The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1922-03-16

curious. had gathered no more than
that Miss Harriet's father had been d
college professor OF languages and
that her only relative was a married
sister, Linda, much older, who lad
four children, and lived In New Jer-
sey.
She was a 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 10 be. But her simple gowns and
her plainly massed hair only served
10 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 I'm an old lady who
had once been handsome herself, de-
tested Harriet. and said 10 her
daughterin-law that in her opinion
there was something queer about the
girl.
She was Of that always-arresting
type that combines warm dusky skin
with blue eyes and fair hair. The
eyes, In her case, were soft smoky
lashes, and the hair was brassy gold,
banded careIessly but trinity about her
rather broad forehead. Her mouth
was wide, deep crimson, thin-lipped;
IL was mouth of secrets and of mys-
terry, of character, a mouth that had
known the trembling of pain and grief.
perhaps. but IA firm mouth now. and
a beautiful one.
Looking at her. an artist would
have fancied her bold and charming
and boyish-looking little girl, fifteen
wears ago. with that Greek chin and
that tawny name would have seen her
sexless and splendid In her early teens.
with a fiat breast and an unframed eye.
And a romancer might have wondered
what paths had led her, I'm the superb
realization of her beautiful woman
hood, at twenty-seven, to this subor-
dlnate position in the home of a self
made rich man, and this conventional
tea table on a terrace over the Hud-
| son.
Nearly half-past FIVE. Nina" she
| said. presently. Go and change and
| brush, that's darling You look
rather tumbled."
Nina, reaching for maroon, obedi-
| emily wandered away. and Immediately
the empty chair beside Harriet was
taken by newcomer, Richard Carter
| himself, the owner of all this smiling
| estate, who had come up from the
| little launch at the landing. had
| changed hastily into white fiannels,
| Harriet saw at q glance, and had IN
| expectedly joined them for tea.
Tea. Mr.. Carter7" Harriet ven
| tured.
He was watching his wife with
sort OF idle interest. She had to re-
peat her invitation.
| III you please. Miss Fieldl Tea
sounded right. somehow. to me today.
| It's been a terrible day."
81 can imagine it, Harriet's voice
was pleasantly commonplace. But the
moment had its thrill for her This
| lean, tall, tired man. with his abstract
| manner. his perfunctory courtesies his
nervous. clever hands. doomed In oddly
| heroic proportions In Harriet's life.
| His face was keen and somewhat
| lined under a smooth crest of slightly
| graying hair; he smiled very rarely.
| but there was certain kindliness in
| his gray eyes, when Nina or Ward
| or his wife turned TO him. that Har-
riet liked.
For Harriet he had hardly a dozen
words year. He merely smiled
kindly when she thanked him for the
Christmas gift that bore his un-
touched card; IL she went TO her sis
ter for a day or two, he gave her only
a nod Of greeting when she came back.
Now and then he asked with sharp
interest about Nina's teeth or his
mothers headache.
But Harriet had known other types
of men, and for his very silences, for
his Indifference. she had begun to ad-
mire him long ago. She had not been
born In this atmosphere of pleasure
and ease and riches; she was not en-
tirely untitled TO Judge a man.
Isabelle was always breezily civil TO
her husband; he had long ago van
ished as completely from among the
vital elements of her life as If he were
dead perhaps more than If he were
dead She thOught-if She thought
about him at all-that he never saw
her little affairs; she supposed him
children and club and BUSINESS. and
incidentally with his beautiful figure
head of wife. They had quarreled
distressingly several years ago. when
he had bored her with references to
her duty" and her influence over
Nina, and her obligations To her true
self But that had all stopped long
since. and now Isabelle was free to
sleep lare. to dress at leisure, TO make
what engagements she pleased. to see
the persons who interested her. Rich
ard never interfered never was there
q more perfectly discreet and gener-
Gus husband. Half the women Isabelle
knew were attempting to live exactly
as she did, to cultivate "suitOrs," and
drift about in an atmosphere of new
gowns and aduItion and orchids and
softly lighted drawing rooms. and in
cessant playing with fire; IL was the
accepted thing, in Isabelle's circle.