Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1915-07-01
CHAPTER discontinued.

For years Martha had discharged her
duties, If mechanically yet with a
sense of pleasure and serenity. At
this moment she was as one pushed
unexpectedly to the brink of preci-
pice, over which the slightest misstep
would topple her. The world was out
Of joint.
81 wish we had gone to Italy," she
remarked finally.
1T would not have served my pur-
pose in the least. l should have been
dancing and playing bridge and going
to operas. / should have had no time
for thinking"
Thinking" Martha elevated her
brows with an air that implied that
she greatly doubted this statement.
Eyes, thinking. 1t is not necessary
that should nope and shut myself up
in cell, Martha, in order to think.
have finally come to the end of my
doubts, if that will crafty you. From
now on you may rely upon one thing,
to a certainty"
Martha hesitated to put the ques-
ton.
81 am not going to marry Arthur.
He is charming, graceful, accom-
plished; but l want man. should
not be happy with him. can twist
him too easily around my finger. / ad-
init that he exercises, over me GER
tain indefinable fascination; but when
he is out of sight it amounts to the
sum Of all this doddering and doubt
ing. 1t is probable that shall make
an admirable old maid. Wisdom has
its disadvantages. l might be very
happy with Arthur, were not so
wise" She smiled again at the reflec-
ton in the mirror Now, let us go
and astonish the natives"
There was mild f1utter of eyelids
as she sat down beside Warrington
and began to chatter to him in Italian.
He made brave show of following
her, but became hopelessly lost after
10 few minutes. Elsa spoke fluently;
twelve years had elapsed since his last
visit to Italy. He admitted his con-
fusion, and thereafter it was only &C.
casionally that she brought the tongue
into the conversation. This diversion,
which she employed mainly to annoy
her neighbors, was, in truth, the very
worst thing she could have done
They no longer coniectured; they as
isumed.
Warrington was too strongly daz.
zled by her beauty tonight to be men,
tally keen or to be observing as was
his habit. He never spoke to his
neighbor; he had eyes for none but
Elsa, under whose spell he knew that
he would remain while he lived. He
was nothing to her; he readily under
stood She was restless and lonely,
and he amused her. So be it. He be-
lieved that there could not be an I'M
happier, more unfortunate man than
himself. To have been betrayed by
the one he had loved, second to but
one, and to have this knowledge thrust
upon him after all these years, was
evil enough; but the nadir of his mis-
fortunes had been reached by the ap-
pearance of this unreliable young
woman.
"You arc not listening to word l
am saying!"
II beg your pardon! But warned
you that my Italian was rusty" He
pulled himself together.
"But / have been rafting away in
English!"
"And have been wool-gathering."
Not at all mplimentary to me-"
1T is because ! am very unhappy;
it is because Tantalus and are broth.
ers."
Il wish l could make you forget"
"On the contrary, the sight of you
makes memory all the keener."
He had never spoken like that be.
FORE 1t rather subdued her, made her
regret that she had surrendered to a
vanity that was without aim or direc.
ton. Farthest from her thought was
conquest of the man. She did not wish
to hurt him. She-was not coquette
After dinner he did not suggest the
usual promenade. Instead. he excused
himself and went below.
They arrived at Penang early Mon
day morning Elsa decided that War
Tington should take her and Martha on |
. personally conducted tour Of the |