Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-04
CHAPTER XXI.
News From the Great World.

Lesley, wasn't Loveland the name of
that lord you knew on the boat?' asked
Lesleys Aunt Barbara, peering at her
niece from behind an immense news
paper which hid all the upper part of her
body as If with a screen.
Lesley was curled up on a sofa at the
other end of the room, which had for
some reason or other more or less ap-
propriate, been called THE library Tor
several generations. The girl was writ
ing a story, which was promised for a
certain time, but her heart was not in her
work, and she welcomed Interruptions, in
stead of discouraging them. as usual. :.
If it had been her habit to shut herself
up alone for several hours day. or If she
had sat bolt upright at desk. Mrs. Love
land would have taken Lesley's work
more seriously; but when a pretty girl.
looking scarcely more than child-a girl
you have seen grow up from babYhood-
nestles cozily in bank of ruff1y silk cush-
ions, with a frivolous 'scribbling pad on
her knee and a pencil in her hand, how
can one realize that she is gravely pursu-
ing literature as a profession, and must
not be addressed even if one has the most
exciting things to say?
Lesley did not answer at f1rSt, Tor she
was composing her voice, that Aunt Bar
bara might not guess she had been taken
by surprise: therefore Mrs. Loveland
asked the same question over again III a
louder tone.
Yes" said Lesley. Don't you remem-
Der my telling you his name was the same
as yourS?'
"There! 1 thought so.'' exclaimed the
little dovelike lady. "Only 1 wasn't quite
sure whether you said the name was ex-
actly the same, or rather like mine. You
didn't talk as if you took much interest
in him, and it seemed as though you
would. if we'd been namesakes. l don't
think you spoke Of him more than once,
did you?"
Il don't remember. I'm sure replied
Lesley, beginning to scrawl the name Of
"Loveland' aimlessly across the top of
the page, which ought by this time to
have been covered with brilliant CONVEX
sation between her hero and heroine. She
answered in an Indifferent tone. almost
as if she were thinking of something
else; but if her mind had indeed been
properly bent on the story she would
have said: "Auntie. darling, I'm thou
sand miles away, please, with Dick and
Susanna. Don't bring ME back, there's a
dear.'
well, I'm glad you didn't take much
interest in him. went on Mrs. Loveland,
in a tone pregnant with mystery and inn
portance. Il know l oughtn't TO be talk
ing to you when you're at work, ana
don't often, do II"
Not very often" smiled Lesley, her
dimples softening the gentle little re-
proach, if it were a reproach. But she
didn't look up at her aunt. She pretend
ed to be writing on; and so she was. But
it was only one word, over and over
again, that she wrote: "Loveland-Love-
land" And her heart had begun to beat
i'm hurried, warning way, as often 1t had
on shipboard when she heard Loveland' S
voice, and wondered if he were coming
to talk to her-or to some other girl
"But this is something really very spe-
cial' Aunt Barbara apologized. ITS
quite exciting. Only fancy having known
him! / almost wish you'd pointed him
out to me that last morning on board,
when l was up on deck. 1t would be in
teresting to remember what he was like
us there something about him in the
paper?" asked Lesley. who had been ex-
pecting news. but would have preferred
to read it herself, if she could have
chosen.
II should think there was"' exclaimed
her aunt, screened behind the great
printed sheets again.
lis he engaged aIready?" Lesley in
quired, making a sketch of Lord Love-
lands profile in the midst Of speech of
Dicks. though Dick was a very different
sort of young man from Loveland; very
different sort, indeed. How many times
she had caught herself tracing the out
line of those features-so clear. so
straight. so perfect an outline. that it was
as easy to draw as to copy a Greek
statue. She knew every line. and often
the little profile portrait was there before
leT eyes oii Tic paper bcAOIO suc hHcW
what she had been doing. She was al
most perfectly certain what Aunt Bar
bara's answer to her question would be.
OF course he was engaged. He had hard
ly had time to make the acquaintance OF
any new girls in New York and propose
marriage. so it must be Elinor Coolidge
OF Fanny Milton.
Engaged! echoed the elder. "No, in
deed. What mercy he's been found out
before some nice girl was mixed up in the
scandal. OF course, he wanted"
"A scandal" Now at last. Lesley did
lift her head. quickly, and the last profile
sketch looked as If it had been struck by
lightning.
Shocking" answered Mrs. Loveland.
"What a dreadful thing that our country
should be looked upon as sort Of gold
mine by these foreign birds O prey
Lesleys little ears burned pink, as if
her aunt had boxed them. Her eyes sent
out spark, but its fire was quenched in
sudden trickle of nervous laughter.
Dear Aunt Barb. Would birds Of prey
make successful miners?"
Aunt Barbara laughed, too. You're al
ways catching me up for my SMILES she
said. But luckily l don't write stories,
SO it doesn't matter And, anyway. that's
what they are-birds of prey. AS for
what they do. they marry our. girls. who