, 1921-02-24
False and True
By MARTHA Me. WILLIAMS

abSt
said plaintively to her eve victim,
Selden Moore.
He laughed, softly answering, praise
be for that. In this day of musical
pr~odigality, you're an oasis"
I'm a desert of melody Thanks for
them kind words" Linnet flung back,
settling herself comfortably in a nest
of rainbow cushions. Yet even they
could not make her look washed out,
so vivid was the yellow of her hair,
the violet of her eyes, the healthy
scarlet of her very perfect mouth.
Her skin a the texture of a camel
liza petal-she was further shapely,
and extra well finished. There was
a look of race to accent all this.
What wonder that she had gone
rather to the heads of her c%ountrymen
"a least that moiety of them lucky
enough to know her? This In spite
of the fact hat she danced without
enthusiasm, was a dub at tennis, and
refused yer to look on at golf. Polo
she loved-but sex and convention for
babe playing 1t. So she took to going
cross-country in any weather, never
flunking the %stiffest jumps, nor mind
Ing hazardous spills.
The spills were few-she had APP
parently as much influence over
hunters as yer men. Anything
bittable became plant to her will
after a few miles-to the disgust OF
Amazonian horsewomen who got re-
suits with malice aforethought. She
was so confoundedly, so confounded-
ly feminine, with her side saddle. her
soft collar. her picturesquely untidy
tam hat had always a bright knot
tucked amid its folds, 1t was disgust
ing to a her almost always in the
first flight, and not winning prizes
solely through refusing to compete
for them. She mounted herself well
but not e%xtravagantly. ANY good
horse will go-if you get the best in
him." she explained more than once.
Which moved her much tired mother
to add: "If only you'd be as sensible
about men as horses, 1t would take
a load off my mind and heart"
Being interpreted, this meant, con-
cretely, a shrinking estate, and the
Wendell King millions. All through
Linnet's bringing up Mrs. Ware had
had the millions In the back of her
mind. Retrieving them was poetic
justice, since they had been unjustly
diverted from Linnet's father through
his elderly uncle's marriage with the
beautiful Widow King.
He had settled them upon her in
fhn ArCt Ar~h 90 tnfo xrhnr
the pair went down with their ship
upon a long wedding tour. the wrong
was put beyond righting. Wendell. a
quiet. kindly, dull-witted lad of fifteen,
had inherited them from his mother In
trust for possible children. So 1t had
been out of his power to do more
than make handsome gifts to the
Wares.
Linnet, an elfin, no-colored child, had
appealed only to his pity until at If
teen she bloomed with that beauty Of
the devil which works SO many evil
miracles. Seeing her round and flush
and glow. his plan Of life changed.
When she was twenty she must marry
him, and begin a fairy tale existence.
Until then let her play to her hearts
content-he knew he could trust her
besides. there was her mother.
Mrs. Ware was far from heartless-
indeed, love for her child was the spur
TO her worldliness. She said nothing
TO Linnet OF the future beyond advis-
ing n wise choice IL any. She knew
Linnet would rebel against a cut-and-
dried family arrangement-much bet
ter let her continue to think OF Wen
dell ms a liberal pseudo-kinsman who
regarded her as a child to be teased
and spoiled. When she had had her
fling playing with the youngsters Lin
with her doting fairy godfather
Linnet showed a zest ia playing with
the youngsters equal to her zest Cross
country. yet until the era OF Selden
Moore her mother had never been the
least uneas For her girl had played
the game with the fine reserve OF q
gentlewoman. making her safety in
numbers and surrounding herself with
an aura OF untouchableness beautiful
20 see.
But Moore was different. Toward
him she glcwed as a gem, a star
often when he had left her she sat
silent, smiling happily or rousing TO
hug her mother tight and whisper:
as there anything like real lover"
Moore was only rich enough to be a
competent idler. Living was, he said,
business enough for n gentleman
wherefore why swamp himself with
the risks and the turmoil OF active
work. when he was so much more
valuable ms an example OF moderation7
Linnet scarcely sensed the question,
but her mother pondered II deeply.
To her IL meant either that Moore
had no thought OF marriage. or that
his wife needs must bring with her
an income equal 10 his owl. Llnnet
cnlIH mt do hnA-nIrnad. IL.Ln. -