The Iola register., 1901-02-15

fairs, and l think | can get away"
said Goddard. "You will at least al
low me to go over with you"
"And be obliged to nurse you
through your seasickness," laughed
his wife. mo, this voyage is for my
own health, thank you. From the mo-
ment the gangplanks are up till they
are down he is too i'll to eat bite"
she said to Blanche and Talley. 81
shall be provided with a good compan-
ionable maid. New York Is full OF
gentlewomen who are dying for such
opportunities"
after all, IL may do her lot of
good" Blanche said, consohngly, to
her guardian, when Mrs. Goddard had
left the room. "She seems to antici-
pate so much pleasure from it. She
seems to treat me so much more gen.
tally than she has been doing"
The major frowned. There was a
trustful glance in the girls eyes
which recalled her school days to him.
She looked almost as childlike as she
had the day she had come into her
fathers 'sickroom, her long golden
hair plated and hanging down her
back How wildly he recalled John
Briscoe's words
my darling child, this is the best
and truest friend l ever had; he hes
shown me his friendship in a thou
sand ways; if anything should happen
to take me from you he will care for
you as tenderly as your own father
could"
Goddard shuddered over this mem
ory, and the thought that, although
she was marked as such an early prey
of death, he had been induced to plot
against such frailty. but he felt the
futility of struggle. Ever since he
had fallen under The spell of Jeanne's
eyes he had looked upon her as the
ruler of his destiny be it for good or
evil.
"You ought not to suffer so because
she is going, dear guardian" said
Blanche, with tender concern. "You
ought to look forward to her return,
and not give yourself up to morbid
brooding over it."
"She doesn't want me to go with
her, you see" answered the major
coming back to closer view of his
own woes. His lip was quiyering, and
his tone was almost petulant.
Sometimes / am afraid l am in the
way" said Blanche. perhaps ought
to go away myself
mo, you must stay" said the ma
jor; "but you must invite some one
to be with you"
"Lottie Dean will come" said
Blanche; 81 shall write to her" and
suspecting that Goddard wanted to be
alone with his trouble, she left him.
One morning three days later they
were all seated in the library. Mrs
Goddard sat in the bow window, her
eyes on the road which led past Lynd-
hurst to the station. Blanche was
looking over some music at the piano
and Talley was taking down in short
hand from Goddard's halting dictation
some business correspondence. Now
and then Mrs. Goddard would furtive.
ly scan the faces in the room and
then peer toward the road again
Suddenly she saw cab containing a
single occupant driving in at one OF
the gates at the bottom of the lawn
and she at once rose and went to the
fire and sat down. When the door
bell rang few minutes later, she was
the only one in the room who did not
appear to notice it. She seemed so
much absorbed in thought as not to
see James when he entered with
card ON a tray.
"A lady to see you, madam" he an,
nounced.
Mrs. Goddard had four pairs of eyes
on her as she scanned the card.
"'Mrs. Lucy Nolan," she read,
"from the Metropolitan employment
bureau All, it is the woman they
were to send mel Tell her, James
tell her ! shall be in at once. Where
is she?"
"In the little parlor, madam"
"What is she ike?-but never mind
I shall see for myself. If they have
sent me anybody without the best OF
references she shall go back without
an engagement"
Goddard's voice wandered into inac,
curate dictation.
Get that off and / shall finish the
rest some other time" he said, weart
ly, to his secretary. The gaze of hi,
ward seemed to melt on his face. Sb
well knew that the realization of his
wife's coming departure had fallen up
on him with new force.
In few minutes Mrs. Goddard re-
turned. She was smiling with amused
satisfaction.
"She is just the woman want" she
declared, looking at the major, but
perhaps you will feed better if you have
seen her and spoken to her. / asked
her to wait to see you"
Have you really engaged her?"
asked Goddard, dejectedly.
"Oh, yes; we came to terms at once.
She has son in London and is anxious
to see him. She will not want much
more than her passage money, but of
course L shall try to be oenerouS with