Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-20
The Bo1ted Door
Continued from page g

Halliburton is alarming. hope that it isn't
true"
Il hope not; but don't think you ought
to take any chances. NOrthrop, as counsel
Halliburton. If you like, | shall 60 with you
to his office. But there is nothing in the
morning news that shows any weakness in
the trust company"
She sat with her hands lingering North
rop's letter, her brows puckered, her mouth
drawn demurely down, like child caught in
a transgression. Her attitude was infinitely
appealing to her husband, who had known
only the cold sparkle of her pride or the flash
of her anger.
Thank you," she said submissively. II
suppose I've been very foolish. My lease OF
the Alicia expires the last of this month; but
1 don't want to cruise any more. | think
I'll stay here, if you'll tell me what to do.
She stopped, rose, and inhaled long breath
of the morning air. Come" she cried, mo
more for the present! Let's try not to spoil
our day. I'm wild to see the poodles and
the car Do you think you'd dare run it!'
THAT was a wonderful day to Garriott,
l one of the faultless days of sunshine
without shadow to be singled out of recol-
lection. They rambled over the place like
two children, played with the dogs, petted
the horses, and took spin in the Vas-y far
out into the sound where the sea pack
hunted again. AT luncheon they talked OF
their childhood and laughed fondly at the
eccentricties of their benefactor. She gave
him Oliver Judson's description of the young
workman on the railroad, " He's fat, Natalie.
with freckles and a squint," and Brooke re-
taliated with Uncle divers warning to him,
"She's bit shrewish, a little shrimp,
with eyes and skin the color of a faded corn
stalk"
And the revelation of keen sense of
humor in both seemed to add one more ra-
tional bond to the delight of their compan-
ionship. There was a charm too IN their
aloofness, a novelty in the discovery that
their relation condoned the absence of
Others and anticipated the sudden con-
fidences which now came the more readily
for having been so long delayed. Even
when they took the motor after lunch Nata-
lie drove along the main road and returned
home without the thought of suggestion Of
neighborlv visits. She knew the Gerry
Schuylers were at home; but she did not
mention them, nor did Brooke. The pres
ence of Mrs. Kempton in their house party
had tied his tongue. He was glad Abby
hadn't telephoned. He had thought that
perhaps she might.
When dinner time came they dressed care
fully and met again, enjoying in different
way the formalIty OF the oak dining room,
with its fine napery, the warm glow of its
candles, the CLEAN of its silver and glass, and
the orderly service 1t came to Natalie in
that moment as kind of inspiration that
here was the precise purpose for which such a
home was intended. 1t occurred to her that
the room had never been adequately fur
nished before; for, curiously enough, what
it most had needed was a host. 1t gave her
pleasant sense of satisfaction to learn how
we'll her husband seemed to fit into the set
ting that had once been the background for
her extraordinary uncle. She had used to
like the color of Oliver Judson's gray hair
against the English portrait on the paneling
between the windows; but she was not sure
that Brooke's brown hair did not 60 better
with tie sumptuous arrangement. There
was kind of Old World for1nality, too,
about her husbands manner which gave her
the measure of his adaptabiity. In spite of
his careful grooming, in which for the first
time Tibbott had had a part, she remem-
bered him as she had caught him at the shop,
in the thick of work, dusty and begrimed.
BY instinct he seemed to understand her
smile and question.
I'm kind of anachronism isn't that
what you mean?"
His intuition delighted her. She had
IL IL * l..