The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-03-23

ard looked at her In some anxiety:
| there was no acting here. The rich
hair was pushed carelessly from the
troubled forehead. She was huddled
In the enveloping coat, different fig
ure indeed from his memory of the
superb and angry girl of last night in
the library lamplight.
"Mr. Carter. never knew my moth
err" she began. But he interrupted
her.
MY dear" he said In tone he
might have used to Nina. He laid his
warm. fine hand on hers. and patted
It soothingly "Niy dear girl, IL you
feel that you would like to 20 to that
motherly sister of yours-if you feel
that It would he wiser"
"Oh, I am going to Linda Mt once,"
Harriet said. feverishly. hurt to the
| soul. 81 had planned that But-but
won't you let me tell you?" she plead
ed. She had framed the sentences a
hundred times in the long night: they
failed her utterly now. and she groped
for words. 'I was only three years
old when my mother died" she said
"Of course I don't remember her-I
only remember Linda. was shy. my
| father was n professor. we were too
poor to have very much social life
lived In hooks. lived in my fathers
shabby little study really: I never had
an intimate gil friend Linda was
always good-angelically good-talk-
ing of the Armenian sufferers. and of
the outrages in the Congo. and of the
poor In New York's lower East side
she never cared that we were poor.
and that we hadn't clothesl ~
"I know-I know!" Richards eyes
were smiling. as II he knew the pic
ture. and liked 1t.
"Well. Linda married when was
ten, and Josephine came. and then
Julia came. still lived for books and
babies. But. unlike Linda. I cared
Harriet's whole face glowed; she
looked Off into space. and her voice
had longing note. 81 cared for
clothes and good times ~ she said. 81
adored the children. but dreamed
Of carriages-malds-g achieve
ments! 1 knew that other women did
IT.
"I remember feeling that way I"
Richard commented. mildly, as she
paused.
WELL" Harriet said. "I met Royal
Blondin one night. He lived in our
town-WatertOwn. He had a dreadful
artificial sort of mother. My sister
didn't approve of her at all. friend
Of his named Street was an artist. and
he had a nice little wife. and baby.
and they lived in big. barnlike sort
Of studio. 1t seemed wonderful to me.
They loved each other, and their baby,
but they were so free! They would
have the whole crowd to dinner.
twenty Of us. bread and red wine and
macaroni and music and talk; 1t was
wonderful-or ! thought so! 1t was
so different from Linda's ideas, of
frosted layer-cake and chopped nuts,
and Five Hundred loved the studio.
and they-they all loved me. and he
-Royal-loved me especially. He used
to talk about Yogi philosophy and
Oriental religions and poetry, and aft
er awhile 1t was understood among
them all that he loved me, and 1 him.
And we were engaged. OF course
Linda suspected. and there was oppo-
sition at home but in the studio. help
ing the Streets get their suppers, II
seemed 80 right-so simple! Royal
said he did not believe in the ORTHODOX
ceremony of marriage. He argued that
no one could live up to Its promises.
and l believed him. Miriam Street,
the artists wife, was poet, and she
wrote the ceremony by which we were
married. We had big supper. and
they were all there, and this poem
this marriage pOem-was beautiful. It
was published in magazine. after
ward, and called "A Marriage for True
Lovers 1t had part for the woman
to say, and a part for the man, and
Royal and ! said those and then 1t
had a part for the woman's friend,
and the mans friend. and for all their
friends. And then there was promise
that when love failed on either side.
the two were free. to keep the memory
of the perfect love unstained by the
ugly years"
She paused: Richard did not speak.
She had told him this much in n sim
pie. childish voice, a voice that was an
echo of that old time he knew. Pres
emily she went on:
There was music, and then they all
kissed me. and we had supper, and
they drank our health. | went back
that night to my sisters; Royal
stayed with his mother. We planned
to 20 away on our honeymoon the next
lay. did not tel Linda and Fred
dat | considered myself married.
new they would not understand and
-on'd try TO Interfere.
THE next morning slipped away
rom the house with my suitcase, and
mot Royal Blondin downtown. We