Evening star., 1914-04-23
THE EVENING STORY.
UNCHARTED SEAS.
Copyright. 1911. by W. Werner.

Copyright. 1914. by w NernerD
/ The stars were out-bis. white. splen-
did on their purple cushion. Faint. spicy
| zephyrs the mountains return for the
seas Offering of salt-freighted breeze.
caught and bore to thousands the tink-
ling chimes of the old plaza cathedral.
! Close by. the river Tapped softly against
| its confinements. The peace OF per
/! feet night was upon the city. the only
discordan; note the rumblins OF the heavy
| cars on the distant viaduct.
| But the occupant of the cottage under
| the electric light mast was conscious
| of no dscord. She drew her chair back
| from the street lights and sat in the
shadow OF the vines. The nights music
and beauty were her one dissipation.
| They bore her to scenes that had been
and let her i've again the old time. busy
with the thousand duties of housekeeping
and homemaking, of wife and mother
and friend.
1t was all in the past now. much of it
| long ago. but it still seemed close and
clear. Her life had known great sorrow,
Vet it was not greatly different from that
of many people she had met. But if
| have suffered. | have also enjoyed she
told herself tensely. thinking of the days
after she knew Felix and the wears that
she was his wife. Nor had Felix. the
| handsonIeSt man she had ever seen, a
| single fault. Good natured, brave. chiv-
alrous. he had met her every expectation
! till the great property that had been her
! fathers came to her. Then he failed her
utterly. 1t was her shoulder that went
| to the wheel. not his.
| IT was then. though. that a new phase
showed in Felix's character. With the
| handling OF money and the coming OF
| leisure he displayed a recklessness that
| astounded everybody. But there was
| plenty. and her devotion made him vel
come to it. She approved of anything
that got him from his chair and book.
and violin and dreaming. she made her
| self believe, ard out among men of an
other type
THE merest flaw she assured herself
and had thanked God when baby Felix
came that he was his fathers exact inn
age
| Felix himself was not pleased. He
ought to have been like you. Patricia, y
| he said. with unsmilug lips 1T will
need a strong brain to manage this great
| inheritance and a strong will to Withstand
J its temptations
wher he began to grow up. He was SO
| affectionate, so bidable and everybody s
! friend. 1t was little Bella, a duplicate
of herself. that gave her uneasiness.
| Strong willed. determined, unyielding,
| hard to manage. she had not half her
well pleased.
! She'll be your comfort, Patricia if
| trouble should come he would say when
! she protested. but she, looking at her
| boy. smiled proudly.
! That shows mans fallibility, and his
| confidence in his own opinions" She had
| retorted. laughing. Aftcrward. when
Felix was gone and her first great sor-
row vas UPON her. she understood.
He was, indeed. as she had said, bid
la
| friend. but he was also everybody's dupe,
| a duckling for every mans pluckng.
| Several times it required great sums to
keep him from the clutches of the law.
Then he came home. The next day
/, Patricia and he left. For year they
| him back to lay him by his father, glad
and thankful that it could be before sir
had gained a stronger hold.
| After that Patricia's life centered in
Bella. She watched over Bella's every
breath, encouraging, lecturing, curbing.
advising and inducing. and was cheered
and battered by the child's ability and
progress. 1T was going 10 be true that
Bella would be her comfort. She herself
felt that it was. and while Bella was in
school she threw her whole energy into
| making money for plans i'll which she and
Bella shared alike.
But money panic had left lands and
securities deprecated and business slug
gish. Making money she found a slow
process. But she was not discouraged
except by a letter from Bella couched in
few words. Mother she wrote, Il
want your permission to go on the
stage
For a day or two Patricia had been
too stunned to answer. Then. hurt and
angry. she wrote Bella. asking her to
come home and together they would con-
slider it. But there was no response. and
Bella did not come. Bella Marston had