The Vehement Flame

e grimy, noisy town. The old hotel, with its Doric columns grimed with years of smoky river fogs, was dark, and smelled of soot; and the manners of the waiters and chamberm

er?" she said,

absently, "Remember what?" She told him "what" and he

had fusty red hangings and a marble-topped center table standing coldly under a remote chandelier, she sighed again, for Maurice said that, as for this hole of a hotel, the only

her cheek against his. "That doesn't make any difference!" she said;

; "I'd have to shell out my ci

ur reason?" she

you mind moving? I

ringly mysterious to him. She was waiting for his hand on her shoulder, his kiss on her hair-but he was immersed in his paper. "How can he be i

yet hast thou

et co

den numbers,

t!-0 sweet, O

e itself visible in his ardent, sensitive face! After a while h

t of married life-house furnishing! It was then that his real fiber showed itself. It is a risky time for all husbands and wives, a time when it is particularly necessary to "consider the stars"! It needs a fine sense of proportion as to the value, relatively, of peace and personal judgment, to give up one's idea in regard, say, to the color of the parlor rug. Maurice's likes and dislikes were emphatic as to rugs and everything else,-but his sense of proportion was sound, so Eleanor's taste,-and peace,-prevailed. It was good taste, so he really had nothing to complain of, though he couldn't for the life of him see why she picked out a picture paper for a certain room in the top of the house! "I thought I'd have it for a smoking room," he said, ruefully; "and a lot of pink lambs and green chickens cavorting around don't seem very suitable. Still, if you like it, it's all right!" The memory of the night on the mountain, when Eleanor gave all she had of strength and courage and fear and passion to the saving of his life-made pink lambs, or anything else, "all right"! When the house-furnishing period was over, and they settled down, the "people" Eleanor didn't want to see, seemed to have no particular desire to see them; so their solitude of two (and Bingo, who barked whenever Maurice put his arms around Eleanor) was not

that the bank was cheating them! Of course they did not appreciate the value of this blessed young poverty-who of us ever appreciates poverty while we are experiencing it? We only know its value when we look back upon it! But they did-or at least Eleanor did-appreciate their isolation, never realizing th

icate family forgiveness. The guests were elderly people, who talked politics and surgical operations, and didn't know what to say

if it hadn't been that the food was so mighty good! I kept awake, in spite of that

companionship (outside the office) of a kind which did not remember the

ld his wife; "and Mort's on a job at his f

ng about, and she said, "Oh, nothing." But of course he knew what it was, and he had to remind himself tha

onderously on her weak ankles, to see, she said, how the young people were getting along: "At least, one of you is young!" Mrs. Newbolt said, jocosely. She was still puffing from a c

all paper, gay with prancing lambs and waddling ducks, and Noah's

eddening; "oh no! I o

your figger! My dear grandmother used to say-I can see her now, skimmin' milk pans, and then runnin' her finger round the rim and lickin' it. She was a Dennison. I've heard her say to her daughters, I'd rather have you lose your virtue than lose your figger'; and my dear grandfather-your g

eep up with the torrent, said, "Yes;

ted a chocolate drop-then ran back to Eleanor.) "Maurice will be a man one of these days, and a man can't live on love; he wants 'wittles and drink.' When I married your uncle Thomas, my dear father said, 'Feed him-and amuse him.' So I made up my mind on my weddin' day to have good food and be entertainin'. And I must say I did it! I fed your dear uncle, a

by this time, had gained a maturity of thought and patience that put him practically out of boyhood. When Eleanor repeated her caller'

urice; "but, as far as my taste goes, I don't g

solitaire thrown in as a pleasant extra!-so "wittles and drink" did not begin to be a consideration until the first year of married life had passed. Eleanor remembered the date when-because of something Maurice said-she began to realize that they must be considered. It was on the anniversary of their wedding-a cloudy, cold day; but all the same, with valiant sentimentality, they went-Bingo at their heels-to celebrate, in the meadow of those fifty-four minu

reet. Nothing doing. No tenants. I've been working on a fellow for a month, and, by George! I've landed him! I told him the elevator service was rotten-and one or two other pre

d said, "Why, no; if you want to. Maurice, do you remem

him infinitely humorous, but she winced. "What a memory you have!" he said. "You ought to be

y perfumed garme

do. Hit '

hiping day-still the blue, gay eyes, the wind-ruffled blond hair, the hilarious laugh that displayed the very white teeth; but all the s

g, his eyes following the brown ripple of the river lisping in the shallows around the sandbar, and flowing-flowing-like Life, and Time, and

ake is the limit!" He threw a piece of it at the little dog. "There, Bingo!... E

if I didn't keep her I don't know what she would do,

ings? I suppose she thinks we can

f Mrs. Newbolt. "Because I don

feeding the rest of his cake to Bin

worried look, t

le, and said that the cake didn't matt

gleam on the ripples, until Eleanor said

around his wife and hugged her,-which made the little dog burst into a volley of ba

love, said no! she would try to have things better. "Perhaps

for, pretty nearly! Why didn't Hannah give us hard-boiled eggs?" he pondered, bur

ittle room, waiting at the top of the house, with its ducks and shepherdesses; and thinking, too, of a whole tableful of people who would talk to Maurice! made heroic efforts to help Hannah, her mind fumbling ove

y Houghton made Maurice say definitely that, when their lease expired, they would board. Mr. Houghton had come to Mercer on bus

the grace of God kept me from wringing her neck. In the first place, she commented upon th

Houghton lo

want to, the way we do! But I'll be hanged if I look on. She calls him 'darling' whenever she speaks to him. She adores him,-poor fellow!

wn dinner table, had "

l, in the soft October days-from which they could look back at the city, with its myriad lights pricking out in the dusk, and see the copper lantern of the full moon lifting above the black line of the hills.

