Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 34, Number 313, 18 September 1909 — Page 6

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HAT c" you think! Portia's coming at last! I announced. 1 bad just returned from the post-office. "Is that so?" Papa inquired, with goodnatured satire. "Yes; she'll be here-on Friday, if it's convenient for ,you, Mama." "Yes, dear, perfectly convenient," Mama agreed cor- ' dially. " I'm so glad she is coming. I have always liked her for her kindness to you at Bar Harbor the summer Aunt Mary was so ill." , "You'll like her still more when you see her," I said. " She is the dearest thing ! She had an immense social success, too the most beautiful gowns and the greatest string of admirers now, Papa, you needn't laugh I It was all the nicer of her to take me out driving and to come and sit with Aunt Mary when everyone was running after, her." "I am only afraid it will be dull for her here, Mama went on, " for we have positively no society, you know." "Oh, she won't mind that! She loves to read and take long walks. She's very intellectual and has lots of resources. That summer at Bar Harbor she was reading on sociology, I remember, and she and Dr. Poponoff, that young Russian refugee who was so lionized, used to have great discussions and take long walks together. Of course, they had a great deal in common, but still, I'm sure she will enjoy being here." , ,. , . "Ask the students to tea," Papa suggested, lighting his pipe we were out on the , porch and settling his weight in his arm-chair. He weighs over two hundred. " Oh, I'm afraid that wouldn't do at all ! " I cried, then stopped with a beating heart, on the very verge of revealing the awful secret which Portia had confided in her letter in my hand. "Won't do?" Papa inquired, in mock surprise. "What's the matter with the girl? Don't all women adore a, parson?" ... I ought to have said in the beginning that we live just half-way between the Fort and the Theological Seminary "Twixt Scylla and Charybdis," Papa says, "for a man with a daughter." Consequently, we do see a good deal of the students at the Seminary, who hold services at the Cross Roads near us, and take tea and make calls all around the neighborhood. You see, they have to practice making parish calls. To be quite frank, I don't care much for clergymen, outside of the pulpit I mean young ones--and I have always admired soldiers immensely, at a distance, for I never knew a single one till Portia came. That's just the way things go ! . . , But to return to Portia's letter and the paragraph which made me so uncomfortable : "I think I owe it to our friendship, Constance, she wrote, "to tell you that my religious views have changed greatly in the past two years. Frankly, I am agnostic on all questions of that nature' There 1 . , , , : And think of all those students! And of Mama the Staunchest of churchwomenl . I felt like a criminal all the time she was planning so kindly for Portia's pleasure, and as soon as she went into the house I explained matters to Papa. "Papa!" I said, hurriedly, "I didn't want to mention it before Mama, because it would just worry her, and, besides, I was afraid it might prejudice her against 1 itia. Then, there are the students! If she should get into any argument with them, it would be dreadful! You know how Mama would feel ! Don't you remember the time Dr. Barton quoted Huxley to that Mr. Austin who used to be at the Seminary? It was one evening when they were here at tea." Papa exploded with laughter. . .. "Yes! Young Barton!" he repeated, still shaking. "He and Austin came near tearing each other to bits, didn't they? It would have taken a Solomon to decide who got the better of the other in that argument Between you and me, girl, I hadn't heard so much fool talk in years and I've heard a lot in my time. Papa is a lawyer and has a great, though generally good-humored, contempt for illogical minds. 44 But what's all this got to do with your friend Portia?" he inquired, taking his pipe from his mouth. " 6tick to business and let's get to the bottom of this thing " "Why, Portia has just written me that she has become an agnostic! And there are all the students, as I say almost the only men she will meet I Of course, with her views, you can easily see how disagreeable it will be for her." . , Papa laughed long and loud. Tnen 44 Even Marvin? " he said. 44 Such a good-looking chap as Marvin? Too bad! Too bad! Then he laugnea again. ,... niA ia Ml Portia?1 'How old is Miss Portia? he asked. " Had the measles ? ,f he went on, " and the whoopingcough?" , , Of course I saw what he meant. , . . " Oh ! " I said, a little bit offended. 44 It's quite serious, I assure you. Portia is very intellectual. She stood way up in her class, especially in philosophy. Shes really a profound thinker." "Well, said Papa, with a sober face. "I'd have the students to tea. Don't tell your mother about your friend's incendiary views. Ill keep the peace. 44 Papa ! " I pleaded, 44 now you will ; won t you? You know you just egged on Mr. Austin and Dr. Barton egg any mortal on?" he said, in an injured tone. i Then he kissed me. . .. .. , 'No,'-.no, little girl," he said, in his kindest voice, "have a happy time. The old man likes his little joke that's all ut hell restrain himself." nviii i v..-. - r- - When Portia came, she was more bewildering than ever. She is just a tearing beauty; tall and lithe, with the sweetest, softest black eyes, masses of auburn hair and a complexion like rose-leaves. , . And just as dear and sweet as ever! Mama fell m love with her at first sight Well, things went beautifully. At the table nobody mentioned a person worse than Matthew Arnold. That was Papa. My heart was in my mouth for a minute, though what he said was only something about Arnold's feeling for beauty in worship, and they all began forthwith to talk ecclesiastical architecture. Portia nad read quite a lot about it, and she and Mr. Henley grew really very friendly about altars and even over candles and vestments. I suppose I must have had an anxious expression, for Papa gave me such a droll smile and wink after he had launched this conversational bomb that I nearly lost my gravity. When the students finally said good-night, I saw Mr. Marvin glance rather sharply at a spray of roses m Portia's girdle crimson ramblers. I had seen Mr. Henley break them off and give them to her, and I think Mr. Marvin had, too, though he hadn't seemed to pay much attention to her, he and Papa having been deep in one cd their usual discussions. As be went out at the gate, he called back: "Oh, Major ! I've found the very bull-pup you want I " Papa had been looking for a watch-dog. 44 That so?" "Yes, sir. IH bring him over the first chance I have. YouH like his name." "That so? What is it ?" "Huxley!" Mr. Marvin cr.lled back, w;ih a laugh. "He's such a jjlucky fighter I "

