Evening star., 1909-06-19

ERT PAYSON TERHUNE.
Copyright, 1909, BY ALBEIT Payson Terbune.
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| through the straw when the glass is al
| most empty
IF that's a hint" observed Caine.
| glancing about for a waiter.
No" she replied. only a scientific
comment. Oh. It is good to be in the
country day like this
I'll be In the country for the summer
this time next MONTH" said Jack Ha-
| warden. Mothers taken the same cot
tage at the Antlers we had last year. 1t
will, be nice to get back to the old Adj
rondacks again."
The ,Adarondacks?" exclaimed Desiree.
"oh. take me along. I've always wanted
to go there!'
Lefty. panied at suggestion SO pal
peal to Caine. But AMI was once more
| talking to people at the next table. So
Miss Standish drew about her an aIoof-
ness that lifted her high above any ri
baldry that might be banded about her.
You've never been?' asked Jack in
surprise. you've missed a lot. There S
no. other region just like the Adirondacks.
1t rains about third Of the time as a
rule. But when It's clear you forget 1t
can ever be anything else. The breath
goes down a mile deeper into your lungs
than it can in any other part Of the
world: and you never get tired A sort OF
perpetual ozone jag. Almost any place
there is worth going to. We generally
Up on Raquette Lake, you know. It's
different from other places. It's run by
Charlie Bennett. a giant Of man as
broad as Mr.. Conover and half a foot
taller. He and father are old chums
from the time when it took three days to
get into the wilderness and when you
could shoot Adirondack bear for break
fast any morning. Bennett used to be
fathers guide in those days. Now. sup
pose he could buy and sell dad half a
dozen times over"
II wish l could go Thereon anywhere
at all in the Adirondacks." sighed Desiree
wistfully. II read once
Caleb noted the longing infection and
made quick mental note of it.
How big's your cottage. Jack?' he
asked the boy.
-Four rooms. We get our meals at the
hotel Why?'
"Oh. nothin'r Continuing with ele-
phantine humor. thought maybe l might
drop in on you some time. How many of
you goin' to be there?"
Father can only stay a month this
year. After that there will be only
mother and l. Did You really think Of
joining US? We'd be ever so glad.
There's an extra room"
Much obliged. I've never took vaca-
ton yet. an l guess I'm little bit too
old to begin. don't b'lieve in vacations
Neither would you If you could see how
my clerks look when they get back from
EN-. The first day back. you d think they
was beginnin' life sentence in prison. 1t
costs 'em six months savin's to grow a
bunch of callous spots on their hands an
tan on their faces that they could a got
free of charge. workin in my freight
yards. When d'you expect to go to the
country, Miss Standish?" he broke off.
role of attentive swain. and turning un-
expectedly upon Lefty before she had an
opportunity to resume the aloofness which
she had just discarded as unnecessary.
Il don't quite know yet" she made
reply. unrea9onably scared by his sudden
glance. I'VE shall probably stay in town
rather late this year.
"Good.' approved Caleb. 81 hope we'll
see lot of each other"
And. looking into his light masterful
eyes the girl knew all at once that she
would not have the wit nor the force to
avoid him. The knowledge turned her
sick. Her round, helpless gaze shifted in
voluntarily to Desiree, as the nearest
woman to her. And, under the genuine
fright behind that appeal the steel giint
that had Of sudden hardened Desiree's
big eyes. softened unaccountably. A quick
sentence that had risen to her lips died
unborn.
For a moment. before convention could
lower the veil the two women read each
other to the very soul. At what the brief
glance told her. Lefty drew her breath
with a sharp intake that made Conover
glance at her inquiringly. To cover her
speech on the first subject that crossed
her mind.
Il hope you didn't mind Uncle Guys
rudeness. Mr. Conover." she began. He
really doesn't mean half the cross things
he says. He suffers. SO dreadfully from
dyspepsia. and-and there are sometimes
family troubles too. that
Il know" assented Caleb. I've heard
Married wife that was too rich for him.
She don't always agree with him, l hear,
an / spose it gives him mental indiges-
ton. No offense. forgot they're rel'tves
of yours"
I'm sorry, just the same. that he spoke
SO threateningly to YOU" went on Lefty.
She found 1t so easy to talk to him now.
A weight seemed off her heart.
Threats don't keep me guessin very
much" Conover reassured her. delighted
at her new ease of bearing toward him.
mo ones goin' to do rich man any real
harm or hold grouches against him. To
him that hath. it shall be forgiven. That's
in the Bible. amt it? Or somethin like
1t. The trouble with men like your uncle
Is that they don't see any farther ahead
than twenty years ago. Business an
politics have changed lot since then.
But the old crowd don't see it, They're
like a feller that rows a boat. They
move ahead because the boat carries 'em
ahead. But they're always facin astern.' :
He felt he was talking amazingly well.
He was almost annoyed when Desiree
having sat in troubled silence for some
minutes rose abruptly and proposed that
they should go.
Lefty Standish watching them depart.
was saying over and over 10 herself in
rapturous sing-sonG.
'She won't let him make love to me-
She won't, She won't"
CTo be continued tomorrow