The Washington times., 1920-01-10
Girl
Marries
BY Ann Lisle.

his feet In the undeIbrush and
managed to walk along at my side
through the narrow, leafy way that
leads from Mason Towers to the old
Harrison place. "And great old
times we had playing Indians and
Stage Coach when we were chill
dren. Envy and Jim and i grew
up together around here. you
know"
where We virEiniaY" asked.
innocently.
Virginia Is nearly my age. and
she was busy playing young lady.
and looked on the rest OF US as kids.
But a matter OF q couple OF years
didn't feaze me, so ! played with
Jim and Envy. There isn't six
months between them. BY Jove!
old Jimmy must be riEirg twenty
eight And only yesterday we three
were Kids. You can tell I'm getting
old from the way ] ramble along
about the past. can't you. Mrs.
Jimmie7"
made a laughing rejoinder, but
wasn't thinking Of my words.
What occupied my mind was that
Envy must be "rising twenty
eight. (" too. 1t made me feel more
secure about her friendship with
1Ntdis ohS "obioh oS toAih8 - WV
fiye or six years younger than her
self seriously. ! wondered IL Tom
Mason had told me that deliber-
ately--to reassure me. That would
have been a nice, friendly thing. to
do, and IL wasn't disloyal to ENVY.
since Jim also knew.
BY now we had reached the Har-
rison place, and with a neeting sigh
for the Joy ! might have felt In hav-
ing Jim show me his old home.
wandered over the grounds with
Tom Mason. The house is set on
hill overlooking the river, which
twists at that point and sweeps
| down to a waterfall below what
had been a millrace. At the rivers
edge there Is a half-rotting dock
and a tumble-dou n boathouse. A
path rises above them and cuts Its
way through a neglected garden
which climbs the hill to the house
The place was a tangle of ruin and
decay. ..-
No One Livdng There.
At thought there were people liv-
In here" said idly.
"Oh, no. the Sturges Construction
Company took the place over in
! payment OF = debt. They meant 70
| put up q summer hotel, and ! sup
pose they will some day." replied
Tom. want to come up to the lit
tie vine-hung balcony that looks
all the way down the riverT
Since / didn't want to get back
in time to intrude on Jim's tete-a-
tete with Valerie Cosby, / acqut-
esced. We climbed up to the little
porch on the river side Of the old
house, and, busting off a place at
| the top Of the steps, Tom Mason
spread his white handkerchief and
then with a sweeping bow offered
me the seat he had made.
"Then you don't think I'm cad?
4 he burst out. That's haunted me
your calling me a cad. care so
terribly what you think. / never
bothered about what any other
woman thought"
| I'm sorry / had to say that" !
| replied uneasily, wondering how i
| could swing the conversation back
to safer topics.
aPerhaps my attitude toward
| women has been caddish---or sell
| nah" persisted Tom. "Tm different
where you're concerned. I'd rather
| see you happy than be happy my
self. That wistful little smile OF
yours makes me long to find what
| you want and give it to you. Yet
you won't trust mo enough to De
even a friend"
A Thrilling Scene.
felt he had a right to some ex-
| PLANTATION. His quiet sincerity COM
PEELED the truth.
"Perhaps my attitude Is selfish,
| I said gently. "You. see Jim's my
man. He fills my life. There isn't
| room"
! "There's room for women
friends" broke in Tom eagerly.
"why isn't there room for my
friendship? I'd rather have you
like me than have any other wom-
an love me. You've shown me
what fineness and sweetness and
| LOYALTY can mean. / don't want
| my friendship to-to make them
| any less. 1 wouldn't trouble even
your thoughts for the world. What
| / want is to see you happy"
| Il am happy" said. Don't you
| sec when YOU insinuate that I'm not
that you're being disloyal to Jin!"
| Tom flung himself to his feet
You drive me mad with your
| Jim. Jimr he cried. "Jim isn't
ayerse to our being friends. He's
ready enough to let you go ABOUT
\ with me. he DOESN'T sndre Sou'
| Puritan scrup1es. Do you-think he
stops at friendship with a beauti-
full woman Ike
"Stopw I cried furiously. Il
might have known that after all
your talk about reverencing me and
respecting what I stand for. you'd
do something like this. How can
you talk about friendship to Jims
wife-when you are SO disloyal to
Jim whom you've known all your
| life7"
| Tom Mason laid his hand on my
arm, I rose and tried to shake IL
| off, but he caught my shoulders IN
a ruthless grip. and with his eyes
burning down into mine, he rasped:
| "I was mad to say word against
Jim. You're blind in your worship
of him. / care for you like that
too-but you're worth 1t. 1 want
you to be happy, and IL he hurts
you in any way. I'll kill him. II
you won't let me try to make you
happy. / won't let him make the
most glorious woman in the world
miserable"
| staggered back in abject terror
There was an insane ring TO Tom