The Elk Mountain pilot., 1916-11-09
CHAPTER XIII.

SF'HT tGn Nbsbs
The outward usualness Of things
continued after dinner. In the library,
while his wife sat in her customary
chair, gazing at the fire, Sheridan let
the unfolded evening paper rest upon
his lap, though now and then he lifted
it, as II to read. Bibbs came in noise
lessly and sat in q corner, doing moth
ing; and from n reception room"
across the hall an indistinct vocal mur
mur became just audible at intervals.
Once, when this murmur grew louder,
under stress of some irrepressible mer-
riment, Edith's 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 furry of
whispering, and the sound of tptoeing
in the hall-Edith and her suitor
changing quarters to 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
l said thought he'd better wait a few
days, but she said she'd already told
him he could" She paused, then added,
rather guiltily: 81 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 solemnly, she concluded,
in haste: Don't say 1 said to. / might
be wrong about It, anyway"
He nodded again, and they sat for
some time in a silence which Mrs.
Sheridan broke with little snifr, hav-
| ing fallen into 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,
lively.
Did YOU How did you fx 1t about
the-the Realty compnny?" she fall
tered. Did you"
He rose heavily. helping himself TO
his feet by the arms OF his chair. II
| fixed it." he said, in a husky voice. He
went to her, put his hand upon her
shoulder, and drew a long, audible, tre-
mendous breath. Its my bedtime.
mamma; I'm goin' up" When he
reached the door he stopped and spoke
again, without turning to look at her.
''T'he Realty company'll go right on
just the same" he said. ''Its like
it's like sand. mamma. 1t puts me in
mind of children playin' in n sand
pile. One of 'em sticks his finger in
the sand-pile and makes hole, and
another OF 'em II pat the place with
his hand, and nll the little grains
of sand run in and fill 1t up and set
tile against one another; and then.
right away it's fat on top again, and
you can't tell there ever was n hole
there. The Realty company II go on
| all right, mamma. There amt any
things anywhere, reckon, that
wouldn't go right on-just the same"
And he passed out slowly into the
hall: then they heard his heavy tread
upon the stairs.
Mrs. Sheridan, rising to follow him,
turned piteous face to her son. "Its
so forlorn." she said. chokingly. That's
the first time he spoke since he came
in the house this evening. / know II
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 oughtnt
to done It! She just seems to lose her
head over him, and 1t 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.
I'VE can't have any trouble O. that
kind" she walled. "Oh. 1t looks as IL