Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-08-18

q little humorouSly, Qown MS long
nose, made her doubt the interest of
cities to be reckoned in round num-
bers.
Its all extraordinary" he said.
You're quite as extraordinary in your
way as we in ours"
"Oh," she wondered, still vexed with
his inventory, 81 had always supposed
us awfully commonplace. What is our
way. piease?"
"Ah," he said, measuring his long
step to hers as they sauntered a lit
tie, "for one thing, you're so awfully
good to a fellow. In London"-and he
nodded back, as If London were mere
ly across the room-"they're awfully
good to the ~somebodies. It's the way
you take in the nobodies over here
that is so astonishing-the stray
leaves that blow in with your trade
and can't show any credentials but a
letter or two, and their faces; and
those"-his diablerie danced out again
sometimes such deucedly damaged
ones"
1t was almost indecent, this parade
of his %nonentity! She wanted to say:
"Oh, hush! Those are the things
only enjoys-never talks about" But
instead, somewhere UP at the top Of
her voice, she said: ooh, we always
lock up our silver!"
"But even then," he quizzed her, II
wonder how you dare to do it?"
Perhaps we have to, because we
ourselves are all" ("without any
credentials but those you m%ention,")
she had been about to say-but there
she caught herself on the very edge of
giving herself and all the rest Of them
away to him; all so awfully bored"
she mischievously ended with the
daintiest, faintest possible yawn be-
hind her spread fan.
He looked as If she had taken him
by surprise; then laughed out. "Oh,
that is the way they don't do here" he
provoked her. "You mustn't, when
I'm not expecting it."
"Then what are you expecting" she
inquired a little coolly.
well" he deliberated, mot expect
ing you to get me ready for a sweet,
! and then pop in a pickle; and present
J ly expecting, hoping, %anxiously antici-
I, pating, what you really care to say"
) He was expecting, she looked mali
, ciously, more than he was likely to
get; but the fact that he did see
through her to that extent wal at
I once delightful and charming. She
swayed back into the shadow beyond
the dazzling line Of light. She wanted
to escape his scrutiny, to be able to
: look him over from a safe vantage
: ground. But he wouldn't have 1t. An
. instant he stood under the torrent of
. white radiance, challenging her to see
Q what she c%ould-then followed her in
i to her retreat. shall we sit here?" he
said, and she found herself hopelessly
' cut off and isolated with the enemy
She couldn't withhold a little grudg
o ing pleasure in the sharpness witt
s which he had turned her maneuvel
g and the way it had detached then
n from the surrounding crowd. Fol
there, in the dlsky center of the room
it was as if they watched from safe
h covert the rest OF their party exposed
it in the glare of light; though not, a!
d Flora presently noted, quite escaping
observation themselves. For an in
a slant Harry turned and peered towart
ID them with a look in his intentnes
that struck Flora as something new II
him and made her wonder If he coul,
be jealous. She turned tentatively t
see if Kerr had noticed it, and SUI
prised his glance in a quick transi
| ton back to hers.
"By your leave" he said, and too,
| away her fan, which in his hand pres
emily assumed such rhythmic motto
that it ceased to be any more presen
to her than a delicate c,'grent of al
upon her face.
He was not, she felt sure, in spit
of his light manipulation of her fal
q person who cared to please womel
but one of that devastating sort VIII
u care above everything to please then
selves, and who are skilful withol
practice; too skilful, she feared, fl
her defenses to hold out against
he intended to find out what she rea
ly thought. aren't we supposed
be looking at the pictures?" she wan
ed to know.
He turned his back on the wall ar
l its attendant glare. "Why pictures
he inquired, when there are live pc
pie to look al? Pictures for places whel
they're all half dead. But here, whel
even the damnable dust in the sire
is alive, why should they paint,
write, or sculpt, or do anything b.
live?" His irascible brows shot Il
query at her.
Again the proposition of life-wha
ever that was-was held up befo
her, and as ever she faltered in Il
face of it. II suppose they do
VI here" she murmured, with a vagl
glance at the paintings around he
because people do it eyerywhe
else"
His d~isparagement was almost
snarl. "That's the rotten part Of 1t
because they do 1t everywhere els
AS If there wasn't enough monotol
Fin the world already without eve
chap trying to be like the next inste;
Of being himself"
"But if you have to be what Poop
expect?" :.
"People don't want what they {
pect--if you care for that" He wav'
it away with his quick white hand.
"But you have to care, unless y,
want to he queer" Her poor little {
cret was out before she knew, and