The Washington herald., 1914-12-06

Il
: land. She nobly suggested Norway and
Sweden. The thought OF fjords and mid.
night suns and things was also heroic
In the meanwhile she must make haste
to dress for the Prix des Drags, and she
took some interest in the choice Of a
gown sufficiently striking to insure sue
cess in the fierce rivalry OF that great
costume race.
Everybody said that the world had not
seen such undressing in public since the
Grecian revival at the time Of the Di-
rectoire. Persis was not the least as
founding figure there. She felt that, after
deed Of such sacrifice as she had
achieved in forswearing love, she had
earned an extra license in her draperies.
Willie raised tempest about her gown,
but she felt that she had done enough
for him. She was suffering that morn
I ing-after sullenness which follows unus-
ual indulgences in virtue as well as 9TH
er excesses.
/ Life once more was a tango. She
shifted from costume to costume like a
dressmaker's model She went the
rounds Of thes dansants, and musicales,
and embassies, town houses, hotels, and
chateaux, watering places. and noun
tains, lakes, and seas. But she kept away
| from Switzerland till she read that Am
bassador TAFT was at his desk in Paris;
and then she avoided Paris and went to
| Trouville.
And so the days totaled into weeks, and
| the weeks became a month two. three,
| six. She fed from boredom to boredom.
She SKINNED the cream Of life and whip
\ ped it. and it turned sour. Though her
| abiding places were all oases and her
| tents were of silk. she led only a Bed
| ouin existence. After all, she and Willie
were but tramps-velvet-clad hoboes. Va
! riety became monotony, luxury an op-
preston, contentment a will-o'-the-wisp.
She went to America and found that
| loveless contentment was not among the
Yankee inventions She went back to
| Europe. and it was not among the Pari-
sian devices. There was everything for
| sale on the Rue de la Paix except peace.
She had not come to Paris purposely to
find Harvey Forbes, but she had sick
ened OF being good, and she had grown
nauseated with denying her heart II
fate willed that their communion should
be renewed she would no longer tampe:
with destiny.
She wondered il time had cured Forbes
love. She wondered il he cared for some
one else-Mildred TAFT, for instance, or
some Partisan witch. At the mere
thought her heart beat like the wings OF
a wounded bird, and she knew that she
loved him and always would love him.
This was her humor when she met
Forbes again. She had tried IN various
ways to gain invitations to affairs Of
the Embassy. But TAFT wasted no
diplomacy on cutting out the EnsIees
He was the more brutal about this since
he felt that he was guarding his daugh-
ter's welfare.
And then the Enslees came to Paris
In an unusual snowstorm. and winter
set in about the old mans overworked.
undermined heart. He did his best to
keep Persis and Forbes apart; but when
were the old ever vigilant enough to
thwart the young?
One day Mrs. Mather Edgecumbe found
the Enslees shivering like a pair OF waits
in restaurant famous for Its cuisine
and Infamous for its heating arrange
ments. She asked them IL they were !
coming to the dansant she was giving at
her home that afternoon. They had for
gotten all about ii. and Persis pleaded !
an engagement with her doctor. Mrs. |
Edgecumbe was 80 sorry. There would !
be hardly any Americans there. then. |
except the old faithful Ambassador and
Capt. Forbes"
Persis' heart warmed instantly. but she |
said she was afraid that she had some !
other engagement booked: in any case
they might drop in for a minute. She
shivered with exultance and blamed It
on the chill.
When o'clock came round Persis care
lessly remembered the half-promise to !
Mrs. Mather Edgecumbe. Willie was out
OF humOr. Persis angelically urged him
to stay in his room and nurse his cold
Her unusual thought for his welfare
startled him. 1t delighted him. He de-
cided to stay by her and get more of
the tenderness she was lavishing today.
She could not shake him loose.
The dansant was a failure in Mrs
Mather EdgecUmbe's mind. and In her
sister Winifreds heart. for the storm
kept most of the Parisians away. and the
Ambassador sent word by Forbes that
he would be tardy if he came at all. He
pleaded motives OF state. But he sent
Forbes with his apologies.
Forbes. having been on a visit in his
official capacity, was again in Uniform
His eyes and cheeks were aglow from
the cold. and Persis watched him with
alteration as he came nearer and nearer
He did not see her. even when he
paused to talk 10 Mrs. Edgecumbe, so
close to Persis that she could have
touched him. And when she could not
endure the delay any longer. she thrust
her hand beneath his eyes, and muir
INJURED: Capt Forbes doesn't remember
me, but I met him in New York ages
ago."
Her voice, suddenly leapinE out of the q
grave of memory, terrified him He
whirled so quickly that his sword caught !
in her gown. He knelt to disengage it,
and there was laughter over the confu- I
sion. and then Mrs. Edgecumbe was
called away by a newcomer, and they
we're together.
Persis beamed upon the complete dis {
array of all his faculties. and spoke with
Affected raillery. though her own mind I
vas in a seethe.
AT last We meet again, And how mag
lifcent we are in our gorgeous uniform! I
It's only the second time I've seen you I
n il. And I believe We are no longer 7
,lain Mr. Forbes-but captain! Capt q
Harvey Forbes, L. s. A, And they sayl
We are rich now. What a pity 1 didn't g
wait a little"' a
Forbes was hurt at her fippancy He q
miled dismally. and she purred on: 81 5
ssure you your title and your wealth
ire vastly becoming: almost as becom- a
ne as all these buttons and epaulettes, d
md things" She walked around him. 4
ookinE him over like an inspecting Of Il
cer. 'Um-m! How very nice. Magni- I
cent!" u
Forbes was distraught: he groaned, 81 b
re you've not forgotten how to make fun t
4 me-"
But Persis went on in mock petu-
ance: TT wasn't at all nice of you to
ast me OF just because 1 married Will s
e"
There was so dire a meaning in her
int and so much danger in playing s
gain with the fire whose scar he still d
ore that Forbes ceased fencing and
lashed: why do you torment me? You II
af NV l0vo "a