Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-31

such as discounts These he answered
to the best of his ability. Then she held
the paper out to him and without any
preliminary remark. said:
will you please put the names to
these"
How do you mean" he asked. flush
ing.
THE names of the persons to whom
these sums marked debt of honor are
due. His reply came quickly and was
little aggressive: he thought this might
be a good time to make a bluff:
Il do not see that that is necessary. I
can settle them when I have the money"
Slowly and without either pause or furry
Stephen replied. looking him straight in
the eyes as she handed him the whole
mass of papers:
''Of course 1t is not necessary. Few
things in the world really are. I only
wanted to help you out of your troubles.
but if you do not wish me TO -
Leonard interrupted In alarm.
NO, no. l only spoke of these items.
You see, being debts of honor I ought
not to give the names" Looking with A
keen glance at her set face he saw she
was obdurate. and, recognizing his de-
feat. said. as calmly as he could. for he
felt raging:
"All right. Give me the paper" He
took it from the hand that was stu out
stretched and bending over the table.
wrote very slowly and carefully.
Now the addresses
rs that necessary"
"Of course, it is, Why. you silly how
is the MONEY to be paid If there are no
addresses"
Leonard felt like a rat in trap. but h.
had no alternative. Having done all that
a vet had been required of him he felt
that he might now ask a further favor.
he sa d:
There is one of those bills which I
have promised to pay by Monday"
Promis said Stephen. with WIDE
ned
you said YOU were unable to pay any of
those debts
Again he had put himself in false POI
sition. He could not say that il was 10
his father he had made the promise. for
he had already told stephen that he had
been afraid TO tell him of his debts. In
his desperation. for Miss Rowly's re-
morseless glasses were full on him. he
said:
Il thought l was justified in making
the promise after what you said about
the pleasure il would be to help me IoI
remember. that day on the hilltop"
If he had wished to disconcert her he
was mis-; aiken: she had already in her
self-torturng Imagination thought over
and over again of every form of emhar
rassment which her unhappy action might
bring on her al his hands. She now said.
sweetly and calmly. SO sweetly and calm
ly that he. with knowledge of her secret
alarmed.
But that was not a promise to paw.
If YOU VII remember il was only an Offer,
which Is d very different thing. You DID
not accept il then" she was herself
somewhat desperate. or she would not
have sailed close to the wind.
'Ah. but l accepted later lie said.
quickly. feeling in his abstraction n an
eplErammatic answer certain measure
of victory. Epigrammatic victories do
not count for much in real | fe. Indeed.
they generally weaken friendship and in
fame opposition. He felt his mistake
when she went on calmly:
Offers like that are not repeated They
are but phantoms. after all They come
at their own choice. when they do come.
and they stay but the measure OF a
breath or two. You cannot summon
them" Leonard fell into the current OF
the metaphor and answered:
Il don't know that even that Is impos-
sible. There are spells which call and re-
cali even phantomSi
Indeed" Stephen was anxious to ind
his purpose in his measured words.
Leonard felt that he was getting on.
that he WAS again acquiring the upper
hand. and he pushed on the n ataphor.
He felt more and more satisfied with him
self.
And IL is wonderful how simple som
spells. and these the most powerful, can
be. a remembered phrase, the recolec-
ton of a pleasant meeting. The smell of a
forgotten flower or the sight of a forgot
ten letter. any or all of these can.
through memory. bring back the past.
And ii is often in the past that the secret
of the future lies.
Miss Rowly felt that something was 60
ing on before her which she could not
understand Anything of this mans say
ing which she could not fataom must be
at least dangerous. SO She determined 10
spoil his purpose. whatever it might be.
(To be continued next SundayD