The Delta independent., 1910-05-27
CHAPTER ~.

In an old-fashioned sitting room in an
antiquated brick house in that unfash-
ionable quarter of downtown" New
York formerly known as Greenwich
village there sat, one autumn evening,
young couple, both OF whom were
exceedingly good to look upon.
To the judicious observer it would
have been apparent from their atti-
tude and bearing each towards the
other that they were something more
than mere friends, yet less than man
and wife. In fact. they were con
tented and happy dwellers in that de
lectable border-land known as Being
Engaged.
The girl was fairly tall of stature, bru-
nett as to complexion, with wealth
of fine and glossy dark hair which
rippled and waved around a small but
shapely head and above a witchingly
feminine forehead, white and broad
and low. Her eyes were of a very
steadfast dark gray. set widely apart,
giving one the impression of quiet re-
pose and cool judgment A firm chin
above strong and supple throat
made her look older and more wom-
anly than her years really warranted.
She was busted with one OF those
trifles of needlework which keep the
fingers busy without curbing ones
tongue, and at the same time serve
to display to admiring and even CO.
Quettish advantage very shapely
wrist and hand. Yet even the dearest
of her feminine friends would never
have insinuated th:t Eunice Trevecca
was the least bit of a coquette. In
deed. 1t needed but glance into the
depths of those quiet gray eyes to
convince you that that here was ma
ture tender and true as that of the
Douglas himself
So at least thought young Wilfrid
Stennis. who sat opposite to her. and
who certainly enjoyed the best OPP
portunities in the world for knowing.
He was a pleasant, wholesome lad.
fair and florid. with light golden-brown
hair and mustache. slim and with
slightly stopped shoulders. A rather
weak face on the whole. one might
say, though perhaps this was partly
owing to rather querulous droop OF
the mustache, which barely veiled the
sensitive mouth; beard would better
have hidden a chin which was far
too pretty for any mere man.
Had you guessed him to be a clerk
or a bookkeeper you would not have
been far astray-one OF those men
who make exceedingly valuable and
faithful servants but very poor mas
ters. AS to character. he was neither
better nor worse than thousands of
other youngsters who start out in life
in some downtown Office or store at
SO a week, the goal of whose ambition
is to earn fifteen hundred or two thou
sand dollars a year, to marry some
pleasant girl. settle down in a Harlem
nat or q little one-of-a-row house over
in Brooklyn, rai5e smal. family. get
along on couple of new suits of
clothes each year. with semioc.
casional visit to the theater in winter
and an outing on Saturday afternoons
at Coney island or Rockaway.
Not a wildly hilarious or thrilling ex-
istence, 1t may be granted. yet there
are hundreds and thousands of such
men-gentlemanly and refined, neith-
er very strong nor very weak. not
vicious nor conspiclously virtuous.
but who. in a paraphrase of the old
Shorter Catechism, are piously or me-
chanically doing their duty In that
state of life to which It has pleased
the Almighty to call them" II is OF
kindred stun that the average citi.
zen" is made.
Even to such men strange dreams
may come-fond and foolish visions of
wealth and power, hopeless OF realiza
tion, mayhap. yet. nevertheless fire.
quently prompted by certain innate OF
Inherited cravings for the good things
Of this life which only money can pro-
cure, and for the enjoyment OF which
they feel yearning and an infinite
capacity II only they had the chance.
"Oh, It's splendid thing to be
rich!" Wilfrid was even then saying
to Eunice "Jnst think of what man
could do II he were really in posses
sion OF more money that he knew how
to spend! don't mean a paltry hun.
.dred thousand dollars, but-well. say
twenty or thirty or even fifty mil
lions!"
why stop there7" put in Eunice
with a quizzinE little smile. why
not say a hundred millions at once
and be certain Of having enougbr