The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-12-27
CHAPTER XII.
(contlnued.)

promise me anything. | trust you
n Abbott; know you would never leaC
my little girl into wrong-doing. Sh'
Is wild and unframed, and / suspec
you were trying to help her, las
night. Leave II all to me. will hav,
good talk with Fran"
And" said Abbott eagerly, IF W,
both solemnly promise"
Grace bit her lip. His I'VE" con
demned him.
Il don't ask you to hide the affaii
on my account" he said, holding W
his head. 81 don't want Fran put II
an unjust light She isn't to be
judged like other people"
"Oh. murmured Grace, then YOU
thiuk there Is more than one standard
Of rightf I don't. There's one God
and one Right. No, can not con
sent; what might satisfy Mrs. Greg
DRY might not seem best to me. No
Professor. II you feel that you can not
explain what saw. last night, shall
feel obliged to tell Mr.. Gregory as
soon as the choir practice ends"
Didn't Fran refuse to tell?' Abbott
&emporized.
Yes" was the skilful reponse: but
her reticence must have been 10 save
you, for the girl never seems ashamed
of anything she does. / imagine she
hated to get you into trouble"
Miss Grace, you have heard Mrs.
Gregory say that she trusts me-and
she is Fran's guardian. ask you to
do the same"
Il must consider my conscience"
That answer closed all argument.
You had better tell her" said Mrs.
Gregory, for she is determined TO
know" ...
Il was taking a walk to rest my
mind" Abbott said slowly, proceeding
as II he would have liked to find his
ground inch by inch, "and it was rath-
or late. l was strolling about Little
burg. Yesterday was a pretty hard
day, getting ready for Commencement
my mind was tired out"
did you get your mind rested?'
Grace permitted herself the slight re-
taxation OF sarcasm.
Yes. At last found myself at the
new bridge that leads to the camp
meeting grounds, when ahead OF me
there was--l saw Fran. | was much
surprised TO find her out there, alone
II can understand that" said Grace
quietly, for l should have been sur
prised myself"
Mrs. Gregory turned upon Grace
Let him 60 oni' she said with nash
that petrified the secretary.
when l came up to the bridge, she
was sitting there, with some cards
all alone. She had some superstition
|. about trying fortunes on new bridge
at midnight, and that explains the
lateness OF the hour. So. I persuaded
her to come home. ana that is ALL
Mrs. Gregory breathed with relief
What an odd little darling!"s she muir
INJURED, smiling.
What kind OF fortune was she tell
ing?" Grace asked.
Whatever kind the new bridge
would give her.
"Oh, then the cards stood for peo
pie, didn't they! And the card yor
dropped In the yard was your card, O
course"
'Of course"
And did Fran have card to repre-
sent herself, perhaps?"
Il have told you the story" said
Abbott, rising.
THAT means she did. Then she
wanted to know II you and she would
Mrs. Gregory, have always
felt that Fran has deceived US about
her age! She Is older than she pre-
tends to BET"
Il believe this concludes our bar.
gain" said Abbott, rising.
Mrs. Gregory was calm. Miss
Grace, Fran told me long ago that she
Is eighteen years old; she came as
little girl. because she thought we
would take her in the more readily, II
we believed her a mere child"
- nraOorv Lpnuv that 80
Il haven't told him: I don't know
whether Fran has or not"
you haven't told himi" Grace was
speechIess. "You knew II, and haven't
told him7 What ought to dor"
You ought to keep your promise,
Abbott retorted holly.
Sitting on that bridge at midnight
alone, telling peoples fortunes by
cards. Professor Ashton
Mrs. Gregory! Grace exclaimed, with
one OF those flashes OF inspiration
peculiar to her sex, that Fran Is a
show-girl!"
Abbott started, but said nothing
Mrs. Gregory rose, and spoke
through her mothers ear-trumpet,
Shall we 90 home, now?"
That Fran" repeated Grace, us a
show-girl! She IS eighteen or nine.
teen years old, and she is a show-girl,
wouldn't 1t be best for you to ask
herr"
ASK her? Herr No, | ask you!'
Let me push the chair" said Alb
bolt, stepping to Mrs. Gregory's side
He read in the troubled face that she
had known this secret, also.
The secretary gazed at him with q
far-away look, hardly conscious thai
he was beating retreat, so absorbed
was she In this revelation. Now, in
deed, Il was certain that Fran. the
girl OF eighteen or nineteen, Fran. the
show-gtrt, WAS an tmpostor! Her age
proved that Mr. Gregory must have
known her father" when he was at
tending college In Springfield. where
as. believing her much younger. II had
all the time been taken for granted
that they had been, companions in
New York.
IL would be necessary for some one
10 go 10 Springfield to make investi
gaticrs Grace had forever allenated
Abbott Ashton, but there was always
Robert Clinton. He would obey her
every wish; Robert Clinton should 90
And when Robert had returned with 4
fun history OF Hamilton Gregory.
echool-days at Springfield and those
OF Gregory's intimate friend, Fran
...ft1. fha nrOofq OF her conanirac,