The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-03-12
CHAPTER K.

Early that year, the touch Of autumn
came to the air. Often, returning at
shutdown from the afternoon life class,
Samson felt the lure Of its melancholy
sweetness, and paused on one Of the
Washington Square benches, with
many vague things stirring in his
mind. He felt with a stronger throb
the surety Of young, but QuiCkening,
abilities within himself Partly, it was
the charm of Indian summer, partly
a sense of growing with the days, but,
also, though he had not as yet realized
that, it was the new friendship into
which Adrienne had admitted him,
and the new experience of frank cam.
araderie with woman not as mem.
Der of an inferior sex, but as an equal
companion of brain and soul He had
seen her often, and usually alone, be-
cause he stunned meetings with
strangers. Until his education had ad.
vanced further, he wished to avoid
social embarrassments. He knew
that she liked him, and realized that
it was because he was a new and virile
type and for that reason a diversion
a sort of human novelty She liked
him, too, because it was rare for a
man to offer her friendship without
making love, and she was certain he
would not make love- He liked her
for the same reasons that every one
else did-because she was herself. OF
late, too, he had met a number Of
men at Lescott's club. He was mod
estly surprised to find that, though
his attitude on these occasions was
always that of one sitting in the back.
ground, the men seemed to like him,
and, when they said, See you again"
at parting, it was with the convincing
manner OF real friendliness.
One wonderful afternoon in Octo,
Der, when the distances were mist
hung, and the skies very clear, Sam.
son sat across the table from Adrienne
Lescott at a road house on the Sound
The sun had set through great cloud
battalions massed against the west,
and the horizon was fading into dark.
ness through haze like ash Of roses.
She had picked him up on the Ave.
nue., and taken him into her car for
short spin, but the afternoon had
beguiled them, Turing them on little
farther, and still a little farther. When
they were a score Of miles from Man.
haitian, the car had suddenly broken
down. 1t would, the chauffeur told
them, be the matter Of an hour to
effect repairs, so the girl explaining
to the boy that this event gave the
affair the aspect of adventure, turned
and led the way, on foot, to the near.
est road house.
I'VE will telephone that we Shall
be late, and then have dinner" she
laughed. And for me to have dinner
with you alone, unchaperoned at a
country inn, is by New York standards
delightfully."- unconventional. 1t borders
on wickedness." Then, since their at
titude toward each other was so
friendly and innocent, they both
laughed. They had dined under the
trees of an old manor house, built a
century ago, and now converted into
an inn, and they had enjoyed them
selves because 1t seemed to them
pleasingly paradoxical that they should
find in place seemingly so shabby.
genteel cuisine and service Of such
excellence. Neither of them had ever
been there before, and neither of them
knew that She reputation of this estab.
lshinent was in its own way wide
and unsayory.
The repairs did not go as smoothly
as the chauffeur had expected, aud,