The Washington herald., 1921-07-17
THE RED FISHER

speech, but II Isn't There IL fuu bottle OF
strong sleeping g-draught In my bedroom,
marked on into sixteen tiny portions by lines
Of glass. would take the whole bottleful
II could escape picture Of the Red Fisher
waiting to pull me out Of the river Of sleep.
The Devil may be only superstition that
ages haven't quite wiped on the slate Of
heredity; but the picture Is fact You can
zee II on the walls Of Nugent's Gallery:
s74. The Red Fisher. Arthur Dane.
n shows up best Il you stand 3sst besids
ne lsft band seat Of the ssttss. You get ths
fun maignity of she grin then. I stood Just
there when my dnsl with conscience began
I suppose I am -aot uftra-modern. have
conscience
nw.s enaa rstny Friday sftsrnoon thres
years ago. snd had . dun hour to hn
passed the gallery. Il may as wen be bored
By myself a. bored BY pictures" reflected
II can't be more bored BY pictures than I
am by myself thought fifty yards down
the road turned back and went in.
saw my own thoughts rather than the
pictures, until found myself staring at the
devil; a very proper Mephistopheles long.
lean. sardonic. and habtted in hard red. He
sat upon an overhangins branch, dangling
his pointed shoes above q CLASSY stream that
came from nowhere into green wood and
ran out to nowhere again. A network bag
lay upon the grass behind him, with his
varied bait peeping through the meshes; q
miniature Of q pretty. enticing woman. and a
cardinals hat; q diploma, q seal Of office, and
q fat packet Of bonds; a necklace of dia-
monds and q presidents chair. A pale
young monk lay de.d upon the bank, caught
by . saints aureole; and q red-faced woman
captured by q wicker flask. The wine was
dribbiing out and staining a little white daisy
purple The Red Fisher was angling now
with a pretty mannikin. A wistful elish
girl was swimming away from temptation:
but she looked back over her round shoulder.
and her pouttng mouth opened q little as Il
she wanted 10 come back and snap. I won
dered foolishh. whether she was going to be
caught; moralized tritely upon the vanit1es
that catch women and men; and then sud-
denly-
II wonder I thought, what bait he'd
use for ms7"
turned over temptations hopefully In my
mind. but could md none strong enough to
haul me tC the DEVILS bank. I was q dull
bachelor woman. told myself impatiently.
hahpast temptation, and growing into an,
Old maid with q hundred weaknesses and no j.
grand vice; not warm enough to nourish q
isn't there enythiro you'd risk the hook
for, Nina?" asked myself. surely you
aren't quite dried mp yet" I looked into my
secret mind. as II It were a picture book, and
the burfy form Of Robert Carr grew slowly
cut cf the mist within; dear old Robert,
manly. and clever. and courteous and kindl
felt my eyes widen and my mouth open and
close with . map. I am telling the truth.
I did not know before how much I liked
him. though would have said any day and
anywhere that he was the incest fellow in
the world .. Well, did like him, in
. perfectly proper way; liked him very much.
What Of TT
Ny dear DEVIL said contemptuously
you've chosen the wrong hy! don't nibble
At the husband Of my friend. And
besides he doesn't want me-
I gAsped again At the selfbetrayal Of the
pale. I could see my face In a little mirror.
I have . conscience, as have said There
were many virtues that had no great care
for, but I cherished an idea Of myself as
loyal to my friends. Margaret was q cat Of
. woman. and was another, but we were
pals: had been an our lives. mot her hus-
band" said. even In die dark depths Of
my mind; but the heart h deeper. That said
I was lost II the Fisherman won over Rob
srt Carr, to help him angle for me. must
ny from temptation o. risk the conse-
suences.
wen decided deliberately, . take the
rtsk, n there Is ona There isnt. Robert
loves his wife. n she doesn't care much for
him. She is ten ttnes better looking than L
He nnes pink, smiling young pretttness. He'd
newer want this pale. old snappish thing.
ezoept perhaps a. . friend Poor
boyi He needs some one to oou,zort him.
F1sh away. my doar Devir IN risk AL
have and am to be little help to dear old
Bob
I went to their house on the Saturday
afternoon, as generally did. Margaret was
animated Robert was gloomy. She was
going to drag him away to the seaside on
Monday and his roots are In his business
and his study.
ITS all very wen for Sou." he grumbied.
You'll have drives and excursions and
dances and whist drives, and two or three
admirers hanging around I shall have noth-j
ing to do but potter along the beach. hate
pottering. I'd rather stay and work In
town.