The Desired Woman(Fiscle Part-3 Of 2) by Will N. Harben (e book reader pdf TXT) 📕

It And Be Done With It. You Always Seemed To Shirk The Subject,  And I

Have Hesitated To Mention It,  But There Is No One Else I Could

Question. The Last Time I Heard Of Dolly Drake She Was Still

Unmarried. Is There Any Likelihood Of Her Marrying?"

Mostyn's Eyes Were Downcast,  And He Failed To See The Half-Angry Flush

Which Was Creeping Over Saunders's Face.

"I Really Can't Say," He Returned,  Coldly. "She Is Still Teaching

School,  And Is In The Best Of Health; But,  Mostyn,  You Have No Right

To Think--To Fancy That She Has Remained Single Because--"

"Oh,  I Don't!" The Other Sighed. "I'm Not Such A Fool. She Knows Me

Too Well By This Time For That."

There Was An Awkward Pause. Saunders,  With Eyes On The Door,  Was

Rising. With An Appealing Look Of Detention In His Worn Face Mostyn

Also Stood Up. "I'd Give A Great Deal To See Her. I'd Be Glad Even To

See A Picture Of Her. I Wonder What She Looks Like Now. She Was

Scarcely More Than A Child When She And I--When We Parted. I Don't

Think There Can Be Any Harm In My Being Frank In These Days When The

Wives Of Men Make A Jest Of Matrimonial Love,  And I Confess Freely

That I Have Never Been Able To Forget--"

"Don't Tell Me About It!" Saunders Interrupted. "You Have No Right,

Mostyn,  Even To Think Of Her After--After What Took Place. But You

Ought To Have Sense Enough,  At Any Rate,  To Know That She Wouldn't

Continue To Care For You All These Years. I See Her Now And Then And

Talk To Her. I Am Helping Her Build A New Schoolhouse Up There On Some

Land I Donated,  And Have Had To Consult Her Several Times Of Late

About The Building-Plans. She Is More Beautiful And Brilliant Than

Ever,  Though She Still Has Cares Enough. Her Father Doesn't Make Much

Of A Living,  And Her Brother George Is Engaged To One Of The Girls In

The Neighborhood And So Cannot Be Counted On For Help. Ann Is A Young

Lady Now,  And Dolly Dresses Her Nicely At Her Own Expense."

"Of Course,  I Know That She Has Forgotten Me," Mostyn Said,  With

Feeling. "I Made The One Great Mistake Of My Life When I--You Know

What I Mean,  Saunders?"

"Yes,  I Know," Saunders Answered,  Quickly,  "But That Is Past And Gone,

Mostyn. The Main Harm You Did Was,  Perhaps,  To Kill Her Faith In Men

In General. I Don't Really Think She Will Ever Give Her Heart To Any

One. She Seems Farther From That Sort Of Thing Than Any Woman I Ever

Met. She Has Had,  I Think,  Many Suitors."

"Then From What You Say I Gather That She Doesn't Mention Me?" Mostyn

Said,  Heavily. "She Has No Curiosity At All To Know How--How My

Marriage Terminated?" "How _Could_ She Have?" Saunders Asked,

Frigidly. "We'd Better Not Talk Of It,  Mostyn. I Am Sure She Would Not

Wholly Approve Of This Conversation. But In Justice To Her I Must

Insist That She Is _Not_ Broken-Hearted By Any Means. She Is As Brave

And Cheerful As She Ever Was. Her Character Seems To Have Deepened And

Sweetened Under The Knowledge Of The World Which She Acquired By Her

Unfortunate Experience With You."

When Saunders Had Left,  Mostyn Bowed His Head On His Desk.

"If I Had Been The Sort Of Man Saunders Is,  Dolly Would Have Been My

Wife," He Thought. "My Wife! My Wife! Actually My Wife!"

That Afternoon When The Bank Was Closed Mostyn Went Home. He Walked

For The Sake Of The Exercise And With The Hope Of Distracting His Mind

From The Many Matters Which Bore More Or Less Heavily On His Tired

Brain. As He Approached The Gate The Sight Of His Little Son Playing

On The Lawn With A Miniature Tennis Racket And Ball Gave Him A Thrill

Of Delight. The Boy Was Certainly Beautiful. He Had Great Brown Eyes,

Rich Golden Hair,  Was Sturdy,  Well Built,  And Active For A Child Of

Only Four Years.

The Father Opened The Gate Softly,  And When Within The Yard He Hid

Himself Behind The Trunk Of An Oak And Cautiously Peered Out,  Watching

The Little Fellow Toss The Ball And Make Ineffectual Efforts To Hit It

With The Racket. Then Mostyn Whistled Softly,  Saw The Boy Drop His

Racket And Look All Round,  His Sweet Face Alert With Eagerness. Mostyn

Whistled Again,  And Then The Child Espied Him And,  With Hands

Outstretched,  Came Running,  Laughing And Shouting Gleefully.

