The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-03-30
CHAPTER XVII.
The Public Is Aroused.


Cla in her filmy cream lace gown,
Gail walked slowly into her boudoir,
n closed the door, and san upon
her divan. She did not stop tonight to
let down her hair and change to her
dainty negligee. nor to punctiliously
straighten the room, nor to turn on
the beautiful green light; instead, with
all he electric bulbs blazing, she sat
with her chin in her hand, and, with
her body perfectly in repose, tried to
study the whirl of her mind.
h was shaken. she knew that,
shaken and stirred as she had never
been before. Something in the depths
OF her had leaped up into life, and
cried out in agony, and would not stop
crying until it was satisfied.
II need you to walk hand in hand
with me about the greatest work in
the world!" That was it; the greatest
work in the world! And what was
that work? To live and teach ritua!
In place of religion; to turn worship
into a social observance; to use help
less belie as a ladder of ambition;
TO reduce faith to words, and hope to
. recitation, and charity to an obliga.
ton; to make pomp and ceremony a
substitute for conscience, and to inter.
pose . secretary between the human
heart and God!
For just an instant Calls eyelids
dropped. her long brown lashes curved
nnNn fQ~ phnQEc uhila h,panth tt,,,
her eyes glinted, and a smile touched
the corners of her lips; then she was
serious again. No, she had decided
wisely.
There was a knock on the door, and
Gail smiled again as she said:
Come in"
Mrs. Helen Davies entered, tall and
stately in her boudoir frills and
Huflles. She sat down in front of Gail
and prepared to enact the role of con
sctentlOus mother.
Doctor Boyd proposed to you to-
night" she charged, with affectionate
authority.
yes, Aunt Helen" and Gail began
TO pull pins out of her hair.
A worried expression crossed the
brow Of Aunt Helen.
did you accept hirn? ?" and she fair.
~ quivered with anxiety.
mo. Aunt Helen" Quite calmly,
siling more hairpins and still more
into the little tray by her side, and
shaking down her ripping waves of
hair.
Aunt Helen sighed a deep sigh Of
relief, and smiled her approval.
Gail, dear. you have shown a de-
gree of carefulness which l am de-
lighted to find In you. If you handle
all your affairs 70 sensibly, you have
. brilliant future before YOU"
Il must be an awful worry to you,
Aunt Helen" observed Gail, and walk
ing over, she slipped her arm around
Mrs. Davies neck and kissed her and
looked around for her chocolate box.
Calls maid came in, and Mrs. Ds
vies babe her sisters niece good
night most cordially, and retired with
Q great load OF her mind; and half
IN hour later the lights in Calls
pretty little suite went out.
If she lay long hours looking out at
the pale stars; II, in the midst of her
calm logic. she suddenly buried her
face in her pillows and sobbed silent.
ly; II. toward morning, she awoke
with a little cry 70 find her face and
her hands hot. all these things were
but normal and natural. 1t Is enough
20 know that she came to her break.
fast bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked and
smiling with the pleasant greetings of
the day. and picked up the papers
casually, and lit upon the newest SEN
sation Of the free and entirely In
curbed metropolitan press!
The free and entirely uncurbed met
Yopolitan press had found Vedder
court and had made It the sudden
Docus OF the public eye. Those few
who were privileged to know init.
cately the workings Of that adroit
master of the pSblic welfare. Tim Cor
man, could have recognized clearly
his fine hand In the blaze Of Dotoriety
Shich obscure vedder court had SUD
denly received. After having en-.
iured the contamination and conta-
gov =" MarhSe Square church tea