The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 4, 1915, Page 14

B PAGE FOURTEEN THE NONPARTISAN LEADER B ing it, but Petunia came into my room | the other, about a mile away. ! and cried about it a half bour, so I had| «1 anted yen,” I answered him to go out where he was rubbing the stupidly as I sank: into my- place and silver and hire him over. leaned 1y elbows on the table so I “When a woman gits her mouth| . qu1q drop my warm cheeks-into my ® stuck out at a man and the world in| y .. q¢ comfortably. I didn’t see why I i general three days hand running they | o3 o013 be blushing. ¥ » > v i 3 ” iglfltn;lvtz,telx:,awtfihcxfiyltscl;:?; 8 ‘sHck, “Phat's the reason I came then,” he “‘Ye;a’m dat's so.” qnswere& Patanta answered as he looked at me across 2ee A 3 hat - were 41 never, come: outen .aispell Ro eaoy gelfldl?l(;‘“ louott \\n:z\\‘;l; ;zse:wet:egless eto P e before.3: - And ler -yellow. face, hid .4 meot those that were coming in from pink glow of happiness all over it as g { the honeysuckle climbing over the win- she smiled lovably on the black brute. dow: " 41t vou ‘were_ever lonely -and 1 went off into a corner and sat down 5 2 no- % 1 tor a_quict hour to think. Nobody in necded me. Evelina, you would te E the world knows everything. me, wouldn't you?’ he asked as he “Supper’s on. the table,” Jasper an- leaned toward me .and regarded me nounced after having seen Mr. Haley | Sl more closelr. : 2o down the front walk tonight. Jas- And again those two treacherous tears per has such great respect for the{ Fo¢ and tangle@ themselves. in my tloth that vever in the world would he| 1ashes, though I did shake them away have asked Mr. Haley in to supper quickly as a smile quivered its way to without having at least a day to pre-| command of my mouth, But T was pare for him. Any of my other friends | POt quick enwugh, and he saw them. DAVIESS AUTHOR OF "&Hl MELTING Copyrighy, tuegy '~ tm ™ ‘omoany. o SaT : with sueh gonuine "delight beaming | be would bhave asked, regardless -of And ‘what he i3 was just what I i wixr:v:srg;”gv ::télgd;tul;z;vs Ofii.;“fil&;f fram his nice, good, friendly gray eyes | Whether or not I'wanted them. l‘n‘“mfiflil-“?] e da. He rose, trfigléeg up : awhile if I could get his emotions to| (Mt | heamed up myself a bit out of | [ somchow didn’t feel that I could eat 1‘; (; gll~ ‘m'il :::ng ::0“:1; i cor‘llli: o B sleep fn my presence. It is very exas- V¢ responsiveness, © | alone tonight. ‘hnr it was too late to go o0 tablezant = ‘I’ n the i B perating for a woman to be offered| “Iam so glad to see you, Mr. Haley. | for Sallie or Cousin Jasmine, and, be- | Just as near to my elbow as the steam- flirtation when she Is in need of com- | Hasn't it been a lovely day?” sidus, it s weakminded to feel that| Ing coffeepot Wotid fof Bum, : 1 Juon sense from a man, «It has indeed, and I don’t kmow | W2V Why shouldn’t I want to eat by If you winted mé any Hme would myself? This is a_great big house for just one woman, and I don’t see why I have to be that one! I necver was intended to be single. I seem even to think double. I could feel the tears getting tangled in my lashes, but I forced them back. Now, I don’t see why I should have been sentimentalizing over myself like that. Just such a longing, miserable, wait until he comes—and why doesn’t he hurry or I'll take the wrong man attitude of mind and sentiment in wo- men in genersl is what I have taken a vow on my soul, and made a great big important wager to do away with. There are millions of lovely men .in the world, and all I have to do is to go out and find the right one, be gentle with bim until he - understands my mode of attack to be a bit different from the usual crawfish one employed by women from prehistoric times until now, but not later, and then domesti- cate him in any way that sults me. Here I've been in Glendale almost three months and have let my time be occupied: keeping-house for nobody but| ey want you to be the next gov- mysel . -and:‘to entertaln my friends,{ ¢rnor,” T sald quickly. “And you will planting a flower garden that can’t be{ e too,” T added; again using that queer used at all for nourishment and sew-| place in my brain that seems to know X ing on another woman's baby clothes. | perfectly unknowable things and that * % I’'ve written millions of words in this | oply works in matters that concern = book and there is as yet not one word | him. that will help the five in the serlous| «nor? ; i and important task of proving that «Yes, your excetlency,” 1 hurled at i they have a right to choose their own | pim-gefiantiy. =5 B mates and certainly nothing to help aYou witch, yon,” he answered. me, ‘them perform the ceremonial. with- a - pleased,--teasing - whimsicality If 1 don’t do better than this Jane | .omiye into-bis eyes.: “Of course you will ‘withdraw her offer, and there I8| oy eq5ed the letter. and it was dear to & no telling how many years the human | yave you do it, bat we both know it 1s { race will be retarded by my lack of | yypogsible.. Nobody must hear of it strength of character. and. the. telling vou has been the best What 3o men do when they begin to | 1. could get out of it anyway. -Jasper, see the gray hairs on their temples and | ¢tare-my compliments to Retunia. 