The Ogden standard-examiner. [volume], January 02, 1921, Image 6

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CHAPTER XVII. (Cont'd).
Vim dm Bohtmm.
j ATE though it was wheu An
I talk with Adela. he deter
mined to walk home In order to
clarify bis thought? He had been
profoundly stimulated, and a welter
or new ideas, ambitions. half-frK
mentary plans was seething in his
brain. The old life was dead It
bad received its quietus to-nlgbt.
Thero came to him the intimation,
so familiar to older people, that ex
istence Is largely a process of shed
ding of old selves and commencing
afresh with new Perhaps the wis
dom of the serpent consists In an
nually shedding his skin Dut what
to do" He felt suddenly like a Sam
Ron ready to brace himself for a
titanic effort, hut tbetc were no
columns to lay hold of. to brace
himself against, and t-o pull the old
atru' ture dow n
There are times when the vast
and opulent lty seems empty of all
scope or opportunity; when the
motive walls and towers f r.teel
and brick and stone are so much
dead, Immovable matter holding
captive nnd imprisoning the vainly
stiusgllng soul in their potent grip
of inertia and gravitation. Every
fibre in him ffll demanding new
worlds for the old. but physically
the old world was surrounding him
like some Chinese wall No; the
chief change must com '.n the soul.
Trying back on the physical plane
was sheer absurdity.
He walked along FiTty seventh
treat ihrouch the stillness of the
nigh', 'past the country' of automo
biles, in the region of lirondway,
Seventh and Sixth avenues; past
genteel apartment houses and cost
Ily dwellings into Fifth avenue, and
the myery of the nigh! that was
wont to evoke his wonder and de
light now contained some-thin:: elu
she and sinister because hl6 soul
was troubled. Adela had spoken
of ambitions What could he do?
Could he turn in his tracks and bo
eomhinp else an arilst a novel
ist a statesman T It was not
mere b taking thought that one
beccrr.e this and that. He had fol
lowed the line ot least resistance
yoaath 'but what do nine-tenths
and in. if of humanity do? Ade'a
i wottld doubtless approve of his go-
' log lack to Kittle Rapids and edit-
l. 1 1 N. , lint u-hat a 1 '.'
It only something opportuue and
fine and resplendent would turVi up
Into which he could throw himself
with all his soul and by mean of
It sc:i:c to height! But where are
those possibilities?
It was wonderful the way Adc-la
bad Jc-velor-'d From a little girl
In a country town she had become
this keen and fiery young woman,
very much at borne In New York.
beautiful, admired, fit to be some
great man's wife fit to be great
herself Whereas, he. for his part,
had positively shrunken. That was
due to the sensual Vilma experl-
Ience he reflected bitterly But It
was himself rather than Vilma he
was Mauling
Whatever happened he must cling
with all hts might to Adela In
surers We as the obstacles to a new
life seemed to biro, all things were
possible with her. In any case,
v'thnut her nothing was possible.
Win Adela! . . . That thought
In ItetU brought back I he debacle
of the Vilma episode, the pendant
. . that rlghtfullv belonged to
Adela . . . Lord. Lord' sup
posing Adela should ever hear or
And out And the brilliance of the
Fifth avenue lights pad and the
darkness of Vpace. overhead rtow
tracker at that dread reflection
So mlpht a leper feel who harbors
bis awful secret before any one else
Is yet aware of It. The horror. tha
disillusionment, the misery that
would come to her' He must plan
and think it all out very carefully.
o- nrefully. Oh. the cold impcr
aonal cruelty of life' "You kissed
me once." she had said to nipht.
"and now you are afraid to touch
my hand!" As If there were any
thing be'il rather do than kiss
Adda Hut there were good ground"
foi hi fear. Suppose, however, she
loved him enough to ignore all past
fcorti omlnga? That was the
thought he kept repeating cndlossly
io his mind as be made his prep
rations for sleeping In his creaking
hied In Twenty-third street.
