The Flirt

condition, Mr. Madison bade his incidental gossip and the tiny Lottie good-night, and sought his early bed. He maintained in good faith that Saturday night was "a

about half-after five on Sunday morning, by a journalistic uprising. Over the town, in these early hours, rampaged the small vendors of the manifold sheets: local papers and papers from greater cities, hawker succeeding hawker with yell upon yell and brain-piercing shrillings in unbearable cadences. No good burgher ever

her irreparably; she could but rage upon her hot pillow. By and by, there came a token that another anguish kept company with hers. She had left her door open for a better circulation of

nd all the while Cora lay tossing and whispering between clenched teeth. Having ample reason, that morning, to prefer sleep to thinking, sleep was impossible. But

because of the summer absence of many families, the attendants were few. But the young voices were conducted, rather than accompanied, in pious melody by a cornetist who worthily thought to amend, in his single person, what lack of volume this paucity occasioned. He was a

rd. In his daily walk this cornetist had no enemies: he was kind-hearted; he would not have shot a mad dog; he gladly nursed the sick. He sat upon the platform before the children; he swelled, perspired and blew, and felt that it was a good blowing. If other thoughts vapoured upon the borders of his mind, they were of the dinner he would eat, soon after noo

present whereabouts and future detention! It happened that during the course of his Sunday walk on Corliss Street, that very afternoon, he saw her-was hard-smitten by her beauty, and for weeks thereafter laid uns

lf, was not unpleasantly shocked by the haggard aspect of

ostentatious courtesy; but before she could take one of the slices, "Wait," he said; "it's very nice toast, but I'm afraid

ther, appalled. "He'l

ook her head an

l of us: he must have be

nts permission to

ed out of

dly, when he brought the toast;

wouldn't make such a radical change in your nature, Hedrick," she said

ing to church," he said. He gu

ompany in the very thin procession of fanning women and mopping men whose destination was the gray stone church

mall but ornate figure in pale gray crash hurried down the steps and attached itself to the second row of M

their surprise Cora offered a sprightly rejoinder and presently dropped behind

ul frankness. "You haven't given me a c

igmatically. "I don't thin

ven for Trumble. "What's up?" he asked, not with

n't k

s this new chap, Co

h my being nice to you?" She gave him a dang

e to me unless you mea

ever do anything I don't mean," she said in a low voice which th

e began, b

ant to a lively brusqueness. "That's enough

most that she h

" she smiled. "I suppose you really give a great d

rned, coolly. "You can know

went on, admiringly, "I hear you're

ot a gambler-except on certainties. I guess I disappointed a friend of yo

asked, with an expre

wanted me to put real money i

thin'?" she as

. Anybody who put up his cash would have to do

rturbation was manifest in her tone. "Isn't Mr. Co

ows anything about him except that he was born here. Besides, I wouldn't m

ely. "Of course I don't mean that," she laughed, sweetly. "But I happen to think Mr. Corliss's scheme a very ha

romptly. "Lindley told me he'd looked

iffened perceptib

y: you trying to talk business! So Co

mous fortune in it, and you'd better not laugh at me: a woman's inst

r your father are going to thin

d in you," she said, with the suggestion of a tremor in her vo

anything but business." He

usiness,"-she asked very slowly and s

id huskily, "if y

wouldn't. You know mighty well that's what I want you to be, and I'd give my sou

Hedrick and his father had entered; Mrs. Madison and Laura were waiting on the steps.

r mind to marry me, I'll spend all the money you like on yo

turned, and the tremor now more evident in her voice was p

hty, Cora Madison." He looked at her shrewdly, struck by a

sponded, icily. "You

not go in. When you quit playing games, let me know. You needn't try to work me any more, because I won't stand for it, but if you ever get tired of play

" she laughed, gayly. "I'm not bothering much about Mr. Corliss's oil in Italy. I had a bet with Laura I could

ence, brushed it smartly across his face; turned on her heel, and, r

the sermon he sat with his eyes upon the minister in a stricken fixity. All this was so remarkable that Cora could not choose but ponder upon it, and, observing Hedrick furtively, she caught, if not a clue itself, at least a glimpse of one. She saw Laura's clear profile becoming subtly agitated; then noticed a shimmer of Laura'

s ascending the opposite aisle, walking beside Richard Lindley. He looked less pale than usual, though his thinness was so extreme it was like emaciation; but his eyes were clear and quiet, and the look he gave her was strangely gentl

parasol, lightly taking his arm. Thus the slow Richard found himself walking beside Laura in a scattered group, its detached portion consisting of his near-betrothed and Corliss; for

ldhood; seldom indeed formulating or expressing a definite thought about her, though sometimes it was vaguely of his consciousness that she played the piano nicely, and even then her music had taken its place as but a colour of Cora's background. For to him, as to every one else (including Laura), Laura was in nothing her sister's competitor. She was a neutral-tin

head, shoulders, and back scorching in the fierce sun, and allowed him to continue shading the pavement before them with her

together; he had not spoken a w