Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1907-01-23
~ FRANCES RivBks


lCopyr1Bnts ~ Joseph .. boWASS1
Toward Ave o'clock, On 4 supremeiy
bot July day, Mr.. Godfrey Boyne
strDlled leisurely along the gravel
path Of the promenade,
He loitered. seemingly, Al random,
making his way slowly between groups
Of animated people, stopping for no
reason. and remained idly agaze oyer
the, heads of the crowd on fashions
highway.
Amongst these men, Immediately
Valeted, In all this fashionable life
which, motley and picturesque, dis
played its plumage In the sunshine to
the envy of the questionable in the
shade, he was an alien, made so by
ten years repatriation.
At any rate. he thought, applying
this recollection as healing JUNCTION to
the scratches imprinted on his vanity
by the acid of such general forgetful-
ness, Audrey has remembered; and he,
smiling, recalled the facility with which
intimacy with Lady AnRandale had
been resumed; the friendly informal
ity with which she had reentered into
relations with him; the bewildering
immensely of her social influence; the
celebrity which, at first as the wife,
then as the widow, of a viscount, no
torious in career and memory for his
many vices, she had acquired
He had taken himself to Fash
ions highway, the purpose OF
joining Lady Annandale being less
distinct in his thoughts than the wish
to see her So immersed was he in
reflection that he failed to notice that
a victoria had stopped opposite to
him. Suddenly footman addressed
him:
Il beg your pardon, sir" said he,
"but her ladyship sent me to say that
she wishes to speak to YOU"
Godfrey turned; Lady Annandale
was stepping from the carriage.
You can go home" said she to the
footman.
Very good, my lady"
Then she gave to Godfrey her hand
This place" she glanced round at
the radiant prospects seems scarce
ly the spot suited to serious discus
sion, We might, perhaps, over there"
So, side by side, Lady Annandale
and Mr.. Godfrey Boyne walked across
the soft, green turf and established
themselves upon chairs under the
sweet-scented lime trees, whose shell
tering boughs masked them from OBJ
servation.
He beamed amiably round.
This is certainly very NICE" he as
scented.
Il have brought you here, that you
may continue your last nights inter
rupted account of the woman with
whom you were in love-" said she.
WAS in love? It's absurd to use
the past tense. am in love with her.
Love is not a state from which you
can recover as from an epidemic.
am, of course, speaking of the real
thing"
81 see;-. something other than flirt-
alton"
Filtration is but the froth of
love-"
Lady Annandale laughed. Passion!
does your real thing include that?"
Passion is loves dregs, besides
being Cupid's pseudonym for the work
he is ashamed to acknowledge"
Il had no idea l was speaking to
an expert; but how, may ask, did
you come to study the subject SO pro-
foundly?"
an Ceylon, beyond loves influence,
I devoted some attention to the sci
ence"
She raised her eyebrows.
rs that all you learned p
"That, and to make money"
ITO make money"
Certainly. I'm wealthy tea-plant-
er of Ceylon."
"A wealthy tea-planter, did you
say? But to return to your love-" she
suggested.
"You can't return to thing you've
never parted from, can you?"
Then you know more of the sub
ject?"
"A great deal more"
"How much?"
Here it is. I see boy and girl,
the joyful intimacy Of their childhood
deepening into the poetry of youth"
"And, of course, the girl knows that
the boy loves herr
Naturally; since not am hour OF
the day passes but he tells her So"
"Tells her? Surely not"
"By every means in his power, ex-
cept his tongue. He doesn't put it
into words, because he knows that to
do SO would be hopeless If she doesn't
understand without that"
Don't you think she might make
mistake If he says nothing?
But she must know that he dreams
his dream Of the future, in which, hav-
ing made nest and lined it softly
with down, he will come to her and
i Hn