Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-19

kindness struck so deep that he flushed as
he took her hand.
Il have never lost faith in you,
Wayne
THANK YOU you're the only one. then.
Ms. Wingneld. You and Dick are about
all have left
who is this woman your father Is
marrying?' she demanded. with sudden
asperity-
"A lady. of course. What would you
expect of my father?
| II would expect him to be like all the
other old FOOLS she declared. "A worn-
an like your mother. Wayne CraighilI.
! can have no successor.
She still clasped his hand lightly. and
he bent over her with deferential cour-
tesy.
| II hope he is marrying a good woman
| for your sake-and Fanny's.
| Father wouldn't marry any other kind ::
you may be Sure of that laughed
| Wayne.
| II don't know anything Of the kind
| have waited a good many years to see
your father do something outrageous and
now I'm going to he satisfied. Who is
this person, anyhow"
/ Il positively decline to hear my future
| stepmotiler spoken Of as a person.
81 dare say the word flatters her. I'm
telling all your mothers old friends that
we've got to cut the woman on prin-
ciple.'
1.-THE town will sit at her feet. You
y
arrival"
mot unless I'm insane, Wayne Craig
hill. The newspapers everywhere are
| making us out the wickedest city in the
world, and between stock gambling and
poker and divorces and worse we're I'M
doubtedly going to the bad. It's time for
us old settlers to assert ourselves. This
woman your father is going to mary
may be perfectly respectable, but / de-
cline to know her.
With this declaration Mrs. Wingfield re-
Joined her charges. Who lowered Discreet
ly in far corner in the belief that she
was lecturing Wayne Craighill upon his
sins. Wayne had been touched by her
kindness in speaking to him when other
women in her own circle We're cutting
him. and the encounter left him brOOding
upon his fathers marriage.
He wondered whether his mothers
friends would really show any resentment
at the coming Of his fathers new wife.
He had watched such cases before and
was skeptical. His father was man of
far-reaching business interests. and while
there We're women like Mrs. Winsfieid
who were courageous enough themselves
to support sentiment. their husbands
would counsel caution and advise against
mourning the ill-will OF man OF Col.
Craighill's wealth and influence. He had
the gallery to himself for q few minutes
and sat down before one of the more I'M
portant new portraits that he had par
ticularly wished to see. He could not fix
his mind upon it, but sat staring at the
canvas.
A young woman had entered the hall
and was moving slowly along the line
studying the pictures with the greatest
intentness. She was without hat or coat.
and carried in her hand a tablet and PEN
Gil. She quite obscured now the por-
trait at which he had been staring va
cantly; it seemed, for An instant. before
his eyes accommodated themselves to the
intrusion Of her interposed figure, that
she had slipped into the canvas itself.
The lady Of the portrait, in her surnptu-
Gus evening toilet. was not, however, long
to be confused with this girl in her plain
cloth skirt and simple shirt waist. She
was studying the portrait critically. her
head fitting now to one side. now TO an
other. as she surveyed the great artists
work. Her movements, We're swift and
eager, and she made. he thought, an
obeisance OF reverence before the ladYia
portrait; but she remained crOuched upon
one knee. and upon the other held her
ell. He had at first thought her an at
tache Of the gallery, but now he surmised
that she was a student of the art school,
rendering homage before picture whose
ed her admiration. 1t was q worthy OBJ
ject for any ones homage, Wayne knew,
as he surveyed it Ove- the girls dark
head. He sat very quiet, fearing that he
might disturb her. glancing from the rich
~ clad lady in the frame to her kneeling
figure. Her shirt waist was plain and Of
cheap material; the skirt disclosed q
coarse shoe that had clearly been bought
for service. Poor girls with ambitions in
the arts did not appeal to him abstractly:
there was never any chance of their get
ting anywhere. But he was, IT cannot be
denied. a man who rarely missed an op-
portunity where women are concerned.
His adventures had been many and dis
creditable. He had tried his powers often
and had the conceit OF his successes. He
was already seeking some excuse for adj
dressing her. q
Suddenly she rose. with little hopeless
sigh. crunipling the sketch in her fingers.
Sargent didn't do ii either the first
time remarked Wayne.
(To be continued tomorrow