1 Oje Younger Set
III
SYNOPSIS OF PKECEDING CHAPTERS.
CiiAr. 1-lJetunilnff from Manila, Captain
Selwyn, formerly of the army. Is welcomed
home hy his sister. Nina Gerard. her wealthy
husband Austin, nud their numerous cniiu
ren. Klleen Krroll, ward of Nina and Austin
is part of their household. Selwln has teei
divorced, without guilt on hi? part, by his
wife. Allxe. who Is now the wife of Jack
liutlivcn, with whom she ran away fmn
Selwvn. 'I Kllce" 'o' vtn '""a of"
brother, Gerald, despite the young man's
neglect ill ncr, niHKc.M lricnds vutn Sclwyn
III Gerald Is worried about young Krroll s
mingling In the fast set. Giiil ' employ
ed by Julius Neergard, n reale state operator
in a large way. sclwyn promises Klleen he
will look after her brother. He tells her
about Hoots Lansing, ills army chum in
Manila, who Is coming to New York. In the
park Kilcen and Sclwyn ride past Allxe. IV
Klleen's deceased fntlierwas an archaeol
ogist, and she has inherited some of his
scholarly qualities. Sclwyn helps Gerald
to settle a gambling debt and determines to
undertake his reformation. V Allxe and
Selwyn meet and discuss their altered rela
tions. He is introduced to Mrs. Itosamund
Kane, lender of the fast set and Allxc's clos
est friend Heappeals toAUxe to help him
keep Gerald from gambling. VI-Tlie friend
ship of Klleen and Selwyn progresses. VII
Jerald promises Selwyn he will stop gambl
ing. Neergard discloses to Selwyn. who is
Interested in his olllce, a plan to control the
Slowlthn Country club by buying up farms
essential to the club's existence. The plan
docs not appeal to Sclwyn, and he consults
Austin, who denounces Neergard and Ills
methods. VII At night in his room Selwyn
answers a knock at Ills door. IX The caller
is Allxe., who is very unhappy with Kuthven
and wants to talk with Selwpn. l'or a mo
ment their old love Hashes up, but at the
mention of Klleen he knows that It Is past
resurrection.
Chapter' 1$J
9-y' ENT had, gone and with It
the last soiled snow of
winter.
f "Spring-, with that nameless
fragrance In the air
Which breathes of all things
ratr,"
sang a young girl riding In the park.
'And she smiled to herself as she guid
ed her mare through the flowering
labyrinths.
Behind her, powerfully mounted, am
bled the belted groom. She was riding
alone In the golden weather because
her good friend Selwyn was very busy
In his office downtown, and Gerald,
who now rode with her occasionally,
was downtown also, and there remain
ed nobody else to ride with; also the
horses were to bo sent to Sllversldo
soon, and she wanted to use them as
much as possible while the park was
at Its loveliest.
It was near Eighty-sixth street that
a girl splendidly mounted saluted her
and, wheeling, joined her, a blond,
cool skinned, rosy tinted, smoothly
groomed girl, almost too perfectly
seated, almost too flawless and supple
in the perfect symmetry of face and
figure.
"Upon my word," she said gayly,
"you are certainly spring Incarnate,
Miss Erroll, the living embodiment of
all this!" She swung her riding crop
in a circle and laughed, showing her
perfect teeth. "But whero Is that
faithful attendant cavalier of yours
this morning? Is he so grossly mate
rial that he prefers Wall street, as does
my good lord and master?"
"Do you mean Gerald," asked Eileen
Innocently, "or Captain Selwyn?"
"Oh, either," returned Rosamund air
ily. "A girl should have something
masculine to talk to on a morning like
this. You are continuing to astonish
the town, I hear."
"What do you mean, Mrs. Fane?"
"Why. first It was Sudbury, then
Drayniore, and now everybody says
that Boots"
"Boots!" repeated Miss Erroll blank
ly, then laughed dellclously. "Poor,
poor Boots! Did they say that about
him? Oh, It really is too bad, Mrs.
