Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-10

~ INEZ HAYNES GILMORE.

was chattering her swiftest, laughing her
merriest and coquetting with him in the
way that seemed to be natural efferves-
cence of her mood her heart was beat
ing to the single refrain. He is coming
tonight
Her companion was very conscious OF
her presence all day long and submitted
to her unobtrusive banter that she soon
grew to distinguish by his own term,
"joshing," but he was careful not to in
terfere with her work.
That night on her way home she per-
petrated the unheard-of extravaganza of
buying bunch of violets and later of Or
dering a fire in the parlor. After dinner
she put on the one frivolous gown she
had afforded in two years-a soft. rose
pink crepe-and. tucking the violets into
her belt. went down to meet her guest
The freight famed and sparkled and
glowed as he iazily heaped it with wood
or allowed it to flicker out.
brown.' he said. irrelevantly once, gaz-
ing about the queer room with it's faded
magnifcence.
"Of course. I am she said. Fancy
I'm the only boarder in this wonderful
old mausoleum! They were simply driv-
en- to it. It's the Last Of the Knicker-
bockers' business again.
He did a great deal of the talking, for
still the strangling. thrillingly sweet shy
ness that his proximity meant enveloped
her in a binding mist. 1t was torture
to meet his eyes. Always it meant the
sudden sweep downward of her lashes
and the immediate answering culver OF
her lips. He had guessed all this, she
conjectured, for he amused himself by
holding her eyes with his until the tor
ment, drowning the rapture there. made
mute appeal to him. Then he would turn
his gaze away. only to return, fascinated,
to the charge again. At such times the
throb in her throat was so strong and the
pounding of her heart so fierce that 1t
seemed as if her voice would never come
when she attempted to speak.
Fortunately, they had much to say at
first about the people In Worcester who,
Crane acknowledged, had given him the
time of his life in that pleasant week
two years ago. She could tell him much.
for until their recent estrangement Helen
had kept her well informed. Faithful to
her resolution, however, she did not men
ton Helen's name. nor did he When ne
left at half-past 8, it was with more than
one admiring farewell glance at Olives
flushed and sparkling face.
She stood for a moment dreaming over
the wonder of it all, when the bell rang
and suddenly, to her great surprise, Mr..
Merriam appeared in the doorway. He
stopped and stared. For the second time
told her that she was fair.
Il was just going by" he announced,
breezily as If his coming was the most
natural thing in the world, land
thought I'd look in on you. Do you
know what I'm going to do?" he went
on, with a rapidity that forestalled any
comment of hers. I'VE can't vast q
fire like that I'm going out and get
pepper and some corn and were going
could catch her breath the door closed
again.
Her mirth at the thought of trying to
buy corn pepper on Broadway was
still dying away in little incorrigible
smiles when the maid let him in again.
He related his adventures to her while
he opened his bundles. They included
pound Of butter, because. as he explain
ed, he simply could not eat popcorn
without melted butter" and a huge bas-
ket containing fruit.
She was delighted that he had come,
for she was too excited to go to bed. He
popped the corn and she, cur1ousiy
enough. did all the talking And how she
did talk! She beat even her own record
Of their morning tete-a-tete.
Merriam could not seem to get enough
of her. His eyes did not follow and
compel her gaze as Cranes had. They
dwelt on her with the same half-wonder-
ing. half-wistful. wholly tender express
sion that she had surprised in them this
morning. 1t seemed to be explained
when he exclaimed suddenly oh. you
don't know how good it is to see wom-
an again when you've been two years in
the COW country! -
In the next two weeks she saw nttie
of Merriam, for he was sent on busf-
ness trip into the middle Of the state.
But Crane came two nights later, skipped
a night, then three in succession, skipped
a night, then constantly.
Olive was beginning to get over her
shyness. Now, occasionally. she dared to
meet his eyes in psychological, soul-to-
soul conflict which he often tacitly ad-
mitted to be draw by shifting his gaze
For the most part, however. ne still ala
the talking. But even there she was
beginning to assert herself. And the
drollness of her point of view, the swift
ness of her retorts often left him beggar-
ed of words. Once or twice She carried
Joking warfare into his very camp. That
Ia ct night their intimacy had reached the
point where it allowed them to mediate
an instant In silent wonder over q subtle
coincidence In taste. He interrupted 1t
to say carelessly. oh. what's become OF
Worcester"
olive knitted her brows for a consider
ing second. Then an awful certainty
zigzagged through the crystal of her
happiness shattering 1t to a million frag-
ments.
"A little dark thing" he went on. 'She
was staying with you. What is the mat
ter?'
Olive was staring stricken.
Twill you tell me what my name is?'
she asked stupidity.
He laughed. Helen Hastings. of
course
She pulled herself together. The new
laugh. that he had helped her to find in
herself rippled out bravely. Now I've got
it," she said In triumph. From the first
l wondered how you happened to re-
member me so we'll when you saw me so
few times. And you made mistake;
I'm not Helen Hastings. I'm the little
dark cousin that you speak of. My