Hi lmgcd and yrarned for a chance
oinhow to redeem himself in h'.s
on it is But the w orld seemed to
be largely a place for the commis
sion of errors .rather than for their
M Hon orVederopimn
: " ve-on ..f rijrli eV ..,rtv
was at hand. Clarice had aked
Anthony to brli a ai least one other
uj'ti and An'.booy had selected
Douglas Nash. Little Mrs. Nash,
in the privacy of 'her two-by-four
living room, shook her bead dubi
ously nt th thought of her son's
going to a studio party Studio
girls are not likely to be the sort
of girls that one's son could think
of marrying if that son were des
tined well not to marry money,
precisely, but to go where money
was
But Douglas was restive. He had
begun of late to rebel against hi!
pretty little mother's stern decrees,
more rigorous thati ti e mandate of
Fate.
"I notice." he growled, "none of
our idle rich ao-CUlM frlend
me very often 1 think a fellow
ought to see something of people of
his own age."
"But a studio." protested his
mother. "Oirls in studios in Eighth
avenue are certain to bo poor.
Listen, Dougsle, darling' I've lived
onlv for you You mus' marry well.
Your chance will come Only, my
dear, don't do nnything foolish!"
"Going to a party doesn't neces
sarily mean marriage or elopement
or what not. You treat me as
though I were an imbecile, mother."
The little woman to whom her
own particular point of view was
as real as arc the highest ideals to
1 lie hero or the salut, gazed at him
in silence for a moment and then,
with her hands on his shoulders,
said.
"No. dear; only you mean so
much to me. But I know you un
derstand how l feel, so you'd bet
ter go. But don't be influenced by
Anthony West. To tell you tho
truth. I am disappointed In that
young man I thought he had a lot
of sense. But mark my words.
Dougsie, he'll make a foolish mar
riage I can feel it. He's beeu
very queer lately. Oh. don't laugh.
I can tell the earmarks."
But her eon did laugh
"You've got marriage on tho
brain, mother"
"Haven't I. though' " she laughed
in her turn. "But you see it's so
important " Almost she had told
him what a fatal mistake had been
hers in marrying hi father
"But It's aii right, dear. As long
as you understand, go and have as
good a time or you can."
Arirt n Anthony hroneht Iior.cl&a
to the party.
Just as every emotion carrlei its
opposite latent In its bosom, sor
row reminding that there Is Joy in
the world and gayety heaving the
obverse of sadness, so childhood,
with Inno ence as Its portion and
lonk years before it. already sag
gests the cares and the fleeting
qualit of life. That la why we are
always touched by the vision of
children at play.
Clarice Vlt ;i cood dial of a phi
losopher in her way She had un
derlying Ideas for everything she
did, though she seldom look the
trouble to lay them bare. She de
sired to give a children's party be
cause she thought it might be
"amusing'" But behind her calm
forehead there was considerably
more than was coutaiued in that
overworked wor.d
It was not a large party Includ
ing herself and Adela thero were
only some ten or twelve people In
the room Mostly the were young
nun and girls from the League
classes, shrewdly nicked. by Clarice,
since youth is ordinarily too seri
ous for a frolic.
The cirls had shortened their
frocks somewhat, prepared pina
fores, some of them, and all had
theis hair down, some in pigtails,
some merely with bowo or a single
comb holding it back from the for"
head Some of the young men
were In knickerbockers, and one
pudgy young artist, named Robin
on. seemed as though he would
burt from bis at any moment; An
thony and Doujclas. however, and
one or two others conceded no far
ther than to wear Eton collars
There was a tahle full of toy
favors in the corner of the studio
little chicks and fuziy beasts, kit
ten... dogs, pigs. Behind tho casement-cloth
curtain in the culinary
regions there were such orthodox
goodies as tee cream and chocolate
cake and lemonrde as well as
more potmt refreshments. An old
lady of some eighty Summers a
inlnia'ure painter who dwelt in the
"Rubens." had been Invited bv
Clarice as "honorars" cbaperone.
