Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-03-14

Chilcote, Mary the great, new Mr..
Chilcote." Again she laughed.
Ioder bowed and moved to the front
Of the box, nodding to Kaine as he
passed.
ITS only for an hour he explained
TO Lillian. Il have an appointment for
II"
"Only an hour! Oh, how unkind!
How should l punish him, Lennie?'
Lillian looked round at Kaine with a
lingering, caressing glance.
He bent toward her in quick re-
Spouse and answered in q whisper.
She laughed and replied in an equally
low tone.
Loder, to whom both remarks had
been inaudible, dropped into the vacant
seat beside Mary Esseltyn. He had
the unsettled feeling that things were
not falling out exactly as he had calcu-
lated.
''What is the play hkey he hazarded
as he looked toward his companion. At
all times social triviaIities bored him.
Tonight they were intolerable. He had
come to fight, but all at once it seemed
that there was no opponent. Lillian's
attitude disturbed him; her careless
graciousness, her evident ignoring of
him for Eaine. might mean nothing.
but also it might mean much.
at is good play she responded. Il
like it better than the book. You've
,sooH 3.J,a laonl- ,f no7r,.So 81
s.No" Loder tried hard to fix bis
thoughts.
Its amusing, but far fetched
s'Indeed?1 He picked up the pro-
gramme lying on the edge of the box.
His ears were strained to catch the
tone of LilIian's voice as she laughed
and whispered with Kaine.
Yes; men exchanging identities, you
know.
He looked up and caught the girls
self possessed glance. "Oh?" he said.
sIndeed?' Then again he looked away.
It was intolerable, this feeling of be-
Ing Gagged upi A 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 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 coIored gown delicately silhouetted
against the background of the box.
ssWhat's your idea Of the play, LII
lamp he said abruptly. To his own
ears there was note of challenge in
his voice.
She looked around ianguidly "oh,
IFS quite amusing she said. 1T
makes delicious farce-absolutely
French
s.Frenclf?'
eQuite. Don't you think 50. Lennie?"
sOh, quite Kaine agreed.
ssThey mean that it's so very light
and vet so very subtle, Mr.. Chilcote, "
Mary EsseItyn explained.
sIndeedY h. said. Then my inn
agination was at fault thought the
piece was serious .
"Seriousls Lillian smiled again.
..Why, where's your sense Of humor9
The motive of the play debars all seri-
BUSINESS"
Loder looked down at the pro-
gramme still between his hands.
ssWhat 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 Inspirations, OF all
processes in life, the most delicately
fine. The simple sound of the word
aloyev coming at that precise juncture
changed the whole current Of Loder's
thought. 1t fell like seed, and like
seed in ultraproductiye soil, It bore
fruit with amazing rapidity.
The word itself was small and the
manner in which it was spoken trivial,
but Loder's mind was attracted and
held by it. The last time it had met
bis 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.
aLoveY' be repeated coldly. $50
love is the Dotive?"
Eyes, This time it was KANE who
responded in his methodical, contented
voice. 'sThe motive Of the play is
love, as Lillian says. And when was
love ever serious in a three act COM
edy-on or Off the stage?" He leaned
forward in his seat, screwed IN his
eyeglass and lazily scanned the stalls
The orchestra was playing a Hun
garian dance, its erratic harmonies
and wild alterations Of expression
falling abruptly across the pinks and
blues, the gliding and lights Of the
pretty, conventional theater. Some
thing in the suggestion Of unftness
appealed to Loder. It was the force