Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-01-22
.Chapter' lQ2ee
atfG sere<r 49,
sSIESyz

And she smiled 70 herself as she guild
cd her mare through the Towering
labyrinths.
Behisd her. powerfully mounted am
bled the beted groom. She was riding
alone in the golden weather because
her good friend Selwyn was very busy
in his office downtown, and Gerald,
who now rode with her occasionally.
was downtown also, and there remain
ed nobody else to ride with: also the
horses were to be sent to Silverside
soon. and she wanted to use them as
much as possible while the park was
at its lovelieSt.
Ii was near Eighty-siXth street that
q girl splendidly mounted saluted her
and. wheeling. joined her, blond,
cool skinned, rosy tinted. smoothly
groomed girl, almost too perfectly
seated, almost too flawless and supple
in the perfect symmetry of face and
figure.
upon my word" she said gayiy,
"you are certainly spring incarnate,
Miss Enroll, the living embodiment OF
all thisp She swung her riding crop
In a circle and laughed, showing her
perfect teeth. "But where is that
faithful attendant cavalier of yours
this morning? Is he so grossly mate
rial that he prefers Wall street. as docs
my good lord and master!'
DO you mean Gerald" asked Eileen
innocently. "or Captain SelwynY
"Oh, either" returned ROsamund air.
fly. "a girl should have something
masculine TO talk to on morning like
this. You are continuing to astonish
the town, hear"
"What do you mean, Mrs. FaneT'
'Why. first it was Sudbury, then
Draymore. and now everybody says
that Boots
"Bootsw repeated Miss Enroll blank
", then laughed deliciously. Poor,
poor Boots! Did they say that about
him? Oh. it really is too bad, Mrs.
Fame. 1t is certainly horribly imperti-
nent of people to say such things. My
only consolation Is that Boots won't
care. and if he doesn't why should
~
Rosamund nodded, crossing her crop.
For awhile as they rode she was
Enthusiastically amusing. SAILING
blandly over the shoals of scandal.
though Eileen never suspected II
wittily gay at her own expense as wen
rs at others, fitting airily from topic
TO topic on the wings of self assur-
ance that becomes some women
they know when to stop. But pres
emily the mischievous perversity in her
dubbed up again. She was tired OF
being good. She had often meant to
try the effect of a gentle shock on
Miss Enroll. and besides. she wonder
ed lust how much truth there might
be in the unpleasantly persistent ru-
NOR of the girls unannounced engage
ment to Selwyn.
at would be amusing. wouldn't it,"
she asked. with guileless frankness
"But. of course. it is not true-this
report Of their reconciliation"
"Whose reconciliation asked Miss
Enroll innocently.
"Why, Alike Ruthven and Captain
Selwyn. Everybody is discussing it,
you know"
"Reconciled" / don't understand"
said Eileen, astonished. "They can't
re. How cam
"But it would be amusing, wouldn't
it? And she could very easily get rid
of Jack Ruthven. Any woman could.
So if they really mean to remar-
ry"-
The girl stared, GREATNESS, astound-
ed, bolt upright in her saddle.
"Oh," she protested, while the hot
blood mantled throat and cheek, sit is
wickedly untrue! How could such a
thing be true, Mrs. Fame? 1t isis
so senselessw
Miserably uncomfortable, utterly I'M
able to comprehend, the girl rode on in
silence, her ears ringing with Rosa
mund's words. And Rosamund, riding
beside her. cool, blond and cynically
amused, continued the theme with adj
ITS pity that i'll natured people
are forever discussing them, and it
makes me indignant, because I've all
ways been very fond of Alike Ruth
ven, and | am positive that she does
not correspond with Captain Selwyn. |
A girl in her position would be crazy
to invite suspicion by doing the things |
they say she is doing"
Don't, Mrs. Fame. please don'tv
stammered Eileen. IL really can't |
listen! simply will not If you
knew him as l do, Mrs. Fame, you |
would never, never have spoken as
you have"
Mrs. Fame relished neither the naive |
rebuke nor the intimation that her own |
acquaintance with Selwyn was so linn
tied, and least of all did she relish the
implied intimacy between this red |
haired young girl and Captain Selwyn.
Dear Miss Erroll," she said blandly,
81 spoke as | did only to assure you |,
that | also disregard such malicious !
gossip"
Out IL Sou uiSieSdlu IT. MIS-. rdhe,
why do you repeat it?"
"Merely to emphasize to you my dis
belief in it, child" returned Rosamund. |
"Do you understand"
eyes Thank you. Yet l should
never have heard of it at all if you had |
not told me-"
Rosamund's color rose one degree.
ut is better to hear such things from
a friend, Is it nOtT'