| Show THE WAY OF THE WORLD J Two men were lounging at ease in a room blue with smoke each one p puffing p at a Perfecto and gazing into the grate The room was handsomely furnished and the men seemed not out out of place in itt it The younger who was master of the apartment was not a b bad d looking fellow fellow fellow fel fel- low might have been a bankers banker's son SOIl was certainly out of college and was wa his own master Other than this there thereas as was nothing suggestive about him But his companion was a different man elan Though th the lesser in years he heh h had d by far the advantage in appearance He was tall and slim with a smooth f face and coal black hair ne could tell at a glance that he was capable of serious and intelligent thought thought more more than that he was accustomed to it There were Vere lines in in his face and grey in his hair and friends said that Harry Howard was wasa a young man grown old too soon By the way Harry spoke up his friend I got a letter from Mansfield today y You ou remember him back at old eld eldEli Eli the gay old boy that got into so much trouble with the faculty and who Tho had the pretty sister so much like him Hes He's going to drop in next week and go gothe gothe gothe the rounds Well We'll have to show v him around handsomely for old ld times time's sake At the mention of that name Howards Howard's heart thumped like a sledge hammer but he sat rigid and stared at the lighted light light- ed end of f. f hi his cigar Indeed he knew L 1 Mansfield an field Only too well h he knew him But ut it wasn't the man it wasn't the big jolly h hot tempered classmate of his that l made his thoughts back fly six years agoto ago o ago agoto aThe b a to 10 his Alma Mater No never 1 I The evening chimes pealed out eleven en and Howard to rose depart Absently he lie slipped into his overcoat and pulled on his gloves In the doorway he turned Good night Jackson If Mansfield comes let me know The cold night air struck his face and the door closed behind him N No 0 not l Mansfield lansfield but his sister the WO woman who should have been his v wife fe He lie loved her oh God how he loved her He clenched his gloved fists The bitterest bitterest bitterest bit bit- terest hours of his life he lie had taken years to live down and now in one small moment they were hurled up again to torment him Yet he must face the world with a smile he m must st meet Mansfield her brother her perfect image her disposition disposition disposition tion over again When Howard reached his room he was in a depressed mood A delicate scented rose-scented note which lay on the table called forth only a scowl and was hurled into the fire unopened A year previous Howard vard had met at ata a ball Anabelle Johnson a woman of money and influence a spellbinder she might be called who had in her train all the young gallants of society In anevil anevil an anevil evil hour Howard had joined them then p perhaps perhaps per per- r- r haps in an attempt to apply the old remedy rem remedy rem rem- edy dy If at first you loved in vain Blot it out and love again Apparently it had succeeded But a afew afew afew few months had passed when he found himself engaged to this society belle A week later when Mansfield l had arrived arrived arrived ar ar- rived when he lie had gone the rounds of dinners luncheons and balls and after he lie had fully impressed upon pon the gayer set the fact of his existence there came cane canea a box party at the Royal Theatre Mansfield was there Jackson the host Annabelle Johnson and Howard th though his thoughts were elsewhere Mt In the last three days he had made a arr rr discovery There was a new addition to the conquests of Annabelle a most t favorable one at that As he lie sat in the 7 rear rear of the box tilted back in his his' seat he was convinced more than ever that i Mansfield ansfield had stepped into his his' place in inthe inthe the affection of this woman And he J Harry Howard had not offered a pro pro- test r l He was conscious of the last act The t. t ct curtain dropped He would have helped r 1 Anabelle get into her wraps but Mansfield Mans Mans- m M i field had preceded him Howard foli followed followed folt fol fol- i t lowed lo them to tl the e carriage How y Ho easy g f J it would be to slip away now while the company were not watching He stood r- r in the shadow and Mansfield looked jr- jr around but once i vr I 1 guess Harry has forgotten himself himself him him- T self self he said jumped into the carriage H and they whirled away M The crowd swarmed out of the theatre E r. r into the street carriages drove right and t. t left cars waited for a block away ft Where There before re there had been bee on only y the theA A few pedestrians who frequent the streets Z at 1 midnight thre thre was as suddenly a throng o g of human beings in m all stages of life in In all modes in all kinds of dress Some 4 who had never seen a play before