Where Two Ways Met Read Online Free Page B

she was supposed to finish in two days. But Mrs. Harmon stood by the window and looked out across the two lawns that separated her from her neighbor’s windows.
    “Yes,” she mused to herself, “if this is really so, they will presently be important people. I’ll keep a sharp lookout and see whether the young man really gets—and keeps—that job. I’ve always supposed they were very commonplace people. They never seem to go anywhere except to church, and not a very important church either. They’re awfully quiet, of course, and respectable, but if the Chalmerses are taking them up, it might be worthwhile to begin to cultivate them, now before it would be obvious. I might go over and call, make a pretense of borrowing something—or—no—that would be almost humiliating after all these years of ignoring her. I must think up something better than that. I wonder how she would react if I were to suggest asking her to go with me to our bridge club? Of course, she doesn’t likely play bridge, but I might say I’d teach her. It would likely be an awful bore, for quiet women like that who haven’t been used to playing. Well, at least it might be a gesture. It would show I was friendly. And of course if the Chalmerses take her up, why, it wouldn’t be hard to get the ladies to vote for her. There’s one thing, she’s an awfully good cook and makes lovely salads and things like that. It would be good to have someone who could take over the refreshment part, now Mrs. Powers has moved away. Of course, she might wonder why I never asked her before, but I could tell her I knew she wouldn’t feel like getting into social affairs while her son was away, but now he was home I thought it was a shame she couldn’t be in our group, especially when she lives so near me and it would be so handy for us to go to the meetings together. Anyway, let her think what she wants to. She likely has been envious of me all these years for belonging to everything, when she never goes out except to church. Well, I’ll think it over and keep a watch out for the young man. If the story seems to be true, I better get in some good work before things get going and somebody else gets hold of her. Of course, if it doesn’t prove to be true, I won’t need to bother about it. But Priscilla Brisco generally knows what she’s talking about. I’ve never found her making mistakes in anything she reports, and there’s never anything malicious in her gossip; it’s always kindly and sweet. Maybe there is more to that Mrs. Madison than I ever thought. Priscilla certainly spoke beautifully of her.”
    Brisk steps on the pavement of the street made her turn and look out her front window. Yes, that was the young Madison fellow, and he certainly was good looking. Of course, a uniform is becoming to almost everyone, but this one had such fine proportions, such well-set-up shoulders, such a fine bearing. She could easily see how he would adorn an office. Yes, and fit into social life, if it came to that. Well, perhaps it would be worth her while to cultivate the family, at least tentatively. And there was this about it, if she did it right away, before this business connection of the son’s became generally known, she would have the reputation of being intimate with friends of the Chalmerses. The Chalmerses were a notch higher socially than she herself had ever attained.
    She thought about it all that evening at intervals, and kept a sharp lookout on the doings of her next-door neighbors. She noted the lights that appeared in the windows, wished that the living room of the Madison place were not on the other side of their house. She certainly would like to be able to look over and get a little better acquainted with the family before she ventured to take any of them into her own charmed circle. When it came to things of a social nature, one had to be very careful, of course. It wouldn’t do to be impulsive.
    But, on the other hand, the Madison dining room