The Main Chance

by Meredith Nicholson

  CHAPTER IX

  PARLEYINGS

  Evelyn acted on her father's suggestion that she ask some friends tovisit her, and she summoned two of her classmates to come out for thecarnival. She told Raridan of their coming one evening when they werealone, and he began propounding inquiries about them with the zealousinterest, half mocking and half earnest, which he always manifested ingirls that crossed his horizon.

  "And Miss Warren--is she the one from Dedham Crossing, Connecticut? Yes,I suppose they will want to go right out to see the Indians. I'll see ifthe War Department won't lend us a few from a reservation to show offwith. It's too bad for our guests to be disappointed. And MissMarshall--she's from Virginia? It will really be rather amusing to bringthe types together on our rude frontier."

  "But you're not to play tricks with these friends of mine, WarrickRaridan. You are to be very nice to them, but you are not to make toomuch of an impression--unless--!"

  "I'm afraid Miss Warren's a trifle too serious for human nature's dailyfood," he said, complainingly.

  "Yes? I remember that she was strong in entomology. She surely knows amoth from a bumblebee when she sees it."

  "Tut! tut! One shouldn't be spiteful. Miss Warren is a nice girl. Sheknows where the pussy willows purr first in the harsh Connecticutspring. She is strong on golden rod and ah-tum leaves; she reads 'Sesameand Lilies' once a week, and Channing's 'Symphony' hangs in her room inblue and gold. She's very sweet with her Sunday School class. She shallbe saluted with the Chautauqua salute--thus!" He flourished hishandkerchief at a picture on the wall.

  "How brutal! Deliver me from the cynical man! By the way, Warry, I sawMinnie Metchen in New York this spring, and she asked me all thequestions about you she dared. That really wasn't good of you. Shehadn't been an army girl long--her father was a new paymaster, orsomething like that; she wasn't fair game. You were her first, and shethought you meant it all,--the poems and the flowers and all that kindof thing. She thought you were very good, too. You remember, I hope,that you dragged her across town to that colored mission where you werelay-reading at the time. Now, you mustn't do that any more."

  Raridan buried his face in his hands and groaned.

  "My sins are more than I can bear. But I'm really disappointed in you.It isn't good form in this town to remember from one winter to anotherwhat my enthusiasms have been. But, Evelyn--"

  His manner changed suddenly and he rose and walked the floor. He was sofull of mockery, and his fun took so many unexpected turns, that Evelyn,who had known him from his wilful, spoiled childhood, was never sure ofhis moods. He seemed very serious as he stood before her with his armsfolded and looked at her. His voice broke a little as he said:

  "Evelyn, I don't want you to remember this kind of thing of me. Nobodytakes me seriously; I'm getting tired of it. I'm all kinds of a failure.I ought to be doing things, like all the other men here. Maybe it's toolate--"

  "No, it's never too late to do what we want to do, Warry," she said verykindly. "But I don't know that you're such a failure." She was still onguard for some flash of the joke that he was always playing.

  "But it's a question with me whether I haven't lost my chance," hepersisted. He sat down, dejectedly. Then he laughed.

  "Do you know why I'm like the Juniata River?" he demanded.

  "I'm not good at guessing," she answered, wondering whether he waslaying a trap for her.

  "Why, Captain Wheelock told somebody that it was because I am verybeautiful and very shallow." He did not laugh with her.

  "Those things aren't funny to me any more," he declared, scowling.

  "But to be called beautiful--"

  "No man is beautiful," he returned savagely. "No man wants to be calledthat. It's my eye-glasses, I suppose." He took them off and played withthem. "Maybe they do make me look dudish. I'd wear spectacles if theydidn't cut my ears. Or I might go without and come to a sudden end bywalking over some lonely precipice." He expected her to remonstrate,but she said:

  "Well, I'll promise not to tell the new visitors about you;" as if, ofcourse, this was what he had been leading up to.

  "I don't care anything about them."

  "I'm sorry. I had rather counted on you, as the only person here who hasmet them,--and an old friend of the family."

  He stood up again.

  "But I don't want to be your friend--"

  "Oh!" She seized and fortified all the strategic positions. "This iscertainly surprising in you, Warrick Raridan, after all the years I'veknown you. I didn't expect to be renounced so early." He stood lookingat her quizzically, and too fixedly for her comfort.

  "Tragedy doesn't become the Juniata type of beauty. You'd better sitdown." He had been pacing the floor, but now threw himself into a chair.

  "That chair," she continued, "is a relic of the Inquisition. If you'llmove those cushions about a little on the divan you'll be a lot morecomfortable."

  He mumbled that he didn't want to be comfortable, but obeyed.

  "Now, if you'll be good," she went on tranquilly, folding her arms andlooking at him benignantly, "I'll tell you a secret."

  He had thrust his hands into his pockets and sat watching her sulkily.

  "Well?"

  "I'm to be queen of the ball, sir, I'm to be queen of the ball."

  "I'm sorry I can't congratulate you," he said grimly. "You have nobusiness mixing up with their infernal idiocy. I've been expecting tohear that you'd refused." He grew hot as he went on. "Your fatheroughtn't to make you do such a thing."

  "Warry!" She sat up straight and bent toward him in an attitude ofremonstrance; "you really mustn't! Why, I'm amazed at you!"

  The enormity of the thing, as Raridan saw it, had grown on him since histalk with Saxton, and he did not relent; but he relaxed his severity forthe moment, to assume an aggrieved air.

  "Maybe I'm presuming too far on old acquaintance!" he said gloomily.

