Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1916-06-15

the unfolded evening paper rest upon
his lap, though now and then he lifted
1t, as If to read. Bibbs came in noise
lessly and sat in a corner, doing moth
ing; and from a reception room"
across the hall an indistinct vocal MUIR
muir became just audible at intervals.
Once, when this murmur grew louder,
under stress Of some irrepressible mer-
riment, Ediths voice could be heard
"Bobby, aren't you awful!' and Sheri-
dan glanced across at his wife appeal
ingly.
She rose at once and went into the
reception room;' there was a furry OF
whispering, and the sound Of tiptoeing
in the hall-Edith and her sutton
changing quarters to a more distant
room. Mrs. Sheridan returned to her
chair in the library.
''They won't bother you any more,
papa" she said, in a comforting voice.
"She told me at lunch he'd 'phoned he
wanted to come up this evening, and
I said I thought he'd better wait few
DAYS. but she said she'd already told
him he could" She paused, then added
rather guilty: II got kind of a notion
maybe Roscoe don't like him as much
as he used to. Maybe-maybe you bet
ter ask Roscoe, papa" And as Sher-
idan nodded splemnly, she concluded
in haste: Don't say l said to. / might
be wrong about it, anyway"
in
some time in a silence which Mrs
Sheridan broke with a little sniff, hav
ing fallen into a reverie that brought
tears. "That Miss Vertrees was a good
girl she said "She was all right"
Her husband evidently had no diff.
Guilty in following her train Of thought
for he nodded once more, affirma.
lively.
did you How did you fix it about
the-the Realty company" she fal
tered. did you"
He rose heavily, helping himself tC
his feet by the arms Of his chair. 81
fixed it," he said, in husky voice. He
went to her, put his hand upon hel
shoulder, and drew long, audible, ire
mendous breath. cts my bedtime
mamma; I'm goin' up" When he
reached the door he stopped and spoke
again, without turning to look at her
"The Realty company'll go right or
Just the same" he said. cts like
it's like sand, mamma. 1t puts me in
mind Of children playin' in sand
pile. One of 'em sticks his finger in
the sand-pile and makes a hole, and
another of 'em IL pat the place with
of sand run in and fill it up and set
tie against one another; and then,
right away it's fiat on top again, and
you can't tell there ever was a hole
there The Realty company II go on
all right, mamma. There amt any
things anywhere, l reckon, that
wouldn't go right on-just the same"
And he passed out slowly into the
hail. then they heard his heavy tread
upon the stairs.
Mrs. Sheridan, rising to follow him
turned a piteous face to her son. cts
so forlorn," she said, chokingly. "Thats
the first time he spoke since he came
in the house this evening. l know it
must "a hurt him to hear Edith
laughin' with that Lamhorn. She'd
oughtn't to let him come, right the very
first evening this way; she'd oughtn't
to done it! She just seems to lose her
head over him, and it scares me. You
heard what Sibyl said the other day,
and-and you heard what-what-"
"What Edith said to Sibyl?" Bibbs
finished the sentence for her
eve can't have any trouble O. that
kindr' she walled. ooh, it looks as if
mOvin' up to this new house had
brought us awful bad luck! It scares
mer' She put both her hands over her
face. ooh. Bibbs, Bibbs! if you only
wasn't SO queer! If you could only
been kind Of dependable son! I don't
know what we're all comm tor And
weeping, she followed her husband.
Bibbs gazed for a while at the fire
then he rose abruptly, like a man who
has come to a decision, and briskly