Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-06-17
HIS HATED RIVAL

not without cause. For three happy
months his engagement to Marjorie
glided along so smoothly as to get at
naught the old saw about the course
Of true love. But. now, even as he
dressed with the utmost care to call
upon the cause Of his perplexity, he
reviewed the situation with growing
depression. 1t bad gone on for
nearly three weeks. At first there
was nothing beyond a little absent
mindedness on Mariorie's part now
and then; an air Of meditating upon
some problem unknown to him. Then
she had begun to act strangely in
regard to his calls. Why should she
bite her lip and look confused when
he mentioned the date of his next
one and make excuses, saying she
had promised to attend to some
thing else on that EVENING"" Mighty
queer, that; especially when it hap
pened repeatedly and when she had
assured him SO sweetly, at first, that
nothing could ever, ever interfere
with her wanting to see him and that
she wanted him to come just as often
as he could
He proceeded to the next count,
brushing his thick, brown hair with
an intensity that threatened to de-
stroy permanently its engaging
crinkle. Twice, when he had come
into the room, she had been reading
something that looked like a letter
and had whisked it guilty out of
sight, showing traces of embarrass-
ment. Then things had got steadily
worse, he unused, scowling as he ad-
justed a most becoming green tie.
He had fallen so low as to call sew
eral times when he knew he was not
expected, on some pretext or other,
and on each of the occasions things
had happened-queer, unexplainable
thingsl Once he had arrived very
early, and Marjorie's younger sister,
Nan. had met him in the hall and
had looked dismayed, as well as sur
prised, he could have sworn. he
wasn't sure whether he quite liked
Nan, anyhow, with her keen, black
eyes and bluff, ironical manner,
though she always seemed cordial
enough. She had run back swiftly
to the library with a quick, "Wait q
minuter and he had heard Marjorie
say in low, troubled voice, oh, Of
course, not tonight, now that he's
here; you'll telephone right away,
| won't your" Then she had come to
welcome him, apparently her frank,
sweet self; but the memory of those
first moments of confusion would not
down.
Then had followed the worst and
most mysterious circumstance Of all.
Only last week, arriving unexpected
ly at Marjorie's, he had been admit
ted by an evidently new and stupid
maid, who had left him standing in
the hall while she disappeared into
the living room. He began to remove
his overcoat, just outside the library
door, when through the thick por-
there's he heard Marjorie's voice in
earnest protest. "Philip," she was
saying, in low, tense tones, "you
must not speak to me in this way {!
! | cannot deny, Philip, that your per-
sonality is fascinating and brilliant
one; that, perhaps, were l free
again But do not tempt mel |
am bound in all honor to a good, true
man, and" Just then her father
hustled out from the living room, on
the other side of the hall, and pulled
him in to look over some summer
cottage plans, before he went to Mar
jorie, explaining that the maid had
called him, by mistake.
He had to go, of course but while
he listened to the old gentleman with
one ear, the other had caught half
whisper, quick and anxious, across
the hall. 'Not that wayl Go into
the dining-room and wait little
while; Nan will help your Dick
could not understand why he had
lacked courage to demand an expla-
nation then and there, especially
when his demure fancee had rallied
him upon his reserve and his absent
air. Matter enough, surely, to upset