The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-09-10
cHAPTER XvIl.-contlnued.
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"They're mammals friends" Anita |
was answering. goldfish and tiresome.
When you leave shall go straight on
up to bed"
I'D like TOTO see your room
where you live" said l, more to my |
self than to her.
Il sleep in a bare little box" she
replied with laugh. It's like cell.
A friend of ours who has the anti-germ
fad insisted ON it. But my sitting
room isn't so bad"
"Langdon has the anti-germ fad
said l.
She answered Yes" after pause.
and in such a strained voice that
looked at her A flush was just dying
out of her face He was the friend l
spoke Of" she went on.
"You know him very well?" asked.
"Weve known him-always," said
she. 81 think he's one of my earliest
recollections His fathers summer
Mace and ours adjoin. And once-I
guess it's the first time | remember
seeing him-he was freshman Mt
Harvard, and he came along on
horse past the pony cart in which
groom was driving me. And IL
was very little them begged him to
take me up, and he did / thought he
was the greatest, most wonderful man
that ever lived" She laughed queerly.
''When say my prayers, l used to
Imagine a god that looked like him to
say them to-"
l echoed her laugh heartily. The
I DON, rod
struck me as peculiarly funny, though
natural enough, too.
Absurd, wasn't it?" said she. But
her face was grave, and she let her
cigarette die out.
81 guess you know him better than
that now?"
"Yes-better," she answered. slowly
and absently. "He's-anything but a
god!"
And the more fascinating on that
account" said l. 81 wonder why
women like best the really bad. dan
gerous sort of man, who hasn't any re-
spect for them. or for anything"
said this that she might protest.
at least for herself. But her answer
was a vague. musing, 81 wonder-I
wonder"
I'm sure you wouldn't" protested
earnestly, for her.
She looked at me queerly.
Can ] never convince you that I'm
just a woman?" said she mockingly.
Just a woman, and one a man with
your ideas of women would fly from.
81 wish you were!" ] exclaimed.
ehVhnn-T'd fin / eli "a m
give you up"
She rose and made slow tour OF
the room, halting on the rug before
the closed fireplace a few feet from
me. sat looking at her
Il am going to give you up" said
at last.
Her eyes, staring into vacancy, grew
larger and intenser with each long
deep breath she took.
Il didn't intend to say what Pm
about to say---at least, not this even,
Ing" | went on, and to me it seemed
10 be some other than myself who was
speaking Certain things happened
down town to-day that have set me to
thinking. And-I shall do whatever
can for your brother and your father
But you-you are free!"
She went to the table, stood there
In profile to me, straight and slender
as sunhower stalk. She traced the
silver chasi' in the lid of the cigar
cite box with Ter forefnger; then she
TOOK a cigarette and began rolling il
slowly and absently.
Please don't scent and stain YOU,
fingers with that filthy tobacco" said
rather harshly.
And only this afternoon Won were
saying you had become reconciled to
my yice-that you had canonized il
along with me--wasn't that your
phfase?" This indifferently, without
turning toward me, and as if she Were
thinking of something else.
SO l have" l retorted. but my
mood-please oblige me this once"
She let the cigarette fall into the
oox, closed the lid gently leaned
against the table, folded her arms
upon her bosom and looked full at
me. was as acutely conscious of her
every movement of the very coming
and going of the breath at her nos.
trils, as a man on the operating table
is conscious of the slightest gesture OF
the surgeon.
you are-suffering! she said. and
her voice was like the flow of oil upon
a burn. Il have never seen you like
this. l didn't believe you capable OF
of much feeling"
| could not trust myself to speak
II Bob Corey could have looked in on
that scene, could have understood it,
how amazed he would have been!
What happened down town to
day." she went on. Tell me, if
may know"
IN tell you what | didn't think
ten minutes ago. I'd tell any human
being" said |. They've got me
strapped down in the press. At ter
O'Clock In the morning-precisely al
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