Evening star., 1924-06-22

VlOletS, IN neE lduSn was O. Sii-
yer bell. Her name was Elsie; she
was an orphan; she lived all alone;
she worked very hard for a very
poor living; her years were twenty
two.
James, who had moderate wealth.
considerable fame and numerous &C
quaintances, had also enormous lone
illness.
why the dickens is it?" said
James. "My fault, of course" said
James. Nothing matters to me.
That's what the trouble is Except
my work, no thing and no person
really and truly matters.
All the same" said James, and
sighed
James did not merely think that
nothing and nobody mattered to him;
James knew it, and he knew 1T by ap-
plication Especially to persons) of a
test which he had formulated unto
himself, and whereby he tested the
true depth of his affections.
This test was a grim, a harsh, al
most brutal test 1t was Il like
so-and-so. like so-and-so very
DlucH lnueeu. bul "odlO >oi II
sp-and-so died?"
The answer invariably was that in
the sense in which James meant 1t, he
would not care.
Now his work mattered very much
to James, and, painting one day a
picture in which ribbons were worn
by one of his models, James, deter
mined to have only the exact shades
OF ribbon that only himself could
choose, went one day to the ribbon
counter of shop and there fused
enough to drive mad the girl who
attended upon him.
Did it drive her mad? No. She was
ss sweet of disposition as she was
lovely of countenance. She was
Elsie.
I'm afraid I have been a most
awful nuisance" said James.
oh really. no." said Elsie
Il have. though" said James, and
looking at Elsie. saw that she was
comely.
You haven't. indeedy' declared
Elsie.
II have. though" repeated James,
staring.
oh. really. no." repeated Elsie,
smiling. Indeed not"
Il wanted the ribbons for a par
ticular purpose" said James, staring.
oh, / could see that" said Elsie,
and tinkled ever so prettily the silver
bell that was her laugh.
"Ha, ha,' laughed James, lamely;
and proceeded lamely to remove him.
self.
You've forgotten your parcel"
cried Elsie.
Good Heavens cried James; and
In appalling confusion left the shop.
Dash" said James.
* x X x
-FOUR days after this day. being the
Sabbath. James. mounting to the
outside of motor bus. found but one
seat vacant thereon and that the pas
senger beside him was Elsie.
"Hull-o!" said James.
The red roses on the face of Elsie
spread above the cream roses.
Fifteen minutes after James dis
covered himself to be walking in
Hyde Park with Elsie. You know"
said James. I've never done thing
like this in my life before
Nor l." said Elsie. Isn't it
funny"
by Jove, it is funny" said James
seriously.
These were, though James did not
know it, almost the first words they
had exchanged since entering the
park, and in silence for rather more
80 v,,i1 Ia-
bated, in their several ways. the fun
niness on which they had found them
selves in agreement.
But you said" then said James,
"but you said that you walk here
every Sunday and every Saturday
afternoon"
YES, but by myself" said Elsie.
"Ah," said James.
Three hundred and thrty-two
yards farther, Not with any one,"
said Elsie.
"Ah," said James.
These "Ah's" of James were uttered
very profoundly and weightily and
were intended by James to be
charged with enormous meaning, as
indeed they must have been, for
James, in this most remarkable stu
alton in which he found himself, was
thinking enormously and "Ah," pro-
nounced at long intervals, was al
most the sole articulation by which
James, throughout the afternoon, dis
charged or relieved the accumulation
of thoughts thus amassed. Nor were
the contributions of Elsie to the de-
cd
The whole conversation between
James and Elsie during their solemn
circumnavigation of the park could
have been written on a haaf-sheet OF
notepaper Neither, it will be re-
membered, had ever done this kind
of thing before.
They did it, however, a second
third, fourth and fifth time, but the
less they talked and the more they
walked the more were their meetings
looked forward to by James.
II hope you don't mind my not
taIking?" said James, in the course OF
one walking. to Elsie.
Not a bit," said Elsie.
"Ah," said James.
And on the occasion of the nex'
walking, "As I was saying about moi
talking" said James. Il like being
with you and feeling that you don'
mind If I don't talk. Always wher
I'm with any one I feel that I've go,
10 talk, and 1 never can talk, and
the thing is simply an agony to me
It's difficult to understand, and
never can make any one understand
1t. I do hope" concluded James, ex'