Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-19
said honestly and without embelllsh.

ment.
The curtness Of the answer might
have dlspleased another woman. Eve
seemed to take no otfense.
ST had talk with the Fraides to-
day." she said, "a long talk. Mr..
Fraide said great things of you. things
I wouldn't have believed from anybody
but Mr.. Fraide." She altered her posi-
ton and looked from Loder's. face back
into the fire.
He took a step forward. what
things?" he said. He was almost
ashamed of the sudden, inordinate
satisfaction that welled up at her
words.
ooh, mustn't tell your She laughed
little. But you have surprised him."
She paused, slipped her tea, then looked
up again with a change Of expression.
"John," she said more seriously,
"there is one point that sticks little.
Will this great change last?" Her
voice was direct and even. wonder
fully direct for n woman, Loder
thought. 1t came to him with a GER
tain force that beneath her remarkable
charm might possibly lie remarkable
character. 1t was not a possibility
that had occurred to him before, and
it caused him to look at her second
time. In the new light he saw her
beauty differently, and it Interested
him differently. Heretofore he had
been inclined to class women under
three heads-idols, amusements and
membranes. Now it crossed his
mind that woman might possibly fill
another place-the place OF a com
panion.
"You are very skeptical." he said,
still looking down ut her
She did not return his glance. II
think have been made skeptical," she
said.
AS she spoke the image Of Chilcote
shot through his mind - Chilcote, r-
ritable, vicious, unstable-and quick
compassion for this woman so inev-
itably shackled to him followed 1t.
Eve, unconscious Of what was pass
ing in his mind, went on with her sub
ject.
when we were married." she said
gently, II had such great interest In
things such great belief in life. l
had lived in politics, and was marry
ing one of the coming everybody
said you were one of the coming men.
l scarcely felt there was anything left
to ask for You didn't make very ar
dent love-" she smiled, "but l think
/ had forgotten about love. wanted
nothing SO much as to be like Lady
Sarah-married to great man." She
paused. then went on more hurriedly:
FOR awhile things went right; then
slowly things went wrong. You got
your-your nerves"
Loder changed his position with
something of abruptness
She misconstrued the action.
please don't think I want to be
disagreeable,' she said hastily. II
don't. I'm only trying to make you
understand why-why lost heart"
81 think knew Loder's voice broke
in involunsarily. Things got worse.
then still worse. You found interior
ence useless. At last you ceased to
have husband"
Until week ago. She glanced up
quickly Absorbed in her own feel
ings, she had seen nothing extraor-
binary in his words.
But at hers Loder changed color.
Its the most incredible thing In the
world" she said. tits quite incred-
ible, and yet can't deny it. Against
all my reason, all my experience, all
my inclination, l seem to feel In the
last week something Of what I felt at
first" She stopped with an embar-
raised laugh. 1T seems that, as II by
magic. life has been picked up where /
dropped it six years ago." Again she
stopped and laughed.
Loder was keenly uncomfortab but
he could think Of nothing to say.
ut seemed to begin that night dined
with the Fraides," she went on. MIR.
Fraide talked so wisely and SO kindly
about SO many things. He recalled all
we had hoped foi in you, and-and he
blamed me little" She paused and
laid her cup aside. "He said that when
people have made what they call their
last effort they should always make just
one effort more. He promised that IL
could once persuade you to take an in
terest in your work he would do the
rest He said all that and thousand
other kinder things, and sat and lis
tened. But all the time thought of |
nothing but their uselessness. Before
/ left promised to do my best, but my
thought was still the same. 1t was
stronger than ever when forced my
self to come up here She paused
again and glanced at Loder's averted
head. "But I came, and then, as il by
conquering myself I had compelled
you seemed, you somehow
seemed different. 1t sounds ridiculous,
I know" Her voice was half amused,
half deprecating. ut wasn't differ
ence in your face, though knew direct
" that you were free from nerves"
Again she hesitated over the word. ut
was difference in yourself, in the
things you said, more than in the way
you said them" Once more she paused
and laughed little.
Loder's discomfort grew.