The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-04-17

perfect blessing to them. They could
90 there and rest and study and just
think, and perhaps" she said slowly,
as though while she spoke she saw a
vision Of tired self, for whom there
had been no rest home and no place
OF retreat, perhaps lot of them
would pull through In q different way.
Now today"-she broke her medita-
tive tone short-"I got a letter from
. hospital where a poor thing that
used to sing with me In New York
was dying with consumption-all gone
to pieces and discouraged. and there
Is where your primroses went to"
she nodded to Dan. Higgins took
them. You don't mind?" And Blair.
with q warmth In his voice, touched
by her pity more than by her charity,
said:
why, they grew for you, Miss
Lane; I don't care what you do with
them"
Lefty Lane sank her head OH her
hands, her elbows leaned on the table.
She seemed suddenly TO have lost in
terest even In her topic. She looked
around the room indiherently. The
orchestra was softly playing "The
Dove Song" from "Mandalay," and
very softly under her breath the star
hummed 1t. her eyes vaguely fixed on
some rQkpown scene. To Dan and to
Ruggies she had grown strange. The
music, her brilliancy, her sudden In
,sk hA~ - kt>t.
monplace reach. Ruggles to himself
thought with relief:
She doesn't care one rap for the
boy anyway, thank God. She's got
other Ash to land"
And Dan Blair thought: Its my In
ternal money again" But he was gen.
erous at heart and glad to be of serv.
Ice to her. and was perfectly willing
to be touched" for her poor. Then
two or three men came up and joined
them. She greeted them indolently,
bestowing q word or look on this one
or on that; all FIRE and light seemed to
have gone out Of her, and Dan said:
"You are tired. guess I had bet.
ter take you home"
She did not appear to hear him. In
deed she was not looking at him, and
Dan saw Prince Poniotowsky making
his way toward their table across the
room.
Lefty Lane rose. Dan put her cloak
about her shoulders. and glancing to-
ward Ruggles and toward the boy as
indifferently as she had considered
the newcomers, who formed small
group around the brilliant figure OF
the actress, she nodded good night to
both Ruggles and Blair and went up
to the Hungarian as though he were
her husband. who had come to take
her home. However. at the door she
sufficiently shook of her mood to
smile slightly at Dan:
Il have had lots Of fun and the
Scotch broth was great! Thank you
both SO much"
Until they were up In their sitting
room her hosts did not exchange a
word. Then Ruggles took a book up
from the table and sat down with his
cigar. II am going to read q little
Dan. Slept all day; feel as wide
awake as an owl"
Dan showed no desire to be com.
municative. however. to Ruggles' dis.
appointment, but he exclaimed abrupt
ly:
I'll be darned. Ruggles, II | can
guess what you asked her fort"
Well. IL did turn out to be a pret
- 60
didn't it?" Ruggles returned humor.
ously. III let you of from any more
supper parties"
And Dan fumed as he turned his
back. Expensive! There you are
again. Ruggles. with your Internal In.
trusion of money into everything
do"
When the older man found himself
alone. he read little and then put
his book down TO muse. And his med
itations were on the tide OF life and
the beds 1t runs over the living whirl.
pool as Ruggles himself had seen 1t
coursing through London under fog
and mist. II seemed now to surge up
in the dark to his very windows, and
me now mysteriously passed under
his windows in these silent hours over
which the waters go. Out OF the
sound, as II flowed on, the cries rose.
he thought, kindly TO his ears: God
bless her--God bless Lefty Lane"
And with this sound he closed his
meditations, thinking OF more peace
ful stream. the brighter, sweeter wa.
ters of the boys nature, translucent
and clear The vision was happier,
and with II Ruggles rose and yawned.
and shut his book.
CHAPTER XII.
ThN Grea, nj oh