Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1922-03-16
BY KATHLEEN NORRIS


81 should hope so !" old Madame Car
ter remarked, pointedly. "At least If
there's any of our blood in his veins
but, of course, he's all Slocum. They
used to say Of my Aunt Georgina that
she never married because the only
man she ever loved was beneath her
socially"
Isabelle knew all about Aunt Georg-
ina, and she looked YEARLY away 1.-THE
Bellamys are coming in for awhile"
she observed with deliberate irrelev-
ance, "and / hope they'll bring their
Swami-or whatever he is, with them.
He must be a queer creature"
Hes not Swami, he's an artist"
! Tony said, drawn into a casual CONVEX
satiOn much against his will. "BlOn-
din-I've met him. can't bear him,
he makes me sick -
He relapsed into gloomy silence, and
Isabelle put into her laugh something
affectionate and soothing.
HE evidently lives by his Wits, she
suggested, (which is something you
have never had to dor
Tony scOwled again. 1t was part
Of his charm for her that he was the
spoiled darling of fortune. Handsome
and young, and with no family ties to
restrain him, he had recently come
into his own enormous fortune. His
manner with servants, his ready check
book, his easy French, and his unruf-
fed self confidence in any imaginable
contingency, coupled with his youth,
had strong attraction for a woman
conscious of the financial restrictions
of her own early years and the limita-
lions of her public-school education.
"Why don't you go to the club and
dress now, and come back and dine
with us?" she said, in an undertone.
do you want me?" he asked,
sull1ily. .
I'm asking you"
For answer he stood up, and smiled
wistfully down upon her, with a hest
fancy she knew well how to interpret
in his eyes. He had been longing so
thirstily for just that permission, and
she had been yearning so to give it
Happiness came back into both their
hearts as he turned to go, and she
gave him just a quick touch of a warm
little hand in farewell.
Other guests had come in, and Miss
Field was extremely busy, and Ward,
helping her officially, was busy, too
"Fun to have you down here!" he said
in her ear.
Harriet Field had an aside with
maid regarding hot water. Then she
gave Ward an indulgent, an older-sis-
terly glance. He was in years almost
twenty-five, but at twenty-seven the
young woman felt him ages her junior
He was a joyous, irresponsible boy,
and he and his mothers secretary had
always been good friends since the
day, four years ago now, when the
silent, somewhat grave Harriet Field
had first made her appearance in the
family. The young people loved her;
Richard Carter occasionally said to
his wife, every clever-very pretty
girl !" which was perhaps as close as
he ever got to any domestic matter,
s and Isabelle cOnfided to her almost all
: her duties and cares. Nina, nsatiably
curious, had gathered no more than
that Miss Harriet's father had been a
college professor of languages, and
that her only relative was a married
sister, Linda, much older who had
four children, and lived in New Jer-
sey.
She was a master of the art Of keep
Inn, ci1orA Fhis rOV,uO vrOYoop op1 b1t
for her beauty she might have been
as incOnspicuous as she sincerely
tried to be. But her simple gowns and
her plainly massed hair only served
to 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 in an old lady who
had once been handsome herself de-
tested Harriet, and said to her
daughter-in-law that in her opinion
there was something queer about the
girl.
She was Of that always-arresting
type that combines a warm dusky skin
with blue eyes and fair hair. The
eyes, in her case, were soft smoky
blue, set in thick and inky black
lashes, and the hair was brassy gold,
banded carelessly but trinity about her
rather broad forehead. Her mouth
was wide, deep crimson, thin-lipped ;
f-'a-1Npoo'lF 1911 ~'a-0Ns