Bisbee daily review., 1911-05-04
CHAPTER ".
The Der Vas clos.d.

The Door Was Closed.
 It WIS infuriating to see how much enjoyment every one but Jim and my se'f got out Of tEe situation. They howled with mirth over the feebIest jokes and when Max told story without any point whatever, they all had hvsteria. Immediately after dln- Der Aunt Selma had begun on the family connection again. and after two bad breaks on my part, Jim oTered 10 show her the house. The Mercer girls trailed along, unwilling 10 lose any of the possibilities They sqid afterward that it was terrible: She went into ali the closets, and ran her hand over the tops of doors and kert getting grimmer end grimmer Tn the studio they came across a life study Jim was doing and she shut her eyes and made the girls go cut while he covered 1t with a drapery. Lolliei Who did the Baechante dance at three benefits last winter and was learning a new one called Eve"
 When they heard Aunt Selma on the. second floor. Anne. Dals and Max sneaked up to the studio for cigarc ttas. which left Mir. Harbison to me. was in the den. sitting in a low chair by the wood fire when be came in. He hesitatcd in the doorway.
 ''Would you prefer being alone. or may l come in?" he asked. Don't mind being frank know you are tired"
 T have a headache. and am sull1- ing" l said unpleasantly. but at least am not actively venomous. Come in"
 So he came and sat down across the hearth from me. and neither of us said anything. The firelight fickered over the room. bringing out the faded hues of the old Japanese prints on the walls. gleaming in the mother pearl eyes of the dragon on the screen. set ting a grotesque god on a cabinet to nodding. And it threw into relief the strong, clear profile of the man across from me. as he stared at the fire.
 T am afraid l am not very interest ing" l said at last, when he showed no sign Of breaking the silence. 'The -the Illness of the butler and-Miss Csruthers' arrival, have been upset ting"
 He suddenly reused with start from a brown -reverie.
 T beg your pardon" he said. T. oh, of course not I was wondering if Tiff you were offended at what I said earlier in the evening: the Brushwood Boy. you know. and all that"
 "onended?" ] repeated, puzzled.
 You see, have been living out of the world so long. and never seeing any women but Indian squaws"-so there were no Spanish girls!-"that I'm afraid say what comes into my mind without circumlocution. And then-I did not know you were mar ried."
 NO. oh. no." I said hastily. 'But, of course, the more a woman Is mar ried-I mean. you cannot say tco many nice things to married women They-need them, you know"
 I had fioundered miserab'y. with his eyes on me. and I half expected him to be shocked, or to say that married women should be satisfied with the nice things their husbands say to them. But he merely remarked apropos of nothing, or following a line of thought he had not voiced, that 1t was trite but true that a good many men owed their success in life to their wives.
 And a good many owe their wives to their success in life." I retorted cynically. At which he stared at me again.
 It was then Ina; the real complexity of the situatiou nm to develop. Some one had runa bell and been admitted to the libra and a maid came 10 the door of 'a den When she saw us she stoppeI uncertainty. Even then it strrck me that she look ed old, and she was not in uniform. However. was not Informed as that time about bachelor establishments, and the first thing she said. when she had asked to speak to me in the hall. knscked her and her clothes clear out of my head Evidently she knew.
 Miss McNair,- she said iD low tone. there is a lady in the Craving room yelled person, and sho is ask ing for NIT. Wilson"
 Can you not find him7- I asked. He is in the house. probably in the studio"
 The girl hesitatsd-
 Excuse me. miss. but Miss Ceruth- ero-S