The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-01-20

hated to put a stop to 1t. And you
should see her drying her hair and
helping Plunket to roll the tennis
courts-that hair of hers blowing like
gold flames and her sleeves rolled to
her armpits-and you should see her
down in the dirt playing marbles with
Billy and Drina shooting away ex-
citedly and exclaiming Ten dubsr and
'Knuckle down, Billyv like any gamin
you ever heard officially unspoiled,
Phil, in spite Of all the success Of her
first winterl And do you know that
she had no end of men seriously en-
tangled? Phily
"What?" he said.
His sister regarded him smilingly,
then partly turned around and perched
herself on the padded arm Of a great
chair.
"Come over here, Phil; no, close to
me. I wish to put my hands on your
shoulders, like that. Now look at me.
Do you really love meT
Sure thing, Ninette."
"And you know I adore you, don't
your"
"Madly, dear, but forgive you"
mo. I want you to be serious, be-
cause I'm pretty serious. See, I'm not
smiling now. / don't feel like 1t, be.
cause 1t is a very, very important mat
ter, Phil this thing that has-has-al-
most happened. It's about Eileen. And
II really has happened"
what has she done?" he asked curl
ously.
His sisters eyes were searching his
very diligently, as though in quest Of
something elusive, and he gazed &C.
renely back, the most unsuspicious Of
smiles touching his mouth.
"Phil, dear, a young giri-a very
young girls a vapid and uninterest.
Ing proposition to a man Of thirty-five
isn't sher
"Rather-in some ways"
"In what way is she not?'
"Well, to me, for example, she Is ac-
ceptable as children are acceptable
blessed, sweet, clean relief from the
women Of the Fanes' set, for example"
like RosamundT
Eyes. And, Ninette, you and Austin
seem to be drifting out Of the old cir
cles, the sort that you and I were ac-
customed to. You don't mind my say
Ing it, do you? But there were so many
people in this town who had some.
thing besides millions-amusing, well
bred, jolly people who had no end OF
good times, but who didn't gamble and
guzzle and stuff themselves and their
friends, who were not eternally hang
ing around other peoples wives. You
have just asked me whether a young
girl is interesting to me. I answer,
yes, thank God, for the cleaner, saner,
among my own kind have been spent
where the younger set dominated.
They are better than those who bred
them, and if in time they, too, fall
short they will not fall as far as their
parents. And in their turn when they
look around them at the younger set,
whom they have taught in the light
and wisdom of their own shortcom-
ings, they will see fresher, sweeter,
lovelier young people than we see now.
And it will continue so, dear, through
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 mollah! Dear.
dear fellow!' she said tenderly. "All
ills of the world canst thou discount,
but not thine own"
"Those too" he insisted, laughing.
II had a talk with Boots. But any
way I'd already arrived at my own
conclusion that-that-I'm rather over
doing this blighted business"
''Phil" in quick delight.
"Yes," he 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! Ninette, life to the full and up
to the hilt for mine"
II am going to say something that
is very, very serious and very near
my heart" said Nina.
II remember" he said. 'It's about
Eileen, isn't it?"
"Yes, 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
don't believe had better speak of
it."
"Why not?"
"Why, just because you ask me
why not| for example,"
''Is it anything that worries you
about Eileen?"
'N-no, not exactly. 1t is-it may be
a phase, and yet know that If it is
anything at all it is not a passing
phase. She is different from the ma
jority, you see-very intelligent, very
direct. She never forgets, for exam
pie. Her loyalty is quite remarkable,
Phil. She is very intense in her-her
beliefs, the more so because she is
unusually free from impulse, even
quite Ignorant OF the deeper emotions,
or so believed until-until''-
"Is she in love?" he asked.
"a little, Phil"