Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-09

lack Of prosperity did not necessarily
mean illiteracy. Nina, with a feeling OF
relief. went about preparing supper
Later. when the meal was over. the Wis
itor went to the book shelves. why.
why!'' he cried. "They are all here. my
favorites! Aristotle. Plutarch. Virgil.
Hume. kant-oh, Kant
He took the volume down. laughing like
schoolbey. DO you enjoy Kant?' he
demanded gayly. DO You truly enjoy
Kant? Then, what do you think OF this:
He huttered the leaves Familiarity, hnailE
bouncing upon a passage and recit1ng 1t
, triumphantly. Her father added another
and he another still, and Nina sat in her
old wooden rocker. grooming to the paoy
and trying to follow the wordy battle
But the rain on the windows kept re-
minding her that the wonderful places
where Lena was privileged to go We're
far and away more attractive.
Nina, daughter" said her father, sud
denly interrupting her thoughts, read
that article we were discussing last night
And the foot notes. They explain exactly
my view
She put the baby down and went to the
shelves. When she returned the child
was on the strangers knee and he was
talking to her .'Ni-nan," she said and
he awkwardly rumpled its curls and
laughed. Cant you say mammal he
asked.
My sister,. she corrected. grave1y.
But mamma gave her to me when
He nodded and Nina, when she could
see. read the article and was surprised
when the house was quiet for the night
to find that the day had ended and pleas
antly. The stars We're out. big and white
and she had forgotten her disappoint-
ment.
But in the morning she remembered
Lena could not possibly see her today
and Just everything was wrong. She
dropped Imply into the old rocker and
groaned. She and her father and the
baby-they would sink or swim together
There was no other way. And she did
not want another way, only she would
like to see the person, other than her
father. who could extract comfort from
a situation like this.
She laughed at that and felt relieved
and once more hopeful. But dependency
returned when a week afterward "a car
stopped at the gate and the stranger.
Paul Pearson. came running in. He had
brought her father book bearing he
said. on subject they had discussed.
After that he came often. Her father.
from one visit to the next. literally lived
in the clouds. Never before. he told her.
had he met a foeman worthy of his steel.
But she herself writhed in desperation.
Whole days that should have gone to
the work of the farm went to looking UP
passages that should refute an argument
or open a new line of thought when Paul
should come again.
Matters before had been discouraging
enough, but now, ard particularly after
her next visit to Lena Myers. Nina de-
SPARED. For an hour Lena had chat
tered of happenings too beautiful to seem
possible-a grand reception and what the
lovely ladies wore; an Afternoon at
which the music was divine; small
parties galore, and preparation for the
marriage of one of the citv's beauties.
Myrtle Yates. whose beautiful trousseau
she had already written up. And Lena
herself was so bright and gay, and so
happy in her work To save her life Nina
not for the baby and her father"
But there she stopped. And she left
Lena feeling that the world itself and
everything to it was terribly askew and
| unfair. When she reached home Pauls
, car was at the gate. and he was walking
| back and forth running his fingers over
the books on the long shelves. He turn
ed when she went in and looked at her.
You do not ike them?"
| They do not ALWAYS satisfy me- she
said. and added bitterly. they represent
| our substance.
An instant after she bit her lips Not
| for worlds would she have put a criticism
on her father in words. But Paul seemed
not to have heard. He simply said:
| His is rare mind
Yes. oh, yes"' she cried out "But
I'm so lonesome, I so DESPERATELY wan1
the things that other girls have.''
| He turned back to the books. and. after
| a h.''e. was gone. Then she caught the
| baby IN her arms and cried over her
| berating herself for a cold-hearted. selfish
| creature who would starve her parents
to fatten herself After this, no matte,
what happened, she would make hei