The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-12

once, halfway down, and her face
was curious mixture of guilt and
hopeless wrath. Over her shoul-l
der, ] could see Hannah, wide
eyed and puzzled. staring after us.
Jim presented everybody, and
then he went into the den and
closed the door and we heard him
unlock the cellarette. Aunt Sc
lima looked at Leila's bare Shout
ders and said she guessed she
didn't take cold easily, and con-
versation rather languished. Max
Reed was looking like a thunder
cloud, and he came over to me
with a lowering expression that l
had learned to dread in him.
what fool nonsense is this?"
he demanded. What in the
world possessed you, Kit. to put
yourself in such an equivocal po-
sition? Unless''-he stopped and
turned little white-"unless you
are going to marry JIM"
am sorry for Max. He is such
a nice boy, and good looking, too,
if only he were not so fierce, and
did not want to make love to me.
No matter what / do, Max always
disapproves of it. 1 have always
had a deeply rooted conviction
that If / should ever in a weak
moment marry Max, he would
disapprove of that, too, before !
had done 1t very long.
"Are your" he demanded, mar
rowing his eyes-a sign of unusu-
ally bad humor.
Gam l what?"
"Going to marry him?"
eff you mean Jim," said
with dignity, 81 haven't made up
my mind yet. Besides, he hasn't
asked me-"
Aunt Selma had been talking
Woman's Suffrage in front of the
fireplace, but now she turned to
me.
as this the vase Cousin Jane
Whitcomb sent you as wedding
PRESENT." she demanded, indicat-
ing a hideous urn-shaped affair
on the mantei. 1t came to me as
an inspiration that Jim had once
said 1t was an ancestral urn, so
I said without hesitation that it
was. And because there was a
pause and everyone was looking
at us, added that it was a beau
tiful thing.
Aunt Selma shifted.
"Hideous!' she said. "It looks
like Cousin Jane, shape and col
oring"
Then she looked at 1t more
closely, bounced on 1t, turned it
upside down and shook it. A card
fell out, which Dallas picked up
and gave her with a bow. Jim
had come out of the den and was
dancing wildly around and beck
oning to me. BY the time I had
made out that that was not the
vase Cousin Jane had sent us as a
wedding present, Aunt Selma had
examined the card. Then she
glared across at me and, STOPPING
put the card In the fire. / did
not understand at all. but I knew
1 had in some way done the up.
forgivable thing. Later, Dial tol6
me It was her card, and that she
had sent the vase to Jim at Christ
mas, with a geenrous check inside
When she Strengthened from the
fireplace, II was to a new theme
which she attacked with her usual
vigor. The vase incident was
over, but she never forgot it. She
proved that she never did wher
she sent me two urn-shaped vases
with Paul and Virginia on them.
when THAT is, later on.
1.-THE Cause in England has
made great strides" she an
nounced from the fireplace. "Soon
the hand that rocks the cradle will
be the hand that actually rules
the world" Here she looked at
me.
SIN not up on such things"
Max said blandiy. having recov-
cred some OF his good humor
s'but--isn't Il usually q foot thai
rocks the cradle7"
Aunt Selma turned on him and
Mr.. HARRISON. who were standing
together, with a snort.
what have you. or you. ever
done for the independence of
woman?" she demandeda
Mr.. Hobison smiled. He had
been looking rather grave until
then. I'VE have at least remain
ed unmarried" he retorted. And
then dinner was again announced
He was TO take me out. and ne
came across the room to where
|sat collapsed in chair, and bent