The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-01-04


she might Be lisiened With embar-
rassment 70 tales be had beer told
ID answer 10 bis other qaes lions; and
IfuFned with relief u the stories Of
Lefty Lanes charity and to tie
stories Of her popularity and her sue.
cess They were more agreeables but
they couldn't make him forget the.
rest, and now as he looked At her.
face across the bouquet d orchids and
ferns, 1t was with a sinking Of heart.
great pity for her, and still de-
cided enmity. He disapproyed of her
down to the ground. He didn't let
himself think how he felt, but It was,
for the boy. Ruggles was not a man
Of the world in amy sense; he sFass,
simple and Puritan in his judgments
and his gentle nature and his big
heart kept him from pharisaical and,
strenuous measures He had been led
in what he was doing tonight by a
diplomacy and a common sense that
few men east of the Mississippi would
have thought out under the cifcuIa'
stances.
"Tell Mr. Ruggles,' he heard Dan
say to her, tell him-tell him!"
And she answered:
81 was telling Mr.. Blair that, as he
is so frlghtfully rich, ] want him to
give me some money"
Ruggles gasped, but answered quiet
ly:
"wen, he's q great glver, Miss
Lame"
Il guess he is If he's like his ia
ther!" she returned. 81 am trying to
get a lot, though, out Of him, and
when you asked me TO dine tonightgl
said to myself, I'llaccept, for it VIII
be a good time 10 ask Mr.. Blair to
dip me out in what want to do"
AT Ruggles' face she smiled sweetly
nd@sald graciously:
ooh, don't think / wouldn't have
come anyway. But I'm awfully tired
these days, and going out to supper is
lust one thing too much to do! ]
want Mr. Blair" she said, turning to
Ruggles as IL she knew word from
him would make the thing go through,
ito help me build a rest home down
on the English coast, for girls who
get diseouragedin their art When
| think OF the luck have had and
how these things have been from the
beginning, and how money has just
poured in, why" she said ardently, 1T
Just makes my heart ache to think oil
the girls who try and fail, who so on
for a little while and have to give up.
You can't teil"-she nodded to Rug
giles, as though she were herself a
matron of forty-"you can not tell
what their temptations are or what
comes up to make them go to pieces"
Ruggles listened with interest.
II haven't thought 1t all ont yet, but
so many come to me tired out and
discouraged, and think nice home
taken care of by good creature like
my Higgins, let us say, would be
perfect blessing to them, They could
20 there and rest and study and just
think, and perhaps" she said slowly,
as though while she spoke she saw u
vision of tired self, for whom there
had been no rest home and no place
of retreat; eperhapse a lot Of them
would pull through in different way.
Now today,'-she broke her medita-
tive tone short-"I got letter from
hospital where a poor thing that
used to sing with me in New York
was dying with consumption-all gone
to pieces and discouraged, and there
is where your primroses went to-"
she nodded to Dan. Higgins took
them. You don't mind?" And Blair,
with warmth in his voice, touched
by her pity more than by her charity,
said:
why, they grew for you, Miss
Lane; don't care what yon do with
them"
Lefty Lane sank her head on her
hands, her elbows leaned on the table.
She seemed suddenly to have lost in
terest even in her topic. She looked
around the room indifrerently. The
orchestra was softly playing "The
Dove Song" from "Maudalay," and
very softly under her breath the star
hummed 1t, her eyes vaguely fixed on
some unknown scene. To Dan and to
Ruggles she had grown strange. The
music, her brilliancy, her sudden, In
difference, put her out Of their com.
monplace reach. Ruggles to himself
thought with relief:
"she doesn't >care one rap for the
boy anyway, thank God. She's got
other fish to land"
And Dan Blair thought: ITS my in
fernal money again" But he was gen
erous at heart and glad to be of serv-
ice 10 her, and was perfectly willing
to he touched" FOR her poor. Then
two or three men came up and Joined
them. She greeted them indolently,
bestowing word or look on this zone
or on that; all fire and light seemed to
have gone out of her, and Dan said:
You are tired. guess had bet
ter take you home"
She did not appear to hear him. IN
deed she was not looking at him, and