Old Mr Beeman was deaf, with a
length of speaking troumpct curved
about her neck, and she did not ex
pect much attention henelf Yet
she lured youth and was an Ideal
chaperon, whose joy was In ap
proval. The stiffness incidental to a con
scious effort to be young soon wore
off. and thanks to the spirit of
youth that really animated Clarice
and to the high spirits of Adela, de
termined that her friend's party
must be a success, they were soon
all laughing and chatting and danc
ing and flirting and playing tho
game- of childhood with increasing
abandon.
There was The Farmer In tho Dell
who took a wife; there was London
Bridge that wofl falling down with
its suggestion of calamity; there
were tho Stage. Coach and the lay
of poor, pathetic Sally Waters.
Douglas Nash seemed to develop
with a mushroom-like growth In
that warm atmosphere to a positive
frenzy of childishness. It was as
thougit, the long contemplation of a
rich marriage forever forced upon
him by his mother demanded a
fierce reaction' of reckless gayety.
For pome reason he and Clarice
"In the path approaching them was a young woman with a
perambulator. Anthony's glance no sooner lighted on
the picture than he recognized Grace Thomas."
seemed peculiarly drawn to one an
other to understand each other.
In Douglas, too, there was some
thing youthful and ehild-loviuK. lie
and Clarice were soon whispering
together about the next move in
the ceremonies, about shifting ot
furniture for the charades, about
distributiou of refreshments. And
whe n Clarice was poor Sally Waters
titling in the tun. waitiDe and vault
ing for some one to come and
when duly advised to wipe her eyea
and look east and west for the one
she loved best, it was Douglas that
she chose.
In Anthony, however those hours
wcro working a magical transfor
mation. Tiy as he might at first
he could not throw hlmfe'.f into the
atmosphere ot childhood. But as ho
looked upon Adela, with her brown
braids, her flushed face and flashing
eyes sue was tne long-legged Aaeia
of hts boyhood again, of the time
when life stretched away to t r
nity. to greatness the land of
Cockayne, when all things were fair
and all things possible. Possible!
Something cried out in his heart,
"If only she had been with me!"
He learned then the hlghlv Impor
tant lesson that in this world, if
we have not overweening confi
dence In ourself. we must infallibly
have the faith of another In orar
to triumph.
Adela was that otht-r
All his doubts and considerations
of the pat Indeed, all the past
were wiped out on that evening
There was a kind of cruelty almost
tii hts eudden brusque disregard of
things that before this had troubled
him and that he had been weighing
o carefully, lie no long. r asked
himself what would happen if Adi la
knew if he found out about Vil
ma. That w4 a part of the hazard
tQ Ulo. Uttnitiiui i
and the sorrow of life. He was
even prepnred to bell her If need
were. There was something greater
In life than shame or sin or con
cealment. He only knew that he
must again have Adela intimately
sharing his life, absorbed in him.
loving him. suuainlng and support
ing him with her faith, as he must
surround her with his love.
Earlier in the evening he had
been jcalou because the pudcy art
student, Robinson, had embraced
Adela in a kissing game. But now
as be looked at the sbort-frocked
Adela win he aura of light and
Infinitude haloed about her beauti
ful head, he was jealous of all the
world yet contemptuous of all tho
world. Robinson's tfiss it was rub
bish! It was all rubbish they
were children manikins. An im
perious passion for Adela was now
blazing In his heart to the point of
pain. And how he rojolced In the
pain! For selfish though all love
Is in its essence, his w as not wholly
selfish. He looked upon her now
with a new tendernrs so upright
and flamclike she moved, and yet
so alone! He found himself in a
fever of impatience to have her to
himself.
And despite all her preoccupa
tions Clarice found time to watcb
and observe Anthony, and. a smile
of satisfaction was playing about
her lips. She noted that Anthony
w as in a torment v hot her of im
patience or Jealousy or love she
knew not. But he was In a tormeM
and that was agreeable to her.
