The Red Cloud chief., 1907-04-19
The Masquerade
Continued to Page lhre.I
She laughed
IN equally
Page hr' e.

INV oIt
Loder, to whom both remarks had
been inaudible, dropped into the vacant
seat beside Mary Essdtyn. He had
the unsettled feeling that things were
not falling out exactly as he had calcu-
lated.
"Whnt ls the play likei" he hazarded
as he looked toward his companion. At
all times social trivialities bored him.
Tonight they were intolerable. lie had
come to fight, but all at once 1t seemed
that there was no opponent. Lillian's
attitude disturbed him; her careless
gr%aciousness, her evident ignoring of
him for Kalne. might mean nothing.
but also ii might mean much.
at is n good play" she responded. 81
like Il better than the book. You've
read the book. of course?'
mo" Loder tried hard to fix his
thoughts.
ITS amusing. but far fetched"
"IndeedT' He picked up the pro-
Eramme lying on the edge Of the box.
His ears were strained to catch the
tone Of Lillian's voice as she laughed
and whispered with Kainc.
yes; mcn exchanging Identities. you
xnow."
lie looked up and caught the girls
,y.I 10. ,csspd glance. "Dht' he said.
'InGccd?' Then again he looked away.
IT was intolcrablc. this feeling of be-
ing Gagged up! a sense of anger crept
through his mind. 1t almost seemed
that Lillian had brought him there 10
prove that She had finished with him, had
cast him aside, having used him for the
days excitement as she had used her
poodlcs. her Persian cats. her crystal
gazin%. All at once the impotency and
uncertainty of his position goaded him.
Turning swiftly in his seat, he glanced
back to where she sat slowly sWaying
her fan. her pale, golden hair and her
pale colorcd gown dclicatcly silhouetted
against the background of the box.
whats your idea Of the play, Lii
LIAM" he said abruptly. To his W
ears there was a note of challenge in
his voice.
She looked around languidly. "Oh,
it's quite amusing" she said. ut
makes II delicious farce-absolutely
French
"French?"
"Quite. Don't you think so, LennicT
"Oh, quite" Kaine agreed.
"They mean that it's so very light
and yet so very subtle, Mr.. C~hilcote,"
Mary Esscltyn explained.
"Indccd?" he said. ''Then my i'm
agination was at fault. I thought the
piece was serious"
Serious Lillian smiled again.
"Why, where's your sense Of humor?
The motive of the play debars all seri-
BUSINESS"
Loder looked down at the pro-
gramme still between his hands.
What il the motiveT" he asked.
Lillian waved her fan once or twice,
then closed it softly. Love Is the
motive" size said.
Now. the balancing-the adjusting OF
impression and in~spiration-ls, of all
processes in life, the most delicatcly
fine. The simple sound of the word
"lovc" coming at that precise juncture
changed the whole current Of Loder's
thought. 1t fell like n seed. and like
IA seed in ultraproductivc soil, it bore
fruit with amazing rapidity.
The word itself was small and the
manner in which 1t was spoken trivial,
but LOdcr'S mind was attracted and
held 10y il. The last time il had met
his ears his environment had been
vastly different, and this echo of ii In
-, ,,,,.a,,,.A,fny nt,a..,la,, N,,,, Ifts,
to resentment. The vision of Eve,
the thought of Eve, became suddenly
dominant.
Love-" he repeated coldly. "Sc
love is the motive?"
YES" This time 1t was Kaine who
. responded in his m%ethodical, contenteC
voice. The motive OF the play II
love, as Lillian says. And when wa'
. love YER serious in q three act com
. edy-On or Off the stageY" He leaned
. forward in his seat, screwed in hi
= eyeglass and lazlly scanned the stalls
\ The orchestra was playing a Hun
garian dance, its erratic harmonic
) and wild alterations of expression
= falling abruptly across the plnks an,
blues, the gliding and lights of TIT
pretty, conventional theater. Some
thing in the suggestion of unfltnes
appealed to Loder. 1t was the fore
y Of the real as opposed to the idea
With a new expression on his face
- he turned again to Kaine.
And how does 1t work" he SAID
'This treatment that you find So
u French?"
- His voice as well as his eXpresslo
"a had changed. He still spoke quietly