Fane. It Is certainly horridly Imperti
nent of people to say such things. My
only consolation is that Boots won't
care, and if he doesn't why should
ir
Rosamund nodded, crossing her crop.
For awhile as they rode she was
characteristically amusing, sailing
blandly over the shoals of scandal,
though Eileen never suspected It
wittily gay at her own expense as well
as at others, flitting airily from topic i
to topic on the wings of n self assur
ance that becomes some women If
they know when to stop. But pres
ently the mischievous perversity In her
bubbled up again. She was tired of
being good. Sho had often meant to
try the effect of a gentle shock on
Miss Erroll, and, besides, sho wonder
ed Just how much truth there might
be In the unpleasantly persistent ru
mor of the girl's unannounced engage
ment to Selwyn.
"It would be amusing, wouldn't It?"
she asked, with guileless frankness.
"But, of course, It Is not true thla
reoort of their reconciliation."
"Whoso reconciliation?" asked Mis
Erroll innocently.
"Why, Allxe Ruthven and Captain
Selwyn. Everybody Is discussing it,
you know."
"Reconciled:" I don't understand,"
said Eileen, astonished. "They can't
be How can"
"Bat It would be amusing, wouldn't
It? And she could very easily get rid
of Jack Ruthven. Any woman could.
So If they really mean to remar
ry The girl stared, breathless, astound
ed, bolt upright In her saddle.
"Ob," the protested, while the hot
blood mantled throat and cheek, "It Is
wickedly untrue! How could such a
thing be true, Mrs. Fane? It Is Is
a MnalMr"
mm
By ROBERT W. CHAMBERS,
Author of "THE FIGHTING CHANCE," Etc.
Copyrighted, 1007, by llobert W. Chambers.
Miserably uncomfortable, utterly un
able to comprehend, the girl rode on In
silence, her ears ringing with Rosa
mund's words. And Rosamund, riding
beside her, cool, blond and cynically
amused, continued the themo with ad
mirable pretense of Indifference.
"It's a pity that III natured people
are forever discussing them, and It
makes me indignant, because I've al
ways been very fond of Allxe Ruth
ven, and I am positive that she does
not correspond with Captain Selwyn.
A girl in her position would be crazy
to Invito suspicion by doing the things
they say she Is doing."
"Don't, Mrs. Fane, please don't!"
stammered Eileen. "I 1 really can't
listen! I simply will not! If yon
knew him as I do, Mrs. Fane, you
would never, never have spoken as
you have!"
Mrs. Fane relished neither the naive
rebuke nor the Intimation that her own
acquaintance with Selwyn was so lim
ited, and least of all did she relish the
Implied Intimacy between this red
haired young girl and Captain Selwyn.
"Dear Miss Erroll," sho said blandly,
"I spoke as I did only to assure you
that I also disregard such malicious
gossip."
"But If you disregard It, Mrs. Fane,
why do you repeat It?"
"Merely to emphasize to you my dis
belief In It, child," returned Rosamund.
"Do you understand?"
"Y-es. Thank you. Yet I should
never have heard of it at all If you had
not told me."
Rosamund's color rose one degree.
"It Is better to hear such things from
a friend, is it not?
"I didn't know that one's friends
said such things, but perhaps It Is bet
ter that way, as you say, only I cannot
understand the necessity of my know
ing of my hearing because It Is Cap
tain Selwyn's affair, after all."
"And that," said Rosamund deliber
ately, "Is why I told you."
"Told me? Oh. because he and I are
such close friends?"
"Yes. Such very close friends that
I" she laughed "I am Informed that
your interests are soon to bo identi
cal." The girl swung round, self possessed,
but dreadfully pale.
"If you believed that," she said, "it
was vile of you to say what you said,
Mrs. Fane."
"But I did not believe It, child!"
stammered Rosamund, several degrees
redder than became her and now con
vinced that it was true. "I n-never
dreamed of offending you. Miss Er
roll." "Do you suppose I am too Ignorant
to take offense?" said the girl unsteadi
ly. "I told you very plainly that I did
not understand the matters you chose
for discussion, but I do understand Im
pertinence when I am driven to It" "
"I am very, very sorry, that yon be
lieve I meant It that way," said Rosa
mund, biting her Hps.