With the recklessness of eighty,
old Mrs. Beeman and her speaking
trumpet stayed until past one
o'clock, beaming a friendly, moon
like smile upon the young people
She felt that together with her
young hostess she must bow them
all out and say pretty things to
them. She did not evert offer them
the mouthpiece of bar trumpet as
they murmured their adleux to her
With the confidence of the warm
heart she knew that whatever tbey
were say 10; It was something plea
ant. When nearly all had gone,
however when only Douglas and
Anthony remained she tendered
her trumpet to Clarl e and mur
mur. -1
"What a beautiful party, my
dear' Such lovely young people,
all of you and all artists! It made
me feel a happy, care-free child
again!"
Clarice made no u.e of the trum
pet. She only kissed the old lady
And Adela came and kissed the
other cheek Anthony was mov-d
as be noted the picture. Adala,
'eacar Scrrlct, lac, ' ' Snt
with her youth and eagernes.; and
life before her. stood contrasted
against this frail, aged, white
' tinned woman, who seemed Le
yond : orrow. beyond sood or evil
a disembodied spirit almost, and yet
i : d ifn inc bet influence
on the marching generations, still
glowing, however foebly. with her
!ove and her kindness The history
of tho race was there A wonder
ful creature was woman- God s
priestess on earth! Her credentials
were the instincts lodged in her
soul.
"Come," said Clarice to the two
ounK men. "Who will come with
mo to escort Mrs. Beeman to her
apartments? The elevator has been
dead hours and it's three flights.
You, Mr. Douglas Nash." she added
abruptly, without giving either of
them a thanco to reply, but her
V
tone was casual, as though her eye
had lighted upon him accidentally.
With subdued laughter and whis
perings lest they should disturb the
other tenants that odd trio slipped
out into the hall
Anthony and Adela were left
alone in tho littered studio. She
smiled brightly.
"What a jolly party." she said.
Anthony moved toward her and
6tood before her. His face showed
her that he was at that moment
living on another plane and she
suddenly looked grave.
"Adela." he said. "Adela I love
yon. You're all the world to me "
His lips Were adding mechanically,
"Can you forgive me and forget
everything" but he broke off
abruptly and threw his arms about
her. straining b tr to bis quickly
beating heart
"1 love oii, d.Ilng aud oh, how
l need you' Can you love me,
Addie?"
He remembered no reply, but ha
awoke to the fact that her lips
were on his they w ere one united
And he knew that nothing of the
past mattered in the least. For he
had never truly lover! before and
never could love again as he now
loved this vivid, warm, beautiful
clil in his arms
Adda's eyes were wet with tears.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Speculation.
OCTOBER, our brilliant Octo
ber that makej up with Its
geniality for the somberness
of May. found Adela and Anthony
in Now York again after their en
forced Summer separation
Adela had lingered on after the
closing of the term at the League
and It was not until July that she
had gone home to her mother. She
had urged Anthony to come out on
.i visit that Summer but she re
alized 'bat it was of no use press
ing him His mind was a battle
pround of desires and Inclinations
He longed to be with Adela. but
rely working within him were
urtaln other restless cravings and
deal res.
For one thing, he had not defl-ri'-ly
talked of marriage as yet.
and he must work out plans, so that
hy the time she returned he might
hare some definite programme to
propose to her. Here was his field
and here he must survey and weigh
the conditions and realize exactly
his position and standing If he were
to assume so precious a responsi
bility as the care of Adela. In Lit
tle Rapids there was but on way.
To his then state of mind, to jeitla
with Adela at Little Rapids to a
small livelihood spelled dismal
failure.
He kept seeking, moreover, for
an opportunity of doing something
significant and arresting, something
worth while, that could not only
win Adela's approval, but that
"would also help him to wipe out
memories of past weakness and
foolishness, something that would
Increase his stature and esteem In
bis own eyes that would enable
him to present himself as a better
and hicer man to Adela when next
she saw him. Not a day passed
that he did not secretly hope for
some turn of events, some such for
tunate occasion. And it was that
trend of his thoughts that sent him
that Summer to the Plattsburg
training camp Somehow that
sharp though brief military disci
pline cave him a sense of keener
manhood, of a cleaner, most straight
forward gaze between the eyes of
life In general.
