The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-03-06
RfADJOekENT
BY ALICE essEK.

Ann Morgan was trying to get hold
of herself and finding 1t the hardest
| proposition she had ever attempted. II
was struggle to reach out for COM
mon sense after the blind unreason of
affection, and there was nothing to help
except the newness of the life about
her. 1t was as If she had gone back
to the very beginning Of things. In a
way she had. She and her father we're
| living outside d French village in a
weather-beaten house across the bor-
| der from New Brunswick, with cook
stove, two beds, a rough table and a
couple of chairs. Her father was like
boy in this environment and did the
cooking, while Ann made determined
effort to find a glimmer Of light, other
wise called sanity In the darkness that
encompassed her.
When she reached ST. Attegat, dur
ing the early days Of June, she had
been too Indifferent to care for the
quaintnesS of her surroundings. Her
father had been alarmed about her
health, and the family physician, I'M
had sent her where he knew the air
was sweet and pure.
AS she sat listless under the shadow
of a sugar maple, Ann thought Of his
words. She had honestly tried to bring
herself into touch with the life about
her, but health was as yet too far away
for her to have any other feeling than
one of Indifference.
Her life was primitive in the ex-
IRENE. She was miles from rail-
road and the mail came but once a
month. She and her father were de-
pendent upon a neighbor, Mr.. Chandler,
for that and he had brought it for the
first time that evening. There were
no letters. She had expected none, but
the longing of the spirit cannot always
be subjected to pride and there were
times, like the present, when it seemed
as if nothing mattered but the sight
of the man she cared for. And she
had given him up. The cruelty of 1t
was that she had learned she was but
the means to an end, had stumbled
upon the knowledge within a week of
her wedding day.
In the Corcoran art gallery she had
paused beside the entrance to one of |
the rooms when the murmur of voices |
caught and held her attention.
mo, | do not love her." she heard. |
Fortunately am interested in no |
other woman, else it might go hard |
with me. Her father is wealthy. She |
is rich in her own right and ! will be |
able to crafty ambitions hitherto mere
ly dreams" AS he finished speaking
two men came face to face with Ann
and she looked directly into the eyes
of the man she had expected to marry.
Pride came to her aid in her effort to
adjust herself to her new outlook upon
life, but In the end she was bundled
off to St. Attigat, and here she met
Mr.. Chandler with whom her father
found congenial companionship. He
had way of watching her that was
disconeerting. and this. in time, made
her conscious she was not good to look
at. She became oversensitive about
her lack of color and one day rum
mayed through her trunk for her van
ty box and was chagrined not to find
It.
This incident marked change. I'M
the outdoor life was max
ng difference In Ann. She took
ong walks and would stroll off for
hours alone. One evening she did not
'cturn. Chandler, with her father,
found her on the edge of the river
With twisted ankle and dislocated
shoulder. She had slipped from the
'ock where she had been fishing, she
old them later.
When they discovered her Mr.. Nor
ran promptly went to pieces. She was
Ill he had, and If anything happened
o her he was Of no more use than a
ably. Mr.. Chandler carried her home
With about as much feeling as If she
lad been bundle Of rags. she thought,
a the moment when glimmer Of rea- :
on made her try to recover her dignity F
nd slip from his arms. It was then
e gave her little shake and told her
o lie still.
Just the merest Jingle, but It sent
eedles Of fame all over her. and she
new nothing more until she was on :
er bed with the two bending over her. +
Between them she was made COM
ortable: yet she was not comfortable
\ her mind. She could not under
tand the odd look In Mr.. Chandler's
yes when she had first opened her
wn, and now. after a month of mac
witty. she was still puzzled. She had
OF seen it since. He gave her under
landing and pleasant friendship. but
nat was all.
And she had begun to care. The
bought troubled her. Was she lacking :
/ constancy that she could so soon e
)rget one man for another? But as
40 looked hack unnn those fauariSh