some k rt so sq accustomed omed to it that they could not have told you what they saw r r Howard vard watched them hurry away a. a and with the few fey last lingering ones he turned down the street and went where 1 his feet lead him hint Jf i One who walks along blind in thought does not nt s see e the street lal lamps ps pass nor norr northe r- r the buildings nor the v vehicles Try it some time See how quickly the blocks follow one another and nd pedestrians edes rians g come and go go and are half existences l tp In some such a manner a as t this is Howard Howard How How- i ard and reached the c central depot With depot a start he was con confronted with the idea what under tinder heavens was wits he lie doing there there therein F Ft- Ft in miles lies from home e and at midnight l t. t Il Incredulously In III- t credulously he turned and looked back backup h. h up tip the street by y which he lie l had ad surely come but pf which l he lie had not the slightest slight slight- est cst recollection For ten blocks he lie had been thinking of Miss Mansfield of the time when he lie had met her at this very station H He wondered if he lie were ever to se see her again Great Heavens was it an apparition There she stood in the waiting room stamping impatiently about turning t ther to her valet now and then J James ames why doesn't he lie come He said at twelve and its nearly one now Ah Ali yes waiting for her b brother other Why didn't he come did she say say say-no no danger sweet Alice Mansfield your dutiful brother will not remember you Sisters can wait when there is a pretty stranger stranger stranger stran stran- ger to be entertained Yet Howard hesitated Too proud was he to force himself upon her But Miss l Alices Alice's anger arose and she turned toward the door Why you she fairly gasped and her confusion was evident If I can assist you Miss Mansfield l I am here to do it I came in here by accident perhaps a lucky one Perhaps you could tell me something of my brother I suppose you have seen him He promised to meet me here on the midnight train but not a sign of him yet Your brother Howard answered and then he hesitated Your brother is otherwise occupied as I happen to know He Ie may have forgotten you but I assure assure assure as as- sure you he lie will not come Miss Alice looked thoroughly angered Alone in a strange city at midnight with nothing but a valet and a rejected suitor for company was not the most pleasing of situations And yet she must get getaway getaway getaway away from there what else to do but accept accept accept ac ac- the situation with the best of grace grac possible Well I so pose ou you had better go go with me me then if vo you wish vish to J James get geta a cab cah and give l him im this address They will be looking for me at least Howard collected her bundles put them in her c carriage with her and they drove awa way away They had a ride of several miles before them plenty of time tine for reflections reflections re re- A a. a agreeable and otherwise For r. r the life of him he lie could not tell whether she had relented or not Oh that he lie might plead his cause caus once more That other otter woman wouldn't wouldn t bother they need l never see her lier again Mansfield l would be ber r delighted t Yet not a word passed He would not r and could not speak wl when en she would a r only have lave to listen His manhood forbade forbade forbade for for- bade it i Nearer and nearer the carriage rolled t. t and his heart sank lower The carria carri carriage Te e stopped Why hadn't he lie spoken Too Toolate Toolate late now perhaps she had only been l waiting They alighted Just ten steps more morel l and he lie would see her no more What was his agony that he could not hold on onto onto onto to those few seconds However they f slipped by the doors were opened to her herby herby herr r by bv her friends she thanked him and it itt t was as all over Howard stood on the walk trying trying- to tobe r. r be brave He looked at the spot beside him where she had just been but it was vacant Anabelle Johnson was a loathsome loathsome loathsome loath loath- some object to him now He would go jump in the river where so many had gone before him But Howard turned h his s back upon the stream the stream the wrong way for one who is seeking it He hurried home and slept Three days later the same two men sat together in the same rooms the younger as gay as ever the other well at least two weeks older Harry Im I'm a matchmaker They say that Mansfield l and Anabelle J Johnson John John- ohn- ohn son were engaged before he left There was some whisper of there being another another another an an- other fellow in the case but I guess Mansfield A scared him down remarked Johnson r And Howard smoked away in silence and arid cared not a whit about the other fellow felloe 0 Wild some p power power the giftie gie us b b l' l lo To 0 beat b eat our friends as they b beat at us |
