| OCR Text |
Show I H His Eyes Opened When Natalie Hnll niurrli il Clurke Dexter tho peor who prophesied that aba would not be happy wero so very much In th rilnurlty thai no one paid heed to "V"'- "Dtxter't opklon of himself will hive to be whittled down several Inohca before lull tnnke any woman's llfo what It out'M to be," one man had laid. But every one knew that the apeakor would llndly have stood In Dexter't shoes, lo be did not count. Nevertheless. ol many months bad passed before a ramio uncertainly began be-gan to grow In tho i.eart of Natalia Dexter, which, bid the minority known It, would have ciiiai-d them to exclaim complacently, "I told jrnu so!" Aa to Deiier, while atlll very much In love with hla wife, he frankly admitted ad-mitted to himself thst a woman of more penetration. In other words, one more keenly alive to the rare Intellectual Intellect-ual qualities of Clarke Lietter, attorney at-torney at law, DlrUt have proved a more rongenlal cenipsDion. It was a warm lay la enrly summer. After a bard five hours In court Dexter Dex-ter ascended the steps of the pretty suburban villa wfalch be called homo somewhat before bis uiual time. With Die Jangle of ths dui still un hla nervea ha dropped Into a low chair on the plana. Presently his own tiaao reached him as throui.b a bat. Iieitnr opened hit eyes lastly, realising Hint for a moment mo-ment be bad besn tsrisedly unconscious. uncon-scious. ) "But surely, dear, you and Clarke are vory happy?" ii)- The repealed iir-stlon, coming through an opes wltilow where the air softly stirred tome light draperies, pricked him Into complete wakefulness. wakeful-ness. An aunt of bit wife, wbo bad been to her aa a mother, wai visiting them, Dexter recognised her voice. He found himself listening Intently for tha reply. It citno gradually. "If you mean do we gel on. Aunt Orace, 1 auppose we do, as well at nlne tentl.s of tha people we know, peril a pa." "But, my dear, that la different from the married life I hid bopod for you." "It la different from the married life I bad hoped for niyielf." Dexter sat up. too annoyed to reallxe that be was listening ta a conversation conversa-tion not meant for bla eara. "The fact Is " Natttlle Poller paused. "What, dear?" "It seems abominable to say, but you are the only mother I have ever known. There would be a greater chance of happiness (or Clurke and me If It something occurred to disillusionise disil-lusionise him a Utile with bla own attainments." at-tainments." Had Clarke Dexter walked against a atone wall on a clear day he would not have ao surprised as he waa by theso worda In bis wife's voice. "Bui. my dear. CUrke haa atiroly tome right lo feel cumoUicrnt wllh hit attainments. Not rH . and fast Iflfef&s Found himself listening Intensely for tht reply, climbing to the tup of tho tree in hit profession." Dextor blessed Mian Hull In bit heart. "Don't I kunw that. Auntie? In tht boors that I have sat anil thought It all out I havu c- t to thli opinion that all his life long everytblng, oven hit wife, has como lo Clarke too eattlly. It must bare been so at school and coIIito. Ills grap of a thing Is 0 Immediate and absoluto that It e - K makes him Intolerant with what ht consider the stupidity of others, es penally wllh mine." "Yours?" Miss Hall's voice bristled wllh Indignation. "Yes, mine. The one fact which Clarko tloce not acorn lo bavo mastered master-ed la that a woman'a mind mty he as keen as a man's and yet remain feminine. "Yesterday." ahe went on, "he at ood nnd watched mo when I took up this nn VMfl 3tTAV l l'jV'f mm "Tht Improvement," ht tald alowly, "It tht result of an unprofessional - opinion." embroidery. It putxled and almost Irritated Ir-ritated him that I could be Interested In what waa to him ao trivial. When he turned away the very angle of hla shoulders said as . plalniv a word! that the mind which could hud absorption absorp-tion In a bundle of colored alike and a plore of flue linen must be a email affair." A alow red mounted painfully to tha clean shaven face of tbe man on the plana. "Do you know what It brought to my mind. Aunt (trace?" "No, dear." Miss Hall's volco waa dull with distress. "One of your days 'at home' In Washington. When most of the people peo-ple had gone Judge Doane dropped In for hla usual cup of tea. I was finishing a tea-cloth for your birthday and he came and atood beside me. Presently he aald 'I wonder If a woman'a bands ever kMik so charming aa when they are occupied wltb needlework.' And when you told him that I had arranged the orchlda on t tnble and copied them wltb my noodle he cfclalmod, 'Why, child, you are an artist! That II literal lit-eral needle painting.'" Clarke Dexter'a eyes, which a tew hours buforo bad scintillated wltb tba Joy of laying skilfully concealed traps (or tho feet of an unwary witness, stared before him In blauk amate-luont. amate-luont. Jtldgo Doane! Only Unit morning lie nan rem in reserve a unc-men, the great Justice and played It aa his trump card. And this man had found time to admire hla wifea bands aud be Interested lu ber dalu'v work. When ahe apoke again ber tone was ao hurt that Dexter felt something clutch st his beurt. "I don't think Clarke would believe that I could originate anything even a dealgn (or fancy work and the worm of It Is that I am fast descending descend-ing to the level of his opinion." The unhapplness In hr volte had been like a stream restrained at first, but gaining such force from the trlbu-srlos trlbu-srlos of thought that the weak barriers bar-riers of cautlou were swept away. Her next words revealed Its true depth and current appalllnKly to the man who had taken bur young llfo In-to In-to bin keeping. He could have knelt In contrition and kissed the hem of her pretty gown. "I ahull not offer this cloth to tbe church after' all," sho said firmly. "I havu Mb bed so manv hitter disillusions disillu-sions with life Into It, that It would 1 be sacrilege. There aro placet I cannot can-not bear to look at. (or every thread was a protect against Ood." "What was that?'' Miss Hall looked up at a sound on the piazza. Natalie Dexter went to the window and drew asldo the curtain. Romeone was disappearing around tbe corner of the house, but her vision wai too blurred to distinguish who It was. It wai almost a year later, Winter Win-ter seemed to bavt Hepped back tad e 1 tnken the reluctant earth In a last ehrace. It fore a blazing log Ore In the 11 lirnry Iiextcr and his wife lat. Indula) Ing In one of their many witty dl riisslons, which were as tho ttrlkln of flint anil steel. More tbsn once he had risen and ; j pneed Iho floor, wllh hands thrust deel r Into his pockets, when hit wlfe'a keeg , wit and woman's Instinct met nd baf I ' fled him. V "Come.'' be said, holding out on i hand to her, "I don't admit that I'm ; beaten by any means, but I know on thing I'm ravenous. I.ot'e go and ' aee If we can't find something cold In '' the larder." J Nntnlln Dexter rose and laid her i hands on her husband's shoulders, t The eyes which looked Into his were ? eo caressing that ho went toward her, hut she held him hack. "Clarke." she snld slowly, "there' something I wnnt bt ask you .... r' ' You bnve grown so Immensely In the past yenr, there la not a trace of the ( tht you will forgive me, dear! Utile touch of Intolerances of egotism which" t Dexter took the glowing face be- tween his hande and paused to klat ' ? the halting lips. ' "The Improvement," he snld slowly, I "Is the result of an unprofessional t opinion." M. l-oiilso Cummins, In Dot ton (lli'be. I |