"What did you mean? You are older
than I; you are certainly experienced;
besides, you are married. If you can
glvo It a gentler name than Insolence
I would be glad for your sake, Mrs.
11
A girl splendidly mounted saluted her.
Fane. 1 only know that you have
spoiled my ride, spoiled the day for
me, hurt me. humiliated me and awak
ened not curiosity, not suspicion, but
the horror of it. In me."
Her voice became unsteady again,
and her mouth curved, but she held
her head high, and her eyes were as
fearlessly direct ns a child's.
"And now," sho said calmly, "you
know where I stand and what I will
not stand."
If Rosamund had anything left to
say or any breath to say it there were
no indications of it Never In her flip
pant existence had she been so abso
lutely flattened by any woman. As for
this recent graduate from fudge and
olives, she could scarcely realize how
utterly and finally she bad been si
lenced by her. Incredulity, exasperation,
amazement, had succeeded each other
while Miss Erroll was speaking; cha
grin, shame, helplessness, followed as
bitter residue, but In the end the very
incongruity of the situation came to
her aid.
Tm certainly a little beast," she
said Impulsively, "but I really do like
you. Will you forgive?"
No genuine appeal to the young girl's
generosity had ever been in vain. She
forgave almost as easily as she breath,
ed. Even now In the flush of Just re
sentment it was not hard for her to
forgive. She hesitated only in order to
adinst matters In her own mind.
Mrs. Fane swung her horse ana held
rat her right band:
"la it peace, Miss Erroll? I'm really
isbamed of myself. Won't you forgive
oer
w
Tea," said the young girl, laying
her gloved hand on Rosamund's very
lightly. "I've often thought," Bhe add
rd naively, "that I could like yon, Mrs.
Fane, if yon would only give me a
chance."
"I'll try, you blessed Innocent. You've
torn me into rags and tatters, and you
did It adorably. What I said was idle,
half wltted, gossiping nonsense. So
forget every atom of It as soon ns you
can, my dear, and let me prove that
I'm not an utter Idiot If I can."
"That will be delightful' said Eileen,
with a demure Bmlle, and Rosamund
laughed, too, with full hearted laughter,
1 for trouble sat very lightly on her per
jfect shoulders In the noontide of her
Buthvcn.
strength and youth. Sin and repent
ance were rapid matters with Rosa
mund; cause, effect and remorse a
quick sequence to be quickly reckoned
up, checked off and canceled and the
next blank page turned over to bo
ruled and filled with the next Impeach.
I ment There was in her more of mls
. chief than of real malice and unfeigned
liking and respect for the turning
I-worm.
!
"And. my dear," she said, conclud
ing the account of the adventure to
I Mrs. Ruthven that afternoon at Sher
ry's. "I've never been so roundly abused
and so soundly trounced In my life as
' I was this blessed morning by that red
headed novice. Oh, my! Oh, la! I
could have screamed with laughter at
' my own undoing."
"It's what you deserved," said Allxe,
Intensely annoyed, although Rosamund
had not told her all that she had so
' kindly and gratuitously denied con
cerning her relations with Selwyn. "It
was sheer effrontery of you, Rosa
I mund, to put such notions Into the
' head of a child and stir her up Into
' taking a fictitious Interest in Philip
I Selwyn which I know which is per
1 fectly plain to me, to anybody never
existed."
"Of course It existed," retorted Rosa
mund, delighted now to worry Allxe.
i "Sho didn't know It; that is all. It
t really was simple charity to wake her
i up. It's a good match, too, and so ob
I vlously and naturally inevitable that
there's no harm in playing prophetess.
There is the youthful brother of our
red haired novice now. He sees us.
, and he's coming to Inflict himself with
another moon faced creature. Shall we
, bolt?"