"What a lovely thing that was to
do!" exclaimed Adela with shining
eyes when she saw him And. In
deed, some subtle change had come
to him with that Plattsburg train
ing. His bearlnr had been affected;
a greater serenity and yet a greater
alertness, too. were in his eyes. She
did not like to tell him that It made
him look more manly, but that was
what she thought. She quite for
gave him for not coming home and
ho in turn felt aniolv renaid for his
strenuous thirty days by the expres
sion in her eyes.
Anthony will always remember
those October days in New York.
There arc no delectable mountains
or any grand aspects of nature, but
even our northern sun of the In
dian Summer is infinitely dement
to all humanity and in especial to
happy lovers. Often thereafter he
saw with pangs of inexpressible
yearning the picture of Adela, with
her lithe, upright young figure, the
soft coloring in her cheeks and the
sparkle iD her limpid, candid eyes
responding to the wine in the air.
Sunday mornings were her chosen
hours for walking in that least
spoiled of the city's pleasauncs,
the Bronx Park- hours before it is
invaded by the crowds.
The elastic quality of the turf,
the verdure and the boeace. the
mysteriously shaded by paths and
alleys, the very rustle of the leaves
already falling will remain forever
In his memory And why was the
haunting note of melancholy pres
ent in all this beauty? He was
happy, supreme! happy, with
Adela beside him. But it Is In the
very nature of the Autumnal land
si ape. In its deciduous quality, In
the foreboding sense of changes
impending, that it brings to the
spirit the reminder of imperma
nence. All of nature, the sunlight
and the grass, the leave? and tho
tate-Diooming no wars, seem to tap
you on the shoulder gently, ever so
gently, to advise you to enjoy while
you may. Nothing is lasting or
permanent, they seem to tell you.
jiothlng of this will survive the chill
of blasts, to come; all w ill perish
enjoy while you may. Precious is
the day and thrice precious the per
fect hour. Be not so foolish as to
scorn it and count upon another
"Oh. Anthony." Adela cried on
one such Sunday morning, "this Is
heavenly It's heaven!" It is nota
ble that the woman, whose soul Is
more intuitive and closer to na
ture's harmony. Is alwa; s more
spontaneously responsive to it.
"What about the broad sweep of
your prairies now?" he answered
Adela was always extolling the deep ;
and Incomparable beauty of the roll- ,
!ng prairies No city dweller In the
overcrowded East, she declared. i
could fathom their beauty
"Never mind the prairies," was ,
her reply "They are very well in j
their place. But this Is hers and ,
now; don't you see. dear, that It's
perfect""' And she slipped her j
hand Into bis arm and pressed it i
in an ecstasy of pure enjoyment.
"Ob. It s perfatt. all right." bo
assured her. "Don t think that I j
miss it But I want it to be always a
perfect like this. I'd like to fix it
by decree as ofll.-lal and permanent,
not- to be altered until further no! ,
Ice " '
"Greedy greedy." murmured
Adela. looking into his eyes. "En
Joy It now. child W!,v worry about "
the future?'
Anthony's was remote and
tar away. He could not define his
emotion to her But It was the dim .
consciousness that nothinr stana.
tm or abide, that trebled "m C
"k Ta'1 nameless regret. 3
1 don t know." he said "BiTtin
an hour l.ke this i wl.h e 1
way, been together jU,t r, we L
now. nes-r separated. aever JgJ
ing the same sky, the same air 1 M.i'
Just drinking this in to our lost ig
moment on earth ' f
"Darling!" whispered Adela, .)
squeezing his arm "I know I I '1(
know." And yet he was dimly 1 f
aware that she could never know
vvh.T he fe' jnd the thought of the : p
eternal separation that lies hetween -any
two souls, now loving soever,
brought, a tinge of pnln into his ,
happiness. j W"
In the path approaching them on I 5
this same lovely morning, perhaps
seventy yards away, was a young '
woman with a perambulator. An-
thony's glance no sooner lighted on
the picture that he recognized Craco '
Thomas. Hie first Impulse was to
explain her quickly to Adela and
introduce them to each other He ''
knew both these young w omen wr
enoush now, he thought to ab
ruptly he wheeled about.