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I thought Portia might have been annoyed by that one, but she looked quite serene. It was at breakfast a day or two later that Mama said : "Constance, why don't you take Portia for a drive this morning while it is cool ? " Accordingly, we took our buggy and gentle old horse and started. "The Fort or the Seminary?" I asked, as a matter of course. "Oh, the Fort," said Portia. "The Seminary has announced its intention of coming to us this evening, you know." I don't mind saying I was glad she chose the Fort, for I do dearly love to see soldiers. I had always wished we knew some one at the Fort, but we didn't The only glimpse we ever had of its garrison was an occasional squad of men, or an officer riding along the roads near us. So we went plodding and creaking along the bad roads till we struck the government highway leading into the reservation, and then we trotted along quite briskly. The sentinel we passed at the entrance saluted an officer just in front of us. At the sound of our wheels he drew aside he was on foot and when he raised his eyes to us I saw it was the same captain that Papa and I had met twice before. He saluted and then stood stock still looking after us. Portia always attracts so much attention, and she was looking so beautiful that morning in her white linen. I was glad I had on my blue one, as things turned out, for we hadn't driven far when a woman's voice called out : " Why, Portia Dalrymple! You don't mean that that's you!" And a pleasant-looking young woman ran down the steps of one of the pretty cottages -jt the officers' quarters. I stopped the horse, and Portia and the lady embraced. 44 How on earth " the lady began.

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AND TEA AFTERWARD AT .CAPTAIN KENT'S v "Why, I hadn't an idea you were stationed here!" ' Portia chimed in. " Only since last spring ! " her friend explained. "And where are you?" "I'm stopping with my dear friend, Miss Wheaton. This is Mrs. Seymour, Constance," Mrs. Seymour greeted me very kindly. "How jolly!" she cried. "And you live near here, Miss Wheaton?" " About two miles away." "Oh, then you must stop to luncheon," she cried. t " The Colonel will be off duty then. Oh, you positively ' must!" Portia looked at me. "I wish we could," I replied, longingly, "but I'm afraid Mama might worry." "Well, come in for a little while, anyway, and cool off." At that moment the aforesaid captain came in view, marching in at the gate and up the steps. " Is Colonel Seymour in ? " he asked, with a preoccupied expression. "Why, no, Tom," our hostess replied, looking a bit puzzled. "He's at the stables. It you hurry, you'll catch him there." The Captain hesitated. " Do you expect him soon? " he asked. ' " Not till luncheon-time." "Oh!" He turned to go, then faced about again and said : " If I won't disturb you, I'll stop and wait a bit He might come in, you know." "Of course, stop," she said, cordially, "and stay for luncheon." Meantime, Mrs. Seymour was saying: " Miss Dalrymple, let me present Captain Kent And Miss Wheaton, Captain Kent k This is 4 Cousin Tom, you know, Portia." " Oh, yes," smiled Portpdously. " I have heard a great deal about Captain Kent from Agnes and from the newspapers, too." He looked rather annoyed aa&ctve the sort of embarrassed growl which seems tA-.tw the usual response of a modest man to a compliment from a woman I mean before other people, of coarse. Our hostess came to the rescue : "thought you were going into the char for the day? " o o

