Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09

self away on the first handsome Irish boy
She met
ThatIl do. Tom.
Girls, if you could have seen Mrs. Dow
ager Diamonds face when She came down
the stairs. the bishops card in her hand,
and into the gorgeous parlor, it'd have
been as good as a front seat at the show.
She mad, and she was curious, and
she was amazed, and she was disarmed +;
for the very nerve of his bringing me to
her staggered her so that she could hardly
believe she'd seen what she had.
My dear Mrs. Ramsay, he began, con-
fused bit by his remembrance of how her
! face had looked fifteen minutes before. Il
! bring to you an unfortunate child, who
mistook my carriage for her fathers this
afternoon at the station. She is Il college
! girl, a stranger in town, and till her father
| claims her
Oh, the baby! the baby She was stiff
ening like a rod before his very eyes.
| How did his words explain his having his
arm round the unfortunate child? His con-
! science was so clean that the dear little
man actually overlooked the fact that 1t
wasn't my presence in the carriage, but
| his conduct there that had excited Mrs.
| Dowager Diamonds.
And didn't the story sound thin? / tell
! you. Tom, when it comes to lying to a
| woman you've got to think up something
stronger than it takes to make man be-
! lieve in you-if you happen to be female
| yourself
didn't wait for him to finish. but
|
, to that side of beef with the diamonds
still on it. and. fiinging my arms about
| her, turned a coy eye on the bishop.
You said your wife was out of town,
! de ddy,' l cried. gaily. Have you got an
/ ether wife besides mummy"
The poor bishop! Do you think he tum-
| bled? Not a bit-not bit. He sat there
easping like a fish. and Mrs. D0wager
| Diamonds. surprised by my sudden at
| tack. stood bolt upright, about as pleas
| ant to hug as-as you are, Tom, when
| you're jealous.
The trouble with the bishops set is that
| it's deadly slow. Now. if l had really
| been the bishops daughter-all right. I'll
| go on.
"Oh, mummy" I went on quickly You
| know how | said it, Tom-the Way I told
/ you after that last row that Dan Christen-
sen wasn't near so goodlookinf; as you
| remember? oh, mummy. you don't know
| how good it feels to get home. Out there
| at that awful college, studying and study
ing and studying, sometimes l thought I'd
| lose my senses. There's girl out there
] now suffering from nervous prostration
| She worked 50 hard preparing for the mid
years. What's her name? l can't think
| | can't think, my heads SO tired. But 1t
| sounds like mine, lot like mine. Once-I
| think it yesterday thought it was
! mine, and I made up my mind suddenly to
| come right home and bring it with me.
| But it can't be mine, can it? 1t can't be
my name she's got. 1t can't be, mummy;
| say 1t can't, say it can't
| ION, L OuSIl " nave SOile vi lic Stdkt
I'll go yet. when you're sent up some day.
Yes. 1 will. You'll be where you can't
| stop me.
| 1 couldn't see the bishop, but the dow
ager-oh. I'd got her. Not so bad an old
| body, either. If you only take her the right
| way. First, she was suspicious, and then
| she was scared. And then, bit by bit, the
| stiffness melted out of her. her arms came
| up about me, and there 1 was, lying all
comply, with the diamonds on her neck
| boring icsettes In my cheeks, and sire
| asniffing over me and pltting me and tell
| ing me not to get excited, that II was all
| right and now I was home mummy would
| take care of me, she would, that she
would.
She did. She got me on to a lounge, soft
| as-as marshmallows. and she piled one silk
! pillow ofter another behind my back
| Come, dear, let me help you off with
| your coat" she cooed bending over me.
| oh. mummy, it's so cold. Can't please
| keep 1t cn?"
To let that coat OFF me was to give the
| whole thing away. My rig underneath,
| though good enough for your girl. Tom. on
| a holiday, wasn't just what they wear in
| the square. And. dye know. you'll say it's
| silly, but / had a conviction that with
| that coat should say good-by to the nerve
| L had since / got into the bishops carriage
and from there into society. l let her
take the hat, though, and l could see by
| the way she handled II that 1t was all
right-the thing: her kind. you know. Oh.
the girl l got 1t from had good taste, all
| right.
l closed my eyes for a moment as 1 lay
there and she stood stroking my hair. She
must have thought I'd fallen asleep. for