The Washington herald., 1913-05-18

in the church-does lido you
Think"
"You believe in convictions, Fran
And since you've come into the church,
you don't have to say that you believe
in il"
"Yes-there's nothing on the outside,
and, oh, sometimes there's so little, so
little under the roof-what do you
think of me. Abbott"
Fran, think you are the most
But do youp she interposed, still
unsteadily. in the superlative? l
don't see how you can, after that ex-
hibition behind the bars. Anyway,
want you to talk about yourself. What
made you 60 away from town? But
that's not the worst: what made you
stay away? And what we're you do
ing off there, wherever it was, while
poor little girls were wondering them
selves sick about you? But wait =
the wheels going down-down-down-
Good thing / have you to
hold to-poor Miss Sapphira, she can't
come. nowl Listen at all the street
criers, getting closer, and the whistle
sounds wish we had whistles; the
squawky kind, See my element, Abb
bott, the air I've breathed all my life
the carnival. Here we are, just above
the clouds of confetti Now
we're riding through. pretty
damp. these clouds are, don't you
think Those ribbons of electric lights
have been the real world for me. Alb
bott-they were home. No,
Bill, we don't want to get out. We
intend to ride until you take this wheel
to pieces. And, oh, by the way, Bill
just stop this wheel, every once in a
while, will you?-when we're UP at the
very tiptop. All right-good-by."
And Abbott called gayly, "Good-by,
Mr.. Smookins y
Pm glad you did that, Abbott. You
think you're somebody, when somebody
else thinks so, too. Now we're rising
in the world" Fran was so excited
that she could not keep her body from
quivering. In spite of this, she fas-
tened her eyes upon Abbot to ask,
suddenly, 'Most'-what?"
Most adorable" Abbot answered. as
if he had been waiting for the prompt
ing. Most precious. Most bewitch-
ingly sweet Most unanswerably and
"hnd vo,,-o sb. ,,b;s,.,ed
And /" h. toId her am nothing
h,,, r,o., ,,,r,;,a'to -h..I,,.dn
a. - oun.r5 f. "a ,,,;,,;v,-
f. ayor Lnov Abbott how Iono
you,vr fought .o.;ns, me Won know
I, and 7 don't HAN. Won NOT in IN.
Is,st Tberr's no,b;ng ,hout m. N
make oeonIe But even now.
bo,y cs,, yo,, tb;nt Won und.rs,,nd me
when ! don't understand n,vseIfp"
AZ don't" he said. nromntlv. 'T'ye
Give, I'm irving 10 understand Won
since then I've inst loved That's
easvD
"What will people think of a super-
;,,.ndrnt of cubic schools caring for
a show-qirl even IL she is Fran Non
! nareiI How would II affect your ca
reers"
But Won have promised never again
| a show-pirl."
What about nv mother. who lived
and died as a lion tamerp What will
YOU do about INV life history? I'D
never speak to a man who could feel
| ashamed of nv mother What about
nv father. who has never publicly &C
knowiedeed me? I'd not want to have
anything to do with a man who-who
| could be proud of him
"As TO the past. Fran. | have only
this to saw: whatever hardships II con-
tanned. whatever wrongs or wretched-
| ness-it evolved Won Won. the Fran ri
todav-the Fran of this living hour
| And it's the Fran of this living hour
that | want to marry"
Fran covered her face with her
hands. For a while there was silence
then she said:
Father was there tonight"
AT a lion show? impossible, Mr.
| Gregory 90 IN a-a-,o-a-"
Yes. il is possible for him even to
90 to show. But TO do him Justice,
he. was forced under tn, tent. he had
no intention of doing ANYTHING SO
wicked as that. he oniy meant TO do
some little thing like running away.
Rut M. I can't sneak If him with hit
terness now. Abbott, he seems all
changed"
Abbott murmured. as If supplied,
mir. Gregory at show
yes and a lion show When II was
over he came 10 me-he was so ex-
cited
$50 was L, spoke I'D the other
"ratheri"
"You didn't show If 7 thought NAV
he Won wouldn't care IL had bee.
eaten up. No. no. listen. He
wanted to claim me-he called me
daughter right there before the peoole.
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