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' I was going," he replied, drawing up a chair, 44 but I

couldn't get off." ' "Oh! You're not on duty?" "No!" he replied, reddening through his tan, "but something happened to detain me." " Portia, of course ! " I thought, but after a moment, for some reason, I didn't find the idea so amusing. I thought I was used to her having all the admiration I'm of a very ordinary type, myself, rather fair, with not much color, blue eyes and a good deal of brown hair but still Captain Kent was really very nice to me. His eyes didn't wander toward Portia once while he was talking to me ; and I can tell you an ordinary girl appreciates that when in the presence of a beauty. Portia and Mrs. Seymour were now chattering away at a great rate, exchanging their news of two or three years. 44 I've been trying to persuade Miss Wheaton and Portia to stop to luncheon," the latter interrupted herself to say to the Captain. " Can't you stay ? " he appealed to me. 44 1 should love to," I said, truthfully, 44 but I'm afraid Mama might worry. She's always so afraid of the horse running away." He turned his eyes upon our 44 fix," as the native Virginians say, with old Champion peacefully cropping a stray tuft of grass. " That's too bad," he commented seriously. " He looks quite safe." The Captain's face did not relax a line till I laughed. "He's a real lady's horse," I said, "but Mama is nervous about horses, so, of course, I'm careful not to worry her." " Of course," he assented, heartily, " in that case, you'd better just write her a line, and I'll send my orderly over with it at once." 44 Oh, that would be troubling you too much." QUARTERS, WITH A DOZEN OFFICERS AND BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED " Not a bit ! "fhc protested, eagerly. " Here take one of my cards." He produced his card-case and a pencil and I wrote, "Dear Mama!" " Tell her you won't be home till late," he said, in a tone of easy command, which, somehow, wasn't offensive. " So you'll have no excuse to worry about her worrying. You want to see inspection, you know, and the whole thing, while you're about it" So I wrote what he told me. I don't just remember the words now, though I have the card put away. x Well, we did have '"perfectly glorious time! What with the luncheon at the Seymours' the Colonel was very jolly inspection, and tea afterward at Captain Kent's quarters, with a dozen officers and beautifully dressed girls, and Mrs. Seymour to chaperone I felt awfully plain then in my blue linen. It was long after our dinner-time when we started home. Captain Keift professed to be a little worried himself, then, and insisted on riding over with us. He said there were a great many shadows at that time in the evening, very upsetting to the nerves of a spirited animal, and that he never could forgive himself if, after he had detained us, Champion should take fright at one of them and run away. So we started home in a very gay mood, poor old Champion the only serious member of the party. Portia hardly paid any attention to anybody. She played with the bull-pup, which Mr. Marvin had brought over, enticing the dog out on the lawn and running around the flower-beds with him like a child. Pretty soon, Mr. Marvin went out, too, and joined in the sport Poor Mr. Henley looked a little sad, I thought but of course Mama petted him. She has always been a sort of Home for the Friendless. After a while Huxley came up to Papa, whom he already adored, and cuddled down at his feet while Portia and Mr. Marvin continued to walk up and down in the moonlight talking very earnestly. Perhaps they were discussing agnosticism. " I'm sorry you are not seeing more of Portia," I said to the Captain. We were sitting on the steps, somewhat out of hearing of the others. " Oh, that's all right" he said, comfortably. " She and the parson seen to be having a good time. And 111 be corrxicHT wi