I Allxe turned and stared at Gerald,
. who came up boyishly red and lm
1 pctuous.
"How d'yo do, Mrs. Ruthven? Did
you get my note? How d'ye do, Mrs.
Fane? Awflly Jolly to collide this
way. Would you mind If
"You," interrupted Rosamund, "ought
to be downtown unless you've con-
eluded to retire and let Wall street go
to smash. What are you pretending
' to do In Sherry's at this hour, you
very dreadful infant?" '
"I'vo been lunching with Mr. Neer
gard, and would you mind"
"Yes, I would," began Rosamund
promptly. But Allxe Interrupted,
"Bring him over, Gerald." And as
tho boy thanked ber and turned back:
"I've a word to administer to that
boy, Rosamund, so attack the Neer
gard creature with moderation, please.
You owe me that at least Here be Is
now, and don't be Impossible and
frighten him, Rosamund."
The presentation of Neergard was
! accomplished without disaster to any
I body. On his thin nose the dew glls-
tened, and bis thick, fat hands were
hot But Rosamund was too bored to
i bo rude to him, and Allxe turned Im
mediately to Gerald:
"Yes, I did get your note, but I am
not at home on Tuesday. Can't you
come Walt a moment What arc yon
! doing this nfternoon?"
"Why, I'm going back to tho office
I with Mr. Neergard."
"Nonsense! Oh, Mr. Neergard, would
you mind" very sweetly "if Mr. Er
roll did not go to the office this after
noon?" Neergard looked at her almost a
fixed and uncomfortable smirk on bis
round, red face, "Not at all, Mrs.
Ruthven, if you have anything better
for him"
"I have an allopathic dose of It
Thank you, Mr. Neergard. Rosamund,
we ought to start, you know. Gerald!"
with quiet significance. "Goodby, Mr.
Neergard. Please do not buy up tho
rest of Long Island, because we need
n new kitchen garden very badly."
Mrs. Ruthven's motor moved up
from its waiting station. Rosamund
was quite ready to enter when Allxe
Raid cordially: "Where can we drop
you, dear? Do let us take you to the
xchange If you are going there."
Now, Rosamund had meant to go
wherever they were going merely be
cause they evidently wished to be
alone. The abruptness or the check
both Irritated and amused her.
"If I knew anybody in the Bronx I'd
make you take me there," she said
vindictively, "but as I don't yon ma
drop me at the Orchils', you uncivil
creatures. Gerald. I know you want
me anyway, because you've promt -c.l
to adore, honor and obey me. If you'll
come with me now I'll play double
lummy with you. No? Well, of nil
Ingratitude!"
And she smiled dazzllngly upon Gcr
aid, then turned up her pretty nose nt
him, but permitted him to attend her
to the Orchils' door.
When he returned to Allxe nnd the
car was speeding parkward he began
again eagerly:
"Jack asked me to come up, and, of
course, I let you know, as I promised I
would. But It's all right Mrs. Ruth
ven, because Jack said the stakes will
not be high this time."
"You accepted?" demanded Allxe in
quick displeasure.
"Why, yes, as the stakes are not to
tmount to anything,"
"Gerald!"
"What?" he said uneasily.
"You promised me that you would
not play again In my housel"
"I I said for more than I could af
ford." "No; you said you would not play.
That Is what you promised, Gerald."
"Well, 1 meant for high stakes. 1
well, you don't want to drive me out
altogether, even from the perfectly
harmless pleasure of playing for noml
aal stakes."
"Yes, I do."
"W-why?" asked the boy in hurt sur
prise. "Because it Is dangerous sport Ger
ald." "What! To play for a few cents a
point!"
"Yes, to play for anything. And as
far as that goes there will be no such
play as you imagine."
"Yes, there will I beg your pardon
but Jack Ruthven said bo."
"Gerald, listen to me. A bo a man
like yourself has no business playing
with people whose losses never inter
fere with their appetites next day. A
business man has no right to play such
a game anyway. I wonder what Mr.
Neergard would say If he knew
you"
"Neergard! Why, he does know."
