The Elk Mountain pilot., 1916-10-05

cause her own foundat don 10 too nin
and partly because she began tco lats.
They've got an enormous Moor Of
painted plaster or something In the
hall, and the girl evidently thought 1t
was to her credit that she selected itv'
'They have oil-paintings. too" added
Mrs. Vertrees, with a glance Of gentle
pride at the Landseers. 1--WE always
thought oil-paintlngs in a private
house the worst of taste"
"Oh, If one owned Raphael or q
Titianv said Mr.. Vertrees, finishing
the implication, not in words, but
with wave of his hand. go ON.
Mary. None of the rest of them came
in? You didn't meet Mr.. Sheridan or
-" He paused and adjusted a lump
OF coal in the fire delcately with the
poker. "Or one Of the sons2'
Mary's glance crossed his, at that,
with a fash of utter comprehension
He turned instantly away, but she had
begun to laugh again.
NO" she said. mo one except tho,
women, but mamma inquired about ths
sons thoroughly"
"Maryv Mrs. Vertrees protested
ou, uuOol toOi lduShoO CS0-
girl. "Only she couldn't help uncon-
sciously turning to look at me-wheo'
she did it!'
"Mary vertreesv'
Never mind, mammal! Mrs. Sher1-
dan and Miss Sheridan neither OF
them could help unconsciously turning
to look at me-speculatively- tho
| same time! They all three kept 'ook-
| ing at me and talking about the Oldest
son, Mr.. James Sheridan, Jr. Mrs.
Sheridan said his father is very anx-
ious to get Jim to marry and settle
| down. and she assured me that Jim Is
| right cultivated. Another of the sons.
| youngest one, they didn't seem to con-
slider quite one of themselves, some
how. The other brother is the middle
one, Roscoe; he's the one that owns the
new house across the street, where that
young black sheep of the Lamhorns.
| Robert, goes so often. Papa" She
stepped nearer to him SO that he had TO
face her. ana his eyes were troubled
as he did. There may have been a
trouble deep within her own, but she
kept their surface merry with laughter.
Papa, Bibbs is the youngest ones
name, and Bibbs-to the best of our in
formation-is a lunatic. Roscoe II
married. Papa, does 1t have to be
JIm?"
"Maryr' Mrs. vertrees cried, sharp
ly. You're outrageous! That's a per
fectly horrible way of talkingv'
"Well, I'm close to twenty four"
said Mary, turning to her. 81 haven't
been able to like anybody yet that's
asked me to marry him, and maybe
never shall. Until year or SO ago I've
had everything 1 ever wanted In my
life-you and papa gave 1t ail to me
and It's about time 1 began to pay
back. Unfortunately, don't know
how to do anything-but something's
got to be done"
But you needn't talk of 1t like thatr"
insisted the mother, plaintively. "Its
motifs not
mo, it's not said Mary. II know
thatr'
How did they happen to ask you to
dinner?" Mr.. Vertrees inquired, un-
easily. "ste1trawdn'ry thIngr'
Climbers hospitality" Mary de-
fined 1t. I'VE were so very cordial and
easyl It's a sort of house-warming
dinner. and they talked about 1t and
talked about it-and then the girl got
her courage up and blurted out the in
vitation. And mamma said that yoo
and she had promised to go to a lecture
ut the Emerson club tonight, but that
her daughter would be delighted to
come to the big show! So there 1 am.
and there's Mr.. Jim Sheridan-and
there's the clock! Dinners at seven
thirtyr'
| And she ran out of the room, SCOOP
ing up her fallen furs with a gesture
of flying grace as she sped.
| When she came down, at twenty
minutes after seven, her father stood
In the hall, ut the foot of the stairs.
waiting to be her escort through the
dark.
AT least no one could suspect me to
night" she said. II look rich, don't I,
papa?"
She did. She had n look that wor-
shipful girl friends called regal" A
head taller than her father, she was a.
straight and jauntily poised as boy
athlete; and her brown hair and her
brown eyes were like her mothers, but
for the rest she went back to some
stronger and livelier ancestor than
either of her parents.
Don't 1 look too rich to be suspect
ed 2" she insisted.
You look everything beautiful.
Mary" he said, huskily.
"And my dress?" She threw open
her dark velvet cloak, showing a splen-
dor of white and silver. Anything
better at Nice next winter, do you
think?' She laughed. shrouding her
glittering figure in the cloak again