Evening star., 1908-01-10
THE AWAKENING OF
HELENA RICHIE.
By MARGARET DELAND,
Auho of dr. Lavendars People," "Od Chester Tales" E
BY Hrp-
By MARGARET DELAND
CHAPTER XIX.

| night. Dr. hlng came 10 see MIN nVe
| times in one week: Mrs. Barkley sent
him some wine jelly in sheaf-of-wheat
mold: DR.. I4avendar climbed the hill or
| two afternoons to play dominoes with
| him. though. as it happened. Mrs. Richie
was not present either day to watch the
game. The first time she had just gone
to lie down. Sarah said: the second time
! she had that moment started out to walk
why. my goodness said Sarah. ''she
must "a just gone! She was here not a
minute ago. I should a thought shed
| "a seen you tyin' up at the gate?"
well. evidently she didn't" DR.. Laven-
dar said. "or she would have waited. Tel
/ her I'm sorry to miss her, Sarah" Then
eagerly, he went on upstairs to David.
| William King, too. was scarcely more
| fortunate: he only found her at home
once. so at the end of the week he was
unable to tell her that David was i'm
| proving. 1t was. of course, necessary
| that she should be told this: SO that was
why he and jimmy continued to come up
the hill for another week. At any rate
that was the explanation he gave his
| Martha.
Il must let her know just when David
/ can go back to school,, he said And
| Martha. with IA Tightening lip. remarked
| that she should have supposed woman
of Mrs. Richie's years could use her own
| judgment in such matter.
| Williams explanation to DR.. Lavendar
was somewhat fuller: Il make a point OF
calling on the plea of seeing David. but
| it's really to see her. She's high
| strung that this little accident of his has
| completely upset her. l notice that she
sort of keeps out of the way of people.
/ I'm pretty sure that yesterday she saw
me coming and slipped out into the gar
! den to avoid me-think of that. Nervous
ness: pure nervousness. But l have a
plan TO brighten her up a little-a sur
| prise party. What do you say
DR.. Lavendar looked doubtful. VIII
liam. he said. isn't life surprising
enough? Now. here's Sam Wright's Sam S
| performance"
/ DR.. Lavendar looked careworn. and with
| reason. Sam Wrights Sam had indeed
provided a surprise for Old Chester. He
had quietly announced that he was going
to leave town.
"Going away repeated the senior
warden what are you talking about?''
Sam said briefly that he wanted to try
to get drama he had written published.
| You are out of your senses" his father
said: II forbid it, sir Do you hear me-?
| Sam looked out OF the window. II shall
CO. think. tomorrow" he said, thought
| fully.
Samuel Wright stared at his wife in
| dumfounded silence. When he got his
| breath, he said in awful tones, Eliza. he
defies me. A child. of mine. and lost to
| all sense Of duty! | cannot understand
| it-unless such things have happened in
your family?" he ended with sudden sus-
picion.
Never protested the poor mother: "but
| Samuel. my dear-Sammy. my darling
The senior warden raised majestic
| hand "Silence. If you please, Eliza.
Then he thrust his right hand into his
| bosom. rested his left fist on the marble
foot Standing thus. he began to tell his
son what he thought of him. and as he
proceeded his anger mounted, he forgot
his periods and his attitudes! and his
voice grew shrill and mean. But. alas,
| he could not tell the boy all that he
| thohght: he could not tell him Of his high
| ambitions for him. or his pitiful desire
| for his love. of his anguished fear lest
| he might be unhappy, or foolish. or bad.
These thoughts the senior warden had
| never known how to speak. Instead. he
| detailed his grievances and his disap-
pointments: he told Sam with ruthless
candor what the world called his conduct
dishonest idiotic, ungrateful. He had
| terrifying string of adjectives. and
through them all the boy looked out OF
| the window. Once, at particularly i'm
pa ssioned period. he glanced at his father
with interest; that phrase would be fine
| in play. he reflected. Then he looked
/ out of the window again.
''And now Mr.. Wright ended sono-
rously, what reply have you to make,
sir?''
| Sam looked confused. II beg your
pardon. father? I did not hear what you
| were saying.
| Samuel Wright stared at him. speech
| less.
AS for the, boy he said. calmly, Good
| night. father and went upstairs to his
own room. where he began his packing.
| The next morning he had gone.
| "Where?" asked DR.. Lavendar. when
the angry father brought him the news.
II do not know" said the senior war
den. land 1 do not"
"Yes. you do" said DR.. Lavendar: but
/ ha inf ba iS ha n
! doesn't really matter. except for. our COM
| fort, whether we know or not. Sam is a
man. and our protection Is an imperti-
nence He's taking a dive on his own
account. And as l look at it. he has a
right to. But he'll come up for breath,
and then we'll get some information. And
| he'll get some sense.
But. of course. the Wright family was
| in a most distressed state. The mother
was overwhelmed with anxious grief: the
| father was consumed with mortlncatlon
and bla zing with anger.
lie didn't take his second-weight flan-
| nels.'' moaned Mrs. Wright: 'he Will
| catch cold. oh, where is he? And no.
| him but our Betsy. On. my boy!
Good riddance," said Sam senior. be-
tween his teeth: "ungrateful puppy
| DR.. Lavendar had his hands full. To
| reassure the mother, and tell her that the
| weather was so warm that Sam couldn' t
use the second-weight f1annels if he had
them. and that when he came back
Betsy's hominy would seem better than
| ever-"Old Chester food will taste mighty
| good after few husks.' said DIR. Law
/ endar. cheerfully-to tell Sam senior that
| grateful puppy would be an abnormal
| monster. and to refrain from telling him
| that whatever a father sows he is pretty
sure to reap-tOok time and strength. So
| DIR. Lavendar did not enter very heartily
| into William Kings plans for a surprise
party However. he did promise to come
If the doctor succeeded in getting Old
! Chester together.
| Meantime he and Danny and Goliath
went up to the Top to tell Benjamin
/ Wright about Sans Sam. The grand
| father displayed no surprise.
II knew he was going to clear out he
said he was poking about among his
| canaries when DR.. Lavendar came in
and he stopped and sat down, painting
| "These fowls wear me out. he COM
planned. Whisky? No? Dear me! Your
senior warden's got you to sign the
pledge l suppose? Well. l will: to drink
thing yet. if he doesn't eat his fatted
calf too soon. Fatted calf is very bad
for the digestion
Wright. / don't suppose YOU need te
be told that you behaved abominably Sun
day night? Do you know where Sam is?
Il don't. and l don't want to- Be-
haved abominably? He wouldn't shake
ing and I gave him some money-well
why do you look at me like that? Cad
a-mercy. amt he my grandson? Besides
since our love-feast, amt II my duty tc
help his father along? I've had a change
of heart" he said, grinning; where
your joy over the one sinner that re-
penteth? I'm helping young Sam. so that
Inf<l CO, <lor