Evening star., 1914-01-26

! a brainy advertising solicitor could woTE
| in one place as well as another But
! Jeff had deciared-without reason. Laura
, rehected-that he wanted his own home
| we'll as his own he liked his own fire
side LAS if it wouldn't he our own,
Laura stormed. Both tempers We're be
| coming rasped. Why. jeff, neither moth
| er nor father ever thinks OF doing any
| thing without consulting me.
! jeff looked at Laura peculiarly They
aren't SO old he said. thoushtfuiiy.
! Your father is only
''fffty-nine," said Laura And moth
er is fifty-six N-no, they aren't aged.
But I've always" proudly relieved them
Of all the responsibility that l could
| Again a peculiar look appeared in Jeff S
dark brown eyes. He opened his mouth
| to say something. but apparently thought
better of it. and was silent for a moment.
..All the same. l think they could get
along quite well. he finally said, tribe
sullenly. What are We goins to do?
| Wait til, they die?''
| Laura was properly Mortified
Don't say such a thing she c-3ed.
sharply 1T sounds heartless.''
Il don't know as it makes it any more
heartless to put it into words" he per-
| sisted.
Il have to go in and fix the dessert for
| dinner" said Laura, as an effectual way
, Of ending the conversation:
| "Raisin pie?" asked Jeff, interestcdly;
| I'd come in and help you eat it. Laura
| made delicious pies.
No. she answered. absentiH. Bread
| pudding. Mother complained OF gas on
her stomach the other day. So I've cooked
only plain food since. That's another
reason pettishly. IF | weren't here
mother would eat anything she wanted
to regardless of whether or not it was
good for her. She isn't bit sensible.
For the third time jeff looked peculiar
" at Laura. And then he kissed her
goodbye and ST. oiled off. Laura watch
| ed him a moment with resretful eyes.
She hadn't let him know how Very hard
it was to give up her plans. Then she
went swiftly into the house.
I've got the raisins ready and made
the filing" her mother said pleasantly
as Laura, after putting her hat away,
came out to the pretty clean kitchen.
Your father thought he'd like raisin
But he can't have it, Laura de-
clared. 1T Is too rich for him and for
you. I'll make a. nice bread pudding"
That last bread pudding-we didn't
eat it," her mother said tentatively.
You had to throw it out
II know it. I'll feel bad if YOU don't
eat this one
Her mother sighed. At Laura's trance
she had slowly laid down the spoon
with which she had stirred the creamy
hlling and sat down i'll u low white
rocker. There she folded her hands in
her broad lap and watched Laura fly
briskly around getting dinner. II
thought your father would like some
potatoes au gratill--'
Mother" Laura stopped in horror.
Why. they are too ;ndigestible for
him! You know baked ones ar. best"
Her mother rocked slowly. her hands
still folded. and sighed Laura got diu-
ner in an incredibly swift time set the
table and called her father. lie came
rom the library with Laura's own
briskness of movement. He was a
snappy- eyed old man, with only a iieck
of gray in his hair. But the snap of
his eyes was belied by the gentle curve
Of his lips.
Laura at the side of the table be-
tween her parents watched them eat.
out she filled her own plate and left
it hardly touched And. in spite of
herself. her face dropped sor-owfully.
Jeff was so stubborn about not coming
in to live with those Two old people
Why. she sometimes believed that he
had got this position in the next town
simply to have plausible excuse Al
though 1t wasn't plausible. And
Laura tightened her lips determinedly
he'd give in sooner or later.
After dinner She cleared the dishes
away and left them for Jennie TO wash