Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-07
q THE IMPERSONATOR. !:::5s:
Mary Inlay Taylor,
-UTHoR OF "MY LADY CLANcARTY." ETC

toward her now; his heavy lids yelled his
| eyes again and his face wore It's habltual
| white mask. 30 Paris. " he said softly
" 'c'est chez tot quiz est doux de vivre.
est chez toi que te veux mourlr!' -
| Mary felt vaguely that he hal come 10
! her rescue and was grateful at heart
DO you really feel thatT' Harriet asked
, him softly lit is one or the strange things
the fascination that Paris exercises the
spell IL casts"
Spell, indeed said Molly pertlv ..I
| hate Paris; | was there three months and
couldn't go outside the door without a
| to South Dakota
You might need a chaperon eve, there
| Molly, laughed Harriet Cheever
Mary was silent. a sudden vision had
arisen or a narrow convent cell. a he'd. a
! cruc'nx-she heard the bell Changing for
mass. Her heavy lashes yelled her lean
/ tlful eyes. her lips dropped at the corners.
she seemed to have slipped away into n
! revery. Col. FoNboro. observing her keen
! iy surmised something near the truth ana
| yet far from IT, Surmises are often Ike
| hands stretched out in the night they
| clasp only elusive vapors
At the moment there was the stir OF an
entrance and a tall man came toward them
| with the ease OF an habitue; he was lean
and straight in outline with face OF pc
| culiar strength, the eyes deepsat under n
massive forehead. the mouth thin-lipped
| and stern.
Molly Lane leaned over and rested her
|
| Her love of meddllng was Unsuitable and
she had the cleverness TO seize Iust the
| moment when she could murmur conf
dences unnoticed. That is Lawrence Ry-
| land, she whispered wickedly. "Harriet's
| cousin. He's the lion Of the season and
! Harriets best card. He's In Congress- I'm
the lower house. too but being wealthy
ana coming man we forgive him even
, that! He has presidential aspirations and
like Cassius-ambition keeps him lean
| Molly drew nearer; and no one can make
him fall In love; he's sphinx an icIcle
| an enigma. All the mammas in Washing.
| ton have nets staked and bait out. but he
| slips on into deep water and escapes-
| even lobster baskets"
She had hardly stopped her banter when
| Lawrence Ryland came up to the table. He
| knew every one and was hailed with intI-
| macy; 1t was a moment before Mrs
Cheever remembered to present him to
Mary.
! My dear Miss Hadding'' she said. for
| give me; 1t seemed as IL we had all known
| you long time! l want to present my
cousin cousin Mr. Ryland-Lawrence, Miss Had
| ding is Mrs Writings niece"
| Mary, with her keen observation saw
| the snght sunening of Ryland's lips but
| met his look easily; at least she was Sc
! cure here and she was conscious at once
that she surprised him. that her face ar
rested his attention. But that was SO COM
mon an experience that she passed il over
His ciear-cut features and look OF reserve
| interested her. She felt the power OF
| Portucarrero's silences and of his heavy
eyes. but Lawrence Rylands strength was
! or another kind; II was neither subtle nor
oangerous' and she was amused to see the
ease with which he evaded the chatter of
the women and Col. Foxboro's bluntness
He took q. cup of tea and resting his elbow
on the mantel stood looking down at the
group quite unmoved by their questions
1t impressed Mary that he had isolated
| himself and was looking on merely as a
spectator. and she wondered a little IL this
coidness ana composure were the attributes
m bAr.
! ing him furtively' and forgot that she was
| q new acquaintance and had already made
e visit beyond the prescribed limits when
Col Foxboro broke the spell.
|, DE looked. up, suddenly. Harriet" he
said. where's Cheever?"
b faint blush crept over Mrs. Cheever's
pale race and she murmured an excuse:
he had not come in yet, she said.
| Lawrence Ryland turned and set his cup
on the table;;' as he did 1t Mary's eyes met
ms Tor an instant and she read much In
their Indignation. 1t was Cheever then
| who made Harriets face almost pathetic.
Ryland turned away again sharply; he had
| not looked for, the keen reading of his
ssance and he had betrayed too much.
A moment later she clasped her filrs
i closer to her throat and drew a long breath
| or the crisp winter air. Had she played
her part well? She had a feeiInR of un-
easiness. Dusk was falling fast for It
4 was December and night came early. The
| long wide avenues. lighted by ever-receding
uerS OF electric globes. that hung like stars
| among the bare-limbed trees converRed
into little park in front OF her. To the
right the gayly ilumned cars whiried OIL
| toward the suburbs. carriages were rolling
by. belated pedestrians hurried homeward
1t was beautifui. gay: it struck her at once
as having points of resemblance to Paris,
| which had been her home from infancy
i The thought OF 1t brought back her paltry
| falsehood to Col Foxboro and she felt a
| Keen pang Of self-contempt 1t had never
occurred to her that her part must neces-
| sarily be full OF mean falsehoods and
| makeshifts that one deceit would lead to
| turned sharply and walked away on a long
| avenue that led her westward, where, she
/ did not know. 1t was nearly two hours to
! Mrs Writings dinner time and she had
| no engagement. She had evaded her pseudo
| aunts chaperonage to go to Harriet
| Cheeyer's and now her time hung heavy
| on her hands. In trying to calm her per,
| turbed mood she could not be sure of its
| cause. She had been cordially welcomed
and had felt at home. yet there had been
a discord. whether in Col. Foxboro's scru-
| tiny or Rylands evident disturbance at
| her intuition she did not know.
| As she tried to steady her nerves and
| still her pulses to resume the role which
she found she had to play even to herself
| to be perfect In 1t. she was conscious of a
! step behind her and the tap Of a cane on
the pavement which became more and
! more inSistent.
At the next corner a stout old gentleman
| In an army coat overlook her. She turned
a startled glance toward him and recog-
| nized Col. Foxboro. almost the last person
| she desired to meet.
| (To be Continued Next Sunday)
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