Evening star., 1914-07-19

helped the town fix upon her. She could not become
soft, charming, alluringly feminine to waken in
the desire for her. The town would look aghast,
would think she had gone out of her head, perhaps
would laugh at her. She had too long been the COM
petent, self sufficient citizeness.
And so, sitting there before her glass; she at
last to her great decision. She Joan Meredith spnster
unsought of man. henceforth going to make it the
first business of her life find her lost romance,-a
to love and be loved by, and beyond this-children!
TT was five o'clock when Joan called at Mrs Garrson's
boarding house and spoke of an apocryphal friend
who thought of coming to Westvle and had asked her
to make tentative inquiries to lodgings. Mrs. CARR
showed at the back of the second floor and
eulogized its many excellencies.
"And who has the front?' asked Joan, they
turned through the hall
"Mr. Western of the Times"
@Indeed!" exclaimed Joan with finely simulated
prise.
ayes, he's been with me for eight years now
Il wonder if he'd object if I'd take peep?" asked
Joan.
@Go right in He's likely to be home any minute;
but he won't mind"
1t large room, with door giving into bed
room at the With quick eyes Joan invoiced and
studied David Western he expressed in this
outer garment he had long and called his home
The big writing table gave the key to the 1t was
wilderness of pamphlets books open face downward,
scattered sheets of paper inscribed in neat, regular
hand and everywhere dust blackened matchends, and
covered with books irregular array; and the other
walls pinned unframed prints of paintings, mostly
Rembrandts curling at the and hanging each
at its individual angle. The chairs old and
shabby, and invited one to slouch down and doze in
comfort.
"Don't blame for how things look, inserted Mrs.
Garrison. 2He won't let me touch hardly thing, ex-
cept the floor"
Him. Joan continued her scrutiny She stepped
to his greatest chair and examined the book that lay
0rNar fc chalH 10 The q aAOrcn 10" Of
Tactus So he still found diversion in reading Latin
in the original!
II dare say he'll soon be leaving for his vacation?"
Joan remarked casually.
an two weeks" Mrs. Garrison terms of
motherly intimacy with all her dodgers.
Il suppose he'll go to the same place he visited last
summer"
@No he's going to Pine Bay. He told me he'd made
all his arrangements"
At the sound of footsteps approaching through the
hall Joan moved quickly toward the door; but not
quickly enough to escape-not having planned to
escape.
Excuse for trespassing she said when they
face to face She explained how she chanced to be in
the house-Hand my womans curiosity couldn't
the temptation look into the den of the editor
of the Times she smilingly ended. @But I'm
going
@Not yet please. Your being here lucky chance;
for I've been wanting to talk to you about that play
ground feature of park"
While they talked Joan scrutinized him point by
point. He about forty, slightly stopped,
wrnkled, baggy clothes. His hair thick and griz
zed and trimming had been its due for month or
The gray eyes keen, humorous, and held
pleasant, cynical humanity. To Joan he seemed to be
settling into definite careless routine of bachelordom;
and, looking ahead she him living and on with
Mrs Garrison, other drab wholesaler in SUBJ
stitutes for home, and becoming more dry and
placid and shabby. Remembering the spirited, well
dressed David Western of fifteen years BEFORE she felt
that, able and influential though he was, he had