The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1922-03-30
CHAPTER ~.

ROYAL Blondin went straight from
Nina to the tea table. which was al
most deserted now. Harriet saw him
coming. and she knew what hour had
ONE. She stood up as he reached
Ter. and thev measured each other
narrowly. with uu~miling eyes. =
There was reason for her paleness
today. and for the faint violet shadow.
about her beautiful eyes. Harriet had
lain awake deep into the night. toss
ing and feveriSh. She had always
thought that ne. must come back; for
Years the fear had haunted her at
every street crossing. mt every ring Of
Linda'S d0orhell. At first il had been
hut a shivering apprehension Of his
claims IN anticipation of what he
might expect or want from her. Then
came a Saner time. when she told her
self that she was m independent hui
man being as well as ne. that she
might meet his. argument with argu-
ment. and his threat with threat.
But for the past year or two her
Iesseuing thoughts of him had taken
new form. Harriet had hoped that
when they met again she might be in
a position To punish Royal Blondin, 10
look down at him from heights that
even his audacity might not scale.
That time. she told herself in the
fever of the night. had not yet come.
Her pitiful achievements, her beauty,
her French and Spanish. her sober
book reading. and her little affecta-
lions Of fine linen and careful speech.
all seemed to Crumple 10 nothing. She
seemed again ~ he the furious. help
less. seventceu-year-old Harriet Of
the Watertown days. her arnor inef-
fectuaI against that suave and self
confident presence.
She had forced herself to unbind
the wrappingS. 70 look at the old
wound. She had gone I'm spirit IN that
old. shabby parl0r TO which Linda and
Fred had carried Josephine's crib late
every night. and where sheet music
had caSraded from the upright piano.
She saw. with the young husband and
wife. a fiery. tumble-head girl of fif-
teen or sixteen. who helped with her
sisters cooking and Homework. who
adored the baby. who planned future
on the stage. or as a great painter. or
rs great writer-the means mat
tered not So much that the end was
fame and wealth and happiness for
Harriet.
Fred had brought Royal BIOndin In
70 supper one night. and Royal had
laughed with the others at the spirited
little waitress who delivered herself Of
tremendous decisions while she came
and went with plates. and forgot "a
take of her checked blue apron when
she finally slipped into her place.
The man had been n derelIct then
now. Rut he WIS nine years Older
than Harriet Field He had had the
Grating eyes. He had brought poetry
music. art. into the sordid little parlor
II the Watcrtown apartment; he had
helped Harriet 10 tame and house
those soaring ambitions She felt
again those kisses that had walked the
le-girl heart into passionate WON
snho"d she shut her eyes and pressed
her hand tight against them. So young
so happy-s0 confident ,-plungina
headlong Into that soaring blackness
And now Royal BlOndin was back
again. and she was not ready for INN
She could not score now. But no
could hurt her irreparably II hs
would Isabelle was an Indifferent
mother. and an incorrIgible fiirt bui
at the first word. at the first hint-ah
there would he no arguing. no weigh
ing ~ the old blame and responsible
ity, IL there was the faintest Glow
Of doubt that world he enough,
Harriet had shaken back her mat,
Of hair, had hammered furious fists
together up on the dark balcony. II
wasn't fair-it wasn't fair-just now,
when she was so secure and happy
She had flung her arms across the
railing, and buried her hot face on
them. and had wept desperate and an
CRY tears into the silken and golden
tangie that shone duly In the star
light
She did moi refuse him her hand
when he came To the tea table. or her
eyes, and there was frfendliness, or
the semblance of II, In the voice with
which she said his name That he was
waiting. perhaps as fearfully as she,
FOR his