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here often, you know, if you don't get too tired cf the sight of me." 44 Why, yes," I assented, smiling. 44 Come as often as you can. She'll be here a month or more yet." ". Well," he said, nodding toward the pair on the lawn, " I should think he could do it by then, if it's to be done, shouldn't you?" And he chuckled with enjoyment. I couldn't help laughing, too, though I was rather shocked at being treated in that funny, half-familiar way by a young man whom I had never spoken to till that morning. Mama says I'm very stiff in my manner with men, and they usually talk to me about serious subjects, such as books and reading. The students talked about their work. It gave me a kind of warm, guilty little thrill to have this handsome, boyish young officer talking to me in a half-whisper about Portia's love affairs. Then the awful complication occurred to me. " Oh ! " I almost whispered. 44 1 low dreadful ! Please don't mention it to anyone, but Portia's an agnostic! You see, she could never marry a minister ! Never ! " " How truly frightful ! " he sighed, mournfully; but he went on in a minute quite cheerfully, "That's nothing! I'll bet she could marry that one ! Yes, and plunge heart and soul into parish work and lead mothers meetings and all that! And I'll bet she'd do it well, too! Marvin looks like a man. I'm sure I wish 'em well. Don't

you ' I I I don't know." I stammered, bewildered at this summary method of disposing of Portia. " I mean yes, of course ! But it's perfectly ridiculous to imagine such a thing." " No, it isn't ! " he contended, pleasantly. " I tell you, she's cut out for it! Just think how she'd wheedle the whole parish and keep everybody in a good humor! Why, the very choir would live together in harmony ! " " Yes," I admitted, doubtfully, " so far as that goes. M P 8 a - - f GIRLS, AND MRS. SEYMOUR TO CHAFERONE Portia has lots of tact and the kindest heart in the world." " Yes, indeed," he concluded ; " she'd be a howling success, and it's no easy job, I can tell you." "That's all very well," I laughed, "if only they thought alike. " No," I went on seriously, 4such a radical difference of opinion as that would be sure to mean misery. NotWng could bridge a chasm like that" I was conscious of sounding rather oratorical. "Well, I don't know," he said, prosaically. "The unlikeliest couples in the world get married, I've often noticed. If they just love each other enough, mere difference of opinion doesn't seem to matter much nor looks, nor anything else, for that matter." "You've settled Portia's affairs for her in short order," I laughed, though I wondered how he could speak of love so composedly. " Yon seem very sure, considering that you've known her less than twelve hours ! " "Oh, as to that" he replied, seriously, "I've known you only twelve hours for I suppose you wouldn't let me count the times twice that I've met you out driving with your father." I caught my breath. So he remembered! At that moment Portia and Mr. Marvin came toward us and everybody began to say "good-night" "Then 111 call for you about seven," I heard Mr. Marvin say to Portia, m an undertone, "and these are the numbers." He gave her a slip of paper. As we were going up to bed I caught sight of my note to Mama lying on the hall table, and picked it up. "Capt Thomas Went worth Kent 4th Cavalry, U.S-A-," I read on the other side. I thought I might as well take it with me. As we were undressing, Portia said, carelessly: " By the way, Constance, I'm going over to the confirmation at the Cross Roads with Mr. Marvin to-morrow evening. He the organist is ill, and he that is, I promised to play. I must go over the hymns in the morning. And will you help me with the chants? I'm not familiar with the Episcopal service. Of course, I couldn't very well decline to help Mr. Marvin out" "Of course; certainly," I said, feeling somewhat dazed. She stood looking out into the moonlight after die candles were out . " Dear old Huxley ! " she murmured, absently. I started, but in a moment I saw that she was gazing 99

