Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-02

had met since the week before he sailed. His
last words to her had been words Of the utmost
tenderness his last letter cry of pain
Sooner than harbor shadow Of disloyalty by
hearing even word about those days, Eiinora
would have died. Yet-this man had loved ner'
had declared her to be necessary to his happiness,
and now he seemed to have found that happiness
with someone else. Had he?
II was Elinora's old way This was one OF the
moments upon which she did not depend for happ-
ness--nether did she depend upon etchings or
beautiful rings. But it was a moment which
gave certain pleasant spice to the day whlcn sne
had forgotten-and contentedly enough-tnat Gays
nossess And now she remembered
She was smiling as she went up the aster- ,s.
bordered walk to the cottage: and Arbour, coming
70 the door to meet her, delighted In her beauty
and her buoyancy. Elinora ran up the steps Wild
no thought but that her news was pleasant; Sne
patty Max the soree the fieldparty, the orchestra
in the orchard, the Firefy cotillion. To John Ar
hour as he listened, it seemed as if doors In his
bright world suddenly closed cutting on all vistas.
Something clutched his heart. These things were
necessary to her, they had come back to claim ner
and she did not know That was the surpris-
ing part She did not know. She did not know
what her buoyancy meant. She was acknowieag 1l e
ing her bondage eagerly almost yt ;n9 Hne'
casting off her allegiance to the old, putting on the
new now welcomed the first call to former things,
and she did not know. And ne was poweriess - TO TO
tell her. If only she were ten years younger, ne
thought swiftly, he could teach her But not now
not now The usual feminie immaturity which
outlives youth was not in his reckoning because
vanitv Of a child with new shoes had become
quality If only he could have known her ten
what funny little look in your eyes, John
dear" Elinora said "of what were you think
tng2"
~ was wondering" he said slowly, what you
were like at twenty?"
FIinora flushed. There certain refine
ment of brutality in the question: tne keener tnae
it was unintended.
oh" she said lightly, "brimming with opinions.
I affected very slow speech, believe. and fancied
myself critical"
"Did YOU like-did you want" her husband per-
sisted almost against his VIII, admiration!
mean-fattery, Elinora?"
'Ah YOU mean appreciation" she pleaded gayly.
"No woman will confess to liking the other two.
No. l rather courted reserve remember was
afraid of being detected even in my choicest tastes
Of course. that only shyness and certain
girsh snobbishness which the family ought to have
beaten out of me-"
"Oh. no" said Arbour wistfully mo, Elinora."
In the afternoon Arbour went to his study, and
found that Elinora had been there. Her mail was
scattered about, foreign wrapper lay on the floor
aud new visitor had come to his desk.
1t was photograph, leaning against pile of
books. The face smiled out at Arbour and bewil-
dered him with its likeness to Elinora. 1t was like
and not like. 1t had less womanly beauty
beauty more fragile, less conscious, less mellow.
1t was the beauty of who still expects every
thug, to whom nothing is tried or determined. 1t
was face of wondering, of enchanting hesitation,
of-youth! The girl was quite ten years younger
than Elinora, but strangely like that she might
have been the Elinora of ten years ago. before he
knew her. He caught up the picture in breathess-
ness, turned it in his hands and with sudden un-
derstanding the with love, Linda" scrawed
the pictures back. This was Linda in Flor
Elinoras little sister, she wont to call
her. But to him it was Elnora herself in the days
for which he had been longing, the days before the
world had touched her, in the youth when she had
dreamed he dreamed
Almost without his knowledge he dropped on
his knees before the DESK the picture in his hands
the girls eyes meeting his and seeming to
them, dream for dream.
aoa to ,,a5a 1911, sgAl OzL
-Elinoral"
Without delay the Bannisters carried out their
promises of festivity. The next week their house
was filled with guests, and every night there were
rival dinner-parties- in the dining-room and
one in the ballroom-with place laid at each table
for Toby. There was soiree, and there were daily
garden-parties, and the ield-party a triumph.
1t was September, but Toby pinned for May party
at which he might wind Maypole, so Maypole
was set up in the south pasture and wound by
moonlight. And in all these delights Elinora was
among tho Bannister's guests.
That week Arbour usually dined at the Ban
nisters', spending the evening in the smokingroom
or the veranda. At night he and Elinora would
drive home in what she called the really country
moonlight" or beneath the soft drip of the road
side ems, and Arbour would listen quietly to her
witty recital of things said and done. And always
it the surprise not less than the disappointment
which bewildered him. 1t was such surprising
thing that Elinora should be failing him now
after they had once stood together in the charmed
circle of the life which they had proposed DELHI
crate treachery could hardly have disarmed him
more than this unconscious apostasy of hers.
While he looked on wistfully, in silence and with
heart-ache, he found companonship. The picture
Of Linda lay on his desk in his study. When he
shut himself away from the babel of the hours, the
girls face with its eternal magic and questioning
solaced him, even though it set seal upon his
pain. For she was become to him Elinora-speak-
ing to him with the voice of Elinora's youth the
youth which had belonged to others and In which
he had had no part. Arbour wondered about
Linda, wistfully recalled what Elinora had told
hin, of her, listened hungrily when she read him
scraps of Lnda's etters-pleasant, gossipy letters,
with good bon-mot or two and touch of pretty
petulance at the winter fashions Then he would
go back to his study and yearn over the picture
She had been like this, Elinora had been like
this-remote wrapped in a world of realities which
the Banpisters and their kind could never have
penetrated.