Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1922-01-26


Field was extremely busy, and Ward,
helping her officially, was busy. too
,sFun to have you down here !" he said,
I'm her ear.
Harriet Field had an aside with
maid regarding hot water Then she
gave Ward an indulgent, an oider-sis.
terly glance. He was In years almost
twenty-five, but at twenty-seven the
young woman felt him ages her junior.
He was a joyous, irresponsible boy,
and he and his mothers secretary had
always been good friends since the
day. four years ago now, when the
silent, somewhat grave Harriet Field
had first made her appearance In the
family. The young people loved her;
Richard Carter occasionally said to
his wife, every clever-very pretty
Rlrl" which was perhaps as close as
he ever got to. any domestic matter,
and Isabelle confded to her almost all
her duties and cares. Nina, insatiably
curious, had gathered no more than
that Miss Harl let's father had been
college professor of languages, and
that her only relative was married
sister, Linda, much older, who had
four children, and lived In New Jer-
sey.
She was master Of the art of keep
ing silent, this young woman, and but
for her beauty she might have been
as -inconspicuous as she sincerely
tried to be- But her simple gowns and
her plainly massed hair only served
to emphasize the extraordinary dis
tinction Of her appearance, and her ut
most effort to obliterate herself could
not quite keep her from notice. Old
Mrs. Carter, who for reasons perfectly
comprehensive in an old lady who
had once been handsome herself de-
tested Harriet, and said to her
daughter-in-law that in her opinion
there was something queer about the
girl.
She was OF that always-arresting
type that combines a warm dusky skin
with blue eyes and fair hair The
eyes, In her case, were soft smoky
blue, set In thick and inky black
lashes, and the hair was brassy gold,
banded carelessly but trinity about her
rather broad forehead. Her mouth
was wide, deep crimson, thin-lipped
It was q mouth OF secrets and of mys
terry, OF character, mouth that had
known the trembling of pain and grief
perhaps, but firm mouth now, ant
a beautiful one.
Looking at her, an artist woulc
have fancied her bold and charming
and boyish-looking little girl, fifteer
years ago, with that Greek chin an6
that tawny name would have seen hel
sexless and splendid in her early teens
with a fiat breast and an untamed eye
And a romancer might have wondered
what paths had led her, In the superb
realization of her beautiful woman
hood, at twenty-seven, to this subor
dinate position In the home of self
made rich man, and this conventions
tea table on a terrace over the Hud
son.
Nearly half-past five, Nina" sh
said, presently. "Go and change an
/ brush, that's darlingl You loo
, rather tumbled."
, Nina, reaching for q maroon, obed
, emily wandered away, and immediatel
the empty chair beside Harriet wa
J, taken by q newcomer, Richard Carte
himself, the owner of all this smilfn
! estate, who had come mp from til
little launch at the landing, ha
4 changed hastily Into white flannel
!. Harriet saw at a glance, and had III
expectedly joined them for tea.
> "Tea, Mr.. Garter?" Harriet We
: tured.
: He was watching his wife with
! sort of idle Interest. She had to r
/ peat her invitation.
"H you please, Miss Field TT
. sounded right, somehow, TO me toda
It's been terrible dayi"
81 can imagine 1T" Harriet's vol,
II was pleasantly commonplace. But Il
moment had It's thrill for her. Th
i, lean, tall, tired man, with his abstra
i manner, his perfunctory courtesies,
j nervous, clever hands. doomed In odd
!, heroic proportions In Harriet's iii
His face was keen and somewh
:. lined under smooth crest of slight
= grazing hair; he smiled very rarel
> but there was q certain kindliness
his gray eyes, when Nina or Wa
1. or his wife turned to him, that HI
:, riet liked.
: For Harriet he had hardly doz
. words a year. He merely smiI
!. kindly when she thanked him for {
: Christmas gift that bore his I
:. touched card; IL she went to her 5
ter for day or two, he gave her or
"a a nod OF greeting when she came bat
- Now and then he asked with sha
. interest about Nina's7 teeth or
mothers headache.
le But Harriet had known other tyr
r Of men, and for his very silences,
Z his indifference. she Ind begun to i
y mire him long ago. She had not be
ne born In this atmosphere OF pleast
ne and ease and riches; she was not