The Washington times., 1923-12-01
BLACK OXEN:-:By Gertrude Atherton

Tested no, aversion whatever from
playing their own role, transferred
their attention to the stage, al
though Clavering saw more than
one glance wander across the
! house, and those in the adjoining,
boxes relt themselves free to
peer persistently.
Enter Osborne.
Farrar had not finished bowling
and Kissing her hands before the
next curtain when the door Of the
box opened once more. ana Mr..
osborne entered, After 4 few
words with Madame zattianv he
went out and returned almost
nediately With three other men.
two Of his own generation, and
/ g tall dark, extremely good
looking young man, whose easy
negligent air was set. aslsew ~
the eager expression OF his eyes.
/ ClaveriIag. not waiting to be intro
dueed, lied to the smoking room
and took q. seat in a corner with
HIS back to the other occnpants
lest some one recognize and speak
to him. A hideous fear had in
! vaded his soul. II this world. 40
indisputably her own. did accept
her-as he had not q doubt
It would IL she demanded
iii; he made lighc Of Dinwiddie's
fears, knowing her as he did.
where would ne come in? Sheer
luck, supplemented by his own
initiative, had given him 4 clear
field a few weeiss, but what
chance would he have, not only
il her house were overrun with
people, but if she were pursued
By meia, with 50. much more Is
! offer, with whom she must have
So much more IN common? He
might be the equal of the best
Of them In blood ana the SUPER
ior Of many, but his RE had NOT
teen Of. the order ! to- equip him
with those minor bnt essential
and armorial arts that assured
ease and distinction possessed
BY men not only born into the
best society but bred in. It. and
who had lived on their back
ground, not on their nerves. TO
be born Is not enough. II Isl
long association that counts. ana.
the aair il not enough: II is
long association thst counts, ana
the ''airp may be acquired By
men Of inferior birth, but the
supreme opportunity. He had
managed to interest her because
he had no rival. and he was
young and his mind in tune with
] hers. That alone, no doubt. was
the secret OF her imaginative
flight in his direction. For the
first time in his life he felt
sense Of inferiority; and for tias
moment he. made no attempt to
shake it off. He was in the
depths Of despair. He did nor
even light q cigarette. He
could hear a group of.,-young
men discussing her az
one OF their own kind
With no lack Of respect
some new friend Of Mrs. ogIe-
tllorpe,s were too young
to remember Mary Ogden
She would have many knights
on the morrow he felt
on the far side Of q rapidly
widening gulf -. and he had
once sought to dig a gulf! Dis
approved! Questioned! Tried to
forget her! He wished he had
abducted her.
The Admirers
"A bell rang. The men moved
toward the foyer. In few mo-
nents he followed. The at
tendant opened the Oglethorpe
door and as he entered the ante
room he saw that the box was
still filled with men. They had
evidently taken root. He was
possessed by a dull anger, and
as it spread upward his sense Of
inferiority took flight. He'd rou:
them all, damn them. After all
he had more brains than any
man in the house and his man
ners could be as good and as bad
as their own. Moreover, he was
probably more strongly endowed
III other ways than the youngest
OF them. The wise thing for him
tc DO was to let her find it out
tho next time they were alone.
CHAPTER XIII.