'mn. ; when they have been best man . at | chicken is perfection!’ twenty-three weddings and are tired of | qyq¢ cighth. wonder of the world being ‘at christenings- and buying rat- | whijch. got lost ‘was something even tles, and' things at the club all taste | o0 mysterious than the sphinx. It exactly allke, and they have purchased | wqq. n.marvel that could have been ten different kinds of hair tonic that} .q.q for wemen to: compare men to. it bores them to death to rub on the | qyq¢ man-sat-right-there at. my. side tops of their own heads? and ate four- waslles; two.large pleces I don’t want. any man 1 know! I |of elicken ang-a iver-wing,: drank-two ‘might want Poll, if I let him have half: | cups- of- coffee: Tnd - ‘then-devoured a. a chance to make me, but that would | huge bowl of“pesches and creum . with be dishonorable. theee muffin:cakes-while enduring” the I've got up so much nice warm sls- tragedy of the. renjization: of having te terly love for Dickie and Mr. Haley | dectine thergovernorship.of his state. that T couldn’t begin to-love them i | sIwatched him do it, first in 2we and [ the right way now, I am afraid. 8till, »tken-:-with»« f--¢im. .understanding..of e I haven't seen Dickle for three months, | Something,- L-wasn't sure. what. -Moat and maybe my desperation will have |'women, s under.. . the:. circumstances, : ‘the effect of enhancing his attncflons. ‘would-have ‘goxe-to-bed-and cried it : I'hope 80, - out onn%;eant-hn:::g!::e&-to’o&tot 5 : G e i “Supper’s ready and company come,” | hours. ‘We've got to got over those 5 J“pe‘;"me toythe front ‘:,o';’;. to :;1. habits before’ we get to the point of 7 & hounce. for ‘the third: time, but ‘this | having to refuse fo be. goyernors. of ; X time "with: ithe: unctuous voice -of de- the’ states. nml mxlsead»presldentsmnd \ |sthingadike that. - i | - And-whitehe:ate;- there T:8at not-able s 5 |7t -more - than nibble: ‘because -1 was g 1making--up: my-~amindyto- do-something 1 that scared-me- to death'to think about. That ‘gaunt: Ceagey man-in a- slmbby ‘gray: coat, cut antebellum:wise, with a cravat -that wound - itself.--around his i collar, snowy #né dainty, but on the game- lines ‘a8 the coat and-evidently of rursl-manufacture-in the style favored . dyd by: the flowet and chivalry of the day -of -‘Henry Clay, Lad:progressive me' as : ok across your back yard, and I saw the | completely overawed: for several min- lighted 8nd you on the m“tl utes as any:painted redskin ever domi- , star Mfll and—and I got Jas-| pated a squaw—or a8 Jnsper did Petu- ” he sald as he came. pjg fn-my own kitzhen.-. " m:'cbalr on one ] ~But’ atter We' were lefl: alone thh you tell me, Evelina?’ he insisted from 4 thig closer range. 2 “No, 1 wouldn’t,” I answered, with & A laugh. “I -woul@ expect you to know it and come just like you did tonight.” ; “But—but it was I that wanted you - g badly in this-case,” he answered, with an echo of the laugh, But even under the laugh I saw signs of excitement in his deep eyes, | and his long, leap hands shook as they q handed me his cup to pour the.coffee. { Jasper had laid@ his silver and napkin in front of him angd retired to admon- ish Petunia as to the exact crispness of her:first waffle. “What is it?” I asked breathlessly as < I moved the coffeepot from between us ~ to the other side. “Just a letter that came to me from the Democratic headquarters in the city that shook me-up & bit and made me want to—to teil you about it. No- body else can know. I have been out on old Harpeth &} afternoon fighting .{. that out, and teiling you 18 the only y ‘thing T have allowed myself.” “Polk, do you see any logical, honest | When Y have been so deeply happy. or dishonest way to get that road to| This hour with you will be the very take the Glendale bluff line?” I asked, | climax of the day’s pertectwns, 1 feel th trepidation, for that was the first | sure.” e I had ever even begun to discuss| To follow you, Jane, I “let a man anything intelligently with Polk. look freely into my heart, and, thus “None in the world, Evelina,” he an- | encourzged, he opened his to mine,” swered with a nice, straight, intellec- | and, behold! I found Sallie and the tuality showing over his whole face|twins and Henrietta all squatting in and even his lazy, posing figure. “I re-|the dominie’s cardiac regions just as monstrated with James and Henry comfortably as they do it at Wide- Carruthers both when they used their | gables. ; Influence to have the bonds voted and | “My sympathies haye become S0 en- T told James it was madness to invest | jjsted in the struggle which Mrs, Car- in all that fleld and swamp property | rythers is having to curb the eccen- with Just a chance of the shops. The | yricities of her oldest daughter that I trouble was that James had always left | fae] T must lay definite plans to help all his business to Henry, along with | .. 