Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-07-10
CHAPTER w.

Mrs. Lynthwaite looked so worn and
worried when l passed her on the stairs
today" Nan told her friends at Ingle-
side one evening towards the end of the
'lrst week under the altered condition
/ OF things. Il hadn't seen her since Mon
day, and it seemed to me that she looked
positively ill-with fretting and anxiety,
| suppose"
What has Mrs Lynthwaite to fret or
be anxious about 2" The question came
IN the cold, hard voice in which Shirley
SO often spoke nowadays, especially
when anything concerning the family at
Lyncrott cropped up in the course of
conversation.
Her son is going to India in three
weeks time" responded Nan Il thought
| told you last night Aunt Faith and
were speaking of it, but perhaps you
We're not here. No, you went to the
evening service at the church"
Yes, went to the evening service at
the church" echoed Shirley 'I'm afraid
1t didn't do me much good didn't feel
any more kindly disposed towards GER
tain people than before, but still went
An, me! | wonder whether / ever shall
learn the lesson of forgiveness properly !!
1t seems hard one to master as vet.
Is it Austin Lynthwaite who is going
abroad y she said, changing the subject
abruptly.
No, Guy, the younger one. The chill
dren were telling me about it yesterday
how Uncle Guy was going out to see
father and mother, and granny was
mis'able and unhappy because she didn't
like to think of Uncle Guy going all
those miles away So mis'able and I'M
happy, Gwen assured me, with her big
blue eyes opened to their very widest
extent, that she couldn't even bear Nora
and me to go in and kiss her good night
on Monday after Uncle Guy had been
telling her about it, and she really hasn't
been quite like our own dear granny
ever since / knew what they meant
when l saw her today. Poor Mrs.
! Lynthwaite! Her face had such a
strained, curious look as she passed me.
felt as if / wanted to say something
to comfort her; but / couldn't very well
when I'd only heard of it from the chill:
dren."
Don't you think said Shirley, again
speaking in that hard toneless voice
that it so hurt the others to hear, that
anything in the way of sympathy from
you to Mrs. Lynthwaite just now would
/ be rather incongruous in any case2 Car
you forget SO easily that it's through
these people-th through their hasty mis-.
judgment-that Lance is suffering?"
"No"-very quietly from Nan, though
faint flush had risen to her cheek
II don't forget It'll never shall forget
| it. Sometimes | almost wish | could
But Mrs. Lynthwaite has always beer
kind and good to me, and considerate
as we'll Some people-those stern, un.
yielding people who have no thought Oh
sympathy save for the avenging of their
own wrongs might have turned me
adrift, and even stood in the way of my
waite didn't-the possibility never
seemed to have entered her head She's
as kind and sweet to me as before
more kind and sweet if anything. Why
then, now that she's in trouble and un.
happy, shouldn't | feel sorry and wish
| that / could comfort herT'
Shirleys only response at the moment
was a shrug of the shoulders and a still
more perceptible hardening of the lips
But by and by, when Nan had gone from
the room, Miss Faith saw that she let
| her sewing fall UNDECIDED TO her lap, and
leaning her arm on the sill of the open
window, sat looking out across the old
fashioned garden, her eyes full of
troubled thought.
How easily Nan takes it," she said
at last How little the thought of the
injustice done poor Lance seems to
trouble her!"
81 think, dear, you are wrong there .
came the gentle reply. "Nan feels it as
keenly and poignantly as any of u.s."
'Keenly poignantly- she goes
to that house day after day and meets
in all friendliness the very people who
have brought it upon us?"
at is more than you could bring your
self to do, my poor Shirley"
I?" the girl said, with low-voiced
bitterness. Il would never set foot in
side their door or touch one penny of
their money againi / wouldn't stir my
little finger to help them if they were
starving! But if Nan is right and / am
wrong then I suppose it's because the
bitterness and rebellion in me are SO
great that they're crushing all charity
| out of nav heart, all ealmness and rea-
son out OF my mind. Aunt Faith
throwing herself on her knees by the
sofa, and hiding her face against the soft
friIy kerchief that had been Lance's
present to Miss Cadogan on her last
| birthday-"help me TO conquer it Help
me to be fair and generous, eyen-eyen
to those people, but more than all to
poor lonely little Nan. / am wrong
| / know it, / feel it. Pm becoming a
mass of hardness and hatred and all I'M
charitableness. Help me to be better
scold me-teach nie-talk to me as You
used when | was little child!"
After brief pause she continued
| do you remember up with
| a fearful smile-"how once ! lost my
temper and stamped my foot and was
angry with everything and everybody
because a certain plaything that wasn't
old enough to value properly was put
away out of reach for a timer It must
be something of that tempestuous feel
| ing that's in me now. Lance has been
taken from me and placed beyond my
reach-not because | didn't value him,
| for l did-oh, ] did But it seemed to
me that when he loosed my hands the