Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-11-01
CHAPTER III.
A BREAK IN A CIRCLE.


My acquaintance with the Tremaines,
in the weeks that followed, grew by
imperCeptible degrees into an init
macy which was one of the most pleas.
ant OF my life. OF Cecily | nave al
ready attempted TO give some idea, al
though / realize how cold and mad
equate it is. AS | began to know her
better, / came to wonder more n
more at her completely, her simplicity,
her swift change of mood, her utter
ignorance Of social convention. An
other thing | Jaw, and that was her
absolute worship of Tremaine. | ques-
ton IL he fully understood it's strength;
he had grown, in a way, accustomed TO
1t; but to a stranger, an outsider, it
was startlingly apparent. l say start
lingly. because one was vaguely con-
scious OF u~nsounded, threatening
depths beneath that sweet exterior,
which promised l know not what of
passion and tragedy, should they be
rudely stirred.
AS for Tremaine, I hesitate to say
how utterly | fell under his spell. Yet
this was not in the least to be Won
dered at. My life had been, On the
whole, so narrow, and his nae been 50
broad, my experience Of the world "a
been cast in the usual grooves, while
his had so evidently oyerleaped them,
had struck out q path for itself into
all SORTS OF places. why
he so eXerted himself to charm n
me / do not yet fully UNDER
stand--perhaps it was the mere delight
in power, in the exercise of his dazzling
faculties; or perhaps ii was that he
had leisure, that his mind was not yet
engrossed In the game on which ne
stake9 so much.
i have said that his life had been
cast in many curious places. Mar
Unique was only the last of these, the
most recent, and / gathered that the
business which brought him to New
York was the forming OF a syndicate
to build a railroad through the island.
Through Is the right word, for 1t was
evident that, owing to the islands Pc
culiar formation, there would have TO
be much tunnelling. But he waved
all such practical difficulties aside and
d~iscoursed of the great future before
such a road with an enthusiasm that
was absolutely convincing.
l remember one evening he got fair
Iy started upon this hobby of his and
talked uninterruptedly for at least an
hour-facts, details, descriptions at his
finger-ends. Cecily, chin In hands, lis
tened intent to every word, n i. with
the remembrance of that evening still
fresh upon me, car understand how
he won the ear OF even Wall streets
suspicious denizens. And, indeed, II
was a wonderful prospectus which he
painted-broad sugar plantations with
no market, the whole traffic of the is
land carried upon the heads of women;
the great sand heaps OF the east coast
80 per cent. pure steel. waiting only for
development. but worthless now be-
cause no ship can approach them-and
I n o not what beside. but all OF
which. / have no doubt, was substan-
TALLY true.
pArhny ne on, ln0A..in~ o. LII
over this portrait OF Tremaine, but
[ have never met his equal for
daring, for audacity. for per-
sonal magnetism. In the days that
followed, / was to see less and less
~ him. but the memory of those first
| evenings is a living and vivid one.
I can see him sitting there yet be-
fore me with his wonderful eyes, his
expressive face. his 1.-THE, graceful
form and his slim. white nervou hand
holding his cigaret. l found myself
specializing sometimes as to his ma
tionality. French he seemed unques-
tionably by temperament, and yet he
spoke English with a facility and care
lessness unusual in a foreigner. was
| often tempted to ask him, straight
out, but a feeling Of hesitation al
ways held me back. l came at last TO
the conclusion that he was OF French
| parentage, but had lived In England or
| America probably from his youth.
l had just rome In from dinner one
evening and was settling down to a
pcrusal OF "L'Affaire Lerouge.'' when
there came n knock at the door and
Tremaine entered. He was In evening
! dress and was seemingly much per-
tufhct.
Ny dear Lester" he began abrupt
~. bc mat quick. nervous way OF his.
TIN IN the deuce OF a box, and I'm
rcirg "a ask you to help me out. I
= rourlssd Cecily To take her tonight
10 ss,e tha e~xtravasanza at the New
York and have the seats here, but at
TIE last m l find l can't get
away. I've a business engagement that
! can't nfford 10 break. hut Cecily will
never f.rsvc me II ! disappoint her.
Hive vow anything ON for tonight
Nc. I answered. looking at him In.
sont astorishrnent. fer IL WAS evident
wal was coming.