Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-10-16
THE LADY EVELYN

A Story of Today
BY MAX PEMBERTON

varying moods, NOV Of doting affec-
ton, now of irritation and temper,
found her patient and silent. When
he did q mean thing she shuddered,
but rarely spoke OF 1t, because she
knew that words would not help her
Her own life had been lived SO far
apart from his. She wished with all her
heart that 1t had not been 80; but she
could not Justly blame herself for cir
cumstances she was in no way able
to control.
This had been her attitude before
her great escapade in London; 1t re-
mained her attitude upon her return
to Derbyshire. She met her father
each morning at the breakfast table;
dined with him in solemn state at
ENTHUSIASTICALLY received visits
from their neighbors, and was some
times the guest Of the vicar of the
parish, a pleasant old Cambridge Don.
by name Harry Fillmore. But in the
main Evelyn lived alone. in the wild
glades OF the beautiful park down by
the silent pool of the river-just as she
had lived and dreamed in the old days
of the longing for the world, its
glamour and its glories. And now
she had great secret to take to the
green woods with her. Day by day,
as some sylph Of the thickets, the true
Romany child reacted the thrilling
scenes Of the brief weeks Of triumph
in London. Her hair wild about her
shoulders, her eyes rejecting the
dreams. she would crouch by the riv
er's bank and play Narcissus to the
reeds.
1T was I, Eta yes, yes
. Just the little Eta looking
up from the waters-I went to Lon
don-I played at the theatre-they
said was a successfully offered me
money-to Eta Romney. just little
Eta Romney. And now it's all over.
Eta Is dead, and Evelyn has come
back. shall never go to London
again-I shall die, perhaps, down
there among the reeds in the river.
Oh, If some one only would love me,
some one understand me. And it's
for ever in this lonely place-for ever
for ever"
Such regrets were neither hysteri.
cal nor unusual. She knew that there
was some great void in her life, some
desire ungratified, which must haun
her to the end; and this knowledge
drove her day by day along those
paths of solitude which her father wish.
ed her to tread, though never would
he have confessed as much. His Law.
ish gifts to her scarcely won word
of thanks. When she rode a horse, II
was madly, defying convention, helter
skelter across the grass lands like q
Mexican flying over the prairie.
"A little madcap," the bland vicar
said when he heard of it, "a regular
brick of a girl, though who'd believe
1t when he saw her at her fathers
dinner table. Why, last night, sir, she
sat in the drawing-room just for al;
the world paragon of propriety with
ten generations of grand danes to her
name. ] didn't dare to take a second
glass of port for fear l should be jocu.
lar. And to-day l saw her flying TO-
ward Derby in the new car at thirty
miles an hour. Away went my straw
hat just like cricket ball. Now,
what are you to make Of a young lady
like that?"
Doctor Philips, the person ad.
dressed upon this occasion, confessed
that YOU might make many things OF
her.
she could earn good living at
steeplechasing, and l would pay her
five pounds week to be my chauf-
feur,' he said quite seriously, "and
please don't forget the ball she drives
at golf. Why, vicar she'd give the
pair of us half. It's no ordinary
woman could do that"
They agreed that 1t could not be,
and having discussed the Lady Evelyn
at great length we're about to sit
down to lunch together, individuals
aware Of their own humility in the
face of superior intellect, when
Williams, the groom, came flying over
from the Hall and demanded to see the
Doctor instantly.
There's bin a haccident on the
road, SIR" he cried breathlessly.
please come over at once-the gen.
tleman's up at the house and the Earl
away"
The doctor, wasting no words, set
out with sigh and, backward glance
at the inviting table.
The Vicar said:
'Thank God-I thought that she
had come to grief"