New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-22

As Mrs. Chester stopped, man and girl
who were Just back of her stopped also, or
they would have trod on her skirt. She
looked back at them and saw that their faces
were vaguely familiar, and the young man,
thinking that he had brushed against her.
lifted his hat with a murmured apology and
passed on. But she, straining her ears Tor
her daughters voice, distinctly heard the
girl saying:
That lady looks enough like Iris Chester
to be her mother
Mrs. Chester did not realize how much OF
compliment those words contained; but her
girlish figure, elastic step, youthful face and
modish clothes combined with the agreeable
fact that she was only nineteen years older
than Iris, made her still a beautiful woman
But that which had kept her young was her
idolatry of her only child and the magnetic
bond which there was between them. Indeed
SO often had these two spoken each others
thoughts that Mrs Chester sometimes felt
that if Iris in any great danger and should
long for her assistance, she would almost feel
it through space. For this same reason she
had declined her husbands invitation to
spend two months in Europe, declaring, with
his entire approval that young girl in her
continued absence from home needed mother
near at hand.
Thus it did not seem strange to a woman OF
Mrs Chester's delicate, high-strung nature,
to feel mpelled to follow the two young peo-
pie who had spoken her daughters name and
ascertain if possible who they
All three turned in at the Grand Central
Station and Mrs. Chester heard them buy
tickets for Arlington-on-Hudson, the town
where Iris was at school. This fact and that
of the girls wearing d ClaSs-pin such Iris
wore convinced Mrs. Chester that she must
have seen a photograph of her, and she de-
cided that here cassmate of her daughter.
She was about to introduce herself and speak
of Iris, when the girl said:
You needn't be afraid that Iris won't go
with US She has been in such a wild mood
for the last three days that she'd do most
anything"
Mrs Chester hastily dropped her veil over
her face to hide her strained expression, and
while they were waiting for their change the your
fellow said:
why didn't she come with you last night? VI
said she wanted to-"
'Oh, some silly sentiment about home al
mother, l believe" answered the girl inpatient
Iris Chester is all kinds of fool about sor
things"
But she's got sand" said the young man.
The girl looked up sharply. Il believe you
gone on heri" she said ealously.
I'm not either! With you around? l que
not!"
The girl tossed her head coquettish1y "Al
you can just bet she'll come tonight when S
knows Larry Gartrell is to be there! 1 think L
is gone on Larry"
''She can spare herself the trouble then" sa
the young man, with a frOwn that did not esca
the jealous eye of his companion, for he is era
about girl he met last summer named Leono
Halliday"
As they turned away, Mrs Chester leaned h
head against the wooden partition of the tick
Office, with her knees trembling under her. sWl
were these two to make so free with her preciO
girls name? A sudden spasm of fear seized h
throat at the remembrance of what had been sa
about Iriss wild mood Too well the moth
heart, having battled with such moods in herse