The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1901-03-22
ruler Of his destiny, be it for good or

"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 quivering, and
his tone was almost petulant.
Sometimes I am afraid 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 hating dictation
some business correspondence. Now
and then Mrs. Goddard would furtive-
" scan the faces in the room and
then peer toward the road again.
Suddenly she saw cab containing
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 a 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 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 me! Tell her, James
tell her I shall be in at once. Where
is she?''
''In the little parlor, madam"
.'What 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-
ly, 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 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 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 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 a 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 filled in her girl
ish heart must be deprived of its 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 Mme.. 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
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