The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1913-04-03

others her father would have chosen
for her had such choice been pos
sible.
He bit on his cigar. turning II over
between his teeth. and looked side
wise at her as she sat silent in the
sleigh beside him. She was unques-
tionably pale. pale and listless. her
body wrapped in enveloping furs. sunk
In an attitude of WEAKNESS, her eyes
full OF detected reverie. Even to his
blindly-groping. masculine perceptions
her distrait looks. her displrited al
lence. told OF melancholy preoccupa-
ton. She was not happy-his Rose.
who, II she had wanted 1t and he could
have bought, begged or stolen 1t,
would have had the moon.
Tonight. in her white dress, the
mellow radiance of the lamp throw
ing out her figure against the shadowy
richness of the diping-room walls, she
bore the same appearance OF despon-
dency. Her luster was dimmed, her
delicate skin had lost its dazzling. sep
arated bloom OF pink and white, her
glance was absent and unresponsive.
Never. since the death OF her mother,
now ten years back. had he seen her
when 1t was so obvious that she har-
bored an inner, unexpressed sense of
trouble.
Il guess the city's the best place for
YOU" he said. 'Roughing IL don't
seem 70 suit you IL cows and chickens
t. oil V,inhf Tfun
the time when the hotel at Rocky Bar
would have been considered the top
notch of luxury. | wish you could see
the places your mother lived in when
l first took her UP here. You're a
spoiled girl, Rose Cannon.
Who spoiled me, l wonder?" she
said, looking at him with a CLEAN Of
humor in her eyes.
We're not calling names tonight"
he answered, anyway. not since
Genes gone. All my desire to throw
things and be ugly vanishes when that
boy gets out. So the noises at Rocky
Bar kept you awake"
Yes, and | was wakeful. anyway"
She looked down at her cup. stir
ring her coffee. He thought she ap.
peared conscious and said;
What made You wakeful, guilty
conscience?"
Guilty conscience" she repeated
In tone that was full OF indignant
surprise. why should have guilty
conscience"
Lord knows! Don't fire off these
conundrums at me. ! don't know all
your secrets. honey"
She did not answer. He glanced
furtively at her and saw that her face
had flushed. He took a cigar from
the box the butler had set at his ell
bow and bit off the end.
"How should know tho secrets of
young lady like you? A long time
ago. perhaps, l used to. after your
mother died and you were my little
Rosey, fourteen years old. Lord. how
cunning you were then! Just begin
ming TO lengthen out. little woman
and little girl, both in one. You
didn't have secrets in those days or
wakeful nights either
He applied a match to the end of
the cigar and drew at It, his ears
strained for his daughters reply. She
again made none and he shot a quick
glance at her. She was still stirring
her coffee. her eyebrows drawn to-
gether, her eyes on the swirl OF brown
in the cup. He settled himself In his
chair, a bulky figure, his clothes
ribbed with creases, his head low be-
tween his shoulders, and a reek of
cigar smoke issuing from his lips.
How'd you like it up there, any
way?"
up where?"
up at Antelope. 1t was a sort OF
strange, new experience for you"
ooh, liked ii SO much-I loved part
Of II. liked the people much better
than the people down here, Mrs. Per-
ley. and Cora, and Perley. and VIII
loughby-did you ever know a nicer
man than Willoughby?-and Judge
Washburne. He was Il real gentle
man, not only in his manners but
down in his heart And even Perley S
boy, he was so natural and awkward
anu nOlSols LGll AAOLi " HaA
do here. more myself, less as II out.
side things were influencing me to dc
things l didn't always like to do or
mean to do. felt as II were doing
Just what l ought 10 dots hard 10
express it-as il were being true.
oh" said her father with a falling
| infection which had a sound Of sig
| niiicant comprehension.
do you know what I mean?" she
| asked.
Il can make sort OF guess at it
He pulled his cigar for a moment
then took IL from his mouth. eyed the
/ lii end. and said.
How'd you like Dominick Ryan
You haven't said anything about him.
Her voice. In answering, sounded
low and careful. She spoke slowly. as
! II considering her words:
~ thought he was very nice, and
good-lcoking. too. He's net a bit like
Cornelia Ryan, or his mother, either
Cornelia has such red hair"
mo, looks like the old man. Coco