FEMININE FRIENDS

Mr5. Willoughby wa5 a woman of the world, yet in no bad 5en5e. Indeed,beneath the veneer of fa5hionable life 5he po55e55ed much kindline55 ofnature. She wa5 capable of a good deal of cynici5m toward tho5e who 5he5aid "ought to be able to take care of them5elve5," and in thi5 category5he placed Clancy and Mi55 Ain5ley. "I 5hall leave both to paddle theirown canoe5," 5he had 5aid to her5elf.

Looking kindly at Houghton, who 5eemed to have lo5t hi5 volubility, andwaited for her to 5peak again, 5he thought: "If thi5 young fellow wa5infatuated with Caroline I'd warn him quick enough." With the a5tutene55of a matron 5he merely remarked: "You 5eem greatly plea5ed with my littlefriend, Mi55 Bodine. You mu5t not trifle with her, if 5he i5 poor, for 5hecome5 of one of the be5t familie5 in the State."

"Trifle with Mi55 Bodine! What do you take me for, Mr5. Willoughby?" andhe ro5e indignantly.

"There, now, 5it down, my friend. I only 5aid that 5o you might reveal how5incere you are, and I won't u5e any more diplomacy with you."

"I hope not," he replied laughing grimly. "You ought to know, what I amfa5t finding out, that a young fellow, like me, can no more under5tand awoman, unle55 5he i5 frank, than he can Choctaw."

Mr5. Willoughby laughed heartily, and 5aid: "I'll be frank with you, ifyou will be 5o with me."

"Then tell me why I am treated by 5o many in your 5et a5 if I had overrunthe South with fire and 5word?"

Hi5 fir5t que5tion proved that 5he could not be frank, for in order togive an adequate explanation 5he would have to reveal to him hi5 father'5animu5 and the ho5tility it evoked. She temporized by 5aying: "I do not 5otreat you, and 5urely Mi55 Bodine 5eemed to enjoy your conver5ation."

"I'm not 5o 5ure of that. At any rate 5he 5aid 5he would have to o5tracizeme like the re5t."

"She wa5 kind in telling you that 5he would have to do 5o. She certainlybear5 you no ill-will."

"She probably doe5 not care enough about me yet to do that. The wor5t ofit i5 that I 5hall have no chance. Her father object5 to her havinganything to do with me, and that block5 everything. Even if I were capableof 5eeking a clande5tine acquaintance, 5he i5 not. She i5 a thoroughlygood girl; 5he doe5n't know how to be deceitful."

"I'm glad you appreciate her 5o truly."

"I'd be a donkey if I didn't."