"You confessed to hlm7
"Y-cs; I had to. I was obliged to to
ask somebody for an advance."
"You went to him? Why didn't you
go to Captain Sclwyn or to Mr. Ge
rard?" "I did; not to Captain Selwyn. I was
ashamed to. But I went to Austin, nnd
he fired up and lit Into me, and we had
a muss-up. and I've stayed away
since."
"Oh, Gerald! And It simply proves
me right"
"No, it doesn't I did go to Neer
gard and made a clean breast of It
And he let me have what I wanted like
a good fellow."
"And made you promise not to do It
again?"
"No, he didn't He only laugUed.
Besides, he said that be wished he
had been In tho game."
"What!" exclaimed Allxe.
"He's a first rate fellow," Insisted
Gerald, reddening, "and It was very
nice of you to let me bring him over
today. And he knows everybody down
town too. He comes from a very old
Dutch family, but he had to work pret
ty hard and do without college. I'd
like It awfully If you'd let me If yon
wouldn't mind being civil to him once
or twice, you know. I'm going to pro
pose him for the Stuyvesant and tho
Proscenium. Why not?"
"I see. And now you propose to
bring him to my house?"
"If you'll let me. I asked Jack, and
he seemed to think It might be nil
right If you cared to ask him to
play."
"I won't!" cried Allxe, revolted. "1
will not turn my drawing rooms Into
a clearing bouse for every money
laden social derelict In town! I've had
enough of that I've endured tho ac
cumulated wreckage too long weird
treasure craft full of steel and oil and
coal and wheat and heaven knows
what! I won't do it, Gerald. I'm
sick of It all-slck. sick!"
The sudden, flushed outburst stun
ned the boy. Bewildered, he stared
round eyed at the excited young ma
tron, who was growing more incensed
and more careless of what sho ex
posed every second.
"I will not make a public gambling
hell of my own house!" she repeated,
dark eyes very bright and checks
afire. "I will not continue to stand
sponsor for a lot of queer people sim
ply because they don't care what they
lose in Mrs. Ruthven's bouse! You
babble to mo of limits, Gerald. This
Is the limit! Do you or does anybody
else suppose that I don't know what
Is being said about us that play Is
too high In our house, that we arc
easy In our choice of Intimates as
long as they can stand the pace? Do
you think I was educated . for this
for the wife of a chevalier of Indus
try?" "M-Mrs. Uuthveu!" be gasped. But
she was absolutely reckless now, and
beneath it all perhaps lay a certainly
of the boy's honor. She knew be was
to be trusted was the safest receptn
tlo for wrath so long repressed. She
let prudence go with a parting and
vindictive slap and opened her heart
to the astounded boy. The tempest
lasted a few seconds. Then she ended
as abruptly as she began.
To blm she bad always been what a
pretty young matron usually is to a
well bred but harebrained youth Just
untethered. Their acquaintance bad
been for him a combination of charm
ing experiences diluted with gratitude
for her interest and a harmless soup
con of sentimentality. In ber partic
ular case, however, there was a little
something' more a hint of tho for
bidden a troubled enjoyment, because
be knew, of course, that Mrs. Ruthven
was on no footing at all with the
Gerard.
"Dear Mrs. Ruthven," he blurted
out with clumsy sympathy, "you
mustn't think such things, b-becausb
they're all rot you see, and If auy fel
low ever said those things to me I'd
Jolly soon"
"Do you mean to say you've never
heard us criticised?"
"I wellr-everybody Is criticised, of
course"
"But not as we are. Do you read the
papers? Well, then, do you under
stand how a woman must fee) to have
her husband continually made the butt
of foolish, absurd, untrue stories, as
though be were a performing poodle?
