Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-17


father Don you think he has had more on his mind
lately9"
"I'm afraid he has, " said Mrs. Harlow, with a
sigh ''Why do you ask?''
'''Oh, something so horrid happened yesterday
meant to keep it to myself, but L can't Betty s
cheeks red, her eyes flashing. II was at
Mrs. Kennedy's, with those books, and she asked if
there anything the matter with father he had
been looking so lately. She thought outsiders
always noticed those things more quickly than the
family. -
'lThe ideal" said Mrs. Harlow, Indignantly.
''Then when l in the hall [ heard them talk
ing; L couldn't help it. They said-she and Mrs
Bradley-what pity it was when man didn t get
on we'll in business and Mrs Tower said she was al
ways sorry for the wife of unsuccessful man. il
must be dreadful, if you had any AMBITION to see
your husband failure. She said she never could
really respect a man who showed himself deficient. L
so angry could hardly walk home. l went up
stairs and cried wanted to burst right in and tell
them how nobly father had behaved when that old
Johnson absconded, and how he was trying to pay up
all those back debts. But knew it WASH any USE
''Defcienti' - Mrs. Harlow eyes glttered Your
father brain-we your fathers brain is far beyond
most people s. How he can make all those calcula'
tions the way he does She paused Her own
education dated back of the modern She was
sound the arithmetic of her butcher and grocer
books but beyond that all figures looked to her much
like drop of water seen through microscope.
There s the whistle " said Betty, suddenly jump
ing up and making for the train to meet her best
friend
The subject of this conversation had meanwhile
been vending his way to the town. He perhaps had
looked forward to time of pecuniary and leisure
when, instead of tnkerng round the house. he might
play golf But one not even his wife, quite
understood what a holiday meant to Mr.. Harlow.
To escape for a solid block of sunlit secular hours
out of the grimy, artfcially lighted, badly ventilated
office, with its white tiredooking clerks, and its as
sociation of intricate, harassng to-to escape from
this to the peacefulness of green grass and the click
of the lawn mower, and the Pickering of shade from
the leaves of the ems that arched the street. and
the sweet voices of little children calling to one an
other, to go back into little corner of the emerald
fields of bOyhood.
Mr. Harlow was not in the least old; he was indeed
barely middle aged; yet there moments when he
knew that he was not so young as he had been. On
the spring morning of holiday the thought, even II
it came, was robbed of its shadow.
His face had the kind smile that children always
trusted, he stopped to pick up tiny, curly haired
girl who had fallen in his way. The action showed
him the letter, which he had forgotten still in his
hand
He opened and read it as he walked, stopped short
and read it again with knitted brows. Then he walked
and on, one deep in thought, until he came to
the other side of the village. He did not go near the
stores but stroled instead toward large, unoecupied
house that stood surrounded by lawns and trees we'll
apart from its neighbors There was clear view OF
the hills from the porch Mr. Harlow walked around
the house and through the garden, and sat on the
porch steps, still deep in thought.
81 did not know what had become of you said
his wife, running down the walk to meet him as he
once more came in through the gate. 'Why, it 8
after 12 clockl 1 was afraid something had hap
pened to youl suppose you We been talking all this
time to somebody She did not give him oppor-
tunity to answer, but drew him up beside her to
of the piazza chairs 81 know you won't have time
to mend all those things asked you to, without taking
up all your afternoon, and 1 don It want you to do
that But IN afraid IL have to ask you to fix the
leg of the refrigerator -
''It would be better to buy a new one, wouldn t
itf'' asked Mr.. Harlow impartially
- Better to buy new one I only wish could
How queer you act, David Aren 4 you going to put
the netting the screens nowR / think you II have
time before dinner it s to be at o'clock to-day -
shut when went to buy the nails Who IS that talk
ing to Betty9'
cts Sylvia she has come out for a couple of
daYs And 0 David a telegram came for Betty while