Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-02-14
A Rich Mans Privilege,
az ), A. TIFFANY.


night-she was ten years younger
than he-and not many months out
Of college; but with all her girlish
grace and freshness. her pouting, baby
lips and clear, sweet voice, she had
the poise and intellect Of woman of
80
With him II had been case Of love
az FIRST sight-loye hot, tempestuous.
yet unselilsh,
The introduction had come about &C,
eideEtally, Il was by the merest
chance that he had met Dick Darling
ton that evening az Altman's restau.
rant Darlington seemed 10 be one
Of supper party OF halt dozen men
aud women who had dropped in after
the theater Darlington had put out
his hand and said.
Hello, Rrinsley! You are Just In
time 70 do me favor. Special mes
senger here a minute ago with word
for me 10 30 up and see the old man
tonight You know leave for Eu,
rope and a trip round the world for
ms concern tomorrow. want 10
introduce you TO my cousin Miss Nal
colin, and to get you to see her
home"
A moment later, and Darlington was
gone, leaving arinsley with a young
lady whom he Immediately declared
TO himself was simply divine.
For the last year Rrinsley had
been Miss Malcolm'S shadow His
first advance had been 10 send her
magnificent bouquet, after he had
known her week. When he called
in the evening he found fer wearing
one OF his roses on her breast She
had smiled that enthralling smile Of
hers and thanked him prettily for the
flowers
From presents Of flowers the way
had been easy to automobile rides,
opera boxes and suppe,s tete-atete. He
had eontriyed to learn the date Of her
birthday, and when ii came he had
yentured to send her a present of a
magnificent necklace
She had met him that evening with
a grave face and a constrained man
ner He thought she was going to
make him take his present back. She
gave him a chair and seated herself
in another near him.
Mr. BFinsley." she said, -"it was
very kind OF you to think Of my birth.
day; but you have no--you ought not
to send me such presents"
She took up the leather case that.
was lying on a table at her elbow.
and he thought that she was going to
hand it back to him, But she opened
it, and apparently suceumbed ia the
dazzling beauty of the gems.
oh. aren't they loyelyl" she ex-
claimed. 1T must be nice to be
rich, Mr.. Brinsley-if only for the
pleasure that one can give to others.
And then. too. the rich man has so
many privileges. Its really terrible
to be poor, have only two thousand
a year, for everything
She toyed with the necklace for
moment, then closed the case with a
sigh. and laid Brinsley's present back
on the table
4 don't know what makes you so
good to me- she said. after a mo-
ment's silence on both sides
Brinsley had been waiting for some
such opening, He started TO tell hes
that if he was good to her, it was
simply because he loved her. but she
had jumped up, exclaiming:
oh. | must show you my other
presents--some of them very pretty,
but none 50 valued as yours
Several times in the weeks follow.
ing he had tried TO come to the point
of telling her he loved her; but she
had always interrupted him and put
him OFF with pretty maiden uncon-
seriousness that might have seemed
like supreme finesse in an older WON.
an. Yet they had been calling each
other by their Christian names for
long time back,
Once-it was at Christmas-he had
kissed her The impulse had been ir-
resistihle; but though Mollie had not
made fuss. he had not done ii again.
A piece of mistletoe hung in the
doorway between the two pariors:
and as she came from the inner room.
they met right under it. Suddenly
he had put his arm round her waist.
drawn her TO him, stopped over and
kissed her lips, II was entirely un-
premeditated, but before their lips
had met he was wondering what
would be the consequence of his te-
merity. Then the contact had thrilled
him. He felt that no penalty would
be too great to pay for that moment
AIRY bliss But instead of spring
ing away from him, Mollie had laid
her head on his shoulder. her breast
pressing heavily against his, and for
a brief second she had looked up at
him under her long. dropping lashes.
with eyes that seemed to confess a
love long cherished. but studiously
dissimulated.
Then she had disengaged herself
and taken seat with the table be-
tween them. and for the rest OF the
evening she had been the hapnv.
light-hearted. inconsequential girl he
l.. 4 a. =