The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-20
Page of
Interest
II The
WllENAMANMARRIFS
7henoafomwhIh lhe play EvENDNswaS made
BYMARY ROBERTS RINEHART
Author fnEGnlhRSMRnS''9 TlENNN L0wrRh

us BELLA. don't tell me you still
persist in that nonsense"
What nonsense =" asked, getting
ready ITO run.
THAT you do not love him"
james" she snapped irrts bly,. DO
yaH suppose mean the policeman o.
8 I looked over at Jimmy. She had
got me by the hand. and Jimmy was
making frantic gestures 10 tell her
the whole ming and toe done with 1t.
But / had gone too far. The mill OF /
the gods had crushed me already, and
/ didn't propose to be drawn out hid
eously mangled and held up as an
example for the next two or three
weeks. although 1t was clear enough
that Aunt Selma disapproved Of nae
thoroughly. and would have been glad
enough TO ind that no tie save the
board of health held us together, And (
then Bella came in, and you wouldn't !
have known her. She had put on a /
straight white wooden wrapper and
she had her hair in two long braids
down her back. She looked like a
nice. wide-eyed little girl in her teens,
and she had some lobster salad and a
/ glass OF port on tray. When she
saw the situation she put the things
! down and had the nastiness to stay
and listen.
I'm not blind" Aunt Selma said :
with one eye on tho tray. You two
! Silly children adore each other, ! saw
some thiags last night
Bella took n step forward. then she
stopped and shrugged her shoulders.
Jim was purple.
Il saw you Kiss her in the dining
room. remember that Aunt Selma
b nm another
turn.
1t WAS Bella's turn to he excited,
She gave rue one awful stare then
she fixed her eyes on Jim.
Besides" aunt Selma went on.
you told me to-day that you loved
her. Don't deny it, james"
Bella couldn't keep quiet another
instant. She came over and stood 1T
the foot of the bed.
Please don't excite yourself. dear
Miss Caruthers,' she said. in a voice
like ice. Every one knows that he
loves her, he simply overtiows with
It. lit is quite a by-word among
their friends. They have been sitting
together In corner all evening"
! Yes, that was what she said; when
] had not spoken to Jimmy the whole
+ time IN the drn. f3etta WIS catfish,
and she was Jealous. too. / turned on
Z my uFtt anu went w the uppFs lHen /
; turned to her. with my hand on the
knob.
| You have been misinformed." l
! said coidly. you can not possibly
know. having spent three hours in a
corner yoursell-with Mr.. HARRISON"
; abhor jealousy in woman.
. Well Aunt Selma ate all the lobster
salad. and drank the port after Bella
had told her il was beef, iron and
wine. and she slept all night. and was
able To sit up in chair the next day.
and was so infatuated with Bella that
she would not let her out of her sight.
But that is ahead of the story
At midnight the house was fairly
. quiet, except for jim who kept walk
: ing around the halls because he
couldn't sleep. j got up at last and
ordered him 10 bed, and he had the
audacity to have a grievance with me.
Look at my situation now he
said. sitting pensively on steam ra-
diator. Aunt Selma is crazy, / only
kissed your hand. anyhow, and / don't
t know why you sat IN the den all
: evening: you might have known that
Bella would notice 1t! Why couldn't
you leave me alone to my misery"
Very Well" l said, much offended.
After this l shall sit with Flanni-
gan in the kitchen. He is the only
gentleman ID the mouse.
| left him babblng apologies and
went TO bed. but had an uncom-
Portable feeling that Bella had been
a witness to our conversation. for the
door into Aunt Selina's room closed
softly as | passed
! knew beforehand that | was not
going 10 sleep. The instant | turned
out the light the nightmare events
of the evening ranged themselves in
. "A procession or a series OF tahleauN,
| one after the other: Flanagan on the
roof. with the bracelet on his palm,
/ looking accusingly at me; MIR, Har-
bison and the scene on the roof. with
my fiippancy; and the result OF that
fiippancy--thc man on the stairs the
arms that held me, the terrible kisses
that had scorched my lips--it was aw-
flu And then the absurd situation
across Aunt Selina's bed. and Bella's
face oh il was all so ridiculous-my
having thought that the HARRISON man
was gentleman. and finding him a
cad, and worse, II was excrucfatingly
funny | quite got a headache from
laughing; indeed. I laughed until !
found / was crying. and then | knew
was going to have an attack of
strangulated emotion. called hysteria
ITO be continued.p
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