"What's the matter?" inquired
Adela curiously, glancing m her
turn at the only other o cupant of
tho path.
"Oh, I don't know nothing," j 1
stammered Anthony. "I want to
go back retrace our steps and en
Joy this all over again '
They walked back, rather more i I
briskly than before, Adela noted. I M
not with the same litKcrinz d, light Ijfl
in the surroundings. Then SUQ". I f3S
denly Anthony sheered off acro j Hfif
the driveway to a wholly different
portion of the park.
"Where are we going?" Adela I I
asked with languid curiosity
"There is a brook over there.H J I
he told her. "near the old Lorillard I
House, that would" be pleasant to 1
"You always want something 1
n?w," she smiled. I
"Don't you1" he parried. I
"No," she declared. "I am con j I
tent "
"If I could only be content," he I
:r"k.' re Me, tr ,.)V i,a.f to !rnl , ir 1 m
"but I can't Nature means evolu- jl
tion. The world would rot in - on- 1 W
tentment."
They were approaching the green J 1
bank of the brook, overgrown with I
M'.-i '. .i hitle w mr I,-.
preserved to appear in its original 1 V"
state. J11 We
"If this spot.' he observed, "forjl?0
all lt3 wilderness, were not trimmed I f
and tended we couldn't sit here. It 1 jTJ'
would be a little jungle."
"I -Of Hie analog." ui u i il u: d
Adela. choosing a dry ?ra..sy pot f"
and arranging her skirt to sit r
am wnai can we do m,,., .;Mn
we are doing?" she L-.,,:,.,j ,., ,.0 J'1.
yes as he stood o .er hci " ou C. j?
are working at the work you've CT
chosen. I am trying to learu o
c.'.rr V. , . ;. ,, ,, .,, r I-.' I
be doing? r"'i.lj
He sal d iwn to the I , r L''
and half facing WU3 Ka1 of jB
this, because that was a view of :iu
face that she particularly liked. Cm'1'
!...,!. i nT'iUT
"Oh, you are doing v II?
-' ' 1 ' "npl, r nv- UJ-!
Way, yours seems to be a v. hole
somer. sweeter nature Youul-a-s W' U
to be going the right wa -and EH'1
-int .he right thing L
"But it's not so easy for a man" SH
"Why not?" she luc , aisH
mi: il vjmc blades of grass I.
"Why? For one thing, became "K?'
I have no special, overwhelming jH
talent to drive me in one dire, tion. 1
with only one set of problems. I L.
have an ordinary college educate.
fhat is supposed to prepar . .'or C
anything. M really rr,,,: vou
for nothing I ' a i,
' Paper wor; -vrfJ llJllN
Jttfrnawapaparmen-bu. njat fcr!1
hold me. I wanted to make .ome Ep
"oney a little faster. Now I m in J
he brokerage buslnc-v l- , ,.te K
am a fair broker. Hut. vou see. ITM
?r. J may be years before I cm sE?
I e the girl I want to ma.r. Hii
'nd of a home she ough' t0 have- - lJJ U
a . . don"' wan' KThei
: ,h' sin doe . liap en t0 T7iv
' broking" and he stroked her wy
nd tenderly. -,n(1 ,-m not sure , W?
,ke J rnrsrif -
Ml; a- words pi v j?JNl
'ytJlly she c2plurH.j nij h-nd "fi
nd gripped it tight Si'i
"But Anthony, dear." ,ho cried.!
-I That is ,o do. I
eTer mind h.t 1 like but 91
head and do It. if you like lt, I SJJeJ,
Anthony e:ari, . ,, , 4 1?
" MMd hcr on th0 llpi TjHk.
Uu sr.e. darlin;. n, murmured,
rr a girl iik you oae wou,d wUtM J1,
J be anything from coal-heave.-
driver" Adela laughed soft- J1
'Hni !.J fnkr HKht in her eye, j aTW
eT , Id l0Te see you drift I jj iJs
mel, Antbonv- IVJI
I
Continue M Vxi Fagc XS
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