Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-03-09
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5I CHARLES NEVILLE bUCA
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CHAPTER x.

Early that year, the touch OF au-
tumn came to the air. Often, returning
at sundown from the afternoon lie
class. Samson felt the lure OF its
melancholy sweetness, and paused on
one of the Washington Square
benches, with many vague things STIR
ring in his mind. He felt with
stronger throb the surety OF young
but ouickening, abilities within HIM
self. Partly, 1t was the charm OF IN
dian summer, partly sense OF grow
ing with the days, but also, though
he had not as yet realized that, 1t was
the new friendship into which Ad-
rienne had admitted him, and the new
experience Of frank camarderie with
a woman not as a member OF an
inferior sex, but as an equal COM
panion 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
II was because he was a new and viriie
type, and for that reason a diversion
a sort Of human novelty. She liked
him, too, because 1t was rare for
man to offer her friendship without
making love, and she was certain ne
would not make love. He liked her
for the same reasons that every one
else did-because she was herself. or
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. y
at parting, 1t was with the convincing
manner Of real fr'endliness.
One wonderful afternoon in Octo-
ber, 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 a haze like ash or roses
She had picked him up on the Ave-
nue., and taken him into her car for
a short spin, but the afternoon had
beguiled them, Turing them on a little
farther, and still little further. 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.
1--WE 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 it seemed to them
pleasingly paradoxical that they
should find in a place seemingly so
shabby genteel a cuisine and service
of which excellence. Neither Of them
had ever been there before, and
neither of them knew that the re-
putation Of this establishment was in
its own way wide-and unsavory.
The repairs did not go as smoothly
as the chauffeur had expected, and,
when he had finished, he was hungry.
So, eleven o'clock found them still
chatting at their table on the lighted
lawn. After awhile, they fell silent,
and Adrienne noticed that her COM
panion's face had become deeply, al
most painfully set. and that his gaze
was tensely focused on herself.
What is it, Mr.. South?" she de-
manded.
The young man began to speak,
in a steady. self-accusing voice.
II was sitting here. looking at you,
he said bluntly. II was thinking
how fine you are in every way; how
there is as much difference in the tex
ture Of men and women as there Is in
the texture Of clothes. From that