The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-02-10

know.
Since then, his summer evenings
with her had been as secluded as If,
for three hours after the falling of
dusk, they two had drawn apart from
the world to some dear bower of their
own. The little veranda was that
glamOrous nook, with a faint golden
light falling through the glass of the
closed door upon Alice, and darkness
elsewhere, except for the one round
globe of the street lamp at the corner
The people who passed along the side
walk, now and then, were only
shadows with voices, moving vaguely
under the maple trees that doomed in
obscure contours against the stars.
So, as the two sat together, the back
of the world was the wall and closed
door behind them; and Russell, when
he was away from Alice, Z always
thought of her as sitting there before
the closed door. a glamour was about
her thus, and a spell upon him; but
he had a forTnless anxiety never put
into words; all the pictures of her in
his mind stopped at the closed door
He had another anxiety; and, for
the greater part, this was of her own
creating. She had too often asked
him mo matter how gaily) what he
heard about her; too often begged him
not to hear anything. Then, hoping
to fOrestall whatever he might hear,
she had been at too great pains to ac-
count for it, to discredit and mock it;
and, though he laughed at her for this,
telling her truthfully he did not even
hear her mentioned, the everlasting
irony that deals with all such human
forefendings prevailed.
Lately, he had half confessed to her
what a nervousness she had produced
You make me dread the day when
III hear somebody speaking Of you.
You're getting me so upset about it
that if I ever hear anybody so much
as say the name Alice Adams I'll
rum The confession was but half Of
one because he laughed; and she took
it for an assurance Of loyalty in the
from of burlesque. She misunder-
stood; he laughed, but his nervous
ness was genuine.
. After any stroke of events, whether
a hakYP one or d catastrophe, we see
that the Tie s-Tials for it were a long
time gathering, ac5 the only marvel
is that the stroke Was lat prophesied.
What bore the air of >atal coinci-
dence may remain fatal irl,3aa%, to
this later view; but, with the haN
hazard aspect dispelled, there is left
for scrutiny the same ancient hint
from the Infinite 10 the effect that
since events have never yet failed TO
be law-abiding, perhaps it were well
for US to deduce that they VIII con-
tinue to be so until further notice.
On the day that was to
open the closed door in the back
ground Of his pictures Of Alice, Rus
sell lunched with his relatives. There
We're but the four people. Russell and
Mildred and her mother and father,
in the great, cool dining-roOm.
Arched French windows, shaded by
awnings, admitted a mellow light and
looked out upon green lawn end
ing in d long conservatory. which
revealed through it's glass panes a
carnival Of plants in luXuriant bios
som. From his seat at the table.
Russell glanced out at this pretty
that he was surprised. You have
such a glorious spread Of flowers all
over the house" he said, Il didn't
suppose you'd have any left out yon-
der. In fact, I didn't know there
were so many splendid flowers in the
world"
Mrs. Palmer. large, calm. fair. like
her daughter, responded with mild
reproach: That's because you
haven't been cOusinly enough to get
used to them, Arthur. You've almost
taught US to forget what you look
like
In defense Russell waved a hand
toward her husband. You see, he's
begun to keep me so hard at work"
But Mr.. Palmer declined the re
sponsibility. up to four or five in
the afternoon, perhaps" he said.
After that, the young gentleman IS
as much a stranger to me as he is to
my family. I've been wondering who
she could be-"
when a mans preoccupied there
must be a lady then?" Russell in
quired.
THAT seems to be the view of your
sex" Mrs. Palmer suggested. 1T was
my husband who said it, not Mil
dred or l."
Mildred smiled family. Papa may
be singular in his ideas; they may
come entirely from his own expert
ence, and have nothing to do with Ar
thur"
Thank you. Mildred" her cousin
said, bowling to her gratefully. you
seem to understand my character
and your fathers quite as well!''
However, Mildred remained grave
| in the face of this customary pleasant
~, not because the old jest. worn
round, like what preceded it, rolled in
an old groove, but because of some
preoccupation of her own. Her faint
smile had disappeared, and, as her
cousins glance met hers, she looked
down; yet not before he had seen in
her eyes the flicker Of something like
question: question both poignant
and dismayed. He may have under
stood it; for his own smile vanished
at once in favor Of a reciprocal solem-
nifty.
You see, Arthur" Mrs. Palmer
said, Mildred is always a good cousin.
She and I stand by you, even if you
do stay away from US for weeks and
weeks Then, observing that he APP
peared to be so occupied with a bunch
of iced grapes upon his plate that he