Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-13

Qu0St1O1I W 06As ~ OSPOA0o uPOA AOW
you answer 1t. Am really your
daughter?"
REALLY my daughter?" Mrs. Ched-
soye stepped back. genuinely aston
lshed. Really my daughter? The
child Is mad!" as II addressing an i'm
aginary third person. What makes
you ask such a silly question:" She
was in hurry to change her dress,
but the new attitude Of this child Of
hers warranted some patience.
"That IL no answer" said Fortune,
with the unmoved elaboration OF q
prosecuting attorney.
Certainly you are my daughter"
"Good. II you had denied It, !
should have held my peace; but since
you admit that am Of your flesh and
blood, I am going to force you to rec
ognize that in such q capacity have
some rights. did not ask to come
into this world: but insomuch as ! am
here, propose to become an indi.
vidual, not . thing to be given bread
and butter upon sufferance. I have
been talking with Horace. met him
in the bazaars this morning. He said
some things which you must answer"
Horace? And what has he said.
pray telly Her expression was flip
pant, but q certain tnquietude pene-
trated her heart and accelerated its
beating. What had the love-lorn fool
said to the child7
HE said that he was not good
man, and that you tolerated him be-
cause he ran errands for you. What
kind of errands?"
Mrs. Chedsoye did not know wheth.
er to laugh or take the child by tho
shoulders and shake her soundly. HE
was laughing when he said that. Err
rands7 One would scarcely call it
that"
'Why did you renew the acquaint-
ance with Mr.. Jones. when you knew
that you never intended paying back
that loan?"
Here was question, Mrs. Chedsoye
realized. from the look Of the child.
that would not bear evasion.
What makes you think ! never in
tended to repay him?"
Fortune laughed. It did not sound
grateful in the mothers ears.
Mother. this is crisis; It can not
be met by counter-questions nor by
fippancy. You know that you did
not intend to pay him. What ] de-
mand to know 10. why you spoke to
him again. 60 anably. why you seemed
so eager to enter into his good graces
once more. Answer that"
Her mother pondered. For once she
was really at loss. The unexpected
| ness of this phase caught her of her
balance. She saw one thing wildly.
regretfully: she had missed valuable
point in the game by not adjusting
her play to the growth Of the child,
who had, with the phenomenal sud
denness which still battles the psy-
biologists, stepped out Of girlhood
into womanhood, all in day. What
fool she had been not to have left
the child at Mentone!
Tam waiting" said Fortune There
are more questions: but want th1s
one answered first"
"This 10 pure insolence!"
'1nsolence Of kind, yea"
"And refuse to answer. I have
some authority St1u.
"Not 80 much, mother, as you had
yesterday. You refuse to explain?''
Absolutely"
"Then shall Judge you without
mercy" Fortune rose. her eyes blaz-
Ing passiontely. She caught her moth
er by the wrist, and she was the
stronger of the two. Cant you un-
derstand? I am no longer child. l
am q woman. I do not ask, demand!"
She drew the older woman toward her,
eye to eye "You palter, you always
palter; palter and evade. You do not
know what frankness and truth are.
Is the continual evasion calculated to
still my distrust7 Yes, distrust you,
you. my mother. You have made the
mistake Of leaving me alone too much.
I have always distrusted you, but !
never knew why"
Mrs. Chedsoye tugged. but ine6ectu.
ally. LET go!"
mot till 1 have done. Out Of the
patchwork, squares have been formed.
What Of the men who used to como
to tho villa and play cards with Uncle
George, the men who went away and
never came backf What Of your long
disappearance Of which knew moth
ing except that one day you vanished
and upon another you came backf Did
you think that I was . fool, that ]
had no time 10 wonder over these
things? You have never tried to
make q friend Of me: you have n
ways done your best to antagonist me.
Did You hate my father 30 much that,
when his death put him out Of range.
you had to concentrate It upon me?
Ny father!" Fortune roughly dung
aside tho arm. who knows about
him, who he was, what he was. what
10 looked like1 Az . child, used 20
ask you. but never would you speak.
All know about him nurse told me.
This much has always burned my
mind: you married him for wealth
that he did not havA What do you
mean BY this simple young man across
the corridor?"
Mrs. Chedsoye was pale, and the o..
tistic touch Of rouge upon her cheeks
did not disguise tho pallor. The true
evidence ley In the Wilderness Of her
nose. Never in her varied life had
she felt more helpless. more impotsnt.
To be wild with rage, and yet 70 b