"I See You,  Daddy!" He Cried. Whereupon Mostyn Slipped Around The Tree

Out Of Sight,  Letting The Amused Child Follow Him. Round After Round

Was Made,  And Then,  Suddenly Stooping Down,  The Father Caught The Boy

In His Arms And Raised Him Up. Pressing Him Fondly To His Breast,  He

Kissed The Warm,  Flushed Cheeks.

Till Dusk He Played With The Child On The Grass,  Pitching The Ball And

Teaching The Little Fellow To Hit It. Then Hilda,  The Mulatto Nurse,

Came For Her Charge,  And Little Dick,  With Many Expostulations,  Was

Taken Away.

Going Into The House,  Mostyn Met His Father-In-Law In The Hall. The

Old Man Stopped Him Abruptly At The Foot Of The Stairs.

"Did Any Mail Come For Me On The Noon Train?" He Demanded,

Querulously,  A Light Of Suspicion In His Eyes.

"Not That I Know Of," Mostyn Answered. "It Was Not Put On My Desk,  I

Am Sure."

"Well,  Some Of It Goes _Somewhere,_" Mitchell Complained. "I Know I

Don't See It All. I've Written Letters That Would Have Been Answered

By This Time,  And It Wouldn't Surprise Me If Somebody Down There Was

Tampering With It."

Seeing The Utter Hopelessness Of Bringing His Father-In-Law To Reason

By Explanation Or Argument,  Mostyn Went On Up-Stairs. Noticing That

The Door Of His Wife's Chamber,  Adjoining His Own,  Was Ajar,  He Pushed

It Open And Went In. The Room Was Brightly Illuminated With Electric

Light,  And Standing Before A Tall Pier-Glass He Found His Wife. She

Wore A Costly Evening Gown Of Rare Old Lace And Was Trying On A Pretty

Diamond Necklace.

"Oh!" She Exclaimed,  Indifferently,  As She Caught Sight Of Him Over

Her Bare Powdered Shoulder. "I Thought It Was Cousin Kitty. She

Promised To Be Here Early. If She Is Late We'll Have To Go Without

Her. She Is Awfully Slow. I Saw You Playing With Dick On The Grass. He

Makes Too Much Noise,  Screaming Out Like That,  And You Only Make Him

Worse Cutting Up With Him As You Do. Between You And That Boy And

Father,  With His Constant,  Babyish Complaints,  I Am Driven To

Desperation."

Mostyn Shrugged His Shoulders Wearily,  And Sat Down In A Chair At Her

Quaint Mahogany Dressing-Table. Irene Had Not Changed Materially,

Though A Close Observer,  Had The Light Been That Of Day,  Might Have

Remarked That She Was Thinner And More Nervous. Her Eyes Held A

Shadowy,  Unsatisfied Expression,  And Her Voice Was Keyed Unnaturally

High.

Noticing His Unwonted Silence,  She Put Down Her Hand-Mirror And Eyed

Him With A Slow Look Of Irritation. "Of Course,  You Are Not Going To-

Night," She Said.

"Hardly," He Smiled,  Satirically,  "Being Quite Uninvited."

"Well,  You Needn't Say It In _That_ Tone," She Answered. "You Have

Only Yourself To Blame. You Never Accept Such Invitations,  So How

Could You Expect People To Run After You With Them?"

"I Don't Expect Them To," He Answered,  Tartly. "If They Asked Me I'd

Decline. I Simply Don't Enjoy That Sort Of Thing At All."

"Of Course You Don't," She Laughed. "The Last Time You Went To A Ball

You Looked Like An Insane Man Pacing Up And Down All By Yourself.

Kitty Said You Asked Her To Dance And Forgot All About It. Dick,  Your

Day Is Over."

"I Wonder If Yours Ever Will Be," He Sniffed. "I See No Prospect Of

It. You Are On The Go Night And Day. You Are Killing Yourself. It Is

As Bad As The Morphine Habit With You. You Love Admiration More Than

Any Woman I Ever Saw."

She Arched Her Neck Before The Glass And Turned To Him Wearily. "Do

You Know What You'll Do In Another Minute? You'll Talk Yourself Into

Another One Of Your Disgusting Rages Over My Own Private Affairs. You

Are A Business Man And Would Not Violate An Ordinary Business

Agreement,  But You Are Constantly Ignoring The Positive Compact

Between Us."

"I Didn't Expect At The Time To Have You Going So Constantly With A

Man That--"

"Oh,  You Didn't?" She Laughed,  Tantalizingly. "You Were To Have All

Sorts Of Outside Freedom,  But I Was Not. Well,  You Were Mistaken,

That's All. I Know Whom You Are Hinting At. You Mean Andy Buckton. I'm

Going With Him To-Night. Why Shouldn't