The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-08-26

attitude toward the lady who is now
my stepmother She was, as perhaps
you know, from the STAGE
II may have heard,' answered Mol
lie. "But | had forgotten everything
except that Aunt Lucia says that she
is very much liked and that she is de.
voted to your father
BIender grunted. And then Aunt
Lucia's disappearing voice broke up
on the air.
"Moonlight or no moonlight" she
declared, "you young women are to
come to bed now! Really, Mr.. Blen-
der, it is quite inhuman of this girl to
have kept you up so late-you with
that long days ride back toward Jop-
pa ahead of your
off Miss Putnam will never be more
inhuman to me than that! exclaimed
BENDER, ecstatic conclusions in his in
fiection. Then he went on: "When
I 60 home in the spring may | look
you up?'
ooh! Are you contemplating visit
to America? asked Aunt Lucia. 1--WE
shall be so glad to see you there!'
mot visit, answered Blender,
looking hard at Mollie in the silvery
gloom. "l'm coming home to stay
I hope!'
IL see that ill-conditioned son of
mine is'liome again." announced Mr..
Adam Blender to his wife, as he look
ed up across the breakfast table.
He growled and frowned pretentous-
ly as he met her laughing dark eyes.
"Do you know, DEAR" she remarked
i:relevantly, l think that the reason l
fell in love with you was because you
fulfill stage tradition so we'll. You
are the exact type of the irascible
father!'
"You would not have made 80
merry, madam, if you had heard the
young cub on the occasion of our last
interview. 1t was in the old house,
and-'
"Ah, don',!' pleaded Mrs. BENDER.
"What difference did it make? He
didn't know me. And | hope young
Adam and Brother will care for my
memory in just the same hot headed
way. He probably thought l was
the most chorusy chorus; and I'll
wager you never tried to correct his
impressions and to tell him that / was
the stitfest, most amateursh thing
ever turned out by perfectly res
pectable dramatic school! Now, did
your
"Did /? OF course | didn't That's
no way to bring up children! They
are to hear and obey! The young
cub! He's resigned from the consular
service, He's stopping at the Union
Club. He refuses to be interviewed
in regard to the Eastern question:
should hope so! What does he know
about it? And what does he propose
to do now | wonder? He can't more
than pay his club dues, should say,
out OF The income from his mothers
property"
"Let's ask HIM to dinner" suggest
al Mrs. Blendcr softly, land inquire"
And then with an articulate burst
of rage, in which, however, she heard
decided negative, her husband left
the house.
All day long Mrs. BIender thought
Of her unknown stepson. She deeply
wished that he and his father might
be reconciled. She knew how the
enlargement, for all the elder man s
buster, ate into his heart And she
knew how his son was needed in tn e
business.
She was driving through Twenty
first Street, past the house to which
she had come as a bride 1t had been
sold, and she had left it years ago,
but her eyes turned to it now With
lingering affection-only to open in
hurt surprise. 1t was in process of
destruction. The trout wall was al
ready, and the wayfarers could look
unhindered into its very center. She
almost blushed. TO her sensitivtness
there was something as cruel about
this exposure of home to careless
gaze as there would have been about
the brutal showing Of heart. And
yet there they all were-the rooms in
which so much of life had been lived.
Down stairs, everything had been
done over for her coming. Upstairs,
the room of Fulton's mother had new
er been changed. With the hiding
wall gone, it stood barred to the world
ugly, old fashioned, queer, ornate