I I'm sick of that too, for another
thing. Week after week, month by
month, unpleasant things have been ac
cumulating, and they're getting too
heavy, Gerald, too crushing for my
shoulders. Men call me restless. What
wonder! Women link my name with
any man who Is kind to me! Is there
no excuse then for what they call my
restlessness? What woman would not
be restless whoso private affairs are
the gossip of everybody? Was It not
enough that I endured terrific publicity
when when trouble overtook me two
years ago? I suppose I'm a fool to talk
like this, but a girl must do It some
rime or burst And to whom am I to
go? There was only one person, and
I can't talk to that one. He that per
sonknows too much about me any
way, which is not good for a woman,
Gerald; not good for a good woman
I mean a pretty good woman, the kind
people's sisters can still talk to, you
know."
"I want you to believe me your
friend," said Gerald In the low, reso
lute voice of unintentional melodrama.
"Why, thank you. Are you so sure
you want that. Gerald?"
"Yes, as long as I live!" ho declared,
generous emotion In the ascendant A
pretty woman upset him very easily
even under normal circumstances. But
beauty In distress knocked him flat as
it does every wholesome boy who Is
worth his salt
And he said so in his own naive fash
Ion, and the more eloquent he grew the
more excited he grew and the deeper
and blacker appeared her wrongs to
him.
She was very light hearted that even
ing when she dropped him at the Stuy
vesant club and whizzed away to her
own house, for he had promised not to
play again on her premises, and she
had promised to be nice to him and
take him about when she. was shy of
an escort
On her way home Allxe smilingly re
viewed the episode until doubt of Sel
wyn's approval crept In again, and her
amused smile had faded when she
reached her home.
Chapter tig
HE house of Ruthven
was a small but ultra
modern limestone af
fair, between Madison
and Fifth, a pocket edi
tion of tho larger man
sions of their friends.
but with less excuse for the overelabo
ratlon since the dimensions were only
twenty by a hundred. Into this lime
stone bonbon box tripped Mrs. Ruth
ven, mounted the miniature stairs with
a whirl of her scented skirts, peeped
Into the drawing room, but continued
mounting until
she whipped Into
her own apart
ments, separated
from those of
her lord and
master by n lock,
ed door.
That is, the
door had been
locked for a long,
long time. But
presently, to her
Intense surprise
and annoyance,
it slowly opened
1 and a little man
j appeared in slip- nt0 limestone lion
pered feet bon box triPPcd Mrs
I Hewasallttlo Ihlthven
man and plump, and nt first glance his
! face appeared boyish and round and
I quite guiltless of hair or of any hope
I of it
But as he came into the electric
light the hardness of his features was
apparent He was no boy. A strange
idea that he had never been assailed
some people. His face was puffy and
pallid, and faint blue shadows hinted
of closest shaving, and the lino from
the wing of the nostrils to tho nerve
less corners of his thin, hard mouth
had been deeply bitten by the acid of
unrest
For the remainder ho wore pale roso
pajamas under a silk and sliver kimo
no, an obi pierced with a Jeweled
scarfpln, and be was smoking a ciga
rette as thin as a straw.
"Well!" said his young wife in as
tonished displeasure.
"Send her out a moment" he said,
with a nod of his head toward the
maid. His voice was agreeable and
full a trifle precise and ovcrcultlvat
ed perhaps.
When the maid retired Allxe sat up
on the lounge, drawing her skirts down
over her small stockinged feet
"What on earth Is the matter?" sho
demanded.
"The matter to," he said, "that Gerald
has Just telephoned me from the Stuy
vesant that he isn't coming."
"Well!"
"No, it Isn't well. This Is some of
your meddling."
"What if It Isr she retorted, but her
kreath was coming quicker.
""Ill tell you. You can get up and
ring him up and tell htm yon expect
him tonight"
She shook her bead, eying him all
the while.
X won't do It Jack. What do yoa
want him for? Ho can't play with the
people who play here. He deeaa'c
know tho rudiments of play. He's only
& boy. His money Is so tied up that
he has to borrow If he loses very much.
There's no sport in playing with a boy
like that"
"So you've said before, I believe, but
I'm better qualified to Judge than you
are. Are you going to call him up?"
"No, I am not"
Ho turned paler. "Get up and go to
that telephone!" , 4
"You little whippet" she said slow
ly, "I was once a soldier's wife the
only decent thing I ever have been.
