Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17

that a woman is not cool at really
critical time
After a few moments. however. on. of
I he two militant thoughts became domi-
! nant the feeling of chagrin, With pang
she thought If she had been man and
summoned for such a purpose. how she
would have hurried 10 the trysting place:
how the flying of her feet would have
We'd with the quick rapturous beating OF
her heart. How all her soul would have
gone out in gladness to the loving he art
which had summoned her: How
With little sigh and a blush Ike dawn.
she remembered that Leonard did not
know the purpose of the meeting. And
there cam over her fear alarm. dread
what ever il is of Ill that reduces the lofty
nature of hope to prose level: very
humil.ating thought of chagrin that what
she hoped for was not coming freely and
unsough;.
For nearly half an hour Stephen sat on
the rustic seat under the shadow of the
great oak. looking half unconscious Of
its beauty and vet influenced by IT. over
the wide landscape stretched a. her feat.
The time passed In waiting had IN one
way it's advantages to the girl-though
she was still as high strung az ever. she
acquired in it larger measure of control
over herself. The nervous tension. how
ever. was complete physically that all
her faculties were acutely awake: very
early she became conscious of distant
foot step. Ordinarily she could not have
heard it so far off. and this fact came
filtered through imagination so that she
attributed the additional power to the ex-
istence of love. The thought made her
blush. and for a little while sh, sat still
in d silent ecstasy. She was awaiting her
lover and II was he whose feet she
heard crushing the debris of the wood
which lay below. Since Eve waited In
the garden the waking of her lord. down
all the ages In every country and under
all conditions. this has been sound to
quicken womans pulses and to thrill
her with delight.
To Stephens straining ears the foot
steps seemed wondrous slow. and more
wondrous regular: she felt instinctively
that she would have liked to have lis
tened to a mora hurried succession OF
less-evenly marked sounds. The march
of a lovers feet makes its own music,
which is not limited or regulated by the
custom of the schools. But notWith-
standing these thoughts and the qualms
which came in their turn. the sound OF
the coming feet brought great JOY To Ste
phen's heart. For. after all they were
coming and coming just In time to pre-
vent the sense of disa ppointment at their
delay gaining firm foothold 1t was only
when the coming was assured that she
felt how strong had been the undercur-
rent of her apprehension lest they should
not come at all.
Very sweet and tender and beautiful
Stephen looked at this moment. The
strong lines OF her face were softened by
the dark fire In her eyes and the feeling
which Elowed IN the deep bushes which
mantled her cheeks. The proudness of
her bearing was no less marked than
ever. but in the wiliowy sway OF her
body there was a yielding of mere sorry
pride. 1t were as though goddess had
relaxed the rigor Of the marble of her
statue and stepped down from her ped
estal in the temple to be all human for
the time. In all the many moods which
the gods allow. to good women there Is
none so dear or so alluring. consciously
as well as instinctyaly. to true men as
this self-surrender. Whose has ever ex-
perienced 1t has felt asthril of rapture
which seems to have come with the COM
petion OF the circuit OF some divine cleo
trio force. AS Leonard drew near Ste
phen sank softly into seat. doing so
with a guilty feeling of acting part.
When he actually came into the grove he
found her seemingly lest in reverie as
she gazed out over the wide expanse In
front of her He was hot after his walk.
and with something very like petulance
threw himself into a cane armchair. ex-
claiming as he did so with the easy in
science of old familiarity:
What girl you are. Stephen drag
gng fellow all the way up here.
Couldn't you have fixed it down below
somewhere If you wanted to see me-?
Strangely enough. as it seemed to her.
Stephen did not dislike his tone of mas
terry. There was something in 1t which
satisfied her. The unconscious recogni-
womanhood. soothed her in a peaceful
way. 1t was easy to yield to a dominant
man. She was never more womanly than
when she answered linn. softly:
1T was rather unfair. but l thought
you would not mind coming so far. 1t is
so cool and delightful here. and we can
talk without being disturbed. Leonard
was lying back in his chair. tanning him
self with his wide-brimmed straw hat:
with outstretched legs wide apart and
resting on the back of his heels. He re-
piled. with grudging condescension:
Yes. it's cool enough after the bot
tramp over the fields and through the
wood It's not good as the house.
though. in one way-a man can't get A
drink here. l say Stephen. it wouldn't
De half bad If there were A snanty put
up here. There could be tap laid on
where a fellow could quench his thirst on
day like this
Before Stephens eyes fioated momen-
tary vision of romantic chalet. with
wide veranda and big windows looking
over the landscape: great. wide stone
hearth. quaint furniture made from the
gnarled branches OF trees. skins on the
floor. and the walls adorned with antlers.
great horns and various trophies If the
chase. And among them Leonard. in
picturesque suit. lolling back just as at
present and smiling with a loving look in
and white Munich beer mug. topped with
cool foam. There was a soft mystery in
her voice as she answered:
perhaps. Leonard. there will some day
be such place here!' He seemed to
grumble as he replied:
II wish 1t was here now. Some day
seems long way OFF,
This seemed a good opening for Ste
phen, for the fear of the situation was
again beginning to assail her. and she
felt that If she did not enter on her task
her. She felt angry with herself that
there was change in hsr voice as she
said:
Some day may mean-can mean every
thing Things needn't be a longer wav
off than we choose ourselves. SOM
times
II say that's a good one, Do you
mean to say that because l am some day
to own Brindehow l can do as like with
it at once while the governor all there
and better life than | am any day? Tn
less you want me to shoot the old man by
accident when we go out on the lst"
He laughed a short, unmeaning rpascu-
line laugh. which Jared somewhat on her.
She did not. however. mean To be d.
verted from her main purpose in such
way. SO she went on. quickly:
You know quite we'll. Leonard. that l
don't mean anything of the kind. But
there was something ] wanted to say TO
you. and | wished that we should be
alone. Can you not guess what ii is?''
NO. I'll be hanged If cam was his
response. lazily given.
Despite her resolution she turned away
her head she felt that she could not
meet his eyes at this moment. 1t cut
x,.st clio mt,