  "I still have that copy of Aldrich you gave me once,--you remember thatthey

  'Met as acquaintances meet, Smiling, tranquil-eyed-- Not even the least little beat Of the heart, upon either side!'

  But,--should old acquaintance be forgot?" she hummed. He was still aspoilt boy who had to be coaxed into good humor.

  "You know what I mean, Evelyn. I feel a particular interest in havingyou start right here, now that you've come home to stay. People will besurprised to hear of your taking a part like that; they want to take youseriously. You've been to college--"

  "Oh, Warry!" she cried appealingly. "And are you to throw this at me? Afew minutes ago you were complaining that people wouldn't take youseriously, but I'm afraid they want to take me much too seriously. Idon't like it! In fact, I don't intend to have it!"

  "But you don't mean to get down to a level with these girls who've beenground out of boarding schools, and who don't know anything? The kindthat play badly on the piano, or sing worse, and come home to mix FifthAvenue boarding school with Missouri River every-day life!"

  "I'm really disappointed in you. I supposed you weren't like the others.A few days ago some estimable women called here to get me to become acandidate for school commissioner. They talked beautifully to me. Therewas one of them, a Miss Morris--" Raridan extended his arms to Heaven,as if imploring mercy--"who told me that I was a bachelor of arts andthat all kinds of things were therefore to be expected of me."

  "But I don't mean that! It's just that sort of thing I think you oughtto keep free from,--it's this awful publicity; it's making yourselfpublic property! Women must keep out of such things. Schoolcommissioner!" His spirits were rising again and he laughed aloud.

  "Wouldn't you vote for me?"

  He stared. "You're not going to--"

  "Decidedly not. I want you to understand, and everybody to find out thatI'm a very ordinary being. I hope if I've learned anything in collegeit's common sense. I don't feel a bit interested in regulating theuniverse, or in getting more rights for women, or in politics of anykind, any more than every sane
woman is interested in such things. Aboutthis carnival and the ball, I don't mind telling you that I dislike itparticularly. But I'm going to do it for two reasons, to be muchfranker with you than you deserve; to please father, for whom I can dovery little, and to set at rest this idea about my being a divinelygifted individual who has come home from college to rub up the universewith a witch cloth. And now, Warrick Raridan, we will, if you please,consider the incident closed; and if you are very good you may dancewith me at the ball."

  "Oh, the noble king will have first place there."

  "Well, if you're the king you can't object," she said. "I'm sure I don'tknow who the king's to be--"

  "Well, I do--"

  "Then you needn't tell me, please. I want to be surprised."

  "But he's likely to be somebody you won't care to know under anycircumstances," he persisted. His contempt for the carnival and his rageat the thought of this girl being publicly identified with Wheaton rosein him and he grew morose again. Evelyn, seeing another storm,approaching and wishing to restore his good humor, returned to herexpected guests and her plans for entertaining them.

  It must be confessed that in her heart Evelyn was one of those who, inRaridan's own phrase, did not take him seriously. She had seen more ofhim than of any other man. She had a great fondness for him, and she wasglad to find that after her absences he always came to the house as ifthere had been no break, and took up their pleasant comradeship wherethey had left it. She had speculated not a little as to the violentflirtations which he carried on so openly, and had wondered whether hewould sometime grow serious in one of them, and what manner of girlwould finally steady him and win him to a real affection. She did notunderstand the mood that had swayed him, or that seemed about to swayhim to-night; but a woman's natural instinct in such matters had warnedher that he wanted to change their old attitude toward each other, andshe knew that she did not want to change it. She liked his gentleness,his humor and his generous impulses. She had seen enough of the world toknow that the qualities which set him apart from most men were rare. Hislikings in themselves were unusual, and though they were not sincereenough for his own good, they constituted an element of charm in him.His easy susceptibility was amusing; and it was no more marked inflirtations with girls than in dallyings with books or pictures ormusic. He was certainly a delightful companion, almost as satisfactoryto talk to as a bright girl! She felt, though, that there was a realpower in him; she could dramatize him in situations where he would be aleader of forlorn hopes on battlefields; but she stopped short of lovinghim; she had, she told herself, no idea of loving any one now; butneither did she wish to lose a friend who was so entirely agreeable andcharming. She resolved as they sat talking of perfectly safe matters,that their old footing must be maintained, and she felt confident thatshe could manage this.

  "Don't you like John Saxton very much?" he asked, and she felt that theday was saved when he would talk of another man. "I like him better allthe time."

  "Yes; people are saying agreeable things about him. But he's prettyserious, isn't he?"

  "Well, that makes him a good companion for me, you know. Acute gaietyis diagnosed as my chief trouble," he said, a little bitterly. He wastrying to feel his way back to the talk of an hour ago, but she hadresolved not to have it so.

  "It's very nice of you to be kind to him."

  "If you mean that I bring him up here, that isn't kindness, it's justordinary decent humanity."

  He was cheerful again, and he went away assuring her that he would be atthe station to meet the approaching visitors the following afternoon. Heabused himself, as he went down the hill toward the electric lights ofthe city, for having permitted Evelyn to defeat him in what he hadintended to say. He stopped on the long viaduct that spanned the railwaytracks and looked moodily down on the lights of the switch targets andthe signal lanterns of the trainmen. Then he turned his eyes toward thePorter house which stood darkly against the starlit sky among the trees.As he looked a light flashed suddenly in the tower. He laughed softly tohimself as he turned with a quickened step on his way.

  "Maybe it's Evelyn, and maybe it's the cook; but any lady in a tower!The thought of it doth please me well."