The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-09-01
She Read 1t, Reread 1t, and Read 1t Again.

tawny head at her; Il give you my
word; for l was there"
1t seemed to Flora fairly preposter-
GUS that Harry could sit there looking
so matter-Of-fact with such expert
ences behind him. Even Clara looked
little taken aback, but the effect
was only to set her more sharply on.
"Then such a man could easily
have taken the ring in the Maybe room
this afternoon? You think it might
have been the man himself?"
His broad smile of appreciation en-
veloped her. "Oh, you have a scent
like bloodhound. You haven't let go
of that once since you started. He
could have done it-oh, easy-but he
went out eight, ten years ago."
"Died?" Floras rising infection was
lament.
"Went over the horizon-over the
r:.nge. Believe he died in the col
onies."
"Oh," Flora sighed, then I shall
have to fancy he has come back again,
Just for the sake Of the Chatworth
ring. That wouldn't be too strange.
1t all so strange l keep forgetting it
is real. At least" she went on ex-
planning herself to Harry's smile, sit
seems as if this must be going on
long way off, as if it couldn't be so
close to us, as if the ring l wanted so
much couldn't really be the one that
has disappeared" All the while she
felt Harry's smile enveloping her with
an odd, half-protecting watchfulness,
but at the close of her sentence he
frowned a little.
We'll, perhaps we can find another
ring to take the place Of it,"
She felt that she had been stupid
where she should have been most deli
cate. But you don't understand" she
protested, leaning far toward him as
if to coerce him with her generous
warmth. THE Chatworth ring was
thought of it for moment as an en-
gagement ring"
BY the light stir of silk she was
aware that Clara had risen. She look
ed up quickly TO encounter that odd
look. Clara's face was so smooth, so
polished, so unrufled, as to appear al
most blank, but none the less Flora
saw it all in Clara's eye-a look that
was not new to her. 1t was the same
with which Clara had met the an
nouncement of her engagement; the
| same look with which she had con-
| fronted every allusion to the ap-
| preaching marriage; the same with
which she now surveyed the mention
of che engagement ring-a look neith-
er approving nor dissenting, whose
calm, eonsiderate speculation seemed
to repddiate all interest positive or
negative in the approaching event eX-
cept the one large question, What
| is to become of me?" Many times
Clara had held it up before her, not as
| question. certainly not as an &C
| cusation as a fiat assertion of fact;
but tonight Flora felt it so directly
and imperatively aimed at her that II
| S66uleu JuIS Llmo 10 u6ulduu oil duuI
BILE response. And Clara's way of get
ting up, and standing there, with her
gloves on poised and expectant, as II
she were only waiting on opportunity
to take farewell. took on, in the light
of her look, the fantastic appearance
of a final departure. I'm afraid
she mildly reminded them, "tha'
Shima announced the carriage ter
minutes ago."
"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry!" Flora'F
eyes wayered alphabetically in the di
rection of the waiting japanese
Clara's flicker of amusement made
her hate he. elf the moment It was
out She could always depend On her
self when she knew she was on exhi
bition She could be sure of the righ
thing if it were only large enough
but she was still caught at odd mo
ments by the tribes, the web of Ger
tain social habit into which she hat
slipped, full-grown on the smooth sur
face of her fathers millions. Clara''
heeting smile lit UP these triies t
her now as enormous. 1t took advas
tage of her small deficit to point OF
to her more plainly than e>sE to wha
J large blunders she might be llah'