The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-03-11

"Is she In love?" he asked.
"a little. Phil"
"Does she admit it?" he demanded,
unpleasantly astonished
"She admits 1t i'm dozen innocent
ways TO me. who can understand her
But TO herself she has not admitted II.
l think-coud not admit it vet. be.
because
who is IT." asked Selwyn. and there
was in his voice the slightest under.
tone Of a growl.
Dear. shall tell youT'
"Whv not?"
"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 NJ him almost sadly.
Dear, all the things you are prepar-
Ing 10 shout at me are quite useless
| know. don't imagine. don't fore
stall, don't predict"
Nina. you are madder than n March
heiressw
"Air your theories. Phil. then come
back to realities. The conditions re-
main. Eileen Is certainly n little I'm
love with You. and little with her
means something. And you evidently
have never hnrhored any serious in
tentions toward the child. can see
that, because yoT are the most trans
parent man ever knew. Now. the
question is. What is to he done?"
81 am. Of course. obliged TO believe
that you are mistaken" he said. "a
man cannot choose hut believe I'm that
manner. There is no very young girl.
nobody. old or Young. whom like as
thoroughly as | do Eileen Enroll. She
knows 1t: so do yen. Nina. II is open
and aboveboard. ! should be very un-
happy II ~. thing maITed or distorted
our friendship | am quite confident
that nothing will"
I'm that frame Of mind" said his
sister. smiling. You are the heathiest
companion in the world for her. for
you will either euro her or she Won.
/ and II is all right either way"
Certainly It viii he all right" he
said confidently.
For few moments he paced the
room, reflective. quickening his pace
all the while, and his sister watched
him. silent in her indecision.
I'm going mp TO see the kids" he
said abruptly
The children. one and all. were in
the park. but Eileen was sewing in
the nursery. ana his sister did not call
him back as he swung out Of the room
and up the stairs. But when he had
disappeared Nina dropped into her
chair. aware that she hal played her
best card prematurely, forced by Ros-
amund, who had just told her that
rumor continued to he 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 -or making
mischief
She had known Alike alv Iys. and
she had seen her develop SHom n tai
ented, restless. erratic, emotional girl
easily moved to generosity, into an
impulsive woman, reckless TO the
point OF ruthlessness wkeH ennui and
unhappiness stampeded her. woman
not deliberately selfish. net Willingly
immoral. for she lacked the passion
which her emotion was sometimes mis-
taken for. and she was kind by IN.
stinct.
Sufficiently intelligent to suffer from
the lack Of 1t in others, cultured to the
point OF recognizing culture, her dan
gerous unsoundness lay in her utter
lack Of mental stamina when condi-
tions became unpleasant beyond her
will, not her 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 1t even in school
days-and further back when Nina
first remembered her as thin, eager,
restless little girl scampering from one
scrape into another at full speed
Even In those days there were mo-
ments when Nina believed her to be
actually irrational, but there was every
reason not to say so to the needless
scatterbrain whose father in the prime
Of life sat all day In his room, his
faded eyes fixed wistfully on the child
ish toys which his attendant brought
to him from his daughters nursery.
All this Nina was remembering, and
again she wondered bitterly at Alixe's
treatment of her brother and what ex-
PLANTATION there. could ever be for it
except one.
Lately, too, Alike had scarcely been
at pains to conceal her contempt for
her husband, II what Rosamund relat-
ed was true. 1t was only one more
headlong scrape, this second marriage,
and Nina knew Alike we'll enough TO
expect the usual stampede toward that
gay phantom which was always beck
oning onward to promised happiness
that goal of hearts desire already ly-
Ing so far behind her, and farther still
cta hnr a..