Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-05
CHAPTER VI-Continued.

i
Thanks to you. my brave friend.
am Col Ogilvie of Airlville. JOY. this is
Mir Athlyne felt in an instant like
a cad He realized now in all it's force
the evil of deception. Silently he handed
| his card. MIR. Hardy her father said.
| JOY held out her hand and he took it.
| Il am rot able to thank you now and
4 here" she said. raising to him her glori-
/ Gus gray eyes. He munbled out few
words in reply and raised his hat to
part. A. he was turning away JOY whis-
pered to her father:
| ddy. won't YOU ask him to come to
see u.s." Mother will want to thank him.
too. Ask him to come to dinner tonight"
| My dear. you will be far too upset.
| Better"
Nonsense. daddy. dear. I'm all right
now. Indeed. dear. il will seem strange
| II YOU don't. after what he has done for
you-for YOU. daddy. dear-and for me-
| In his own formal and kindly way
| Col Ogilvie gave the invitation. Athlyne
answered with equal kindly ceremony and
4 they parted.
BY this time the strangers motor had
been taken in through the broken barrier.
| Col. Ogilvie insisted that their host should
| not leave them. and they drove off to-
| gether.
In the public excitement lat their going
AthlNe escaped unnoticed. He took the
street at right angles and shortly got a
i
/ An hour later he had call from his
| military friend. who announced himself
as 'Lootenant r. Flinders Breckenridge"
| Athlyne had now made up his mind how
| to meet him. He said at once:
| II am going to try Your patience. old
| chap. and perhaps your friendship: but
| l want you to keep a secret. I can't de-
| ceive comrade. and we military men are
| that to each other all the world over. /
/ am here under false name I had rea-
\ for kepnYnQr identity cd
| as / came for a special purpose. So l
| want YOU to bear with me and keep even
| that much secret between you and me-
| That's all right said the boy. with
hearty smile. ''On my honor III keep
your secret as my own
| And when I can I'll write and let you
| know" And SO a friendship began.
'Mr. Hardy left word at the desk that
newspaper man. But on the Riverside
drive kodaks had been hard at work;
| the black horse was recognized. and the
| morning papers had many execrabl
| likenesses of Lootenant Breckenridge as
| he appeared galloping.
| In the hall of the Holland House Lord
| Athlyne found Col. Ogilvie waiting for
| him with that old-fashoned hospitality
which is still to be found in the south.
| He cordially greeted his guest and when
| they had come from the elevator took his
| arm to lead him into his own suite. Ath-
| lyme was quite touched with the greeting
| extended to him. He had not for years
been in the way of receiving anything OF
| the nature of family affection. But now.
when his hosts warmth was followed by
| a fearful gratitude on the part Of his
wife. which found expression in a quick
| bending forward and kissing the hand
which she held in hers-to the great con-
sternation of the owner thereof-he was
| sensible of feeling foolish.
| "Oh, pray, pday!" he said. and then re-
manned silent. for what could he do but
4 frrI tot, n.yf-
| come of the feeling of a grateful mother.
| JOY was girl in whom were the ele-
| ments of passion. Was it strange that
! the same emotional yeast worked in her
/ as in her mothers nature?
| The Introduction to Miss Judith Hayes
/ was a relief. She. too. felt strOngly--no
| less strongly when she realized that the
| valiant stranger was so handsome and
of so distinguished an appearance. But.
1 after all. the matter was not SO vitality
[ close to her. An aunt. howsoever loving
/ her nature may be, cannot be actuated
| by the overwhelming impulses of mother
| hood. This very difference. however.
made speech asier She it was who Of all
| the grateful little party gave best verbal
| expression to her feelings. In frank
Phrases touched with the native warmth
of her heart and emphasized by the ad-
miring chances of her fine eyes she told
MIN of the gratitude which they all felt
| for his gallant rescue of her dear niece.
| She finished UP with an uncomfortable
| sob as she said
IF it hadn't been for your bravery and
resource and strength there would be no
more sorrowful band OF poor souls in all
| the wide world than-than-" she turned
| her head and walked over to the window.
Athlyne could see that for quite a min
ute or two afterWard her shoulders
| shook. When at last she did turn round
| her CLASSY eyes but i'll accorded with her
I'incisive humorour phrases of her ringing
| laugh: The effect on AthIyne was pecul-
lar Without Analysing the intellectual
process too closely he felt in his mind
| with a secret exultation that he had
| found an ally" 1t may have been the
| soldier instinct. to which he had been so
| long accustomed, working in his mind. or
| il may have had another basis. Anyhow.
| ne was content.
| His meeting with Joy surprised while
| il satisfied them both. They looked into
each others eyes for an instant and to
| them both the whole world became crys-
| tai. The whole world to them both
| their world-the only world that was to
them at that moment, that ever could be.
| that had been since the ordination of
things. This is the true hearts content.
| ion of souls. Passion may after
ward burn the rapture into fixed
belief. as the furnace fixes the painted
design on the potters clay. but in that
first moment of eyes looking into an
swering eyes is the dawn o. love-the
coming together of those twin halves of a
perfect soul which was at once the con-
ception and realization of Platonic belief.
At dinner Athlyne was placed between
Mrs. Ogilvie and JOY, Col. Oslvie be-
ing next to his daughter and Miss Hayes
next her sister. Thus Aunt Judy being
opposite both her niece and the guest,
could watch them both without seeming
to stare. In the early part OF the dinner
she was abnormally. for her. silent: but
later on. when she felt that things were
going duly with some of the party. she
manifested her usual buoyancy of spirits.
She had in the meantime come to certain
conclusions of her own.
Somehow there was an air OF con-
stralnt over all the party. but in different
ways and from different causes Athlyne
was i'll at ease because they all made
so much of him: and as he was painfully
conscious of his false position in accept
ing the hospitality of such persons under
an alias. their kindness only emphasized
10 him his own chagrin. Col. Ogilvie
conscious. rather by instinct than from
guest was more reticent than he would
have thought a young man would he
under the circumstances, was rather in
clined to resent IL. The Osilvies had
from the earliest times been very impor-
tant people in their own place; and many
generations of them had grown up to
the understanding that their friendship
even their acquaintance, was an honor
Now when he had asked into his family
circle young man known personally to
him only by his visiting card and by
life-very CALAMITY. ii was true-he found
his friendly interest In his new acuuaint-
ance was not received with equal hearth
ness. The truth was that Athlyne was