The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-03-21

carriage and the shortening Of her
stride. There was little likelihood Of
her identity being discovered. for Cal
> Calbrath and. the rest Of the Old
Timers were !ike lost children among
| the many strangers who had rushed
into the land Besides. the frost Of the 4
North has a bdttGr tongue, and the ten
der women of'the South. to shield their
cheeks from It's biting caresses. were
prone TO the use Of canvas masks. With
faces obscurcd and bodies lost In squir-:
rel-skin parkas Il mother and daughter
meeting on tRai!. would pass as st:a1ll
gers.
! The coaching progressed rapidly. A.
: first.it had been slow. but later sud-,
! den acceleration had manifested itself
! This began from the moment Madeline,
tried on the white satin slippers. and +
80 doing found herself. The. pride of
! natural self-esEeem she might possess,
at that instant received its birth.
Hitherto. shs. had deemed herself a.
woman OF an: alien breed. Of in:crio !
Her husband had seemed to her god Z
who had lifted her. through no essential
virtues on her part, to his own godlike
level But she had never forgotten
even when Young Cal was born, that she:
was not Of hts people. AS he had been
god. so had his womankind been god-y
desscs: She might have contrasteed Z
herself with them. but she had never
I
familiarity brad contempt: however. be Z
that as 1t may, she had ultimately come
TO understand these rowing white men,,
and 10 weigh them. True. her mind was
possessed her. woman's clarity OF vision.
in such mattnrs. On the night Of the !,
slippers she had measured the bold,
G Q pc. -, admiration Of =, her three men
son had suggested itself. 1t was only
foot and IN ankle, but-but compare
son could nor, in the nature Of things
cease at that point. She judged herself s
her white sisters was shattered. After
AL. they were only women. and why
should she Dbt ex:Llt herself to their !
place; In doing these things she learn
knowlcdge Of her weakness came her.!
strive that her three trainers often mar
nal mystery OF woman.
In this way THANKSGIVING night drew (
near. At irregular intervals BEETLES
sent word down from Stuart River re-
gardinG, the welfare OF young Cal The
limo Of their return was approaching.
More than once n casual caller hearing
dance-music and the rhythmic pulse Of \
feet entered. only to find Harrington !.
scraplre away and the other two bead ~
step. Madeline was never in evidence, 4
having prccipitately fled to the inner
room.
On one Of these night Cal Galbraith
dropped in. Encouraging news had Just
come down from Stuart River, and Mad. Z
cline had surpassed herself-not In 5
walk alone. qnd carriage and grace, but z
in womanly rogue!shncss. They had in-%5
dnlEed In sharp repartce. and she had
defended herself brilliantly; and then,
yielding to lhe into1 icat!on Of the mo-
ment. and OF her own power, she had
bullied. and mastered. and whecdled, and !.
patronlzed them with most astonishing 4
success. And instinctirely, involuntar-f
lily. they had bowed. not to her beauty, !;
her wisdom. her Wit. but to that indefin-
able something In woman 10 which man
yields yet cannot name The room was
dizzy with sheer delight rs she and
Prince wh!Tl6d through the last dance
OF the evening. Harrington was throw
ing In Uncomfortable flourishes, while .
Malemutc Kid. utterly abandoned, had
seized the broom and was executing mad
gyrations on his own account.
Confined F1day.)