The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-03-19
AREN'T your" l demanded

fN s",feat stt6t0 nti
with a nod. II was Wolf Larsen 8
turn to be puzzled. The name
and its magic signified nothing 70
him. | was proud that II did
mean something to me, and for
the first time in a weary while |
was eonvincingly conscious of a
superiority over him.
Il remember writing review
OF a thin little volume" | had
begun carelessly, when she inter-
rupted me.
"foul" she cried. you are
She was now staring at me In
wide-eyed wonder.
! nodded my identity, In turn.
Humphrey Van Weyden," she
concluded; then added with a
sigh of relief. and unaware that
she had glanced that relief at
Wolf Larsen, II am so glad"
II remember the review" she
went on hastily, becoming aware
OF the awkwardness of her re-
mark; that too, too flattering
review
Not at ALL" ! denied valiantly.
You impeach my sober judgment
and make my canons of little
worth. Besides. all my brother
critics were with me. Didn't Lang
include your Kiss Endured
among the four supreme sonnets
by women In the English lam
guage?"
But you called me the Ameri-
can Mrs. Meynell!"
Was II not true?" demanded.
No, not that" she answered.
II was hurt"
we can measure the unknown
only by the known" replied, In
my finest academic manner. "As
a critic ! was compelled to place
you. You have now become a
yardstick yourself. Seven of your
thin little volumes are on my
shelves; and there are two thicker
volumes, the essays, which, you
will pardon my saying, and
know not which Is flattered more
fully equal your verse. The time
Is not far distant when some un-
known will arise in England and
the critics will name her the Eng
fish Maud Brewster"
You are very kind, | am sure, y
she murmured: and the very con.
ventionality of her tones ant
words, with the host of associa.
tons 1t aroused of the old life on
the other side of the world, CAV,
me a quick thrill---rich with re
membrance but singing sharl
with homesickness.
. sand you are Maud Brewster,
Ilsaid solemnly, gazing across a.
her. 3or e.
And you are Humphrey Wan
Weyden," she said, gazing bach
at me with equal solemnity and
awe. How unusual! don't un.
derstand. We surely are not to
expect some wildly romantic sea.
story from your sober penn"
mo, | am not gathering ma.
terial, ! assure you," was my an
swer. II have neither aptitude
nor inclination for fiction"
Tell me, why have you always
buried yourself In California ??
she next asked. 1T has not been
kind of you. We of the East
have seen so very little OF YOU
too little. indeed, of the Dean OF
American Letters, the Second"
bowed to, and disclaimed the
compliment. II nearly met you,
once in Philadelphia, some
Browning affair or other-you
were to lecture, you know. My
train was four hours late"
And then we quite forgot where
We were, leaving Wolf Larsen
stranded and silent in the midst
of our flood of gossip. The hunt
ers left the table and went on
deck, and still we talked. Wolf
Larsen alone remained. Suddenly
/ became aware of him, leaning
curiously to our alien speech OF a
world he did not know.
broke short off in the middle
of sentence. The present, with
all its perils and anxieties, rushed
upon me with stunning force. II
smote Miss Brewster likewise, a
vague and nameless terror rush.