dreamily at an alert, moving white patch on t tan It was the bull-pup Mr. Marvin had brought Religious controversy was not in her mind. I didn't go to confirmation because Mama had a bad headache. After she was quiet I went down to the porch to cool off, and there was Captain Kent again. He had brought a note from Mrs. Seymour, asking us to the tennis tournament a few days later. I wouldn't have told him where Portia was, but Papa had mentioned it already, and they had been laughing over it, I know very well, from the way they grinned at each other when I said she was out. Well, that organist stayed ill and Portia played every Sunday she was with us. She prolonged her visit too, and stayed over two months. The last night she was to leave next day she looked quite pale when she came in from church. Mr. Marvin remained only a moment "There! She's refused him! " I thought I must confess I was disgusted, for she must have known she was leading him on. When we reached our room, she suddenly flung herself into my arms and cried: "Oh, Constance. I've been such a fool foot A fool! But I'm so happy! oh, so happy 1" I was thunderstruck. " I've told Jack all about it" she went on in a blissful murmur, "and he showed me just where I had gone wrong. Oh, he's so good, dear! And so strong! Yon can lean on him and feel how he will take care of you and guard you always ! He's so tender" "Do you mean," I asked presently, "Mr. Marvin?" At that she began to laugh and cry both together. " Of course, goosie ! " she said ; " who else is there like him?" Do you know, Mama and Papa weren't at all surprised, astonishing as it all was? She told them right after breakfast and then went upstairs to write to him, because he couldn't come down that evening. And in the evening she wrote to him again, so he would be sure to get a letter in the morning! I went out on the porch after dinner, feeling a little bit lonely, if the truth must be told, and rather left out. In some way, I got to thinking of those girls we had met at the Fort and of how gay and fascinating they were. It's all very well to be told that one is " well-balanced." but there are other qualities which are useful in certain contingencies. The Fort naturally suggested Captain Kent to my mind, and what a lot of lovely girls he must know. At this point my musings were interrupted by the clipclop of a horse's hoofs, and the Captain drew rein at the gate. "All alone?" he said, settling himself comfortably in a big chair opposite me. " Not even a parson to lighten the gloom? Nothing's happened to Marvin, I trust?" Every time he had been there during those two months and it had been pretty often he had found Mr. Marvin calling, too. I laughed. "A great deal has happened to Mr. Marvin!" "What?" the Captain shouted. Then he modified his tone, with a glance toward the open door behind us. " You don't mean it ! " he said, in a gleeful undertone. "So they're engaged! I told yon so!" - : - "No, you didn't, either!" I contended, feeling a little cross, though I couldn't have said why. "Yon said a' month. It's two months." " Oh, well ! I said I thought he could do it in a month. If he idled away his time didn't attend strictly to business that isn't my fault" I laughed in spite of myself. I was getting used to his teasing. He was always trying to shock me by some such light remarks, which, I had learned, were not really flippant. "Well, I think this is much too soon," I said, severely. "What can two people possibly know of each other after a two-months' acquaintance?" I inquired, judicially. "A lot ! " replied the Captain, with conviction. " Of course, it depends on circumstances. However, you're right from one point of view. A decent sort of fellow does a lot of hard thinking before he asks a girl to be his wife. For one thing, it isn't much of a compliment to assume that she's too easily won. And if she was so light-minded as to be taken by a sudden fancy, a man who was any sort of a man wouldn't want her. However, that doesn't come in. But these glib sort of chaps, who propose after they've known a girl a week, aren't the right kind. "I think, though, you're a little too inflexible in your opinion that two months is always too soon. It depends so much on circumstances. Sometimes, you can make up your mind pretty quickly about people. Sometimes a man doesn't have to spend much time making up his own mind. For instance, once in a long timeonce in a lifetime you see a little woman who yon just feel is so sweet and sensible and unselfish and and dear you know and you think, 'There's the wife for a soldier! George! She'd stick to him through any hardship! SheVl " He broke off, looking rather embarrassed in the moonlight and laughed, a trifle unsteadily. . So he was in love, too! My heart was beating so I could hardly hear his last words. After he had spoken them, he sat gazing into his hat, looking nervous and rather foolish, as though he had said something he hadn't intended to. After a moment I arose. ' " I must go up to Mama, Captain Kent, I laid. " She isn't welL" I heard htm stammer something, but I went in, not even shaking hands with him. I wondered if I ought to have congratulated him. If ' I only had, then he wouldn't have had any excuse to think, that perhaps thought In short 1 cried myself to sleep. I wished Portia slept in another room, for I couldn't cry with one bit of comfort and almost smothered myself in the pillow. And it was so hot too! I heard a step on the back porch, hut didn't look up till the screen-door rattled and Captain Kenf came in. He was looking pale and worried. I was so wretched myself that I was almost glad of ht It was funny for him to come to the back door, but I didn't think of that just glowered at him, with my hands in the dough, my eyes wet and cheeks streaked. " I couldn't nuke anyone hear at the front door," he apologized. " Then he went on, in a hard voice: " I've got some bad news. I mean had tor sac. I'm ordered to Porto Rica" "Are you?" I said in such a cool tone that I was) amazed myself. Then I turned around and began kneading savagely, without quite knowing what, I was doing. . He came a step nearer. ' "Constance," he said huskily, "I don't suppose it's any use I know it's awfully soon, even if yon ever could but won't you go with me?" I burst out crying, like a ninny, and in a moment Tom was holding me and calling me names too dear to be written down here and drying my eyes on the breadcloth. " Now youU have to help me brace up, little woman, he said, after a few minutes, and then be went " to speak to Papa in the library. - '

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