Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-04-17


and Talley was taking down in short
hand from Goddard's hating 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 a 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 seem ed so
much absorbed in thought as not to
see James when he entered with a
card on a tray.
ga 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,
8" from the Metropolitan employment
bureau All, it is the woman they
were to send me! Tell her, James
tell her I shall be in at once. Where
is she?"
''In the little parlor, madam"
ssWhat is she like ?-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 mac
curate dictation.
"Get that off and I shall finish the
rest some other time," he said, weari-
", to his secretary. The gaze of his
ward seemed to melt on his face. She
we'll knew that the realization of his
wife's coming departure had fallen up
on him with new force.
In a few minutes Mrs. Goddard re-
turned. She was smiling with amused
satisfaction.
''She is just the woman I want" she
declared, looking at the major, "but
perhaps you will feel better if you have
seen her and spoken to her. I 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 a son in London and is anxious
to see him. She will not want much
more than her passage money, but of
course I shall try to be generous with
the poor thing. Don't expect to find
her beautiful. She is anything but
good-looking, but that is not what /
am after. Good-looking women are
rarely useful"
AS the major left the room his wife
resumed her seat at the window. Her
color was high: her eyes were as full
of life as & fine diamond, and Blanche
could hardly keep her eyes from her
face. She was beginning, now that
Mrs. Goddard was eXerting herself to
be attractive, to comprehend the hold
she had on the major. To-day Mrs. God
dard looked as she had when Blanche
had first seen her and realized that the
place her guardian had filed in her girl
ISL heart must be deprived of it's ten
ant, that she must never even in
dreams remember those days when he
used to sit beside her in the little re-
ception room at Nine. Bells select
school. She had been sure during
those visits that his eyes, the pressure
of his hand, his parting kiss had meant
the same as her delicious yielding to
them had implied. But the awakening
shock had come and she had borne in
silence her secret and gone through
the daily torture of witnessing both
her guardians alteration for another
and, what was almost as painful, that
others Indifference to it all
When Goddard reentered the room
there was droop Of utter dependency
on him that added years to his appear
ance.
'Well, how do you like her?" his wife
asked
ooh, she is all right" he said. "She
seems good enough; but somehow I
simply can't reconcile myself to"
sob, publ" Mrs. Goddard rose with
graceful sweep of her 1.-THE body and
stood with her beautiful hands linked
behind her head; her yawn, showing
her perfect teeth, was as pretty and in
sincere as coquette's kiss. BLANCHE"
she said, eff you ever marry, make just
as many voyages as you can. The more
a wife is away the more she is appre-
ciated. But I must go and give that
woman some final directions. What is
her name?" Mrs. Goddard picked up
the visitors card. 'Nolan, ugh! what
a frightful mouthful. I'll have to call
her Lucy, as much as [ hate to address
maid by her Christian name"
When she had gone out Blanche went
to the sofa on which the major was
seated and sat down by him.
Dear guardian" she said, ST wish
could do something to help you"
When he answered there was dis
tinct touch of faultfnding in his tone.
"You would not go away on pleas
ure trip and leave husband you loved
behind, would you, Blanche?
She had hesitation to answer, but
when she did it was without a twinge
of conscience, and her frmness sur
prised herself.
Il could not do so, GUARDIAN
81 know if nv dear Oir1 - he said