The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-01-15

Wnen TWO women are sitting over Z
a glowing fire in the broad daylight,
and one is married and the other is
not, they invariably talk of two things
dress and servants. But when the
light has waned, and the glow of the
fire fills the corners of the room with
dancing shadows, even dress and
servants are left, and the conversation
Invariably turns-to the other great
stock subject: man.
"Of course, l didn't do 1t to be
thanked; but l think you might have
murmured n little word of gratitude
to me for asking Mr.. Carr down. I
mean, ordinary politeness requires
some attention even from you"
Eva looked up at Mrs. Clutton from
a deep dell of hot coal which had been
formed between the bars. Thank
you" she said; and then, added, "for
nothing"
Mrs. Clutton was one of those long,
slight, tired women who always dress
to perfection, are never ruffied, eve
different, who are able to hurry while
appearing to dawdle, to be exceeding
ly annoyed without the least appar-
ent effort, to laugh heartily without
making a sound, and to talk with
great animation, without in any way
disturbing the undulating, velvety
drawl with which they are born.
You might talk to me from now till
the middle of next week." she said,
and then you couldn't convince me
that you are not glad that he is here"
A laugh sprang across Eva's face,
TO be instantly hunted away by a sigh.
my dear Enid, l haven't the faintest
desire to prove that | am not hope
lessly in love with him. Unfortunate
world except the man himself. And
the absurdity of the whole thing
the thing that makes me feel like half
a tomato on a gridiron-is that he's
just as much in love with me as l
am with him, and that's a very great
deal indeed"
Il don't see where the absurdity
comes in. If you are both in love as
much as all that, why don't you mar
ry him?"
H~alf-tragically, half-comically, wholly
III the mdlutI-6o ldl do VIC Edn 5uEoo
-of a petulant angel, Eva sprang to
her feet, and finging her collection of
cushions far and wide, commenced
dashing about the room, greatly to its
danger.
Marry him! marry him! Don't 1
want to marry him? Isn't it my one
ambition in life to become the wife Of
this silly, foolish, timid, wretch? It's
all fine for you to sit there and say
those easy, insane things; but l can't
run away with the man, can 1? l
can't buy a toy pistol, meet the poor
dear in a dark passage and shrek,
Marry me, or you die can 1? / can't
chase him into a conservatory, flop or
my knees, and cry, Teddy, l love you
with a love that is almost indiscreet;
be. oh, be my husband a /, can /,
can II" Eva caught one Of the cush-
ions a beautiful kick, and sent it fly
ing against a whatnot.
mot very we'll" said Mrs. Clutton.
"But shall 1 tell o what you can
and will do?"
"What?' cried Eva, eagerly.
Smash my precious china If you
kick cushions about like that.
The point is, have you given him any
encouragement"
Eva laughed the laugh of theater
scorn. encouragement? Why, my
dear Enid, l have done everything a
nicely-brought-up girl ought to do
and a good deal that she oughtn't.
During that time, a matter of per
haps a minute and a quarter-Mrs
Clutton had been thinking hard, al
though it would have been impossible
to guess it from the placid state Of
her features.
Eva" she said finally, have yor
ever noticed that picture painted OF
the panel over the bookcase, of a CIR
sitting on an armchair with her eyes
cast down. and with her hands folded
meekly on her lap?"
mo" said Eva, land if had, wha
on earth has she to do with my hor
rid problems?
Mrs. Clutton u%ndulated on; 'Th'
figure of the girl works on a hinge
and sometimes when my husband ha'
got into a boyish scrape and wante'
70 heaI what his father said about
TO his mother, he used to get hi
sister 10 pull the picture back, ant
sit in the girls place to report t
MIN what went on. A dishonorable ant
very fascinating proceeding. A chat
was placed behind the picture in tn
next room, the floor of which is on
level with it, and in this kind of ligh
it was impossible to tell the differenc
between the real and the unreal CIR,
Now, don't you think
"Thinl.! Think cried Eva. COY
ering the permanently quiet Mrs
Clutton with kisses, Il should thin
I do think. Oh, Enid, you engineer
You want me to get into the picture
YOU want to bring Teddy here to sc
my new portrait; you want to leav
him to say to me on a panel wha
he daren't say to me in the flesh
and then, when at last he cries; OF
darling. my beautiful piquant, littl
beauty, [ love you so, if only ! coul