Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-05-08
.,|cnApTER
. FIVE KM]

STEADY IuSlildQe trOiu mdrSH u
Il covert, from valley to ridge.
Lord Alderdene. good enough on snipe
and cock, was driven almost fran.
tic by the ruffed grouse; Voucher
did better for day or two and then
lost the -knack; Marion Page attended
to business In her cool and thorough
style. and her average on the gun
room books was excellent and was
also adorned with clever pen and ink
sketches by Siward.
Leroy Mortimer had given up shoot
ing and established himself as haunt.
err of cushions in sunny corners. Tom
O'Hara had gone back to Lenox; Mrs.
vendenning. to. Hot Springs. Beverly
Plank. master Of Black Fells, began to
pervade the house after tentative mp
pearance. and he and Major Belwether
pottered about the coverts. usually aft
er-luncheon. the latter doing little dam
age with his fowling piece and nobody
knew how much with his gossiping
tongue. .Quarrier appeared In the field
methodicully, shot with Judgment, tax
ing no chances for brilliant perform
ance which might endanger his re-
spectable average AS for the Page
boys. they kept the river ducks STIR
ring whenever Eileen Shannon and
Rena Bonnesde could be persuaded
to share the canoes with them. Other.
wise they haunted the vicinity of those
bored maidens, suffering snubs sor'
rowfully, but persistently faithtui.
They were great nuisance In the
evening. especially as their sister did
not permit them to lose more than
$40 day at cards.
\ Cards-that is, bridge and preference
ruled, as usual, and the latter game,
being faster. suited Mortimer and Fer
rail-. but did not aid Siward toward re-
coupling his bridge losses.
Two matters occupied him. Since
cup day he had never had another OPP
portunity to see Sylvia Lands alone;
that was the first matter. He had
touched neither wine nor spirits nor
malt since the night Ferrall had found
him prone, sprawling in stupor on his
disordered bed-that was the second
matter. and it occupied him. at times
required all his attention. particularly
when the physical desire for 1t set In
steadily, mercilessly, mounting mex
orally like tide. But. like the tide,
1t ebbed at last. particularly when
sleepless night had exhausted him.
He had gone back to his shooting
again after q cool review of the ethics
involved. 1t even amused him to
think that q girl who had cleverness
enough to marry many millions. with
Quarter thrown In, could have SO
moved him to sentimentality. He had
coded the big cup of antique silver to
Quarter too, matter which troubled
him little, however, as In the irrita.
ton of the reaction he had been shoot.
ing with the brilliancy of demon, and
the gunroom books were open to any
doubling guests inspection.
Time, therefore. was never heavy on
his hands save when the tide threat
ened-when at night he stirred and
awoke, conscious of its crawling adj
vance, aware Of Its steady mounting
menace; moments at table when the
aroma of wine made him catch his
breath; moments In the gunroom redo
lent Of spicy spirits. a maddening vola-
tile fragrance clinging to the card
room too. Yes, the long days were
filed with such moments for him.
But afeid the desire faded. and even
during the day indoors be shrugged de.
sire aside. 1t was night that he dread
ed-the long hours, lying there tense,
stark eyed, sickened with desire.
AS for Sylvia, she and Grace Ferrall
bad taken to motoring driving away
Into the interior or taking long flights
north and south along the coast. Some
times they took Quarter; sometimes.
when Mrs. Ferrall drove. they took IN
ballast in. the shape of superfuous
Page boy and q girl for him. Once
Grace Ferrall asked Siward to join
them; but. no definite time being set,
he was scarcely surprised to find them
gone when he returned from a morn-
ing on the snipe meadows. And Syl-
via, leagues away by that time, curled
ND In the tonneau beside Grace Fer
rail-, watched the dark pines flying
past, cheeks pink. eyes like stars,
while the rushing wind drove health
into her and care out of her, cleansing,
purifying, overwhelming winds flowing
through and through her till her very
soul within her seemed shining through
the beauty Of her eyes Besides,
had just confessed.
..
"He kissed your repeated Grace Fer
rail- incredulously.
Eyes; number Of times. lie was
silly enough to do 1t, and | let him
81 don't know what he said was
all nerves., confused, scared-a pei'fes'i
stick, In fact | don't believe he'd care
to try again."
Then Mrs. Ferrall deliberately set
tied down In her furs to extract from
the girl beside her every essential de
tail, and the girl, frank at first. grew
shy and silent-reticent enough to wor-
ry her friend into silence which last
ed a long while for cheerful little
matron of her sort.
Presently they spoke Of other mat
ters-matters interesting to pretty wo-
men with much to do in the coming
winter between New York, Hot Springs
and Florida-surmise as to dinners,
dances and the newcomers In the
younger sets, and the marriages to be
arranged or disarranged, and the scan