The Elk Mountain pilot., 1916-10-12

I'm afraid"
Say a. much Of Il ~ yss can.
mamma" said May, encoura gingU. 1T
can get It, II you'n Just give ne enc
keyword"
Everything you say" Ara Yer
trees began, timidly. ''seems - have
the air Of 1t il as II you vsss sock
ing to-to make yourself"
"Oh. I see! You mean i ssunA - II
were trying to force myself - nks
him."
Mot exactly. Aary. Thet want
quite what I meant" SAID Asa Ver-
trees, speaking direct 4n6uth vi1 par
feet unconscdousness. But - nsf6
that-that you found the hitter paso
of the evening at young Ass. xAssi-
dams unentertaining-"
"And As Mr.. James ShexidaD was
there, and saw mors Of him than at
dinner. and had q horribly stuEA0 tine
In spite of that, you think r." AID
then it was Mary who left the as0Ue-
ton unfinished.
Mrs. vertrees nodded; and t1soaSh
both the mother and the dasghtsr IN
derstood, Mary felt it better - make
the understanding definite.
"Well," she asked, gravelJ, n thers
anything else can dof You md papa
don't want me to do anything that Dis
tresses me, and so, a. this - the only
thing to be done, 1t seems It's up . me-
not to let 1t distress me. That's all
there is about It, isn't itY'
But nothing must distress your
the mother cried.
That's what I sayr said Mary.
cheerfully. And so it doesn't. It's
| all right" She rose and took her cloak
| room. But on the way to the door she
stopped. and stood leaning against tho
foot of the bed, contemplating 4 thread
| bare rug at her feet. Mother. you've
told me a thousand times that u aeesn't
really matter whom a girl Darrtes."
'No, now Mrs. Vertrees protested. IL
never said such a"
mo. not In words; mean what yea
neant. It's true, isn't II, that marriage
really Is not a bed of roses. but a Aeld
| OF battle? To get right down to 1t, .
girl could fight 1t out with anybody.
| couldn't she? One man as well as an
other?"
MARY, can't bear for yen to talk
like that" And Mrs. Vertrees lifted
pleading eyes to her daughter-eyes
that begged to be spared. "It sounds
almost recklessw
Mary caught the appeal, came to her.
and kissed her gayly. "Never fret.
dear! I'm not likely to do anything 1
don't want to-Tve always been too
thorough-going a little pig"
She gave her mother a final kiss and
went gayly all the way to the door this
time. pausing for her postscript with
her hand on the knob. "Oh, the ono
that caught me looking in the window,
mamma. the youngest one"
| "DId he speak Of it," Mrs. vertrees
asked, apprehensively.
mo. He didn't speak at all. that
saw. to anyone. l didn't meet him.
But he isn't insane, I'm sure; or II he
is. he has long intervals when he's not.
Mr.. James Sheridan mentioned that he
lived at home when he was well
enough; and 1t may be he's only an In.
valid. He looks dreadfully Ill. but
he has pleasant eyes, and It struck me
that if-if one were in the Sheridan
family'-she laughed = little ruefully
-"he might be interesting to talk to
sometimes, when there was too much
stocks and bonds. didn't see him aft
er dinner"
with him." said Mrs. Vertrees. They'd
have introduced him II there weren't"
II don't know. His father spoke Of
sending him back to machine shop
Of some sort: I glanced at him just
then and he was pati,etic-looking
enough before that, but the most tragic
change came over him. He seemed
just to die, right there at the tablev'
"Mr Sheridan must be very unfeel-
ing"
No" said Mary. thoughtfully, ~
don't think he is; but he might be un-
comprehending. and certainly he's the
kind of man to do anything he once
sets out to do. But wish hadn't been
looking at that poor boy just thenl
| I'm afraid I'll keep remembering"
II wouldn't" Mrs. Vertrees smiled
family, and In her smile there was the
remotest ghost Of genteel roguish-
ness. I'D keep my mind on pleasantsr
things, Mary"
Mary laughed and nodded. "Yes, in
deedl Plenty pleasant enough. and
probably. If all were known, too good
even for me!'
And when she had gone Mrs. Yer
trees drew n long breath. as II a bur-
den were of her mind, and. smiling.
began to undress in a gentle reverie.
CHAPTER VII.
Edith, glancing casually into the