Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-25


detection; so exquisite in her quivcring,
girlish distress, which in its harmony of line
and poisc cntranccd the artist within me!
Perhaps it gave me also dart of bitter pleas
llre to see her Sl1ffer-she who had always
queened it over me and held her pretty head
so high!
1T wouldn't have been true if had said
it, Wally,' she murmurcd. If you had
come, you might have got-evcryt
Had it not been for the ring cleaning there
on her hand | suppose this would have made
me the happiest man in the world. Instead,
l was almost too depressed to speak, staring
down at it duly, and in such whirl and
bewilderment and savage, surglng jealousy
that could think of nothing but what must
have passed when Farquhar slipped it on her
finger. She must have made some pretense;
she could not have been so cold blooded as
she would have had me believe: women
who sell themselves cndcavor to please their
buyers.
a can't believe that l said. dts i'm
possible to believe it,
IL realized it only when | lost you, she
returned with strange candor, as though
nothing could matter very much now. Per
haps, before-how can | say?
"But couldn't YOU have done something,
made the least sign?@
"Sent word to please come and get me?'
she interrupted, with flashing glance and
her cheeks flooding pink. Better Farquhar
thousand times than that, Wally!'
"Then why do you tell me now when 1t IS
too late?'
"Do women ever know why they do
things?7 she exclaimed with a forlorn little
laugh. "Pcrhaps to make you as wrctched
as | am. | sincerely hope you are, Wally-
YOU deserve to be.
THE next moment had her hand crushed
in mine and was struggling to tear off
the ring. She cried out that | was hurting
her, resisted with all her strength painted
and fought like little tigrcss, as we swaycd
to and fro and a chair fell crashing. But
was determined Hurt or not, that ring had
to come off! And all the while, like an in
coherent lunatic, | kept telling her | loved
her and that our whole future was at stake
Finally | wrenched the ring away, and be-
fore she could stop me banged it furiously
on the floor. There 1t glanced like streak
of light, and as though fearful of my heel
shot under a massive oak wardrobe.
ooh Wally, YOU may have ruined it, eX
claimed Stella in an agony Of apprehension.
Il hope | havc!" | rctortcd, not a little
wounded at her extreme concern.
But it isn't F;arquhar's At all, she burst
out half crying. "It's-it 's-my mothers.
"Your mother's:' | repeated. Your
mother's:?'
"Yes, only wore it to punish you. Oh,
can't you understand? I-I-refused him."
TDON'T know what fresh madness | might
not have been guilty OF as she stood
there SO breathlcss. 50 enchantingly dis
hcvclcd, and with that confession still shin
ing in her eyes, had not been ordered with
an impcriousncss that brookcd no refusal to
recover the ring instantly. | went down on
my knees, 1t was no time to consider an
eighteen-dollar pair OF trousers, and was in
the act of cropping in the dust of ages and
reaching desperately for the ring, when
heard the door open, and twisted round -to
see Mrs Forthwith on the threshold.
Her appearance just then would have been
disconccrting at any angle; but seen from
the floor, with ones check scratching on an
oriental rug, it was simply horrible. There
enstlcd moment of petrifaction as the old
lady slowly stared at me, al the fallen chair,
at Stclla's crimsoning face and disordered
hair.
MAY inquire the meaning of this?" she
inquired in tone as cutting as polar biz
card, and as scandalizcd as all the Mrs.
Grundys in the world rolled into one. as