The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1913-10-10

"do oHJo5lHS W ZIG lull ner plOuS Sat l
tsfaction Of martyrdom.
Dear Mrs. Gregory" said Fran !
kindly, I'm sorry to have to do this,
but 1t isn't as If you were adopting
a penniless orphan. I'm adopting !
home. want to belong to somebody,
and want people to feel that they
have something when they have me"
Il reckon they'll know they've got
something" remarked Simon Jeffer-
son, shooting q dissatisfied glance al
Fran from under bushy brows.
Fran laughed outright I'm going
to like you, all right" she declared.
"You are so human"
1t is exceedingly difficult to main
tain satisfaction in silent martyrdom.
Grace was obliged to speak, lest any
one think that she acquiesced in evil.
as it customary for little girls to roam
the streets at night, wandering about
the world alone, adopting homes &C
cording to their whims?"
Il really don't think it is custom
ary," Fran replied politely, "but I'm
not a customary girl" At that mo-
ment she caught the old lady's eye. 1t
was sparkling with eloquent satisfac-
ton; Mrs. Jefferson supposed terms
of service were under discussion Fran
laughed, grabbed the ear-tTumpet and
called, Hello. How are you?"
When an unknown voice entered the
large end of the tube, half it's mean
ing was usually strained away before
: the rest reached the yearning ear.
| Mrs. Jefferson responded eagerly.
, "And will you wheel me around the
, garden at least twice day."
, Fran patted the thin old arm with
her thin young hand, as she shouted,
t 'Ill wheel you twenty times day,
r if you say sol"
But do not see-saw," retorted the
}, old lady with spirit.
e Gregory, finding Grace's eyes fixed
k on him searchingly, felt himself
r pushed to the wall. "Of course" he
t said coldly, at is understood that the
/. daughter of-er-my friend, comes
J. here as a-as an equal" AS he
J. found himself forced into definite cp
It position to his secretary, his manner
n grew more assured. Suddenly 1t oc
q Cured to him that he was, in way
D. atoning for the past.
"As an equal. yes!" exclaimed I'LL
10 wife. again embracing Fran. "HoV
Of else could it be-"
"This is going to be a good thini
v, for YOU, If you only knew It," Fral
W said. looking into her face with lovin
In eyes. :,
,e Hamilton Gregory was almost abb
to to persuade himself that he had re
ceiyed the orphan Of his own ire
choice. thus to make reparation, y
20 is nv duty" he said; "and | Away
try to do my duty, as see It,"
"a. would you like to know more abor
". ma ~ Fran asked confdentially Of Mr.
to Gregory.
ut Gregory turned pale. Il don't thin
N. it is neces-"
in "Do tell mel" exclaimed his wife.
"Father and mother married secre
. w" Fran said, solely addressing MT
4 Gregory but occasionally sending
II furtive glance at her husband. +
I was college-student, boarding VIII
:, bie consin. who was one of the profe
! core Mother was an orphan and live
p with her half-uncle-a mighty crus
] old man. Uncle Ephraim was, WI
e d;an,t have one bit Of use for people
II getting married In secret. Father al
W mother agreed not to mention the
iM marriage till after his graduation
VIZ then he'd 20 to his father and ma
dH everything easy, and come for moth'
MI 60 he went and told him-fathers
4 Their was a millionaire on Wall sire
Mothers uncle was pretty well Ike
= ton hut he didn't enjoy anything
IS cent religion. When he wasn't
z church-he went most all the time
ba was reading about IT. Mother 81
Ne was most religious in Hebrew,
he enjoyed his Greek verbs awful, u,
Grace Noir asked remotely,
YOU say that your parents eloped!
aThey didn't run far Fran
n,ained. they were married in
'out county, not far from springheid-
Il thought you said," Grace ln'
-, rupted. that they were In New fol
az, 80 "Did your said Fran poiiteiy.
mug father graduated, and went away
gu tell his father all about being 4
ried to Josephine Derry. | don't XII
' ant what happened then, as he didn. GO
INA. INA. hack to tell My mother waited !
anu ~ Waited-and was born.and /.
n tn Uncle Ephraim drove mother GA.
, gne, his house with her tiny baby-ln
uD'1 me-and grew to be-as ola as
y ~ "a now We we're always q
use y s ire father. We went all over
asn United states, first and iast--it 100 %
s ) = u u the son of millionaire ough
J, !. az - ha easy to find. But ne kept MN
my close, anu sA s,sd Sometimes
a 81