Evening star., 1922-07-30

III tOo InuCH UoAuty. ouSO
| there appear a thousand things he
would rather dream about-than the
traction suit. Then he shook himself
mentally. Because he had behind him
the discipline of one who had crossed
lances with bleak necessity. he forced
his mind to concentrate. 1t was with
start that. two hours later, he lifted
his eyes to the woman who stood look
ing down at him. With boyish awk-
wardness he shufled to his feet. Z
I'm sorry. / didn't hear any one come
in
She smiled at him and lifted her
shoulders with a bewitching, half-de-
precating shyness That's all right.
didn't know any one was here either"
Then after a moment she added: I'm
Mrs. Higgins
Stephen Douglas bowed his head in
acknowledgment. He remembered sud
denly line from Browning: She was
the smallest lady alive" She would not
reach to his shoulder, he was sure. and
there was somthing wistful about her
and strangely childlike as she stood
there before him, her face upturned ana
her eyes searching his.
y Y X I;
MANY women have a fragmentary
-'l loveliness, alluring. perhaps, be-
cause of its very incompleteness. de-
pendent on mood, on the subtle
coiling of the hair, on the strange
rightness of the throat line of cos
tune Theirs is a beauty that is
unpredictable. full of contradictions,
significant because of it's unexpected
ness.
The woman whose eyes held
Stephen Douglas was not like these.
She did not torment the imagination
with a galaxy II possibilities. The
face that is almost beautiful makes
creative artist out of each beholder.
The wife of Michael Higgins, how
ever. seemed to have achieved q per-
lection as f1awless. as exquisite, as it
was final. Another woman might
have recognized the triumph of her
grooming. Stephen Douglas only
knew she was the loveliest woman he
had ever seen.
He never guessed how long they
looked at each other.
Won't you have tea with me?" she
said finally. please don't be busy"
He knew she must be older than he.
but Stephen Douglas felt delightfully."-
protective. To refuse her would be
as cruel as to deny a child. Where
7 in
he said. and there was something
disarming in his confession. Il mean
except for supper"
NO? But the times so long from
luncheon until one dines-at eight"
she protested.
Eight" His surpriSa vas patent.
Then he smiled again No wonder
your husband owns the World. Any
body with working day like that"
Mrs. Higgins looked at him a mo-
ment curiously. Yes. my husband"
There was the briefest interval of
silence. Il don't know much about
his work. He isn't here very much
and l suppose 1 wouldn't understand
even If he bothered to talk" 1t
was like the confession of an honest
child that bad failed to pass a grade
in school.
Stephen accepted the situation. I'D
love to have tea with you" he said.
Don't hold it against me if 1 do all
the wrong things"
She smiled up at him suddenly.
you're nice" she said
MICHAEL HIGGINS was interested
Ai in Stephen because Stephen was a
bright young man who was working
for him on a traction case. traction
case he wanted to see the end of.
During the amazing pageantry of
dinner Michael Higgins talked busi-
ness. Twice he spoke to a servant,
giving a quiet. definite order. Once
he spoke to his wife. His manner
toward her was neither rude nor in
il she didn't exist. She was no more
essential to the functioning Of that
dinner than the exquisite Titan can
vas that hung on the wall behind
her.
To Stephen Douglas that talk was a
revelation. Never had he met mind
as answering, as astute as this
mans. To watch him dispose OF op-
position. coordinate, systematic was
like watching a chemist perform a
delicate experiment. Stephens ad-
miration was as outspoken as it was
sincere.
"Mr. Higgins he said. It'll vote for
you when they nominate you presi-
dent of this planet"
To Michael Higgins the uniqueness
of his mental processes was no source
of conceit. For an instant he seemed
offended, but he smiled. I've little
interest in running for Office, Mr..
Douglas"
Then the finger bowls were removed
and Mrs. Higgins rose. Michael"
she said. there's too much sand on
the tennis courts. and I've heard the
second cooks going to leave"
Il know" he said. I've prepared
against both contingencies" His re-
ply. Stephen realized. was not con-
ciously rude. cruel as was the hurt it
inflicted. Its erudite phrasing made
him think of the spelling out of
words before a child. Michael Hig-
gins looked at his wife an instant as
IL he were trying to believe in her
presence. Then his mind turned back
to Stephen. Tn my library I've the
first Blackstone in existence. Would
you care to see it?"
Like a servant who has received an
order. stephen followed him. Some