The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-11-15
CONTINUED from Our Last Issue
CHAPTER v.
Hax,,n Anotn
Home Again.

on the topmost spray of the Christ
mas tree.
Now for the presents" cried
the boy, his childish treble shrill
with excitement. 1--WE got all the
little ones piled together for the
top branches, and I'm going to
climb up and tie 'em on"
LET papa tie them. Vance; you
tie the ones on the lower
branches"
But I like the climbing up"
cried the boy.
Would you like to fall and
hurt YOURSELF" said Gail.
mo; but he likes to feel he
might fall and hurt himself, break
an arm or leg, and then not fall"
said Orcutt with a laugh.
The man and the boy looked at
each other, and both twinkled with
a mirthful understanding between
them. The child turned to his
mother.
Papa knows, because he was
boy once himself" he continued.
women know how girls feel bout
things, I guess, but they just new
or know exactly how a boy feels"
Condemned by jury of my
peers!" Calls laugh was as gay
as a birds trill. All right,
Vance,"
There were packages of various
sizes, two big hampers full, all
now of one identity in their white
tissue and holly ribbons. There
were presents for each other, pres
ents for every one that served
them, in the house and outside OF
1t, presents for the Lormes and
other friends who were to come
next morning to help them cele-
brate the first family Christmas
tree of the George circuit house
hold.
There had always been presents
for the help, and there had always
been a tree for the child in the
play room. But the wife's pride
had not allowed her to have a
family tree with the head Of the
family so prominently absent. She
could not blind herself to its irony.
More ironical yet was the pres
ent situation. But not to Calls
present seeming. An excessive
buoyancy was upon her-that
made her Obvious to all but the
Joys of the hour. She had been
thus for three months, since the
day of CIRCUITS Homecoming.
Free from the suspicious of the
servants that she had dreaded;
free from DR.. Underwood's suspic-
ions-as she believed; the new
circuit accepted complacently, even
IL curiously, by friends and &C
Quaintances; Vance happy beyond
words; and the man playing his
role of friend to the letter!-all
this provided an anesthesia that
Quieted her fears.
Gail had never known a man
like this one; she had not even
known that such existed.
She had been at first bewildered
by his conversation, conversation
not meant to instruct her, but to
pass the time between them that
he insisted they should spend to-
gether, so many hours each day.
1t was largely her excited de-
light in these novel excursions OF
thought that blinded her to the
dangers of the intimacy they
brought. Philosophy and science
seemed such safe, impersonal sub
jects. She basked in the warmth
of this friendship, without stopping
to ask where 1t was leading them.
She had grown to think Of him
as a relative, as one who belonged
by right to the family. And she
had paraded him before her world
with a pathetic pride in his pos
session. husband who honored
her, and of whom she was not
ashamed.
Joy in this revelation had ming
led with even her first fear OF dis
covery. Which fear was ground
less. she soon found. Her world
had known George circuit only as
q name and a position which his
wife bore for him. The golden
brown Vandyke of this man placed
01Iu SdllSldCtOIly III SoeiSty SySo
the one distinctive thing 1t had
ever remarked about him.
She had found, also. that So
siety, trades-people, friends, every
one-save the new circuit himself
and some of the servants who held
to the theory of q double person
ality-accounted for the change
in him on the ground of his now
being sober. :.
And her dread that his broad
knowledge would arouse suspicious
was quickly allayed. He had not
displayed his erudition to her So
cial friends. He conversed at
length only with her and DR.. I'm
derwood, a matter that delighted
her personally, even outside the
question of betraying himself. :.
These things were in her mind
as she helped to dress the Christ
mas tree-a treat that vance had
insisted that only himself and his
papa and mamma should have.
"The presents are all on" the
child DRIED.
"Thers!" The man swung the
little figure in the air, then set
him on his feet, and pressed the
call-bell for his governess to come
and take him to bed.
Gail waited to arrange Vance's
presents, the man drawing them