Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-06-29

sisters on a long Northern tour that
lasted seyera! weeks. They saw Nj
agara and all the Great Lakes, trav.
cling sumptuosly, not seldom in pri-
vate cars that Leander, as his IA
Tiers son, was at times offered by
polite officials.
Marian's heartbeats often quick
ened as she observed the pathetic way
in which ~E~nestine and Lola chung to
ner. Their fondness deepened as their
" dependence on her tactful coun-
sells became more sensible to them
selves They would initiate, with a
sort Of reYerential comedy, her ges-
lures, her voice, her phrases her
very naode OF crossing a. room or en-.
tering it: Then, at whites, they would
break into laughter-far less boister-
GUS than of old-and accuse each
other of this admiring mimicry.
o all whom they met-and many
people thrust acquaintance on them
Marian insisted that they should
Introduce her az "our goyerness."
She even asked of Leander that he
should employ the longer formula OF
my sisters eoverness:" but now and
then h caught him disobeying her
and saying simply, Mrs. Warren
DER vi
Some little time before the tour
ended. she began to feel certain
vague qualms of nee regarding
Leander. At. this stopping-place OF
that, on the boats or cars in which
they were forced to spend long in
tervals, a legion Of women, having
discovered who he was, were pleased
to beam on him, to make eyes at
him. His indifference appealed to
ner. for q time, aus a%u1susingly phleg-
matte. Then there came into her
mind a shadow Of disquietinR doubt.
Later. they held together more
than 9 single private talk. His COL
lapsed, n day, into q.
confidential channel. He referred to
Annie Shelton, of whom his listener
had already learned. This drew from
Marian the irrepressible questions:
Did he love Annie. and did, con-
science really smite him for having
left her Without an offer of mar
riage?
In answering these questions, Le-
ander palpably hung fire. It occurred
to Marian that he wished to elicit
her sympathy rather than adj
wee, She was prepared to- give him
q slight yet humane share Of the first
and as much of the last as he would
accept The girls had made, it very
clear to her just how GOOD and N.
tellisent a girl Annie Shelton vaa.
But Lenders approaches quickly
disturbed their recipient. They dti
not flavor enough Of pesnitence. He
had sought to speak OF, Annie Shelton
minute; the next 1t grew appar-
ent that he had nseant to use her m
q kind of bridge. Inwardiy recoil-
ing, Marian feared whittier this
ordge might lead. Why should it
rot e = into just that domain Of
sentiment and Irritation that she had
neither intention nor destre Sto (
plore? Rapidly she. saw the struc-
to destroy it. And yet there: must IS
NC sharp strokes. Her place forbade,
that. Since her husbands death AZ
had had to night the same + of
hight more timeA than she cared to
remember. Men had been perststen,
n spite Of her chidings; Lord IJak.
though an obstinate wooer Ia.
scarcely ranked among the most pas
stonate. Occasionally she had SEEM
ed to herself brutal. It would not do
to take such measures now. She did
take them. She parted, while
guarding against actual repulsion.
Her " dexterty surprised har. 1T
told at, last. and she was left to pray
that 1t would tell with perrnanance.
On their return to New York there
broke out a little breeze OF contest IN
her relations with Leander that
would otherwise have distressed her.
Now 1t brought relief. II miaht put
them on q different footing, she sre-
fected;' It might even tear asunder
that spangled sgauSe Of ronanticism
IN which ne had seemed on the verge
Of investing her.
LG5 Tn~ar ~ knap .--.t 49,