1t ig very difficult for a young the firm’s business, for a man can’t|,,q pgturally yielding 'woman like be the kind of lawyer James is and earry the detalls of the handling of Mrs. Carruthers to discipline alone filthy lucre in the same mind that can | €VeR 50 young a child as Henrletta, 1 make & speech like the one he made | ¥0OW You Will help me all you can to down in Nashville last April, on the | help her. Believe me, my dear friend, exchange of the judiclary. James can | €veR in the 8hort time you have been ‘be the governor of this good state any | I Glendale you have become a tower -time he wants te, or could, if ‘Henry of. strength to me. I feet that I can | badn't turned toes and left him such.a | takie my mest difficult and sacred per- bag to hold—no reference to Sallie’s| plexities:to you.” ... figure intended, which is all to'the good| Now, what do you think of that, if you lke that kind of curves!” Jane? Be sure and rub this situation ’ in on all the waiting five disciples. 1 CHAPTER IX. defy any of them to do so well in less «] wanted you.” than three months, This getting on & TOOK a momenty to choose my plane of common citizenship with a words. fellow man is easy—that is, with some “The C. and G. is goin ko | 2oED that eb?ufr (:cfite," 1 gntsowtc::'eg 1St‘“- W““gogw e ge:sfi"g] on: the calmly from somewhere inside me that | Plane somebody else geis tle man. 1 had never used to speak from before. | WVhat about that? 1 didn't want Mr. ! “Do you know anything of the char. | Faley, but what if Ihad? acter of Mrs, Joshua?” asked Polk ad- Yes, Henrletta is a handful, Mr. i miringly, but slipping down from his | Haley,” I answered with enthusiasm, i intellectual attitude of mind and body.| fOF even the mention of Henrletta en- "and edging an inch nearer. '“Bet she livens me, and somehow Mr. Haley's hed @ strong mind or Joshua never | 8etting in the game of “curbing” her could have pulled off that sun and | Stirred up my risibles. “But—but Sal- moon stunt.” ge] alrgady l;:: nth zoogm n;:ny pe{"’:f to “Do you know, Polk, there is one | Delp her w 0 en. ave woman in the world who could—could | been trying to—to influence Henrletta— handle you?” I said as a sudden vislon and she does not swear except ot:.'m of what Jane would do it Polk sat on | 15t exasperating occaslons now. her skirts as he did on mine fashed “The dear little child created a slight 1 @cross my troubled brain. consternation in her Sunday school ! “I'd be mighty particular as to whe class last week when they were being | handles me,” h i 1 taught the great dramatic story of Jo- “V;lant to :,.y?»e ix;s;v :;;ig t:;p l;:::e:t nah's three dnys’ incarceration in the i audacity he laid his head gently against ; Whale.: To quote her exactly, so that i my knee. I let it rest there a second | YOU Iuay see how it must have affected and: then tipped it back dgajnst the | the other children, she sald, ‘I swal- { arm of the rocker. .| lowed a live fly onct myself and I'm * “ not dern fool enough to -believe that Tt does hurt me to see a man lke. Coustn Fames fairly throttied by wom-: ‘whale keptJonah downthmdayu,aun en 83 he 18 being” I said as I looked nn‘d kicking, no matter 'who says so.’ l across the street and noted that the :h:athmtmgrehegdgg of ?: e porch of Widegables was full to over- 'a:edln 's"g retnrnr e’t:’ tnlg spe: ' flowing with the household of women, | g Sabbaths. -It was over | | “Hvelina,” .|-the matter I called on Mrs. Carruthers -nd?l:nly ‘m sg:gn:’ o'l)l; ::ehe“:ltx:? ;g -this afterncon, and 1 have never had mossback is the -finest. n'mn i this | 2 sympathies 80 stlrred. ‘We must 341 'back you. ‘But well-have ta:plet . it later on. 1 see his reverence coming:}- tripping along with a tract in his hand | Zor you, and I'll be considerate enough %0 aneak through the kitchen, get 2 hot: mufin cake that has been tantalizing: |- my nose all this time you have ‘been wentimentalizing over me and return enon when I can have you all to my- . pelf in the melting moonlight in" the small hours after all religious folk are iin bed. ‘Until then!”- And as he went back through the front hall Mr. Haley eame down the front walk. "M: dear Miss Shelby, bow fortunate 4 I am’ w flnd you alone!” he exclalmed. | The Crag- was standing by the win- dow in the half light that came, part- iy from the candles in their tdll old sliver candlesticks that ‘were Grand- mother ‘Shelby’s- and - partly from the to enlist‘that of Aunt Augusta, and I was wicked enough to iet him do it. In a small village where the inhabitants have no chance at diversions like Wag- nerian operas and collapsing skyscrap- ers I felt that I had no right to avert the ‘spectacle of Aunt Augusu’s dll- ciplining -Henrletta. 5 T'll write you all about it, Jnne, ina speclal delivery-letter.- Jasper whipped Petunia with ‘great| apparent severity. day. before yesterday, - and we have -been having the most| heavenly - waffles and broiled chicken ever stnce. A dlsmissed Jasper for do- { “I was coming in from the fields ¢ lquare table, whfla