The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-06-01
By ANNA MCCLURE SHOLL
COPYRIGHT 1911

He read the paragraph through a
second time. Then, with a shaking
hand. he signaled the conductor. He
wanted TO get into the air: to think
a while before he faced her; to walk
slowly home. collecting his thoughts
AS he made his way through the
throng on the street. he tried to fix his
mind on recent events. and the ineVi-
tableness OF his own position. But his
thoughts would stray perversely to an
earlier period. anteda ting the Quarrel
Ola sunny scenes came back TO him
and CHEEKY incidents OF forgotten sum
mers when he and Richard Underwood
dacks. lie remembered his com
rades Keen. frank glance. his merry
laugh; the trick he had OF whistlinR
sometimes i'm the middle OF a sentence
He bowed his head before this wind
from the enchanted region OF van
isheG boyhood. In spite OF himself, a
great regret swept him. His stronr-
holds crumbled about him, letting in
the light from lonely, spheres.
blind? was 1 blind?"
He left alone and fearful What if
the white wings Of magnificent OPP
portuntty had dipped forever below the
horizon.
He walked on and on. pursued by his
doubt-lashed by it into a fever OF un-
accustomed thoughts and emotions. He
round himself at last i'm the midst of n
crowd all sweeping towards an open
place IN the square where platforms
were erected and band was playing.
\ glimmer of banners and bright
trees.
ana all ABOUT him was a buzz of mas
culine voices and jests. Whatever this
meeting was. the crowd was not taking
II seriously. He followed the thronp,S
hnallN questioned a bN-Stander.
earning that Il was woman's
when a pretty girl tbrust ,u' re aMe y,
into his hand. Mechanically he look ed
at it. Halfway down the list of
speakers ne saw his daughters name.
Felice Burtoni how strange IL looked
enc was To speak on a subject whose
magnitude startled him. For a mo-
ment, a wave OF the old anger broke
over him-thc turning of tide that
was going out forever. This. then.
was her revenge, How well She had
planned il. knowing the bitter mortifi-
cation he would feel, he who would
permit a woman,s name only on her
But his anger sank away. for the old
walls We're down, the old channels
broken up, He remembered that he
had forbidden her to write her name
on the hearthstone Suddenly he felt
a great loneliness. He seemed TO stand
IN the midst of a desert OF his own
making. Richard Underwood had gone
beyond both his hate and his forgive
ness; and now Felice had gone from
him into the world of dissatisfied wo-
men whose theories seemed to him less
than the cries OF wandering birds
lie pressed through the crowd. and
at last found himself close to the
grandstand. in which the speakers sat
woman. with keen, persuasive face
Quired who she was: then. looking at
the program. he saw that his little
Felice would be the next speaker but
one.
He made his way to the back of the
stand, and then at last he saw her
she was seated nervouSly on the edge
or her chair, her hands clasped tightly
IN her lap, a frightened, apprehensive
look in her eyes. Contrasted with the
other women in their assured serenity
OF long experience. she seemed like a
frightened child who had straved
among them. He saw that she was
aking brave effort at self control
AS he looked at her. he remembered
only now precious she was TO him
Al the chivalry Of his nature-long
uormant-rose up to protect her or TO
stand by her-as she would. Someone
strangely enough, seemed to be close
at ms side, someone not visible in the
jostling. testing crowd. a man Young
ana aureoled in long-vanished flames
OF boyish friendship; He himself be-
came young before this invisible pres
ence-ready TO believe and serve
lie, re drew card from his pocket.
May l speak with YOU moment.
oear-Just for moment?
FATHER"
Thrusting the card in an envelope he
scrlbpled her name on il and asked the
guardian at the steps OF the stand to