The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1908-02-19

" NCdA hiS nan any Ndg CANCPl pun
padourY said Sylvia. And, dear, his
beard is so dreadfully silky. Isn't
here anything he could take for it?"
only a razor, I'm afraid. Those
long, thick, soft eyelashes of his are
ominous. Eyes of that sort ruin a
man for my taste. He might just as
reasonably wear my hat"
"But he can't follow the fashions in
syes," laughed Sylvia. "Oh, this is
atrocious of us-it is simply horrible
to sit here and say such things. l am
cold blooded enough as it is, material
enough, mean, covetous, contemplate"
Dear" said Grace Ferrall mildly,
you are not choosing a husband; you
are choosing a career"
Grace! Do you wish me to marry
him?
What is the alternative, dear?"
"Why, nothing-self respect, dowdi-
ness and peace"
"Is that ALP"
"All can see"
Not Stephen SiwardT
"To marry? No. To enjoy? Yes.
Grace, l have had such a good time
with him. You don't know! He is
such a boy-sometimes, and II be-
lieve that l am rather good for him.
Not that I'd ever again let him do
that sort of thing. Besides, his curl
Osity is quenched. l am the sort he
supposed. Now he's found out he will
be nice. It's been days since I've had
talk with him. He tried to, but
wouldn't Besides, the major has said
nasty things about him when Howard
was present - nothing definite, only
hints, smiling silences, innuendoes on
the verge of matters rather unfit, and
[ had nothing definite to refute. |
could not even appear to understand
or notice, it was all done In such a
horribly vague way But it only made
me like him, and no doubt that actress
he took to the PATRONS is better COM
pany than he finds in nine places out
Of ten among his own sort"
"Oh," said Grace Ferrall slowly, "if
that is the way you feel l don't see
why you shouldn't play with Mr. ST.
ward whenever you like"
"Nor l. I've been a perfect fool not
to. Howard hates him."
How do you known
"What a question! A woman knows
such things. Then, you remember that
caricature-so dreadfully like Howard.
Howard has no sense of humor. He
detests such things. 1t was the most
dreadful thing that Mr.. Slward could
have done to him"
'Meddled again. groaned Grace.
Doesn't Howard know that 1 did
that?
Eyes, but nothing 1 can say alters
his conviction that the likeness was
Intended. You know il was a likeness.
And if Mr.. Siward had not told me
that it was not intended should new
er have believed it to be an accident"
After a prolonged silence Sylvia said
overcarelessly: Il don't quite under
stand Howard. With me anger lasts
but a moment, and then I'm open to
overtures for peace. 1 think How
ards anger lasts"
1T does" said Grace. HE was a
muff as a boy-a prig with a prig's
memory under all his shallow, snowy
surface. I'm frank with you. l never
could take my cousin either respect
fully or seriously, but I've known him
to take his own anger so seriously that
years after he has visited 1t upon those
who had really wronged him. And he
Is equipped for retaliation II he chooses.
That fortune of his reaches far. Not
that l think him capable Of using such
a power to satisfy a mere personal dis
like. Howard has principles, loads OF
them, but the weapon is there"
us 1t true that Mr. Siward is inter
.ested In building electric roads?'' asked
Sylvia curiously. "Mr. Mortimer said
So"
Then suppose he is. I'll ask Kemp
II you like. Why? Isn't it all right
to build themT '[f.
II suppose so. Howard is in it some
how. In fact, Towards company is
behind Mr.. Siward's, l believe"
Grace Ferral turned and looked at
the girl beside her, laughing outright.
"Oh, Howard doesn't do mysterious
financial things. Besides that, If
Howard is In that thing no doubt
Kemp and 1 are too. So your nice
young man is in very safe company"
"You draw such silly inferences,"
said Sylvia coolly, but there was a
good deal of color in her cheeks, and
she knew it and pulled her big motor
veil across her face, fastening it under
her chin, all of which amused Grace
Ferrall infinitely until the subtler sig
nificance of the girls mental processes
struck her. SOLDERING her own thoughts.
Sylvia, too, had grown serious in her
preoccupation, and the partie-a-deux
terminated a few minutes later in a
duet of silence over the teacups in the
gunroom.
A few moments later Sylvia, glanc-
Ing over her shoulder, noticed that a
Hne misty drizzle had clouded the case
ments. That meant that her usual
evening stroll on the cliffs with Quar-
rfor hafore dressing for dinnar WAS off