The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1909-02-04
Ross-H HuntressComp
Cor.West and Grove SITS.
Rutland. Vermont.
Rutland. Vermont.

beliefs, the more so because she Is
unusually free from impulse, even
quite ignorant OF the deeper emotions,
or so | believed until-untll"--
"ls she In lover he asked.
"A little. Phil"
"Does she admit it?" he demanded,
unpleasantly astonished.
"She admits It In a dozen Innocent
ways 10 me. who can understand her.
But to herself she has not admitted It,
| think-could not admit II yet, be-
cause-because"-
"Who is III" asked Selwyn, and there
was In his voice the slightest under.
tone Of growl.
Dear, shall tell your
"Why notf"
.Because--because Phil, ! think that
our pretty Eileen is little In love
with you
He Strengthened out to his full
height, scarlet to the temples. She
dropped her linked fingers In her lap,
gazing at him almost sadly.
Dear. all the things you are prepar.
Ing to shout at me are quite useless
| know. don't Imagine. ! don't fore
stall, | don't predict"
nina. you are madder than a March
heiress!''
Air your theories, Phil. then come
back to realities. The conditions re-
main. Eileen is certainly little In
love with you, and little with her
means something And you evidently
have never harbored any serious in-
tentlons toward the child. can see
that, because you are the most trans.
parent man ! ever knew. Now, the
question is, What Is to be donef"
Il am, Of course. obliged to believe
that you are mistaken" be said "A
man cannot choose but believe In that
manner. There is no very young girl,
nobody. old or young whom ] like as
thoroughly as do Eileen Enroll She
knows II: so do you. Nina. II Is open
and aboveboard ! should be very un.
happy II anything marred or distorted
our friendship. am quite confident
that nothing Will"
"ln that frame OF mind" said his
sister smiling. you are the heaIthiest
companion In the world for her. for
you will either cure her or she you,
and II Is all right either way"
Certainly 1t will be aIl right" he
said confidently.
For few moments be paced the
room. reflective. quickening his pace
all the while. and his sister watched
him. silent In her indeclsion
I'm going up to see the kids" be
said abruptly.
The children. one and all were 10
the park. but Eileen was sewing In
the nursery, and his sister dId not call
him back as be swung out OF the room
and MP the stairs But when be had
disappeared Nina dropped into her
chair. aware that she had played her
best card prematurely. forced by Ros
amund who had Just told her thar
rumor continued to be very busy cou.
pling her brothers name with the
name OF the woman who once had
been his wife.
Nina was now thoroughly convinced
Of Alixe's unusual capacity for making
mischief
She had known Alike always. and
she had seen her develop from a tai
ented. restless. erratic. emotional girl
easily moved TO generosity. into an
impulsiye woman, reckless 10 the
point Of ruthlessness when ennui and
stampeded her. woman
not deliberately selfish. not Willingly
immoral. for she lacked the passion
which her emotion was sometimes mis-
taken for. and she was kind by In
stinct
Sufficiently intelligent 10 suffer from
the lack Of II In others. cultured to the
point of recognizing culture. ber dan.
gerous unsoundness lay In her utter
lack OF mental stamina when condi-
tons became unpleasant beyond her
will. not ber ability to endure them.
The consequences OF her own errors
she refused TO be burdened with To
escape somehow was her paramount
impulse. and she always tried to-had
always attempted Il even In school
further back when Nina |
1rst remembered her ~ thin, eager.
restless little girl scampering from one
scrape into another at full speed.
Even In those days there were mo
menfs when NIns believed her to be
actually Irrational. but there was every /
reason not 10 say 10 TO the beedless
scstterbrain whose father in the prime
of life sat all day In bis room, bis
faded eyes nrsd xistfniIy on the child