Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-01-29

the Jolly generations. Life Is all right,
only, like. art, it IS very, very long
| sometimes"
Nina sat silent upon the padded arm
Of her chair looking up at. her brother.
MAD preacher! Mad mcllah!: Dear,
dear fellow" she said tenderly. "All
ills OF the world canst thou discount,
but not thine own"
'"Th0se, too" he insisted, laughing.
Il had aTfalk with Boots. But any
way I'd already arrived at my own
conclusion that-that-I'm rather over
doing this bIighted business"
"Phil!' in quick delight
"Yes," lie said, reddening nicely;
between you and Boots and myself
I've decided that I'm going in for-for
whatever any man is going in for
life! Ninettc, life to the full and up
to the hilt for minew
81 am going to say something that
is very, very serious and very near
my heart" said Nina.
| lSihSlnbcl, ue Sdni. IL "pouI
Eileen, isn't it?'
Eyes, it is about Eileen"
He waited, and again his sisters
eyes began restlessly searching his for
something that she seemed unable to
find
"You make it little difficult, Phil.
I don't believe | had better speak of
It."
"Why not?'
"Why, just because you ask ME
why nOtY for example"
"Is it anything that worries you
about Eileen"
"N-no, not exactly. 1t is-it may be
a phase, and yet l know that If it is
anything at all it is not n passing
phase. She Is different from the ma
jority, you see-very intelligent. very
direct. She never forgets.v for exam
pie. Her loyalty is quite remarkable.
Phil. She IS very intense il her-her
beliefs, the more so because she Is
unusually free from impulse, even
quite ignorant Of the deeper emotions.
or so believed until-untl'-
"Is.,sb in lover he asked.
"a little. Phil"
"Does she admit it?' he demanded,
unpleasantly astonished.
"She admits it in dozen innocent
ways to me, who can understand her.
But TO herself She has not admitted it.,
] think-could not admit it yet, be-
cause-because'-
"Who is it?" asked SelWyn, and there
was in his voice the slightest under
tone of growl.
"Dear, shall l tell you"
"Why 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 at him almost sadly.
'Dear, all the things you are prepar-
ing to shout at HE are quite useless.
know. l don't imagine, / don't fore
stall, l don't predict"
nina, you are madden than a March
heiressw
"Air your theories, Phil, then come
back to realities. The conditions re-
main. Eileen is certainly little in
love with you, and little with her
means something. And you evidently
have never harbored any serious in
tentions toward the child. I can see
that, because you are the most trans
parent man l ever knew. Now, the
question is, What is to be done?
81 am, of course, obliged to believe
that you are mistaken" he said "a
| man cannot choose but believe in that
manner. There is no very young girl.
nobody, old or young. whom l like as
thoroughly rs | do Eileen Enroll. She
knows it; so do you, Nina. 1t is open
and aboveboard. should be very I'M
happy if anything marred or distorted
our friendship. l am quite confident
that nothing WILL"
I'm that frame Of mind" said his
sister, smiling, "you are the healthiest
companion in the world for her, for
you will either cure her or she you,
and it is all right either way"
Certainly it will be all right" he
said confidently.
For few moments he paced the
room, reflective, quickening his pHce
all the while, and his sister watched
him, silent in her indecision.
'I'm going up to see the kids he
said abruptly.
The children, one and all, were in
the park, but Eileen was sewing in
the nursery, and 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 had played he"
best card prematurely, forced by Ros-
amund, who had just told her that
rumor continued to be very busy cou-
ping 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 for making
mischief
She had known Alike always, and
she had seen her develop from a tai
ented, restless, erratic, emotional girl,
easily moved to generosity, into an
impulsive woman, reckless TO the
point Of ruthlessness when ennui and
unhappiness stampeded her, woman
not deliberately selfish, not Willingly
immoral, for she lacked the passion
which her emotion was sometimes Mis-
taken for, and she was kind by In
ctinot