The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-05-25
CHAPTER XVII.


long had he considered Sidney as unat-
tainable that now his masculine mind, q
little weary with much wretchedness,
refused to move from its old attitude.
st was glamour, that was all, K, "
said Sidney bravely.
"But, perhaps" said K, 'it's just be-
cause of that miserable incident with
CarlOtta. That wasn't the right thing,
of course, but Max has told me the
story. 1t was really quite innocent. She
tainted in the yard, and"
Sidney was exasperated.
DO you want me to marry him, z. p
K. looked straight ahead.
Il want you to be happy, DEAR"
| They were on the terrace of the
| White Springs hotel again. K. had Or
dered dinner, making great TODD
about getting the dishes they both
liked. But now that it was there, they
were not eating. X. had placed his
chair so that his profile was turned to-
ward her. Past KS profile Sidney
could see the magnolia tree shaped like
| heart.
at seems to me-" said Sidney sud-
denly, that you are kind to everyone
but me, K"
He fairly stammered his astonish-
ment:
"Why, what on earth have done?"
"You are trying to make me marry
Max, aren't your"
She was very properly ashamed of
that, and, when he failed to reply out
would not say too much, she went
hastily to something else: sit is hard
for me to realize that you-that you
lived a life of your own, busy life,
doing useful things, before you came
to us. 1 wish you would tell me some
thing about yourself. If we're to be
friends when you go away,"-she had
to stop there, for the lump in her
throat-"I'll want to know how to
think of you-who your friends are
all that"
He made an effort. He was think
ing, of course, chat he would be Wis
ualizing her, in the hospital in the lit
tie house on its side street, as she
looked just then, her eyes like stars,
her lips just parted, her hands folded
before her on the table.
Il shall be working" he said at last.
$50 will you"
Does that mean you won't have
time to think of me?'
II believe I'm stupider than usual to-
night. You can think of me as never
forgetting you or the Street, working
or playing"
Playing Of course he would not
work all the time. And he was going
back to his old friends, to people who
had always known him, to girls
He did his best then. He told her of |
the old family house, built by one of
his forebears who had been a kings |
man until Washington had put the case
for the colonies, and who had given
himself and his oldest son then to the |
cause that he made his own. He fold
of old servants who had wept when he
decided to close the house and go |
away. When she fell silent, he thought
be was interesting her.
But terrible thing was happening /
to Sidney. Side by side with the Won
ders he described so casually, she was
placing the little house. What an exile
It must have been for him. When K,
trying his best to interest her and to
conceal his own heaviness of spirit,
.old her of his grandfather's old car
,iage, she sat back in the shadow.
Fearful old thing" said K.-"regu-
ar cabriolet. l can remember yet the
'amily rows over it."
when / was a child" said Sidney
quietly, "and a carriage drove up and
stopped on the Street, always knew
someone had diedp
There was O strained note in her I.
'oice. K, whose ear was attuned to .
very note in her voice, looked at her
quickly.
my great-grandfather," said Sidney
n the same tone, sold chickens at
market. He didn't do it himself; but
he facts there, isn't it?"
K. was puzzled.
"What about it?" he said.
$50 on" said Sidney duly. "Tell
le about the women you have known,
our friends, the ones you liked and
he ones who liked you"
X. was rather apologize. &
1--WE always been so busy" he con-
,ssed. 81 know a lot, but don't think c
ley would interest you. They don't
o anything you know-they travel :
round and have good time. They're Il
,ther nice TO look at, some of them. $
ut when you've said that you've said
all." q
Nice to look at! OF course they y
ovid be with nothing else to think Of u