The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-03-22

mot s6nls eaitifi ted the right ktnu o
people who were congenial to each
other. ;hak 4Ihs alNays managed to
have some guest q special distinction
whom every one. was, eager to meet,
Her own wide Acquaintance among
the prominent operatIc artists and her
husband1 influential. position in the
world Of finance made this policy an
easyway ofgfurthering her social am
billions. She. Wohld always invite
some one whom she could present as
the lion Of the evening. One week Il
would be = tenor from the opera house,
another time a famous TioliniSt. In
this way she managed to create lit
tie artistic salon on the lines OF the
famous political salons in which the
brilliant women Of the eighteenth cen
tury, nodded public opinion in France,
Alicia knew shesWas clever and as
she stood admiring herself in front Of
4 full. length mirror while awaiting
the arrival of her guests she congrat'
ulated herself that ahe had made Y
success OF her life. She had won those
things which most women hold dear
---wealth and social position. She had
married q man she did mot love, 1t
wasstrue, but other women had done
that before her. Il she had not
brought hen husband love she at least
was not asRife' he need be ashamed
Of In her Paquin goWnsof gold CLOTH
with sweeping train and q teweled
tiara in her hair, she considered her,
self handsome enough to grace any
man's,home. 1t was indeed beauty
which she saw in the mirror-the face
OF woman not yet 80, with the fea'
lures regular and refined. The eyes
were large and dark and the mouth
and nose delieately nodded. The face
seemed accidentally perfect, ralI-ba
the expression. She had q cold, cal
eulahrg look, and aicsnic might have
charged her with lheIag heartless, Of
stopping a. nothing to gain her own
ends.
Tonight Alicia: had every reason to
feel tubilant. She had secured go
cial lion that all New York would talk
about--no less q person than Dr..
Bernstein, the celebrated psycholO.
gist, the originator Of the theory Of
scientific psychology Everything
seemed to go the way'she wished; her
muslcales were the talk Of the town;
her husband had: just presented her
with the jeweTed tiara which now
gFaced her head; there seemed to 10
nothing in the world that she could
not enjoy,
Yet she was not happy, and as she
gazed at the face reflected before her
in the glass she wondered II the world
guessed how unhappy she was. She
knew that by her own indiscretion she
was 10 danger Of losing all she had
won, her. position in society, her place
In the affections Of her husband,
everything.
When she married Mr. JeRries It
was with deliberate calculation. She
did not love him, but, being ambitions,
size did not hesitate to deceive him.
FIe was rich, he could give her that
prominent position In society for
which she yearned. The fact that
she was already engaged to q. man for
whom she did care did not deter her
for a moment from her set purpose.
She had met Robert Underwood years
before. He was then college boy,
tall, handsome, clever. She fell IN
lore with him and they became en-
gagged. Asishe grew more sophisticst'
ed she saw the folly Of their youthful
infatuation. Underwood was without
fortune, his future uncertain. While
in this uncertain state Of mind she
met Mr.. Jeffries, then a wldower, at
reception. The banker was attract
ed to her and being business man
he did things quickly He proposed
and was accepted, all in the brief
time Olive minutesA Robert Under.
wood and the romance Of her girlhood
were sacrificed without question when
It came to reaching prompt decision,
She wrote Underwood a brief letter
of farewell, telling him that the action
she had taken was really for the best
interests OF them Both. Underwood
made no reply and for months did not
attempt to go near her. Then he met
her in public. There was reconcilla'
ton. He exerted the old spell-on the
married woman. Cold and Indifferent
to her husband, Alicia found it anus
ing to have her old lover paying her
court and the danger Of discovery only
gave the intrigue additional Sest and
charm, She did not lead Underwood
to believe thatshe could induce her to
forget her duty to- Dir, .JeGETtss, but
she was foolish enough to encDurage
. dangerous intimacy. She thought
she was strong enough to be able to
call halt whenever she would be 80
disposed, but as is often the case she
oyerestlmated her powers. The In
timScy grew. Underwood became
holder, claiming and obtaining special
privilege. HetSoon realized that be
had the upper hand and he traded on
1t. Under her patronage he was In
vited everywhere. He practically lived
on her friends. He borrowed their