The Washington herald., 1913-03-16
CHAPTER VII.
4 mily Conference.

With the coming OF the rain. the
pcals OF thunder had grown less vlO
lent. and the wind had fallen; but those
who had sought the reception room for
>afety found in Frans presence some
thing "a startling. and as incompre-
hcnsible. as the most vivid lightning.
OF the group. il was the secretary
wh" first claimed Fran'S attention In
a WAY. Grace Nuir dominated the place.
Perhaps it was because OF her splen-
didly developed body. her beauty, her
attitude Of unclaimed vet recognized
authority. that she stood distinctly first.
A. for Mrs. Gregory. her mild aloof-
ness >ugee>ted that she hardly belonged
to the family. Hamilton Gregory found
himself in>tinctively turning to Grace,
rather than to his wife Mrs. Greg
nry> face did. indeed. ask why Fran
was there: but Grace. standing at the
foot OF the stairs. and looking at Greg
ory with memory of her recent dis
ni>>a al. demanded explanations.
Mrs. Gregory's mother, confined by
PARALYSIS to a wheel chair. fastened
upon the newcomer eyes whose bright
ness seventy years or more had not
dmmcd The group was completed by
Mrs Gregory's bachelor brother, older
than his sister by fifteen years. This
brother. Simon Jefferson. though stock
ilv built and evidently well fed, wore
an air of laSSitude. as If pcrennially
tired As he leaned back in a hall
chair. he seemed the only one present
who did not care why Fran was there
Gregory broke the silence by clearing
his throat with evident embarrassment.
Il, :
and after its reverberationS had died
away. he still hesitated. This" he
said presently. rs a-the Orphan-an
urphan-one who has come to me from
- She says her name Is Frances"
Fran came the abrupt correction;
lust Fran
There was general feeling that an
orphan should speak less positively,
even about her own name-should be,
as it were. subdued from the mere fact
of orphanhoOd
An orphan" Simon Jefferson cjac-
ulated moving reStlessly in his ef-
forts to find the easiest corner of his
chair. Il hope nothing is going to
excite me. | have heart disease, little
girl. and I'm liable to topple off at
any moment. | tell you must not be
excited"
AZ don't think" replied Fran. with
cheerful interest in his malady. that
orphans are very exciting"
Hamilton Gregory resumed. cau-
tiously stepping over dangerous ground,
while the others looked at Fran, and
Grace never ceased to look at him.
She came here tonight, after the
services at the big Tent. She came here
and. or ] should say. to request. to ask
Miss Grace saw her when she came
Miss Grace knew of her being here"
He seized upon this fact as if to lift
himself over pitfalls.
Grace'S eyes were gravely judicial
She would not condemn him unheard.
but at the same time she let him see
that her knowledge of Fran would not
help his case 1t did not surprise
Mrs. Gregory that Grace had known
of the strange presence: the secretary
usually knew of events before the rest
OF the family.
Gregory continued. delicately picking
his wav: But the child asked to see
me alone, because she had a special
message-a-yes, a message to deliver
to me. So | asked Miss Grave to leave
us for half an hour Then I heard the
girls story, while Miss Grace waited
upstairs
Well" Simon Jefferson interposed
irritablv. Miss Grace is accounted for.
Go on. brother-in-law, 60 on, il we
must have il"
"The fact is, Lucy" Gregory at
this point turned to his wife-for at
certain odd moments he found real re-
lief in doing so-''the fact is-the fact
is, this girl is the-er-daughter Of