Part 2 (1/2)
Arkwright steered hi, and up to the hostess--Mrs
Burke, stout, honest, with sympathy in her eyes and humor in the lines round her sweet mouth ”Well, Josh,” she said in a slow, pleasantsince I saw you I always knew you'd come to some bad end And here you are--in politics and in society Gus!”
A tall, haughty-looking young wo a pair of deep, deep eyes that somehow flustered him Mrs
Burke presented hihter-in-law
While she was talking with Arkwright, he exa--audacious in its display of shoulders and back--until he got over his dazed, dazzled feeling, and noted the other woed it from him, but he felt that this physical display was extreerly looked his face burned ”If I do pick one of these,”
said he to hiered if I let her appear in public dressed this way Why, out hoht had drifted away froently push him toward the wall, into the shelter of a clump of palms and ferns There, with his hands in his pockets, and upon his face what he thought an excellent iht's easy, bored expression of thinly-veiled cynicise it from the standpoint of the ”common people” His verdict was that it was vain, frivolous, unworthy, beneath the serious consideration of a man of affairs such as he But he felt that he was not quite frank, in fact was dishonest, with hiht to feel, not what he actually was feeling ”At least,” said he to hih to be i Anyhow, to confess a weakness is to encourage itNo wonder society is able to suck in and destroy so many fellows of my sort! If _I_ am tempted what ry sha of pride because he, of so lowly an origin, born no better than the machine-like lackeys, had been able to push hi--these people on terms of equality And it was, for the moment, in vain that he rein as he; that few indeed could claieneration reant hadthe ”high folks”
”What are you looking so gluuiltily So, his hts had been reflected in his face ”I was thinking of the case I have to try before the Supreme Court next week,” said he
”Well, I'll introduce you to one of the Justices--old Towler He comes of the 'common people,' like you But he dearly loves fashi+onable society-- to flirt
It'll do you no end of good to meet these people socially You'll be surprised to see how respectful and eager they'll all be if you becoive et up where they can afford to put on airs Why, even the President has a sneaking hankering after fashi+onable people I tell you, in Washi+ngton EVERYTHING goes by social favor, just as it does in London--and would in Paris if fashi+onable society would deign to notice the Republic”
”Introduce inning to feel that Arkwright was at least in part right; and it angered hi, and to whooing ho these butterflies and hoptoads no ht
Craig flashed exaggerated scorn that was confession
”I'll do better than introduce you to Towler,” proceeded Arkwright
”I'll present you to his daughter--a dyed and padded old horror, but very influential with her father and all the older crowd Sit up to her, Josh You can lay the flattery on as thick as her paint and as high as her topknot of false hair If she takes to you your fortune's made”
”I tell you,veheht ”No stuo They bore people and create an impression that you're both ridiculous and hypocritical”
Arkwright left Josh with Towler's daughter, Mrs Raye of fashi+onable exaggeration had pictured, and who endured Craig's sophoreat and revered father,” because the eulogist was young and handsoht passed along the edge of the dancers a fan reached out and touched him on the arm He halted, faced the double line of wo the length of that end of the ballroo for How is Margaret this evening?”
”As you see,” replied the girl, unfurling the long fan of eagle plumes hich she had tapped hier-faced youth beside her--”run away and amuse yourself I want to talk seriously to this elderly person”
”I'ht, as he seated hi to induce Miss Severence to take hiht, and have to adaret