The Vehement Flame

Houghton, jogging along in the sunshine toward Grafton for the morning mail, slapped a rein down on Lion's fat back, and whistled, placidly enough.... (Bu

as not compatible with his own profession of painting. All his training and hope had been centered upon art. The fact that, after renouncing it, an admirably managed cotton mill provided bread and butter for sickly sisters and wasteful brothers, to say nothing of his own modest prosperity, never made up to him for the career of a struggling and probably unsuccessful artist-which he might have had. He ran his cotton mill

it was the consciousness of the bartered birthright and the dead pictures in his studio which kept him from "whistling" very often. However, on this June morning, plodding along between blossoming fields, climbing wooded hills, and clattering through dusky covered bridges, he wa

ever e

life l

devil de

wife wi

and looked

the offering of a great renunciation. She had hoped that the birth of their last, and only living, child, Edith, would reconcile him to the material results of the renunciation; but he was as indifferent to money for his girl as he had been for h

everything except his music! Apparently he can't study. Even spelling is a matter of private judgment with Maurice! Oh, of course, I know I ought to have scalped him; his father would have scalped him. But somehow the scoundrel gets round me! I suppose its because, though he is provoking, he is never irritating. And he's as much of a

heir son. "Mother loves Maurice better 'an she loves me," Edith used to reflect; "I guess it'

this summing up of things, "Edith told me this morning

ha

ecause he 'wiped his feet wh

he said, with satisfaction, and began to whistle again. "Nice girl," he said, after a while; "but the most rationalizing young

ted: "Can't she rationalize and fall in love

uppose you'll have an hour's shopping to do? You have only one of the vices of your sex, Mary, you have the 'shopping mind.' However, with all

r two more errands that she suddenly awoke to the fact that he was very slow in coming back with the letters. "Stupid!" she thought, "opening your mail in the pos

t the curb. "Oh, g'on!" he said. Lion switched his tail, caught a rein under it, and trotted off. Mr. Houghton leaned over the dashboard, swore softly, and gav

has come the

ar," she said; "W

ocks (druggist Smit

rinking?" She could not keep

uldn't-Whoa, Lion!... Get me some shaving soap, Ki

ages and got into the buggy, she

ay of doing when I gave him a letter of int

I don't

a nonsequitur. I used to wonder why her husband didn't choke her. He was

remember

's game leg wouldn't help out with sociability. So I gave him letters to two or three people. Mrs. Newbolt was one of them

el

d he's marri

sent! I'm shocked that

ssion wasn't asked,

How outrageous in Maur

Abominable! Mary, do

a mere child?" Then she quailed. "Henry!-she's respectable, is

she's certainly 'dreadful.' He says she's a music teacher. Probably caught him that way. Music would lead Maurice by the nose. Con

fway through, she gave an exclamation of dismay. "'

eavens,

ps not quite

"I'll tell Bradley my op

I remember her perfectly. She came to tea with Mrs. Newbol

him!" he said. "Yes, it comes back to me. Dar

Oh, what a fool!" Then she tried to console him: "But one of the happiest

oman! The trouble is not her age but his youth. Why d

got to think what to

u mean? Get a d

orce yet," she said, simply; and her husb

ter than marrying his grandmother! Mary, what I can't understand, is the woman. He's a child, almost; and vanity at having a woman of forty fall in

nd keeps young, it won't ma

tters are human critters. In ten year

him: "No! Unhappiness is po

simple man ask how

nselfish! But I hope this poor, foolish woman's mind will keep young. If it doesn't, well, Maurice w

rthought. "We've never been 'tactful' with each other, Mary?" She smiled, and put her cheek against his shoulder. "'Tactfulness'

d. "What are they going to live on?" she

er's will. He won't get his

he said; "which means not goi

his lady-love while he was in college? An

ion as you have out of yours," she said,

bug," he told he

Consider the stars,' Henry, and young foolishness will see

hton said, "I'll write the invitation to them; bu

n? What in

reen Hill until you can fin

have nothing to do with her! Maurice c

gave a reluctant chuckle. "I su

you've got t

give the bride and groom-for the little room Maurice had had in all his vacations since he became her husband's ward was not suitable. "Edith will have to

there was no more whistling