f a child; she's

s fourteen, she's too old to be as fre

sense of beauty than a puppy, but she'll like

aid. "Oh, I hope the

te the manners of her father, who heroically took the last drop in his plate. Maurice, anxious that Eleanor's housekeep

a wonderful cook," Eleano

kept her father from murdering her, for, in a real desire to be polite and cover up the defective dessert, she became very talkative,

cream!" Mr. Houghton i

replied, breathlessly, that he believed he'd not go out on the river;

ith announced

; "my head is rather inclined to ache, to

will," Edith pro

ook at Eleanor: "It might

," she corrected herself, "people like father and Ele

s some laborious talk in the small parlor, where Eleanor's piano took up most of the space: comments on the weather, and explanations of B

deuce will she say now?" poor Mr. Houghton thought)-"Fath

ousy is a vice," El

back to the hotel and take something for his headache; "And don't keep that

ok hands with her embarrassed guest, who w

her hand through his arm, had to skip once or twice to keep up wi

es! I don

e was thinking of the things he might have said to bring Eleanor to her senses! Yet he realized that to have said anything would have added to Mr. Houghton's embarrassment. "I'll have it out with her when I get home," he thought, hotly. "Edith started the mess; why did

e that lady on the float, getting in

were two or three people roun

ad red cheeks. I neve

; "that one? Yes.

h round, astonished eyes. "Do la

Edith; ladies don't," he said, significantly.

d: "You mean she is

ing the tiller over; "you

ou say she isn't a lady?... Oh, Maurice

the world!" Maurice remonstrated. "Guess I'l

n to shore to do it, a concession to safety on Maurice's part-for she didn't like to turn her back on the red-cheeked lady with the two gentlemen in the following skiff; however, she did it; after all, it was Maurice's boat, and she was his company; so, if he

psized!" The jerk of their boat, as he backed water, made it rock violently. "Idiots!" said Maurice. "I'll pick you up!" he yelled, and rowed hard

eamed: "We're coming! You'll get drowned-you'll get drowned!" she assured the gasping

rice, who, seeing that there was no danger to any of the immers

on old Skeezics," Maurice told himself, with a friendly look at her. He had forgotten Eleanor's behavior, and was trying to

are coming off!" Edith

skiff on to its owners, said:

her "cheeks" the sudden bath in the river had left. As the paint disappeared, one saw how very pretty the poor draggled butterfl

, stripping off his

en, who were bailing out their half-fille

y?" Maurice said; "and I do

lurch, and then jump; she breathed hard, and said, under her breath, "Oh, my!" She felt that s

I don't need it," he said, carelessly; and the "lady" reached out a small, shaking hand, on wh

ly, and as she stepped into the now bailed-out skif

-and she called across the strip of

e-" and added her

at Edith and grinned. "Did you ever see such idiots? Thos

She could hardly bear to look a

h fun. "Let's turn around," he said, "and follow 'em! Th

read his coat before Eleanor's feet;-but that was commonplace! Eleanor was just a married person, "like mother." This was a wonderful drowning lady! Oh, he was Sir Walter! Her eyes were wide with an entirely new emotion-an emotion which made her draw back sharply when once, as he rowed, his hand touched hers.

t out of the little thing! She look

he little girl s

ught to keep tabs on that boat. If they capsize again, somebody really might get hurt. She's a-a

rd against the current, they saw the dripping survivors of the shipwreck reach the wh

ou to ice cream, Skeezics," he said, "but I can't go into the hotel. Shir

shrink from his careless touch; she had no impulse to say "sir"; she was back again at the point at which the red-cheeked lady

und a repentant Eleanor bath

shirt sleeves, into her room; she, turning to

Where's

er repentance; "Oh, Mauric

t, barked violently); and said, "The only thing that bo

rply: "Edith is an extremely impertinent child!

tough; she was painted up to the nines, and of course it all came out in the wash. And Buster sa

all a painted woman 'prett

g to the fat brute. He was so nasty

softened. "Perhaps I could do something f

nd then, probably, get to drinking; and meet one or two more brutes. When she gets qui

rfly's shrinking from some harsh finger. He looked at her tend

lp her," Eleano

have you under the same roof

ayed up to the harem instinct, shrinking a little and asking timid questions, and making innocent eyes; and was kissed, and assured she was a lovely goose; for Maurice played up to his part, too, with equal honesty (and youth)-the part of the worldly-wise protector. It was the fundamental instinct of th

," Eleanor said from her pil

; "as for ice cream, all youn

n the street," Eleanor said. "Mrs. Houghton ou

hing but a child, a

not her

so unreasonable," he ended, wearily. He lay down beside her in the darkness, and by and b

n after rain. Yet each d

rd for the "poor thing," reminded her h

played up" again, and smiled at her innocence, if he had thought of it, but he was really c

can't send her away!" Added to her distress at the scorched soup of the night befo

estibule of a yellow-brick apartment house, where he waited, grinning at the porcelain ornateness about him, for a little jerking elevator to take him up to the fourth floor. There, in a small, gay, clean parlor of starched lace curtains

he said, taking the coat out of the wardrobe and

threw it over his arm, and said that Mr. Batty had only himself to blame

a cigarette, and shoved the box over to him,

down, took a cigarette, and said it was a warm day for October; she said she hated heat, and he said he liked winter best.

sullen lines: "It wa

t," he said, his blue eyes full of sympathy. When he went away he told himself he had spotted the big man as a brute the minute he saw him. The "kitten"

rer than perfumery!" his wif

noticed that when ladies were short on the odor

drawers," Eleanor said; and he had the prese

, a confession; it means they are not one-for nobody makes pretty s