Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

tray her interest revived and she took up
the bit of pasteboard with a short sigh of
relief. She looked at it, turned it over in her
fingers, her blood slowing little, then rush.
ing hotly to her temples.
Cortland Bent! She let the card fall on
the table beside her.
"Tell him that am not" she paused
and glanced out of the window. The quick
impulse was gone. "Tell him-to come up"
she finished.
When the page disappeared she glanced
about the room, then hurried to the door to
recall him; but he had turned the corner into
the corridor outside, and the message was on
its way to lower floor.
She paused irresolute, then went in again,
closing the outside door behind her. What
had she done? A message of welcome to
Cortland Bent, the one person in the world
she had promised herself she should never
see again; her husbands enemy, her own
because he was her husbands, her own too
because he had given her pride wound
from which it had not yet recovered! What
should she do? She moved toward the door
leading toward her dressing room-to pause
again.
What did it matter, after all? Jeff
wouldn't care. She laughed. Why should
he? He could afford to be generous with the
man who had lost the fortune he now pos
sessed. He had too implicit confidence in
her own judgment, and never since they had
been married had he questioned an action
or motive of hers. As for herself, that was
another matter. She tossed her head and
looked at herself in the mirror. Should she
not even welcome the opportunity to show
Bent how small place he now held in her
memory? The mirror told her she was hand
some; but she still fingered before it arrang
bor1 |, har1
He stood with his hands behind his back
studying the portrait over the fireplace,
turning at the sound of her voice. dts very
nice of you to see me, he said slowly. "How
long have you been here?"
"a few weeks only. Won't you sit DOWN."
II can't tell you how glad l am to see
you," he went on warmly. II was tempted
to write you dozen times; but your engage
ment and marriage to Wray and, +" he paused,
"the trouble about the mine seemed to make
it difficult, somehow"
am sure my husband bears you no i'll
will"
He gave short laugh. @There's no
reason why he should. There's nothing for
him to be upset about. He got the fortune
that should-that might have been mine
to say nothing of the girl"
"Perhaps we had better leave the girl out
of it," she put in calmly. @Even time hasn't
explained that misunderstanding.
He shrugged shoulder expressively. aAs
you please. III not parade any ghosts if l
can help it. I'm too happy to see you.
You're more wonderful than ever. Really,
l don't believe l should have known you.
How long will you be here?"
"All winter, l think. My husband has
business in New York"
ayes, know. Mesa City can spare him
best at this season."
Bent took up an ivory paper cutter from
the table and turned it over in his fingers.
II hope-I really hope we may be friends,
Mrs. Wray. l think perhaps if you'll let me
1 can be of service to you here. l don't
think that there is chance that can forget
your husbands getting the Lone Tree away
from me. It's pretty hard to have success
like that at the tips of ones fingers and not
be able to grasp it. I've been pretty sick
about it, and the governor threatened to
disown me. But he seems to have taken a
fancy to your husband. l believe that they
have some business relations. The fifty
thousand dollars we got in the final settle
ment salved his wounds, think. Your hus-
band has the law on his side, and that's all
there is to it. I'm glad he has it, for your
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