The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-09-10


girl or a miserable foreigner or heaven
knows"
Freddy! You are beside yourself
Your father would not marry a cheaF
show girl. You know that And you
must not forget that your mother was
a foreigner"
His eyes fell. I'm sorry said
that" he exclaimed, hoarsely.
Lydia, leaning rather heaVlR
against the door, spoke to him in
low, cautious voice,
Did you tell Mr.. Dawes and Mr.
Riggs?"
He stopped short. NO! And they
waited up to see If they could be OF
any assistance to him in an hour OF
peril What a joke! Poor old beg
CARS! I've never felt sorry for theH
before. but, on my soul, do now
What will she do to the poor OLE
chaps? I shudder to think of 1t. Ant
she'll make short work Of everything
else she doesn't like around here, too
Your mother, Lydia-why, God he'll
US, you know what will just have Il
happen in her case. It's"
Don't speak so loudly, dear-please
please! She is asleep. OF course
we've shan't stay on, Freddy. Wen
have to go as sooR as"
His eyes filled with tears. He seized
t her in his arms and held her close
. "It's beastly, beastly shame, darling
! Oh, Lord, what fool man can maAe
Of himself"
|, You must not say such things" she
y murmured, stroking his cheek Wtsa
j. cold, trembling fingers.
n But why couldn't he have done the
l. fine, sensible thing, Lydia? Wig
i couldn't he have-have fallen in love
>. with-with your mother? Why H@
# have married her if he had to marry
someone in"
II Freddy" she cried, putting her
n hand over his mouth.
10 She kissed him swiftly. Her cheek
lay for a second against his own and
"a then, with a stif1ed goodnight, she
n. broke away from him. An instant
~ later she was gone; her door was
closed.
v. The next morning he came down
a earlier than was his custom. His
night had been troubled one. For
getting his own woes-or bellttilng
them-he had thought only Of what
this news from the sea would mean
to the dear woman he loved 80 weH.
No one was in the library, but huge
fire was blazing. A blizzard was rag
| ing out-of-doors. Once upon time,
when he first came to the house, q
II piano had stood in the drawing-room
III His 10y at that time knew no bounds;
1If he loved music. For his years he was
III no mean musician. But one evening
HI his father, coming in Unexpectedly,
HI heard the player at the instrument
II For a moment he stood transfxed in
II the doorway watching the eager, al
III most inspired face OF the lad, and
HI then. pale as a ghost, stole away with
HI out disturbing him. Strange to say
IL Frederic was playing a dreamy waltz
III of Ziehrer's, waltz that his mother
II had played when the honeymoon was
II in the full. The following day tbs
II piano was taken away by storage
! company. The boy never knew VIII!
it was removed.
z He picked up the morning paper
His eyes traversed the front page rap
idly. There were reports OF fearfu
= weather at sea. The Lusitania wa
- reported seven hundred miles out ant
- in the heart of the hurricane. sh
s~s would be day late.
He looked up from the paper. Mr.
Desmond was coming toward him
,ero queer little smile on her lips Sh
wn was a tall, fair woman, an Engiis
type, and still extremely handsome
he Hers was an honest beauty that ha
nks9 no fear OF age.
It a "she is stanch ship. Frederic" sh
said, without any other form of gree
not ing "She will be late but-there
really nothing to worry about"
con- I'm not worrying" he said CO..
i be fusedly. Lydia has told you the
1ay? the news?"
not YES"
son. "Rather staggering, isn't it?" he sa
the with wry smile. In spite OF himse
IS to he watched her face with curious
tentness.
S, Rather" she said briefly.
dark 81 suppose you don't approve OF Il
two way T."
floor T know just how you feel, pc
The boy. Don't try to explain. know
"You always understand" he sa
said lowering his eyes,
"Not always" she said quietly.
me? well, it's going to play hob vi
me. everything" he said, tanning
hands deep into his pockets. F
: his shoulders seemed to bunch forwa
that and to contract.
,u-" 81 am especially sorry for Mr.. Dav
ak Of and Mr.. Riggs" she said. Her vo
n.-N1 q ANAW AAnn