Manchester Democrat., 1909-10-06
Architects
Of Fate. +
By LOUISE SANBORN.

By LOUISE SANBORN. +
siaanssnssns
Herbert Bryce was not sentimen.
teiist, but practical, hard-headed
young man OF stern New England par.
entage. whose rugged manhood had
been formed in the school OF economy
end self-denial. AS for love at first
sight he would have scoffed at the
idea II 1t had ever been suggested
to him. but his thoughts had never
wandered into the rosy realms OF
love, and none OF his friends would
have considered asking his opinlrn
upon any phase OF that subject.
He had never found time to enjoy
the society Of the gentler sex, intent
as he was upon making a success
OF his chosen profession-that Of an
architect. Nevertheless, almost un-
consciously he had formed an ideal Of
. home that some day would be his,
end Of the quiet. sweet woman model.
led In his imagination after his moth
or who should sit beside a work
basket under the lamplight to cheer
him when his days work was done.
Into this very conservative air cas-
tie there Came crashing one day
beautiful. tropical creature, the exact
nt,thes.s Of the lady underneath
tie visionary lamplight, and who so
filed the modest picture-home that 1t
burst like a soap bubble and the
work basket vanished into thin air.
In the fash Of an eye Herbert Bryce
lad fallen in love, and he was to.
stllly nnprepared. The ground seem.
ed swept from beneath his feet and
ne to be floating In chaos.
Madeline Carter was beyond his
reach. that he well knew. And there.
in lay his despair. Moreover she
belonged to the class that he him
self had been wont to characterize
as the idle rich. whose sole pur-
pose in living was the Indulgence Of
self. Family instinct and tradition
prgedr him to condemn her as un.
worthy Of his love. But the grim fact
Remained that Bryce was face to face
with the greatest Of human forces.
and he recognized It. His we'll or.
sdered plans were wrecked. The lady
under the lamplight was henceforth
impossible: everything was tmpossi.
bic! And he had seen her only once
He strove with all his strength to
shake on the spell. He called him
self incoming fool and applied 9th.
er unpleasant and undeserved epith
cts to himself. But he could think
OF nothing and no one but. her.
She had sent for him to thank
him personally for having saved her
life. and he had sought excuses for
putting of the call. His physical
courage had not faltered when he hal
sprung into the street to seize the
heads OF the runaway pair that
threatened the lives of the two wom-
en- In the swaying victoria. 1t was
when he was being lifted. half-un.
conscious, but not seriously injured.
frcm under the horses feet that the
look from her wonderful eyes had
entered his soul. And now he had
not the moral courage to be in her
presence and know what she was not
for him.
In those days Of torment his IN.
Innate friend, Horace Turner, wrung'
his secret from him. For the first
time Bryce learned that his friend
Was distant cousin OF Miss Garter.
Turner had never mentioned the re.
lationshtp, for, as he laughingly said:
ut seemed like Dragging. But ]
know her well, old man." he said.
Go in and win. She's not snob,
and you ere equal in manllness to
the best Of them,''
Put Bryce's Jaw set itself. II would
pever marry woman SO much rich.
er than !. What could offer her?"
The ghost Of his air castle fiickered
before him moment. "She would
not at into home that could give
her. shall call once. as courtesy
demands. but that shall be air.
But he didn't call. Miss Carter left
suddenly for her country home.
In week Bryce received note
signed Frances Carter" explaining
that the writer was Miss Madeline
Garter's cousin and secretary. That
Msss Carter Wished him to prepare
Iians for a bungalow which she wish.
ed built on a part of her land over.
looking the ocean. That Miss Carter
! wished her (the writer) to deal with
him and make arrangements to spend
q week at Miss Carter's home and
study the ground before drawing any
plnns.
Rryce's lips frightened as he read.
She has turned me Ger to the poor
relation he thought cynically. 80
much the better for me-"
When Bryce aiighted from the train
It was the woman OF his waking
dreams that smiled at him from the
dog cart.
Il am Miss Frances Carter" she
explained. Ny cousin wants to rest
this summer and has turned over
this work to me-
Bryce recovered himselfwith difficult
ty from the revision OF feeling caus.
ed by the discovery that the girl he
had taken Tor the rich Miss Carter
Was only her secretary after all. The
other quiet girl In the victoria had
been the heiress. He could hardly re.
stein his happiness, but he managed
to muruur suitable commonplace.
The week that followed was an Ara.
bian Nights dream to the young arch
itect. He found the beautiful sec.
retary to be sensible girl of lib.
sMl education with technical