The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-08-22

the TWO years since he udQ seen HeI,
out of the chrysalis had come the but
terf1y; and this radiant girl was his
daughter. For one brief instant he
unlocked the neglected chamber of his
heart which was the prison of the
past, and thought of Gloria's mother.
Then the present with it's obligations
and its stern realities recalled him to
the life that was from the days that
once had been.
Welcome home, daughter he said.
making peck in the general direc-
ton of her mouth do duty for an an
swering kiss With David Kerr kiss
ing had long ago become an obsolete
custom. Then, too, no one had ever
accused him of being unduly demon
stratiye.
Seeing the negro driver bowling and
scraping, Gloria left her father to
speak to him. She might have for
gotten Locust Lawn, but she had not
forgotten Locust Lawns chief fac
tOtum. Old Tom, who had been in
Kerrs employ for a generation, had
! been her constant companion when
she had outgrown the continuous
vigilance of her nurse.
How d you do, Tom" she said, ex-
tending her hand. Il don't believe
you remember me. Now, do you?''
Bless 70 heart, Miss Glory"
grinned the old negro, I'D sho'ly know
! you anywhares. An it does me
powful sight O. good to see you. Why,
chile, when you went away you wuz
| jes' little gal. An now look at you;
yous regular growed-up woman All
reckins you'll want to git mahried
soon. Hey?"
/ Gloria laughed that same fresh, in
! fictitious laugh of hers which had
warned many a wary sutton that he
! had not found the combination to her
heart and had brought him to that
plane of friendship on which he was
always welcome AS we'll try to de-
scribe PATHS singing, in the days
when her charm was greatest, as try
to describe Gloria's laugh There be
! those persons so presumptuous that
on hearing it would aver she had
never loved. Whether David Kerr was
! one of those his countenance did not
! betray. As he waited for her answer
to the question put her by the old
negro, a privileged servitor, his face
was as impressive as ever it was on
the night of an election.
why, Tom" she explained when
she had ceased to laugh at the fool
ishness of the question, Il love every
body, Of course, but nobody in tie
wide, wide world like that. I'm never
going to marry any one; do you think
SOP"
Miss Glory, you neveh do know
what de Lord'u pervide. Look at me.
All done say dat, too, when | wuz
young lax you; but Abs had TO wives
already, an nah time amt come to
die yit"
All right, Tom. | don't know what
the Lord will provide, but I'm not 60
ing out of my way to help Provi-
dence"
The words of this colloquy were
neither more nor less than David Kerr
had anticipated. 1t was from the
spirit rather than from the wording
of her reply that the father sought to
ascertain the answer. 1t had been his
one hope that somewhere on her
travels she would meet a man worthy
the love of a woman such as she, that
she would marry him and never re-
turn to Belmont. Almost unconscious
ly, with that end vaguely in view, he
had been diminishing his activities
He had money enough fer Gloria's fu-
ture, already she had her own income,
and his age made even power irk-
some. He would move away from
Belmont when Gloria married. and
when she came to visit him it would
be TO some charming rural spot in the
east she loved so well. Other men
of his type had retired, why not he?
One had even raised d horse which
had won the greatest classic of the
English turf. But for him, he had
unused, there would be no such pur.
suits to bring him into the public eye.
That he wished to avoid for Gloria s
sake. And now all his plans seemed
to be coming TO naught-Gloria had
come home, free of heart and anxious
to mingle in Belmont society.
| Inc uIIN6 W 1OCuSt I@dN II W DIS uu
eventful Gloria watched for land
marks along the way, and commented
on the changes twelve years had made
Locust Lawn seemed closer TO town
than in the old days. Most of her re
marks about places they passed were
addressed to Tom, because together
when she was a child, they had beer
over the road many times. DaviC
Kerr, never much of conversation
alist, was content to listen. hoping
some chance speech might aid in clear
ing up the situation. Everything
Gloria said. however, seemed only 6
confirmation of her determination t
enter al once into Belmont's gayeties
Oars de first sight O. Locust Lawn
Miss Glory"
, They had just reached the top Of {
Hill and Tom pointed with his whiI
: TO a house on the next eminence
Looking up, Gloria saw, not the estat,
: of her imagination, but a square ret
brick house looking rather desolat'
through the bare branches of man.
4 trees Locust Lawn at the end o
) winter was no enchanted fairy bower
: but she was far too clever girl ant
j far too good at heart, to betray an,
Z disappointment. To her the place wa
2 home, and she was anxious to recog
, pize it as such