Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-19

extinguished The one thing possible, repugnant to
my every wish, agonizing to my youthful pride, as 1t
was | had done 1t had failed; and l sat looking
into the face of despair. My short life had been
happy one I astonshed at my misery
So innocently it had begun. Backing winning
horse for guinea; winning five. The end to-day
ruin!
There was the rustic of woman s clothes in the
corridor [ did not lift my head from where it hung
deiectedly between my hunched shoulders; lady en-
tered the carriage and took the seat opposite mime
Ny legs were dspritedly sprawled; she had trlpped
against foot she placed her handbag in the rack
was compelled to look at her. and to lift my hat, IN
response to her word of apology Having looked,
did not turn away my eyes-a farer face to look at,
this, than that of the grim hag into which had been
staring
ment she explained settling herself. 81 felt them
getting my nerves, and had to make dash Ior IT,
| hope you don t mlndF
| suppose the grimaee with which l answered her
smile was somewhat CHASTITY, for she looked at me with
attention for a moment then smiled again, encourag-
ingly !. - s;uo..oa from,
one thoughts. ~
I murmured sulkily that the interruption was a
pleasant -
81 have been travelling all day and all last night,
and am sick of my own company; and these old
women would not talk 1t s such bore to be silent
1t drives people to horrible things
''Sience? Oh / don t know, l said, with the
awkward gruhness of a miserable boy. "Talking or
holding your tongue dOesn t make much difference
when everything s beastly'
''Oh things bad as thatF She Salu llgnty,
and lifted her shoulders with haf-foregn grace py
way of comment.
She was not an exactly pretty woman but so at
tractve when she smiled that had to keep my eyes
on her face lest she should do and not looking 1t
was a winter night, and she wrapped in beautiful turs
knew them to be costly because my mother was fond
of Dress and talked to about it. thought nothing
could have shown up the charming roundness OF her
pale cheeks the short-perhaps too shOr-lne of the
Jaw from to upturned chin to such advantage as
the wide sable collar of her coat raised about her lace
svatbed throat The hair which lay in smooth waves
about ear and brow beneath the sable oque she wore
was of dark red She of medium height and build
(as thought then, and still think, woman should
be- and her eyes, which CLEANED, watehfuly atten-
tive beneath curiously heavy lids were of red brown
to match her hair.
What age she was looking back, cannot say
really attractive woman is of no age in the mind OF
man who is drawn to her. Let her be nineteen, let
her be forty ynne-it is her charm only, not her age,
of which he is conscious.
''And things are 'beastly,' then'" she asked me,
with her smile.
I said sulkiy that they were about poisonous as
it was possible for things to be.
you are very young, - she said, Ito speak IN that
tone and to mean it, You don mean itP'
With an honesty of which there could be no doubt
I asseverated shortly that did.
She leaned toward me- "Tel me what is wrong,
she said.
It sounds incredible-I being young man who had
never made an absolute cOnfdante of my mother,
who had shrunk painfully from selfrevelation, and
despised the happier youths of my age whose hearts
were on their sleeves-but told her. Gladly without
an instant fear or hesitation, told to this absolute
stranger the story had found myself unable to reveal
to my dearest friend.
-
1T is needless to set it forth here The ruin from
which 1 saw escape never befell, the good name
I believed 1 had irretrevably disgraced was saved
But for the memory of the woman to whom told it
would wish to wipe from my mind the history gave
her then frankly enough, but in as few halfchoked
words as l could put it.
She listened lying back in her corner, wrapped in
her scented furs her rug pulled about her knees
her red brown eyes upon my face. Beneath their
heavy lids they shone like sunt Jewels thought.
OWhen had finished she sat silent, watchful of me
for minute Then, leaning forward-she appeared