The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-06-03

| uC IlSHl III ll6 Suu
He made a little gesture of assent.
which seemed to content her; and she
rustled to the door, turning to speak
again after she had opened it. You
get a good nap. now. SO as to be all
rested up for tonight"
''You-you mean-he-" Bibbs stam-
mered. having begun 70 speak too
quickly Checking himself, he drew a
long breath. then asked. quietly. Does
father expect me to come downstairs
this EVENING"
"Well. / think he does" she an
swered. You see. it's the house
warming as he calls it. and he said he
thinks all our children ought to be
around US. as we'll as the old friends
and other folks. It's just what he
thinks you need-to take an interest
| and liven up. You don't feel too bad
| to come down, do yOu?"
| 'Mother?"
| "WeH?"
''Take a good look at me- he said
.Oh. see herer' she cried with
brusk cheerfulness. You're not so
bad off as you think you are, Bfbbs-
You're on the mend, and it won't do
you any harm to please your"
cit isn't that" he interrupted. Zion
estIy. I'm only afraid it might spoil
somebody's appetite. Edith"
81 told you the child was too sensi-
tive" she interrupted, in turn. You're
a plenty good-lookin' enough young
man for anybody! You look like you
been through a long spell and begun to
get we'll, and that's all there is to it,
"All right I'll come to the party.
If the rest of you can stand it, 1 canI'
It'll do you good" she returned.
rustling into the hall. ''Now take a
nap, and I'll send one o. the help to
wake you in time for you to get
! dressed up before dinner. You go to
sleep right away, now. BibbsP'
He woke refreshed, stretched him
self gingerly-as one might have a care
against too quick or too long a pull
upon frayed elastic-and, getting to
his feet, went blinking to the window
and touched the shade so that it few
up, letting in a pale sunset.
He looked out into the Iemon-colored
light and smiled wanly at the next
house, as Edith's grandiose phrase
came to mind, 1.-The old Vertrees coun-
try mansion" 1t stood in a broad
lawn which was separated from the
Sheridans' by a young hedge; and it
was a big. square, plain old box of a
house with a giant saIt-cellar atop for
a cupola. Paint had been spared for a
long time, and no one could have put
a name to the color of it, but in spite of
that the place had no look of being
out at heel, and the sward was as
neatly trimmed as the Sheridans' own.
Directly opposite the window the
Vertrees' lawn had been graded so as
to make little knoll upon which stood
small rustic summer house" It
was almost on a level with Bibbs' win
dow and not thirty feet away. Prob
ably the summer house" was pleasant
and pretty in summer. But now in
the thin light it was desolate, the color
of dust, and hung with haggard vines
which had lost their leaves
Bibbs looked at it with grave sym
pathy. probably feeling some kinship
with anything so dismantled: then be
turned to a cheval glass beside the
window and paid himself the dubious
tribute of a thorough inspection
Throughout this cryptic seance his
manner was profoundly impersonal
but finally be appeared to become pes
simistic. He shook his head solemnly;
then gaZed again and shook his head
again, and continued to shake it slow.
", in complete disapprovaI.
You certainly are one horrible
sightr' he said, aloud.
And at that he was instantly aware
of an observer. Turning quickly, be
was vouchsafed the picture of a charm
ing lady. framed in a rustic aperture
of the summer house and staring full
into his window-straight into his ewes
too. for the infnitesimaI fraction of a
second before the fashingly censorious
withdrawal of her own. Composedly
she pulled several dead twigs from a
vine, her action conveying a procIa
nation to the effect that she was in
the summer house for the sole PURPOSE
of suchlike pruning and tending.
Having pulled enough twigs to EN-
phasize her Inconsistencies al
the same time her disapprovaIHof ev.
erything in the nature of a Sheridan
or belonging to a Sheridan, she de
scended the knoll with maintained
composnre, and sauntered toward 3
side door OF the country mansion OF
the Vertreeses. An elderly lady. bon
neted and clOaked. opened the door and
came to meet her.
Are you ready. Mary? I've beer
looking for you. What were you do
ing?'
Nothing Just looking into one o.
Sheridans' windows" said Mary Yer
trees. 81 got caught at it''
e Mary cried her mother. "Just a
e we were going to CALI Good heavensr
8 We'll go, just the same" the daugh
!. ter returned - suppose those womeI
s would be glad to have US If we'C
o burned their house to the ground"
r