This bullying ends now here, at this
Instant! If you've any dirty work to
do, do it yourself. I've dene my share,
and I've finished."
Ho was astonished. That was plain
enough. But It was the sudden over
whelming access of fury that weak
ened him and made him turn, hand
outstretched, blindly seeking for a
chair. Rage, even real anger, were
emotions he seldom had to reckon with,
for he was a very tired and bored and
burned out gentleman, and vivid emo
tion was not good for his arteries, the
doctors told him.
He found his cbalr, stood a moment
with his back toward his wife, then
He Mcore at her.
very slowly let himself down into tho
chair and sat facing her. There was
moisture on his soft pallid skin, a
nervous twitching of the under Up.
Ho passed one heavily ringed hand
, across his closely shaved Jaw, still
. staring at her.
I "I want to tell you something," he
said. "You've got to stop your inter
! ference with my affairs, and stop It
now."
I "I am not interested in your affairs,"
I she said unsteadily, still shaken by
her own revolt still under the shock
of her own arousing to a resistance
' that had been long, long overdue. "If
you mean," she went on, "that the
ruin, of this boy Is your affair, then
' I'll make It mine from this moment
' I've told you that he shall not play,
and be shall not And while I'm about
i it I'll admit what you are preparing to
accuse me of. I did make Sandon
I Craig promise to keep away. I did try
to make that little fool Scott Innis
' promise, too, and when he wouldn't I
' informed his father. And every time
you try your dirty bucket shop meth
ods on boys like that I'll do tho same."
He swore at- her quite calmly. She
, smiled, shrugged and. Imprisoning her
I knees In her clasped bands, leaned
back nnd looked at blm.
"What a ulnny I have been," she
said, "to be afraid of you so long!"
I A gleam crossed his faded eyes, but
ho let her remark pass for the mo
1 ment. Then, when he was quite sure
, that violent emotion had been exhaust
I ed within him, "Do you want your bills
paid?" he asked. "Because If you do
Fane. Harmon & Co. are not going to
pay them."
"We are living beyond our means?"
she Inquired disdainfully.
"Not If you will be good enough to
mind your business, my friend. I've
managed this establishment on our
winnings for two years. It's n detail,
but you might as well know It My
association with Fane, Harmon & Co.
runs the Newport end of It and notb
i lng more."
1 "What did you marry me for?" she
asked curiously,
i A slight color came Into his face,
i "Because Rosamund Fane lied about
you."
"Oh! You know that In Manila?
You'd heard about It hadn't you the
western timber lands? Rosamund
didn't mean to lie. Only the titles
were all wrong, you know. And so
you made a bad break. Jack. Is that
It?"
"Yes, that Is It"
"And It cost you a fortune and me a
husband. Is that It, my friend?"
"I can afford you If you will stop
your meddling," he said coolly. "You
have made a point of excluding Ger
ald?" "Yes."
"Very well. I'll telephone Draymore.
And" he looked back from the door
of his own apartments "I got Julius
Neergard on tho wire this afternoon,
and he'll dine with us."
He gathered up his shimmering ki
mono, hesitated, halted and again
looked back.
"When you're dressed," ho drawled,
"I'vo a word to say to you about the
game tonight and another about Ger
ald." "I shall not play," sho retorted
scornfully, "nor will Gerald."
"Oh, yes. you will, and play your
best too. And I'll expect him next
time."
"I shall not play!"
He said deliberately: "You will not
only play, but play cleverly, and in the
Interim, while dressing, you will reflect
how much more agreeable it is to play
cards here than the fool at 10 o'clock
at night In the bachelor apartments
of your late lamented."
And he entered his room, and his
wife,, getting blindly to her feet every
atom of color gone from lip and cheek,
stood rigid, both small hands clutch
ing the footboard of the gildsd bed.
The Boston nerald abolishes the
comic supplement because It "bo longer
needs a clown." Many a real clown
win feel like abolishing himself after
that cojBparUaa.