New-York tribune., 1908-06-28

encouragement bOth OF MS dismissal and her
trust. Good night" he murmured. " Til
tomorrow, rcU0Ir.'
He fingered for an instant, then moved away
with the grace and dignity OF Persian cat,
VALDA'S lips tightened- She flung up her
chm and called suddenly, e" Mr.. Brown ~
He paused, and turned in polite Interroga-
ton. ''Yes?"
She took step to meet him, her white tlsts
clenched her big brown eyes ablaze, Ana
she cried, and pointed an accusing finger. So
Your name is Brown
This time the young man flushed, and to the
very roots of his curly hair. Heretofore his
tongue had been glib enough; but now he stam-
mered guilty. in reply. II beg Your pardon :;
but ! had forgotten that. When ! came up
from Egypt, took the name OF Brown IN order
Stop she commanded. Not another
word"
SO this was what honor meant to him! The
sacred word OF Southern gentleman, forsooth. .
The oath that men OF Dixie held as holy as
mothers memory All, but she had trapped
him. and by a womans wit which was even
sharper than his own If his very name was
false, then so was all the rest OF 1t, every dis
graceful bit, and Nalda did not spare him with
her lash Of scorn.
Oh" she cried, You should be ashamed
Ashamed You asked me to believe, and from
first to last YOU fed me with your oily tongued
deceit And why? Because You dare to think
that !. the daughter of Marcus GiraTd, am the
keeper OF stolen goods
Now this was scarcely logical She did not
pause to consider that by her present attitude,
yea, by her very trickery OF speech, she was
guilty herself Of an oily tongued deceit. In
deed, an angry woman seldom stops tc consider
anything beneath the stars; so Ealda swept on
in ma ieStic fury.
And to think she storrned, that you, IN
Your foppish vanity, should dream of befoollng
nv iorz1 my Y.
with Your clumsy hes Liesl Lies, for which
YOU receive a salary! 4 salary for bounding
weak women down and worming their secrets
out OF them' Oh, it's clever, no doubt, and
vastly pleasing to your little soul; but tor
once. Mr. George c. Brown, you've failed
Now go No, watt
OF a sudden her anger seemed to slide away,
and in its place crept a calm OF cruel irony; 1or
she knew OF way to hurt hlm as no other
wound could sting. That wise old Caesar, IN
his civil wars had ordered laVellns to be cast
at the handsome faces OF certain self SATISFIED
Roman youths; but Miss Nalda GIrard would
go the ancient gentleman several better, and
rap Mr. George {. Brown on the very Sh1nbone
OF his pride and vanity. She regarded nm
critically from top to toe, and smed
Mr. Brown, she said, " after all, m afraid
your present costume hardly suits you. To-
morrow we will make a change. She paused
but added presently with certain VICIOUS
quietness OF tone, AT our charming INITIAL
interview, You expressed a Willingness 10 "ol =
Your passage. and in the absence OF my father
am master OF this Yacht. You will report,
sir. to Captain Larris at once for duty!
She turned upon her heel and leaned care
lessly against the rail: though, to tell the
human truth, She watched him from the cor
ners of her big brown eyes He was vastly
handsome, standing straight and tall in the
moonlight on the Spittire's deck; but to Nalda
IL seemed that She hated him as she hated no
other living creature in the world.
He did not try TO answer. He simply bowed,
bowed TO the inevita able-and to her. In It,
as IN that other bow. there was prlncely deter-
ence: vet also, there was something else,-a
helpless pride that cannot, IN its chivalry, re
turn . wo1nan's blow; i something wonderful
and vague, impossible to convey III speech
To IL coh:!Eaea neHt S!0Gay