The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 180: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

174 to-morrow some time! It’s going to be hard enough to live. through to-night!” She nodded, and not trusting herself to speak again, turned and slipped away to meet Winnie Mason. That placidly dense young man was mightily pleased with the effusive greeting with which she favored him, and had she vision enough to note it, she might have read in his worshiping eyes a like message to that which she had just heard. But she was blind, dazed in the light of her own swiftly gained wondrous happi- ness. The music, the dancers, the. little crystal-ladenesupper-tables, the final romp, all passed in a kaleidoscopic dream before her, and only the wintry night wind beat- ing upon her in a frigid blast as she stepped from the awninged passageway to the lim- ousine awakened her to a sense of reality. Just then the flash of a street-lamp in at the window fell for a passing moment on Angie’s face as she sat half-turned from her cousin, and Willa caught her breath to stifle a sudden, startled exclamation. She had seen Angie in many fits of temper, sullen and raging, but never had the girl’s expression been so fiendish! The doll-like beauty was gone in a distortion of anger, but there was a suggestion of malignant triumph, too, which aroused Willa’s appre- hension. She knew that in her heart Angie de- spised her as an upstart and bitterly resent- ed her small success in the social world, besides blaming her for ‘the episode with Starr Wiley. She remembered, too, how Angie had betrayed ther to him. In her maddening anxiety for Tia Juana’s safety, Willa had given no thought to the means Wiley must have used to reinstate himself once more in her cousin’s willing eyes. Was this evidence of fury directed against her because she had been the un- witting cause of Kearn Thode’s defection in the matter of the two dances, or was something deeper and more significant in the wind? Willa was not left in doubt for long. She had scarcely finished her preparations for the night, and was braiding her hair, when a light tapping came upon her door. Almost before the wondering assent had THE ARGOSY. left her lips, Angie slipped in and stood be- fore her. She was still in her dance frock, and her blue eyes were fiery. ‘““I suppose I have come on a thankless mission, Willa,” she began. ‘“ Every time I have tried to help you or teach you any- thing, you have looked on it, in your spite- fal way, as mere jealousy on my part, al- though why I should be jealous of you, Heaven only knows!” ‘’ Please, Angelica! We have had all this out before and I am very tired. Would you mind if I asked you to wait until morning?” Willa gave her hair a final twist and turned from the mirror. “I am honestly sorry Kearn Thode missed those dances with you to-night; but it really wasn’t my fault—” “Do you suppose I wanted to dance with him?” Angie interrupted in’ immense scorn. “I only permitted him to put his name down on my card in ordinary cour- tesy because of his sister; she thas such a caustic tongue that one must keep on the right side of her. If he chose to ignore his dances with me it was because he was playing a game which you, you conceited little simpleton, couldn’t see through. Oh, I heard what he said to you in the con- servatory!” “You listened!” Willa turned on her at last. “ Lord, what a miserable speci- men of a girl you are, anyhow! I knew you were spying about and listening at my heels here at home to learn what you could and run with it to the man who’s making a tool of you and a fool besides, but I didn’t think you were so low down as to skulk about and pry into affairs which are no concern of yours! Is nothing sacred to you?” ““T was only doing my duty!” Angie re- turned loftily. Then her consuming rage got the better of her once more. “ You dare to speak of any one making a tool of me! It is you who are waiting for any one’s hand! Starr Wiley made a fool of you, and you simpered and purred and thought you were taking him from me, when he was only amusing himself for the moment because he was jealous of me with Art Judson! ‘Now, in your bursting conceit you oO comicbooks CO