Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-24

the vacuum of the misdeeds of others left
room for her own hot passion to expand.
The anger which was finally To be con-
centered on herself was vague and value
less; IL was anger rather in the abstract
than the concrete. And now as her mind
moved more freely. and as the restraint
OF fear of intrusion on her secret thoughts
began to pass away, so her bodily move
ment accelerated. She stepped more
quickly to and fro. as does a panther
In its cage when the desire of forest free
dom Is heavy upon IT. As by degrees her
thoughts began to center on her own
folly. anger-infiamsd. undisciplined and
undirected-became the active principle of
her thinking. Her eyes. red trimmed
with the STRAIN and vigil of three sleep
less nights and day of the anguish OF
mortified pride and bitter self-reproacil.
and blazing with passion just freed from
long restraint. might well have told their
own story TO any seeing eye.
As she swept to and fro. her raging
spirit compelling to violent movement.
Stephens eyes were arrested by the fig
ure of a man coming through the aisles
OF the grove. AZ such time any inter-
ruption of her passion was a cause for
heightening anger. but the presence OF a
person was a draught to a fulfilled
furnace. Most of ALL In her present con-
dition of mind. the presence of a man
for the thought of a man lay behind all
her trouble. was as a tornado striking q
burning forest. The blood Of her tor
tured heart seemed to leap to her brain
and to suffuse her eyes. She saw
blood"
II mattered not that the man whom she
saw she knew and trusted. Indeed. this
but added fuel to the flame. In the pres
ence of stranger some of her he bitual
self-restraint would doubtless have come
back to her. But now the necessity for
such was foregone: Harold was her alter
ego. and in his presence was safety He
was. in this aspect, but a higher and
more intelligent rendering of the trees
around her In another aspect he was an
opportune victim. something to strike at.
when the anger of a poison snake opens
its gland and the fang is charged with
venom. 1t must strike at something. It
does not pause consider what IL may
be; 1t strikes. though 1t may be at stone
or iron. So Stephen waited till her VIC
tim was within distance to strike. Her
black eyes. fierce with passion and blood
trimmed as cobra's. glittered he
passed among the tree trunks toward her,
eager with his errand of devotion
Harold was a man of strong purpose.
Had he not been he would never have
come on his present errand. Never. per-
haps. had any sutton set forth on his
quest with heavier heart Every
thought whichever way he turned. was
of pain. All his life. since his very boy
hood. had been conferred round the girl
whom today he had come to serve All
his thought had been for her. and today
W
all his hopes so that his future life would
be at best a blank.
But he would be serving Stephen! His
pain might be to her good; ought to be,
to certain extent, to her mental ease.
Her wounded pride would find some So
lace. : AS he came closer the feeling
that he had to play a part, vertically to
act one. came stronger and stronger upon
him and filled him with bitter doubt as
to his power Still he went on boldly 1t
had been a part of his plan to seem to
come eagerly. as lover should come
When he got close to Stephen all the
witchery of her presence came upon him
as of old. After ALL he loved her with
his whole soul, and the chance had come
to tels her SO. Even under the distress
ing conditions OF his suit the effort had
Its charm.
Stephen schooled herself to her usual
attitude with him. and that, too, since the
effort was based on truth, came with a
certain ease to her. At the present time
in her present frame of mind, nothing in
the wide world could give her pleasure:
the ease which came, If 1t did not change
her purpose. increased her power AS
might have been expected from her char
acter and condition of mind, she was the
first to begin.
Il suppose you want to see me about
something special Harold, you have come
SO early"
Eyes. Stephen Very special.'
Were you at the house?" she asked in
voice whose quietneSS might have con-
veyed a warning. She was SO suspicious
now that she suspected even Harold Of
of what she did not know. The house of
suspicion needs no gateway! He an
swered in all simplicity:
mo. i came straight here"
How did you know / should be here?"
Her voice was now not only quiet but
sweet Without thinking, Harold blum
dered on. His intention was so single
minded. and his ignorance of woman so
complete, that he did not recognize even
elementary truths.
Il knew you always came here long
ago when you were child when You
We're in Here 1t suddenly flashed
upon him that if he seemed to expect
that she was in trouble, as he had pur-
posed saying. he would give away his
knowledge of what had happened and SO
destroy the work to winch he had set
himself. So he finished the sentence in a
lame and impotent manner. which, how
ever. saved complete humiliation as it
verbally accurate-'-in short frocks."
Stephen needed to know little more. Her
quick intelligence grasped the fact that
there was some purpose afoot which she
did not know OF understand. She sur
missed, of course that 1t was some way
in connection with her mad act. and she
grew cooler in her brain as well as colder
in her heart as she prepared to learn
more. Stephen had changed from girl to
woman in the last twenty-four hours, and
all the woman in her was now awake
After a moments pause she said: mira
bile dictu, she said 1t with winning
smile:
Why. Harold. I've been in long frocks
for years Why should / come here on
this special day on that accour?' Even
she was speaking she felt thatsit would
be well to abandon this ground of in
qury. 1t had clearly told her all it could.
She would learn more by some other
means. So she went on in a playful way.
as a cat-not a ktten-does when it has
got mouse:
THAT reason won't work. Harold. It's
quite rusty in the joints. But never mind
it. Tell me why you have come So
early?' This seemed TO Harold TO be a
heaven-sent opening; he rushed in at
once.
Because. Stephen. l wanted to ask you
to be my wife. Oh. Stephen. don't you
know that l love you? Ever since you
were little girl. When you were lit
have loved you ever since with all my
heart. and soul and strength. Without
You the world is blank TO mel For
you and your happiness l would do ANY,
g-anything."
This was no acting. When once the
barrier of beginning had been broken his
soul seemed to pour itself out. The man
was vibrant through all his nature. and
the woman's very soul realized it's truth
through her. and for the time it lasted
put all other thought aside.
But suspicion is a hard fmetal which
does not easily yield to firel 1t can come
to white heat easily enoughA but its meet
ing point is high. indeed. When the fame
had leaped it had spent its force; the re-
action game quick Stephens heart