The Sauk Centre herald., 1911-06-22
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STll COPYRIGHT 1910 liz.
y XbCeSS NERRluCo.
IlllIHlIlIsT.!l

| Tor sleep. Often he had called himself
night biru hut St.idum hid ne leen
more waketui than on this night. The
elatlon or iiiS triuinI'h. IT his success.
/ had not Yet worn itself Gown 10 "A nor
! NAL and reasoning satisfaction and
/ his chief longing w;tS for the day. and
the day after that. ana lie next day,
/ when tie would take the place OF Greg
| son and Thorne. Every muscle i'm his
body was vibrant in its desire for ac-
ton. He looked at his watch. 1t was
only ~ O'Clock. Sine supper he had
smoked almost ceaSeleSSiy Now he
lighted another cigar and stood up
! close to one OF the windows.
Family he caught the sound Of
step on the board walk outside. 1t
was light, quick step. and for an in
stant it hesitated. just out of his
vision. Then it approached, and sud
denly the figure of woman stopped in
front of the window. How she was
dressed Rowland could not have told
moment later. All that be saw was
the face, white in the white night-a
face on which the shimmerfng star
light fell as It was lifted to his gaze,
beautiful. as clear cut as cameo. with
eyes that looked up at him half plead
ingiy. half luringly. and lips parted.
as if about to speak to him. He stared,
moveless in his astonisbment. and in
another breath the face was gone.
"The deuce. but she was prettyr'
Rowland said to himself. And those
eyes
Suddenly he checked himself There
had been more than the eyes. more
than the pretty face. Why had the
girl paused in front of the window!
Why had she looked at him so intent
ly as though on the point of speech?
The smile and the flush left his face as
these questions came to him. and he
wondered if he had failed TO compre-
bend something which she had meant
him to understand. After all. might it
not have been case of mistaken iden-
tity? For moment she had believed
that she recognized him: then. seeing
her mistake. had passed swiftly down
the street.
He walked casually to the door. At
the end of the street. a quarter of a
mile distant. a red light burned feebly
over the front of Chinese restaurant.
and in mechanical fashion his foot
steps led him in that direction.
I'll drop in and have cup of tea."
he assured himself
He stopped and turned his eyes again
into the north. He wondered as he still
stood gazing into the infnity of that
other world beyond the Saskatchewan
II romance was really quite dead in
him. Always he had laughed at 70.
nance. Work-the grim reality of ac-
ton. of brain fighting brain. of clever
ness pitted against other mems clever
ness-had almost brought him to the
point of regarding romance ia life as a
peculiar illusion of fools-and women
But he was fair in his concessions. and
tonight he acknowledged that be had
enjoyed the romance Of what he had
seen and beard. And. most Of all. his
blood had been stirred by the beauti-
full face that had looked at him from
out of the night.
He passed through the low door of
the restaurant and entered a large
room filled with tables and chairs and
pregnant with strange odors
"A pot of tea." ordered Howland.
He slipped bis tea leisurely. listening
with all the eagerness of the new. /,
sense of freedom which had taken pos |
session Of him. The Chinaman had |
scarcely disappeared when he heard |
footsteps on the stair. In another in |
stant low word Of surprise almost |
leaped from his lips. Hesitating for
q moment in the doorway. her face |
staring straight into his own. was the |
girl whom he had seen through the |
hotel window
For perhaps no more than Eve Sec
onds their eyes met. Yet in that time
there was painted on his memory a
picture that Howland knew be would |
never forget. His was a nature be-
cause of the ambition imposed on it
that had never taken more than a
casual interest in the form and fea-
ture of women. He had looked on
beautiful faces and had admired them I
in cool. dispassionate way. judging
them. when be judged at all. as he
might have judged the more material
workmanship Of his own hands. But
this face that was framed for a few
brief moments in the door reached out
to him and stirred an interest within
him which was as new as it was
1t was a beautiful face
He knew that in a fraction Of the first
second.
The girl turned from his gaze and
seated herself at table so that he
caught only her profile. The change
delighted him. From the flush in her
cheeks his eyes travelled critically to
the rich glow of the light in her shin
ing brown hair. which swept half over
her ears in thick. soft waves. caught
In heavy coil low on her neck.
Then for the first time he noticed her
dress. 1t puzzled him. Her turban
and muff were of deep gray lynx fur.
Around her shoulders was a collarette
br sot |