Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1915-01-07


dear Sara
Very WELL" she said resignedly.
When may 1 expect a renewal of
the confiict?"
Would tomorrow be convenient? ?"
he asked quantity.
She returned his smile. Come TO
luncheon"
Have 1 your permission to start
the Portrait"
Yes AS soon as you like"
He left her without feeling that he
had gained an inch along the road to
success That night, in the cleaning
OF his starlit porch. he smoked many
a pipeful and derived therefrom a pro-
round estimate OF the value of tact
and discretion as opposed to bold and
impulsive measures in the handling of
a determined woman. He would make
haste slowly, as the saying goes. Many
an unexpected victory is gained by
diiatory tactics, provided the blow is
struck at the psychological moment
Of least resistance.
The weeks slipped by. He was with
her almost daily. Other people came
TO her house, some for rather protract-
ed visits, others in quest of pillage at
the nightly bridge table, but he was
seldom missing. There were times
when he thought he detected a ten
dency to waver. but each cunning at
tempt on his part to encourage the
impulse invariably brought a certain
hooking light into her eyes and he
veered off in defeat. Something kept
telling him, however. that the hour
was bound to come when she would
falter in her resolution; when frank
ness would meet frankness, and the
the veil be lifted.
There were no letters from Hetty
no word of any description. If Sara
knew anything of the girls movements
she did not take Booth into her conf
dence.
Leslie Wrandall went abroad in Au-
gust, ostensibly to attend the aviation
meets in France and England. His
mother and sister sailed in September,
but not before the entire colony of
which they were a part had begun to
discuss Sara and Booth with a relish
that was obviously distasteful to the
Wrandalls.
Where there is smoke there is fire,
said all the gossips, and forthwith pro-
ceeded to carry faggots.
A week or so before sailing Mrs
dinner I think she said en- famille.
At any rate, Sara was not asked.
which is proof enough that she was
bent on making it family affair.
After dinner, Booth sat in the
screened upper balcony with Vivian.
He liked her. She was a keen-witted.
plain-spoken young woman, with few
false ideals and no subtlety She was
less snobbish than arrogant. Of all
the Wrandalls, she was the least self
conferred. Leslie never quite under
stood her for the paradoxical reason
that she thoroughly understood him.
You know, Brandon" she said,
after a long silence between them,
they've been setting my cap for you
for a long, long time" She blew a
thin stream of cigarette smoke toward
the moon.
He started. 1t was a bolt from a
clear sky. THE deuce!"
Yes" she went on In the most cas-
ual tone, mothers had her heart set
on 1t for months. You were supposed
to be mine at first sight, 1 believe.
Please don't look so uneasy. I'm not
going to propose to you" She laughed
her little ironic laugh
50 that is the way things stood.
eh?" he said, still little amazed bv
her candor.
I es- And what Is more to the
point, am quite sure 1 should have
said yes If you had asked me. Sounds
odd, doesn't it? Rather amusing too
being able to discuss it SO unreserved.
ly. isn't it?"
GOOD heavens, Vivi" he cried nm.
comfortably. Il had no idea Won
cared" 'O'
cared" she cried, as he paused
L don't care two pins for you in that
way But l would have married Won
Just the same, because you are worth
marrying I'd very much rather have
you for husband than any man !
know, but as for loving you'll Pooh
Ia love you In just the way mother
loves father, and 1 wouldn't have been
bit more trouble to you than she IS
to him" IS
Cad, you don't mind what yor
sayl" wv
railing to nab you, Brandy, I dare
say III have to come down to a duke
or, VINO knows? maybe a mere prince
IL isn't very enterprising, is it? And
certainly 1t isn't gay prospect. Real
iy, L had hoped you would have ma
Halter myself, 1 suppose, but hon
estly now, we would have made ,
rather nice looking couple. wouldnr
WEI" o"
You fiatter me-" he said.
But" she resumed, calmly exba,
Ing, you very foolishly fell In Low,
with some one else, and It wasn,