Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-12
BY JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER.


place want him here in Frankfort. Mrs.
Grey is coming tomorrow.
She arrived the next day but ] did
not see her until went down 70 dinner
at the hotel. You must understand that
Frankfort is a small place and that II IS
not possible to avoid anybody there long
Knowing this 7 made no attempt at eva
sion. | was in my customary seat ar
small table by one of the windows, and
was alone there-Jimmy Warfeld some
times sat opposite me. hut he WAS very
irregular.
] had been looking out of the window
at the hands of sunshine across the
snowy street and when 7 turned my
eyes back again | saw Alicia and her
| husband entering the dining room. II
was the latest version Of Beauty and the
Beast The noble spiritual quality that
admired so much In Alicia seemed 10
me more clearly defined than ever. Pale
and sad she was but her head was erect
and she had that pride for which | know
no other name than the pride Of purity
But the sadness in the beautiful eyes
was unmistakable. Quietly dressed and
quiet in manner, she was wonderful
contrast to her fiamboyant husband.
who radiated noisy color. I noticed with
a sort OF secret pleasure that she did not
come In by the side of him. but walked
a little ahead. as II she did not belong
to him in the intimate manner of hus-
| band and wife.
| She did not n1e--my table stood In
little alcove, partly hidden by curtains
and / watched her for little while.
She still preserved at the table her atti-
tude of aloofness and the couple were
silent. j could see that Grey felt some
| fear Of her-his stiff manner. his few
| words and his occasional wary glances
at her indicated ii. The Grey of this
moment was very different Grey from
| the Grey Of his political headquarters
and l was glad to know it.
Presently they became three at the
| table and the third person was Harr-
son. He took his seat as If he belonged
there. and his manner was quite init
mate. Grey seemed to feel relief at his
coming. but Alicia's face expressed
nothing. I watched them yet a little
| while longer and ] saw more clearly
| than ever before Harrison's influence
| over Grey; II might extend further than
politics, and my seeing it was the rea-
son why / rose and went over to their
table.
knowing the Greys so well. It was the
proper thing for me to speak to them at
| once. but I probably should not have
| done so had it not been for Harrisons
| pervading presence and the feelings that
| Ii aroused In me.
l think / detected a slight look of an
noyance on Harrisons face when he saw
me. and that gave me pleasure Grey
| frowned-apparently he wished to be my
| friend only when his wife was absent
| but Alicia gave me a smile of welcome
| There was nothing in the ordinary social
4
| in formal. commonplace manner that
/ was glad to see her I'm Frankfort. They
| asked me to sit at their table, and I ac-
! cepted, the waiter making the change for
| me.
| I confess that while spoke in COM
monplace manner my feelings were far
| from being SO. We four, whose lives
| were connected in such a singular way.
| and which were destined to be interviewer
yet more closely. were sitting around a
| common table and saying idle words as IL
| we were mere chance acquaintances who
! had met and would pass. Harrison did
| most of the talking, retailing social COS
sip that he had brought down from Lou
| isville. and I seemed to detect q slight
| strain under his apparently easy and IN
| different manner. l said little, but con.
tented myself with occasional gianoae et
| Alicia. l wondered what she thought Oh
Harrison. whether she regarded him - =
platonic friend who wished In an unoo-
! trusive way to give her his intellectual
| and moral sympathy; but she neither did
nor said anything that would indicate her
| thoughts.
After dinner, Grey said they expected
to see good deal Of me now, as We we're
staying at the same hotel and ought
to meet many times in Frankfort 1
replied with a polite nothing ana then
we entered the parlor.
/ wanted to have a few words alone
with Alicia. had nothing particular
to say. but 1 wished to say 1t apart
| the chance. Harrison watched me like
a hawk, and Alicia herself made no op-
| portunities. But member came pres
| emily to the door and asked to see Har-
| riSon just a moment on political business.
| He could not we'll refuse, and Grey. with
| his sense of Importance taking it for
granted that he also was concerned,
| stepped into the hall with him.
| II am sorry you have come here,
| said to Alicia. But l had to come. II
| was my place"
| She turned upon me look sad. So
| appealing, which said so plainly: do
not scold me. do not add TO my burdens
| that 7 had no heart to say more. But
| even then she was thinking more of me
| than of herself.
ITO be continued tomorrow