Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-28

Snc laughed ana rcniled IN an equally
low tone.
Loder, to whom both remarks hnG
been innrdihlc. dropped into the vacant
seat beside Mary iissoltvn. He had
the unsettled feeling that things were
not falling out exactly as he had calcu
lated
What is the play like?" he hazardcd
as he looked toward his companion Al
all times social trivialities bored him
Tonight they We're intolcrabe He had
come to fight hut all at once it seemed
that there was no opponent. Lilliana
attitude disturbed him; her careless
graciousncss. hcr evident ignoring Of
him for Kanp. might mean nothing,
but also It might mean much.
at is n cool play" she responded. 81
like II better than the book. You've
read the book Of course"
no" todcr tried hard to fix his
thoughts
ITS amusing. but far fetched"
Indeed" He picked up the pre-
gramme lying on the edge of the box
His cars were strained TO catch the
and whispered with Kaine.
Yes: men exchanging identities, you
know"
He looked up and caught the girls
self possessed glance "Oh?" he said.
''Indeed?" Then again he looked away.
1t was intolerable. this feeling of be.
ing Gagged up y sense of anger crept
through his mind. 1t almost seemed
that Lillian had brought him there to
prove that she had finished with him, had
cast him aside, having used him for the
days excitement as she had used her
poodles, her Persian cats. her crystal
gazing All at once the impotency and
uncertainty of his position goadcd him.
| Turning swiftly in his seat he glanced
back to where she sat slowly swaying
her fan, her pale. golden hair and her
pale colored gown delicatey silhouetted
against the back ground of the box.
whats your idea OF the play, Lii
LAM" he said abruptly TO his own
| ears there was note Of challenge In
his voice.
She looked around languidly. "Oh,
| it's quite amusing" she said. 1T
makes a delicious farce-absolutely
French"
| "French?"
"Quite. Don't you think so, Lcnnie?"
"Oh, quite" Kaine agreed.
"They mean that it's so very light
and yet 80 very subtle, Mr.. Chilcote,"
: Mary Esseltyn explained.
"Indeed:" he said. Then my i'm
agination was at fault. I thought the
piece was serious"
! Serious" Lillian smiled again.
"Why, whaxe's your sense of humor?
J The motive of the play debars all seri-
! ousness''
Loder looked down at the pro
gramme still between his hands.
"What is the motive?" he asked.
/ Lillian waved her fan once or twice,
then closed it softly. Love Is the
motive" she said.
Now, the balancing-the adjusting Of
impression and inspiration-is, Of all
processes In life, the most dclicately
fine The simple sound Of the word
'love" coming at that precise juncture
changed the whole current Of Loder's
thought. 1t fell like q seed, and like
a seed in ultraproductive soil, 1t bore
fruit with amazing rapidly.
The word itself was small and the
manner in which il was spoken trivial,
but Loder's mind was attracted and
held by it The last time it had met
his ears his environment had been
vastly different, and this echo of it In
an uncongenial atmosphere stung him
to resentment. The vision of Eve
the thought of Eve, became suddenly
dominant.
Lover" he repeated coldly. "So
love is the mOtive?'
Yes This time it was Kaine who
responded in his methodical, contented
voice. The motive of the play is
love, as Lillian says. And when was
love ever serious in three act com
edy-on or off the stage?" He leaned
forward in his seat, screwed in his
eyeglass and lazlly scanned the stalls
The orchestra was playing Hun
garian dance. its erratic harmonies
and wild alterations of expression
falling abruptly across the pinks anG
blues. the gliding and lights OF the
pretty, conventional theater. Some
thing in the suggestion of unfitness
appealed to Loder. 1t was the force
Of the real as opposed to the ideal
With new expression on his face
he turned again to KANE.
"And how does 1t work." he said
"This treatment that you find So
French2'
, His voice as well as his expression
had changed. He still spoke quietly
but he spoke with interest He wa
= no longer conscious of his vagu,
? uneasiness; fresh chord had beef
struck in his mind, and his curiosit,
, had responded to 1t. For the frs
time II occurred to him that love-th,
dangerous, mysterious garden who's
n paths had so suddenly stretched on
before his own feet-was a pleasur,
ground that possessed many doors ant
an infinite number OF keys. He wa
stirred by the desire to peer through
another entrance than his own. to Sc
the secret. alluring byways from an
:, other standpoint. He waited with In
terest for the answer to his question