New-York tribune., 1920-09-26
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8Y BOOTH HARRINGTON
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utel Henry Rooter says he never
told q lie yet, In his life, mamma
and he wasn't going to begin nov" "
She paused for q moment, then
added thoughtfully: ~ don't believe
word he saysl"
She continued to mediate disap-
provingly upon Henry Rooter. "Old
thingI" she murmured gloomily, for
she had indeed known moments Of
apprehension concerning the grape
seeds. Nothing but an old thing
what he Isl" she repeated inaudibly.
Florence" said Mrs. Atwater,
don't you want to slip over to
grandpa's and ask Aunt Julia IL she
has No. 3 darning needle? And
don't forget not to look supercilious
when you meet people on the way.
Even your grandfather has been
noticing 1t, and was the one that
spoke Of 1t to me. DON'T forgetl"
"Yes'm." And Florence went out
Of the house somewhat moodily.
Afternoon sunshine and the sight Of
the shady street restored her, how
ever; and she opened the picket gate
and stepped forth upon the sidewalk
with fair renewal Of her chosen
manner toward the public, though
just at that moment no public was
in sight. Miss Atwater's underlip
resumed the position for which her
mother had predicted that regal
though Spanish fixity, and her eye
brows and nose were all three per-
ceptibly elevated. At the same time
her eyelids were half lowered, and
the corners Of her mouth somewhat
deepened, facial maneuvers which
added a yelled mirth to the super
ciliousness already accomplished, 80
that this well dressed child strolled
down the shady sidewalk wearing
an expression not merely Of high
bred contempt but also mysteriously
derisory. It was an expression
which should have put pedestrian
(no matter Of what fancied status)
in his place, and it seems a pity that
the long street before her appeared
to be empty Of all human life. No
one even so much as glanced from a
window Of any of the comfortable
houses, set back at the end Of their
"front walks" and basking amid
pleasant lawns-for, naturally, this
was the 'best residence street" in
the town, since all the Atwaters and
other relatives of Florence dwelt
thereon.
.
T T OWEVER, an old gentleman
4 turned corner before Flor
ence had gone a hundred
yards, and, as he turned in her di-
rection, it became certain that they
would meet. He was stranger
that is, he was unknown to Flor
ence-and he was we'll dressed, a
person who might we'll be noticed !;
while his appearance Of age (prob-
ally at least forty or sixty or some
thing) indicated that he might have
sense enough to be interested in
other interesting persons.
An extraordinary change took
place upon the surface Of Florence
Atwater: all superciliousness and de-
rision Of the world vanished; her
eyes opened wide, and into them
came a look at once far away and
intently fixed. Also, a frown of
concentration appeared upon her
brow, and her lips moved silently
but with rapidity, as if she repeated
to herself something of almost tragic
import. Florence had recently reac
a newspaper account of the earlier
struggles Of a now successful ac
tress; how, as girl, this unmis
taxable genius went about the
streets repeating the lines Of vari
GUS roles to herself-constantly re
hearsing, in fact, upon the public
thoroughfares, SO carried away wa.
she by her intended profession anc
so determined to be famous. Thi.
was what Florence was doing now
except that she was not rehearsine
any role in particular, and the word.
formed by her lips were neither
sequential nor consequential, being
in fact, the following: "Oh, the
darkness never, never, never
you couldn't he shouldn't
All, mother! Where the
river swings so slowly All, n6v
Nevertheless, she was doing all she
could for the elderly stranger, anc
as they came closer, encountered
and passed on, she had the definite
impression that he did indeed take
her to be struggling young &C
tress who would some day be ia
mous-and then he might see her or
q night Of triumph and recognize
her as the girl he had passed OF