The Delta independent., 1910-06-10

Selves" valiantly asserted Clara,
championing her sex.
Are you sure?" said Stennis. mo
true woman would be content with
such a simple motive as that; it must
be something far more complex"
For instance?" she asked. with
one of her challenging glances which
dared him to do his best or say his
worst
Il think they dress to please them
selves first: secondly. to please the
men; and. thirdly. to make other
women envious."
For shame," was the laughing re-
tort. tapping him with her fan; time
enough to be cynical when you get to
be as old as papa"
Such little verbal passages at arms
as these-and there were many of
them as time passed, for upon Stennis
was conferred the freedom of the
house in Park avenue after that initial
dinner-served to put them more and
more at their ease and to cement their
friendship. The rather shop-worn So
ciety woman of eight or ten seasons
discovered a new sensation: in match
ing wits with Stennis she was sure to
strike responsive fire in him every
time, nor was it certain that in so
doing her own wings were not in
danger of being singed; she certainly,
and perhaps unwittingly. revealed to
him oftener than to others a softer
more womanly sida of her nature.
On Stennis' part he ever delighted
to be with her, because she possessed
the happy knack of edTcing his bright
est thoughts; she became his social
mentor and the arbiter of his slowly
forming tastes. He really wondered
at himself, after an evening in her So
ciety. when he recalled the consumed
ly bright things he had said. and he
began to take no little pride in his
social and fashionable progress. For
he was everywhere voted a success.
His wealth, his pristine freshness, his
total freedom from the too frequent
vulgarities of the newly rich, made
him everywhere welcome; he was put
up at two or three good clubs: start
ing with few valuable introduc
tions from the Passavants. his circle
of acquaintance widened rapidly, and
not the least surprising feature of 1t
all to Stennis was the ease with which
he assumed his place among the elect
of New York society. 1t was as
though he had been to the manner
born.
So the winter passed. in high jinks
and perpetual holidays" and the
young spring found Wilfrid firmly
seated in the society saddle; fairly
launched on his career as one of the
jeunesse doree: popular alike with
men and with women; invited every
where. and apparently. as happy as
the day is long
True. thus far he had not realized
any of his pet projects. except to lay
the keel of fine schooner-yacht-he
had been too busy socially-but there
was, as he told himself, plenty of
time.
Nor must it be inferred that the
glamour of these newer interests COM
pletely eclipsed the memory and
the influence of Eunice Trevecca.
Throughout that winter Wilfrid was
constant and even a regular visitor in
far-away old Greenwich.
To the girl he carried full accounts
of his social progress. sketched for
her his constantly widening circle of
friends and acQuaintances. and spread
his daily life before her like an open
page. Thus far there had been no
subterfuges. no secrets between them.
And il. as was to be expected. he
developed a little of the exquisite in
dress. and became a trifie dandified in
manner. affecting or having acquired
the society drawl and a new style of
hand shake. which he unsuccessfully
endeavored to transplant to the arid
and awkward soil of Macdougai street,
to Eunice and her stepfather he was
the same old unaffected. generous
Wilfrid of former days. In only one
thing had he failed in perfect faith;
he had never told Miss Passavant of
his conditional betrothal to Eunice
Treveccs-never so much as men
toned her name. Somehow Eunice
OWNED this. True. there were ex-
cuses for him. and it was partly her
fault: by her own act Wilfrid had
been left footloose. Had it been
otherwise. the chances are that he
would have acquainted Clara Passa-
want with the true state of affairs
very early In their intimacy. Later it
became more difficult
The faded old parlor and sitting
room ran riot in flowers, and many
dainty keepsake found its way to
Eunice. But with woman's inconsis-
tency she wished with all her heart
that Wilfrid had shown himself more
masterful refusing to let her put him
OF. even for a probationary year.
At first Wifi honestly tried to main
tain the old lover-like relations. but
was so uniformly though good-natured-
ly repulsed that at length he gave up
trying He little knew that poor
Eunice cried herself to sleep the first