Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-17
A Game Of Chess

~YE GAVE her no answer and, after
II few minutes, she pulled herself
,o,e,her and put on her hat. The silence
vh,te and hard on his pnrt, white and
.,ft on hers, held them to the Manor
.,.,. She slowly mounted them, he
s.rpd;nv Mt the foot. She crossed the
s.,anda and went as far as the door.
Marc was sound of voices in the
tomss She hung there an instant,
.ssn u,I suddenly came running back to Q.
Ter % foce was the face Of frightened
ebd large eyed. intent. She stood
sI elnss to him and caught his arm in
Nth hands, shaking 1t.
"Don't YOU go away! Don't you
,.sye me! @! I need you dreadfully,
most dreadfully! She pressed her
fingers tight and fed, this time into
the house and up the stairs.
There Is no life so selfish and in.
Aolent that it has not woven into it
Iii some strands of real emotion. In
,bs life of DR.. Sales, that aminble
Srifter before the winds Of opportunity,
there were two such tibrous webs. One
hpd him. against much strain, to his
son. Laurie, and the other led him by
short cut down the hill and through
4 tiny shabby cOpse of beech and maple
trees carved by the initials of school
children and town lovers, across n rub
hIsb Uttered field to the back door of
Mary Grinscoombe home. He liked to
come in through the kitchen garden
and surprise Mary at her work. He
was pre- eminently, like all indolent
people, q man of habits. He had
formed the habit of playing for an
hour or two with Mary when that out
cast descendant of GrinscOOmbery was
an arch and mirthful little girl. Mary $
rryling fits of laughter, crinkled eyes,
ind fat doubled body had distinct
fascination. DR.. Sales, when not re-
sponsibe for them, was fond of children,
and children almost invariably like
large, selfish, easy going people. He
thought Of Mary still, he would have
told you, as a child. Her fascination
Of soft and very gleeful laughter and of
crinkled eyes had outlived the doubling
up of an outgrown plumpness, and to
them had been added rather pitiful
charm Of courage and sensitive graft
itude.
Mary mothered DR.. Sales--her heart
was huge in this capacity--she did his
mending for him and she played him at
chess, the most strenuous mental habit
Of his life. Sluypenkill on the tongue
Of Mrs. Stopper credited DR.. Sales with
q disappointed passion for Miss Selda
It credited him with an ambitious de-
sire for match between his son and
HeoiSe; it had never credited him with
q devotion for little Mary GrinScoombe
and with an acid ting jealousy con =
cerning her affections. Both were
true. He had bitterly huted the
young DR.. Ellison who had courted
Mary, and, in spite of the good
cause on which were founded his
dislike and dread of q. II. Kinwyd-
den, he did not hate the young West
erner with full bitterness until n GER
tain afternoon when he saw Mary look =
Ing up from her pupils copy book with
an expression in her eyes. DR.. Sales
Knew those eyes-their waggery and
wistfulness he knew thier Kindness as
he knew their quick warm wrath. He
had never seen this expression in them
turned over painfully in his big body
hs knew that Mary was no longer his
ntls pet; he understood why he had
eIerted himself rather carefully in GER
n1n quarters for n provision for her
,iuture, why he had allowed her to be-
nsve him the benefactor of her father
and herself when he was really only
ne purveyor of secret benefaction; he
new ew why he had so disliked young
Ellison, feeling he had hitherto, in
nearly honest moments, put down ia
professional jealousy, and, above all,
ne knew why he must drive q at once
snd forever out of her life. The man
was dangerous. The young man was
very dangerous. Fine little beads OF
respiration came out on DR.. Sales
'oit easily moved upper lip.
4, But not until fortnight later did
us M painful preoccupation move his
S,usglshness to action, and then. with
,ae good luck that mysteriously enough
Iaa always directed his inertia, he
Snose the day of Mary's first conflict
wlth her pupil. Q had gone off to mai
us letter and Mary was angry. Her
taVlce had been ignored and her rebuke
aaa obviously hurt-for both reasons,
mary the obstinate and tender hearted
was enraged. Besides, she had suffered
sell revelation. For twenty four
!ears Mary had scorned Grinscoombery
1e mad discovered during her talk with
mat of this pride she was an integral
gaft; that among all it's descendants,
e''nscoombery had none with SO large
snare as herself-pride of culture,
yt'ue OF caste, pride Of race. How
Me use account for her rebellion against
Cue marriage between Laurie and
supple 1.-THE little waitress? o.
p.Ihce upon this instructive diminutive
" % nsrs had been shrewd enough. Mary
rSr'thed. Pride began It's battle in her
ssart. A man Of no education, of nc
s'l' ssaae' OF no traditions! She had stood
. "Nh mutfled heart and with averted
TeS' on tre from brow to foot because
w. with that strained note In his
w' v'se' had repeated to her word for
wv her own valorous encouragement
hSDI told me yourself that education
'n ought to count, that lovn' was
IN, nan ana woman matter-' and
,,on, poor Mary admitted, "it was
was If he had loved her, would
Sr.; after all, have allowed her un-
'a'ea M, heart its liberty? Would she
nave stihed it and run away-likC
nmur,e Sales? 1t was this troubled
6saG f. and -tormenting Mary that
e,S. sales found, sitting pale and va
n IN her tiny parlor, when he came
ior his game of chess-and for
aer ! game in which he felt himself
yer with handicap.
u. got the board ready for her al =
IN silence and began an absent
about his pieces which drew
surprised glance from Mary.
~ Dr.. Sales, what's the matter