One could walk to them easily,
stepping over little pools left by the
tide and stray strands of seaweed. and
one morning Helene walked to them,
slim and sweet and fresh as the dawn
in her white dress and white low
shoes. 1t was the shoes that did it.
When Asquith turned at her call for
help he found her standing in one of
the pools, and the white shoes were
ruined.
Helene glanced up at the wall A
little water color hung near her, some
gray rocks in rose tinted sea, with a
bit of salt marsh in the foreground
She smiled at it happily. They had
sat up there together that morning. and
she had taken off her shoes and stock
ings-the precious ruined shoes and
stockings-and that had been ALL
And Asquith had said it was fate.
She laughed again. He was such 9
boy. after all. She stopped to pick III
her gloves and stopped short to looi
at something lying on the floor at hel
feet. 1t was merely hairpin. She
picked it up and looked at it curiously
Her own hairpins were brown tortois,
shell ones to match her hair This on.
was gold, a small, insidious gold wir,
affair, very cheap and very dainty.
The laugh was gone from her lips
In its place was look of wondermcnt
of almost fear. There had been Il wO
man in Hugh's studio, woman witt
blond hair, who wore gold wire hair
pins, who dropped gold wire hairpin
around promiscuously. And Hugh ha,
told her he never painted the figure
More than that, he had told her tina
no one knew of his den in the attic eS
cept herself and few close friends
He had no patrons, 10 buyers of pic
tures because as yet he had never sol
any. All of his relatives We're in Ell
rope too. If the hairpin did not belon
to a model, whom did it belong to?
With q sudden fierce impulse, sh
threw the hairpin away from her.
fell with tiny clink against the wal
!, Almost instantly she had repente,
After ALL it was purely a persona
affair with Hugh, in which she ha
no part. lie had not expected her t
visit his studio She had no right
resent another element of femininit
which she had found there. Even
, he did have models it was probabl
, necessary. All artists had to stud
from life sooner or later. But was
, necessary that they should have ha
that matched gold hairpins?
She arose and crossed the room
where the hairpin had fallen. For
moment she held it in her hand irres
Lutte Then slowly she laid it on h
table, and beside it she left the he,
q solitaire ring. 1t would be enough. 81
a knew that he would understand. :,
, she turned to the door her eyes file
: | with a sudden rush of binding tear
and as she felt for the latch it lifte
o and the door opened.
, 1t was not Asquith. On the landir
outside stood a girl, plump, rosy chee
, ed and red haired, holding up h
p skirts in one hand and pail of scrr
o water in the other.
"Oh, / thought Mr.. Asquith W;
# home.' she said apologetically. II ju
: cleaned up his place, ma'am. and
q guess lost one of my hairpins. It's
+ little wire one, but need it to keep Il
o pug up tight
Il laid it on the table," said Heller
q gently The girl set the pail down {
h the stairs and secured the hailpin. IA
# tening up her tumbiing red curls wi
: it deftly
i THANK you, ma'am," she called
J. she went downstairs, and Helene we
Il back to the table and slipped the ri
# in its old place just as Asquith ear
r up the stairs.
k |
Il Safest I.7~ec In rrninx.