The Carlisle independent., 1915-03-25

knows-'
 Freddy! You are beside yourself. Your father would not marry a cheap show girl You know that. And you must not forget that your mother was foreigner"
 His eyes fell I'm sorry I said that" he exclaimed, hoarsely.
 Lydia, leaning rather heavily against the door, spoke to him in low, cautious voice.
 Did you tell Mir. Dawes and MT. Riggs?" A l
 He stopped short. "Noi 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 gars! I've never felt sorry for them before, but, on my soul. I do now. What will she do to the poor old chaps? I shudder to think of it. And she'll make short work of everything else she doesn't like around here, too Your mother, Lydia-why, God help us, you know what will just have to 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. We'll have to go as soon as-''
 His eyes filled with tears He seized 1 her in his arms and held her close. Its beastly, beastly shame, darling 1 Oh, Lord, what fool a man can make of himself!"
 You must not say such things" she murmured, stroking his cheek with cold, trembling fingers.
 "But why couldn't he have done the 1 fine, sensible thing, Lydia? Why couldn't he have-have fallen in love with-with your mother? Why not | have married her if he had to marry 1 someone in"
 Freddy" she cried, putting her 1 hand over his mouth.
 She kissed him swiftly. Her cheek lay for a second against his own and then, with stified goodnight, she broke away from him. An instant later she was gone; her door was l closed. The next morning he came down l earlier than was his custom. His night had been troubled one. For. getting his own woes-or belittling i them-he had thought only of what this news from the sea would mean to the dear woman he loved so well. No one was in the library, but huge l fire was blazing. blizzard was rag. l ing out-of-doors. Once upon time, when he first came to the house, Q :, piano had stood in the drawing-room. His joy at that time knew no bounds; he loved music. For his years he was no mean musician. But one evening his father, coming in unexpectedly, heard the player at the instrument | For a moment he stood transfxed in 1 the doorway watching the eager, al- i most inspired face of the lad, and | then, pale as a ghost, stole away with l out disturbing him. Strange to say, Frederic was playing a dreamy waltz of Ziehrer's, a waltz that his mother had played when the honeymoon was in the full. The following day the piano was taken away by a storage i company. The boy never knew why 1 it was removed.
 He picked up the morning paper. His eyes traversed the front page rap l idly. There were reports of fearful weather at sea. The Lusitania was reported seven hundred miles out and in the heart of the hurricane. She would be day late. He looked up from the paper. Mrs. Desmond was coming toward him, a l queer little smile on her lips. She was a tall, fair woman, an English type, and still extremely handsome. Hers was an honest beauty that had no fear of age.
 "Sbe is stanch ship, Frederic" she said, without any other form of greet ing "She will be late but-there's really nothing to worry about"
 I'm not worrying" he said con- fusedly. Lydia has told you the the news?"
 Yes"
 Rather staggering, isn't it?" he said with a wry smile. In spite of himself he watched her face with curious in- tentness.
 Rather" she said briefly.
 q suppose you don't approve of the way r."
 T know just how you feel, poor boy Don't try to explain. I know"
 You always understand" he said. lowering his eyes.
 Not always" she said quietly.
 Well, it's going to play hob with everything" he said, tanning his hands deep into his pockets. His shoulders seemed to hunch forward and to contract.
 T am especially sorry for MT. Dawes and MT. Riggs" she said. Her voice was steady and full of earnestness.
 Do they know?"
 They were up and about at day break. poor souls. Do you know. Freddy, they were starting off in this blizzard when met them in the hall!"
 The deuce! I-1 hope it wasn't on account of anything l may have said to them last night !" he cried in genu-