The Washington herald., 1907-10-15
@ES1 SO 1SSSSSE5T
FaQE&9gA y gAsAg@5Z
Copyright 1907, by The Washington Herald Company

and If I am unjustly treated there will
be a catastrophe, and this you may
count upon.
Jusi then Gen. Talbott's bedroom door
opened and ne walked in.
The ten minutes are up" he said:
nov sit down, Carlyon and let US talk
about coming events. Alicia and I will
call to see Miss Armytage tomorrow.
taking the privilege of old friends"
Thank you,' said Sir Percy, and could
not force himself TO say more.
How strangely things fall out" con-
tinued the general pleasantly II had no
thought when / cans to Washington
that l should leave Alicia behind me-"
You won't leave me for long, papa
replied Alicia, because ! knew In two
or three months time / shall ask Senator
Mareh TO take me to England and then
We Will bring you back"
"Oh, yes!" replied Gen. Talbot smil-
ing, there will be an eternal fetching
and carrying, and some day l shall be
a rickety old fellow; then you and March
will probably throw me over"
Alicia only answered him with a look
which was eloquent.
Cen Talbot did not think Sir Pe-ozy'z
=z--- E@.s sIztifffeII are TsST iii0eIy
10 be taikative under such circumstances;
so Gen. Talbot, full OF sympathy and
kin1liness. kept on:
After having seen Miss Armytage, my
dear fellow. one can safely congratulate
you The newspapers say the wedding
comes of the middle Of June"
The newspapers are right for once"
answered Sir Percy. THE wedding is to
take place in Kentucky. so I am afraid
shan't have the pleasure of Mrs Yer
mons presence and yours"
No. we shall have our own affairs 10
attend to at that time. We are TO be
married ourselves, you know" answered
Gen. Talbot laughing, and then SIR
Percy said good-by and went out
When he was gone Gen. Talbot said
to his daughter:
Miss Armytage is indeed a charming
girl but II is pity she has not fortune
and prestige such as Miss Chantrey has.
and fortune and prestige are what Carl
yOn needs in a wife"
Alicia Vernon made no reply. and Gen.
Talbot taking UP batch of newly ar
rived English newspapers, retired TO his
own room 70 read them.
Alicia Vernon, lying back in the depths
Of a deep armchair. sat quite still, look
ing straight before her From the street
below came the sound OF voices, Of traf-
nc; outside her window black and white
sparrows were wheeling and chattering.
and 3 linden tree IN full leaf close by the
broad window waved softly in the breeze.
making delicate green shadows pass over
the room and Alicias pale face The
phase Of existence on which she had en-
tered was as strange TO her as If il were
that Of another planet Senator March's
offer Of marriage had not taken her By
surprise; she had seen It coming for
weeks and had made up her mind from
the fiTst to accept IL. Nevertheless. when
1t came she was overwhelmed with the
strangeness Of her new position OF all
Of those who had ever made love 70 her,
1e was the first man who believed her 20
be the soul Of truth and purity. II pro-
duced in her faint stirring or wish 10
be a little like what Roger March thought
her to be. IL only she could put Sir Percy
Carlyon out OF her mind, But his pres
ence, when he came to tell her of his en-
gagement to another woman. had agi-
tated her more than Senator March had
been able to do. even in the moment OF
asking her love.
Suddenly the door opened. and q boy
ushered in the person farthest from Ali
cia VeTnOns mind at that moment-Nich-
olas COlegrOve. His personality was so
strong that he could not come and go
anywhere unnoticed The sight Of his
handsome. iron-gray head, the grasp of
his firm hand brought Alicia Vernon 70
her feet and dispelled instantly the
strange, benumbing dream into which she
had fallen. Colegrove was saying in his
rich voice:
L took the liberty Of & friend. albeit a
new one, In coming TO offer you my
fluctuations on what I heard this morn
ing"
Alicia Vernon, now quite herself. smiled
and thanked him prettily and asked him
to be seated
Marriage is a very different thing be-
tween men and women and between boys
and girls" he said in a tone OF good
humored cynieism. when a full-grown
man and woman marry, ] have often
noticed they assume a defensive attitude.
one to the other; 1t is best in the long
run. OF course. they don't admit-every-
thing in this blessed country is on the
basis Of the slightest sentiment-but Il is
fact Just the same"
Alicia smiled and answered:
I don't think that American men have
ever been on the defensive with women"
Quite true In way answered Cole
grove. My interest In the subject is
purely academic. l was married at nine
teen TO a pink-cheeked girl three years
older than myself We found out our
mistake at the end Of a few years. I am
not a brute and I am willing to give her
everything she wants but she doesn't
know what she wants. Sometimes she
thinks it's a divorce she wants, but as
soon as 1 agree to 1t she finds out that
she doesn't want ii at ALL OF course.
continued Colegrove. rising and walking
about the room, the time may come
when I shall meet a woman who will
mean good deal to me. So far how
ever, not one of them has been able to
make any impression on me as deep as
the action of the board Of directors of the
A. F. & o. R. R. If you don't mind. how
ever now that It is too late. I was very
much impressed by you. Your type, you
know, is very unusual
Yes: Alicia Vernon knew that her type
was very unusual. and never in her life
had her pride and self-love been more
hattered than by Colgrove's frank and
debonair admission.
However" he said, coming and stand
ing before her, cit wont keep me from
being friends with Senator March; he Is
- fSiS 0bASti6 sA1s-hi AZ ~fOAJ way anu 1
hope you will let me be friend of
yours. too. Recollect. If you ever get
into financial tangle, 1 can give you
some good advice
Il have been in a financial tangle all
my life.'' murmured Alicia, ''but now that
is past"
Not il you have been in It all your
life. my dear lady: those things are mat
ters of tenperament and bear a very IN
direct relation 20 the rise and fall Of
ones income. That's one thing In which
have been always very indulgen: toward