The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-04-16


/ Freddy. You are beside yourself.
Your father would not marry cheap
show girl You know that And you
must not forget that your mother was
foreigner"
His eyes fell I'm sorry | said
that" he exclaimed, hoarseiy.
/ Lydia. leaning rather heavily
against the door, spoke to him in a
low, cautious voice.
did you tell Mr.. Dawes and Mr..
Riggs?"
He stopped short. mol And they
waited UP to see if they could be OF
any assistance to him in an hour OF
| PERIL What joke! Poor old beg
| gars! I've never felt sorry for them
before. but, on my soul. do now.
What will she do to the poor old
chaps? | 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 Well
have to go as soon as"
His eyes filled with tears He seized
her in his arms and held her close.
Its a beastly, beastly shame. darling.
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
fine, sensible thing, Lydiag Why
couldn't he have-haye fallen In love
with-with your mother? Why not
have married her If he had to marry
someone in"
Freddy" she cried, putting her
hand over his mouth.
She kissed him swiftly. Her cheek
lay for second against his own and
then, with a stifled goodnight. she
broke away from him. An instant
later she was gone; her door was
closed.
The next morning he came down
earlier than was his custom. His
night had been troubled one. For
getting his own woes-or beIittling
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
fire was blazing. A blizzard was rag
ing out-of-doors. Once upon time,
vxrIo he IN fha
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
the doorway watching the eager. al
most inspired face of the lad. and
then, pale as a ghost, stole away with
out disturbing him. Strange to say,
Frederic was playing a dreamy waltz
of Ziehrer's, waltz that his mother
had played when the honeymoon was
in the full The following day the
piano was taken away by a storage
company. The boy never knew why
it was removed.
He picked up the morning paper
His eyes traversed the front page rap
idly. There were reports of fearful
weather at sea- The Lusitania was
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 aim.
queer little smile on her lips. She
was tall, fair woman, an English
type, and still extremely handsome.
Hers was an honest beauty that had
40 fear of age.
"She is a 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-
'usedly. Lydia has told you the
he news?"
yes"
Rather staggering, isn't it? he said
With wry smile. In spite of himself
lie watched her face with curious in
entness.
Rather" she said briefly
81 suppose you don't approve of the
way +"
81 know just how you feel. poor
10Y. Don't try to explain. know"
you always understand" he said,
owering his eyes.
Not always" she said quietly.
We'll, it's going to play hob with
he said, jamming his
ands deep into his pockets. His
houlders seemed to bunch forward
nd to contract.
81 am especially sorry for Mr. Dawes
nd Mr.. Riggs" she said. Her voice
-as steady and full of earnestness.
do they known"
They were up and about at day
reak. poor souls. Do you know.
reddy, they we're starting off In this
lizard when I met them in the hall"
"The deuce! IL hope it wasn't on
count of anything l may have said
them last night" he cried. in genu-
e contrition.
She smiled. NO They had their
vn theory about the message The