The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-06-24

hhMON l.
them, all lifelong friends or enemies.
little apart from them sat a white
haired woman smiling at the scene
happily, but quite aloof Evidently
she was stranger. Instinctively Lin
da sat down beside her, saying, with
smile, IF you would rather not talk
I'll be as still as a mousse"
But | want to talk very much" the
white haired lady replied. Its hard
,no""h TO be only a locker on when
"ur ow everybody and can see I'M
,lcr the surface. know nobody here
except the man who brought me.
Bringing me was within Of his, and
never cross his whims. He knows
Mrs. Ansley--in fact, she Is sort of
family connection. And he is coming
back to me after awhile. ! think he
has something on his mind that he
wants to get off"
"How delightful! l feel as If were
sharing a conspiracy" Linda answered,
with soft smile.
! The strange lady leaned across and
patted her hand, saying impulsively:
at is conspiracy, and you shall
know how 1t ends after it ends. But
now tell me who is who and all about
everybody. dare ask that because
from your face know you never tell
the things people would rather were
| left unsaid."
I'm a rank impostor. It's all my
pink frock." Linda said, pretending to
whisper "In reality I'm awfully grump
and grim. I'm beginning to sympa-
thize with the woman who said she
was never entirely at peace with God
and man except when she felt entirely
well dressed"
80 your soul has on its pink frock,
| too" the strange lady said, with a
glimmering smile. Linda nodded. And
am glad" she said briefly. 81 am
half ready to promise myself never to
wear black nor to feel black again.
It's such a shame when there are the
flowers and little children and good
friends to make living worth while"
You'll make it worth while wher-
ever you GO" the white haired lady
said, with conviction. Now quit be-
ing angelic and turn gossip. Remem-
Der, don't know anybody or anything
about anybody"
Linda began eagerly to tell the tale
Of guests Now and again her listener
nodded at a name, tapped her fingers
in her palm and said to herself, Il
used to know the father" or, Il can
see the favor Of the mother" Evil
IDENTIFY she was somebody newly re-
turned to once familiar ground.
Still Linda had no suspicion of her
identity until she saw Aston Wade
coming quickly toward them. All at
once it flashed upon her that his
mother had been fifteen years away
with daughter who had married a
foreigner and gone to live abroad.
Aston had Berta beside him, and
Berta was more vivaciously beautiful
than ever. Yet some shade fell over
her radiance as they approached near
enough to see who sat beside Mrs.
| Wade.
AS soon as Aston had presented Ber-
ia to his mother she said impatiently
to Linda: Peggy Ansley is hunting
high and low for you. Run away to
her. You know she depends on you to
help her with things"
1--WE will go together. l also am go.
ing to help" Aston said, taking Lin
da's hand. Mother, I'm sure Miss
Berta will be very, very kind to you
although" dropping his voice signif.
cantly, ''she can't make up to you for
losing Linda, because nobody can pos
sibly do that"
Have you managed to get the ques.
ton off your mind, my boy?' Mrs
Wade asked, with seeming irrelevance
but meaning smile. And her son an.
swered, with an ardent look at Linda:
Eyes; 1t is quite off my mind. But
there's another question, a very much
more important one, that Linda must
settle for me right away"
II told her she should hear the end
OF the conspiracy" Mrs. Wade said
laughing. Her son paused second tc
say over his shoulder, "She can't rest
content with simply hearing 1t, be.
cause she herself is the end"
The Licorice Shrub.