Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-09-20
CHAPTER x.-(Continued.)

CHAPTER x.-(Contlnued.)
On the Saturday morning she went
out betimes. Inquiry at the railway
office told her that the train which
connected with the branch line to
Rocky Bar did not reach the city till
six in the evening. She ordered din
ner of the choicest viands and spent
part of the morning passing from stall
to stall in the market on Powell Street
spying about for dainties that might
add a last celebrating touch to the
lengthy menu. The afternoon was
dedicated to the solemn rites Of mas
saying, manicuring, and hair-waving
at a beauty doctors. On an ordinary
occasion these unwonted exertions in
the pursuit of good looks would have
tired her, but to-day she was keyed
to a pitch where she did not notice
small outside discomforts.
Long before six she was dressed,
and sitting before the mirror in her
room she laid on the last perfecting
touches with a short stick of hard
red substance and a circular piece Of
mossy-looking white stuff, which she
rubbed with a rotary motion round
and round her face. Her new dress of.
raspberry pink Grape betrayed the
hand of an expert in its gracefully
falling folds and the elegance with
which II outlined her slim, long-waist-
ed shape. Her neutrality-suspicious.
hair waved back from her forehead in
] uln ~ oil
hollows rubbed from it, looked fresh
and youthful. With the subdued light
falling on her through the silk and
paper lamp shades. she looked a very
pretty woman. the darkness Of her
long, brilliant eyes thrown into higher
relief by the wilderness Of her pow
dered face.
She was TREMENDOUSLY nervous. Ev-
cry sound caused her to start and
move to that part of the parlor whence
she could look down the long pas
sageway to the stair-head. Large
punches of greenery were massed
here in the angles Of the hall and
stood in the corners Of the sitting
room. Bowls filed with violets and
roses were set on the table and man.
telpiece, and the scent Of these flow
ers. sweet and delicate, mingled with
the crude, powerful perfume that the
woman's draperies exhaled with every
movement At intervals she ran into
her bedroom, seized the little, round,
soft wad Of white and rubbed 1t over
her face with quick concentric move
ment, drawing her upper lip down as
she did so, which gave to her counte-
nance with it's anxious eyes an ex-
ceedingly comical expression.
1t was nearly seven o'clock when
the bell rang. With last hasty look
in the glass, she ran down the pas
sageway to the stair-head. 1t was
necessary to descend a few steps to
turn on the stairs from whence the
lever that opened the door could be
worked. AS she stood on the small
landing, thrown out in bright relief
by mass of dark LEAKAGE that stood
in the angle of the wall the door
opened and Dominick entered. He
looked up and saw her standing there.
gaily dressed. brilliant. animated
figure, smiling down at him.
"Ah. Berry," he said in a quiet, IN
emotional voice, lis that your"
II was certainly not an enthusiastic
greeting A sensitive woman would
have been shriveled by 1t, but Berry
was not sensitive. She had realized
from the start that she would prob
ably have to combat the lingering sur
illness left by the quarrel. AS Domi-
nick assembled, her air of smiling well
come was marked by bland CHEEKY
Inconsistencies of any past unpleas-
antness. She was not, however, as
unconscious as she looked. She noted
his heaviness of demeanor, the. tired
expression Of his lifted face. He came
I'D the stairs slowly. not yet being
completely recovered, and it added to
the suggestion Of reluctance, Of diff
cult and spiritless approach. that
seemed to encompass him in an un-
seen yet distinctly-felt aura.
AS he rose on a level with her, she
stretched out her hands and, laying
: them on his shoulders, drew him
toward her and kissed him. The
GOODNESS of his cheek, damp with the
foggy night air, chilled the caress
and she drew back from him. not so
securely confident in her de5onair.
smiling assurance. He patted her
lightly on the shoulder by way of
greeting and said:
How are you? All right?"
"Oh, I'm all right" she answered
with brisk. determined sprightliness
you're the one to ask about. You
walk stiff, still. How are your feet?''
She was glad to turn her eyes away
from his face. It looked very tired,
and the slight smile with which he
had greeted her stayed only on his
lips. did not extend to his fatigued
eyes. He was evidently. angry still
angry and unforgiving. and that ne