Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-26

a slender fullness and roundness that gave. just
as Mrs. Smmons-S Smith had said, an impression
Of early maturity. Though only a little above
middle height, her splendid carriage gave her
girlish dignity. and the fire smoldering beneath
the dark softness of her southern eyes formed a
piquant contrast with the virginia. curves Of her
full, red mouth. In the curves of bust and
throat and cheek, and in the glorious sweeping
line from shoulder to foot, there was the un-
mistakable promise Of splendid womanhood.
Her black hair was parted and coled simply
in schoolgirlish knot on the nape Of her neck,
and she wore a white frock that clung to her
and fell and rippled away lovingly about her.
Pale and with a sort of tentative innocent shy
ness. she came forward moro like a graceful
child than a young woman.
You are Mr.. Faraday," she said without
awaiting for an introduction, putting out soft,
brown tinted hand with ingenious friendlness.
Her voice was the voice of the south-low,
liquid, musical; dormant in it there lay the trou-
blesome suggestion of passion.
AS Faraday listened and looked at her he
fell headlong and irretrievably into one Of his
easy loves.
The young man, Injured to conquest, pur-
sued the tenor Of his constituencies way, but
the conquest of Roberta was accomplished al
most before the lazy desire for 1t had well been
formulated in his mind. He put out a finger
and the citadel fell
He spoke the word he knew well how to
speak. he looked the look he knew so we'll how
to look from his eloquent, long-lashed eyes;
both word and look had become something of
a parrot repetition with him. The passionate
child Of the south reciprocated this semblance
Of a love with love that was only too real.
hot from the depths Of hitherto unstirred but
impetuous heart. Faraday basked in 1t and
told himself for whole week that he adored
her.
He told himself that the little girl was very
lovely; that she undoubtedly loved him, as he
undoubtedly loved her-for the moment; that
southern women were SO much more sympa-
thetic than their English sisters. and that this
summer idyll was very beautiful and held fresh
er elements Of interest to his jaded senses than
any heretofore.
For the time being he walked and talked
and thought wholly with and Of Roberta; spent
moonlight hours with the romantic child In the
garden after dinner: accompanied her to all
the cathedral services. because sacred music
and dim stained glass and mystic hush, and
kneeling by Roberta in a vast empty twilight
space all appealed to his aesthetic sense. To-
gether. too, inadequately chaperoned sometimes
by Mrs Simmonds Smith, whose increasing
portliness made her very sleepy out Of doors in
hot weather, they hoated up the narrow river
that wound round about St. Medbury, Roberta,
in happy dream at the ti.ler. he lazily on his
oars, the two pair of eyes speaking eloquently
what in their hostess presence they might not
voice. Faraday, who had done such things
many times before, delved for the same sensa
tions, but to Roberta 1t was the great. the
glorious, the sacred. the ineffable first time.
She had come to st. Medbury straight from
a convent school and awesomely unsophisti-
Gated except by the intutions Of her passionate
nature. Till now the intuitions had lain dor
mant. but they were there true. potent, ready
to awake at the touch Of the first hand that
might unlock her heart-gates Fate willed that
Faraday's should be that hand-and-they
awoke.
God help her! Charles Faradays was the
hand. He was at this time slim young man Of
rs or thereabouts. very TALL with the long. loose,
graceful panther litheness that usually betoken
the athlete. His appearance, however. belied
Faraday. His eyes, too. long-lashed beautiful
eyes, expressive of the very soul Of candor and
honor his fine mouth. his poet tongue. all be-
lied him. Honor with Faraday was an elastic
quantity; his poesy II analyzed would have been
found usually to reflect only his own ego But
tho analysis was one which few women ever
made and those few only in the bitterness that
followed the learning of the lesson he had
taught them Women OF the world were among
them. ......-
Who, then, shall wonder at little Roberta
bowling down, blind with faith. to worship the
idol? Afterwards, when he had, with his own
hand, shown her the clay feet she knew. but
even then tho knowledge brought no balm to
wound but rather an added pang that tho
pedestal was still there in her heart for him.
with the unworthness Of the idol upon 1t mouth
ing and gibing at her for her own helplessness
to cast It out.
1t was when Faraday's weeks visit had
heightened into fortnight that Mrs. Sim
monds- Smith. whose perturbation was growing.
spoke to her niece:
Roberta, I've a duty before me"
"Yes aunt" said Roberta, dreaming.
Duties are unpleasant necessities" said
Mrs Simmonds- Smith, tanning herself. but I'm
such an aggressivey moral sort Of person that
never shirk them with any sense Of satisfac-
ton to myself. Are you listening child?"
"Yes aunt" said Roberta, her aunt's last
words floating irreverently into the dream.
She sighed.
'T don't believe" said Mrs simmonds-smith
more vigorously. sitting up 10 shoot sharp
glance at the girl. II don't believe you are. AZ