The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-11-15
Continued from Our Last tssuo)
CHAPTER V.
Home Again

NiAhf NV '
Home Again
VyANCE clapped his hands and
" laughed gleetully. Ills papa"
had just tied a last glittering
ornament on the topmost spray of
the Christmas tree.
Now for the presents. cried the
hoy. his childish treble Hhrill with
excitement I've got all the little
ones piled together for tho top
branches. and I'm going TO climb up
and tic 'om on"
Let papa tie those. Vance. YOU
tie the ones on the lower branches"
But like tho climbing up"
cried the boy
Would YOU like to fall and hurt
YOURSELF" said Gail.
No. but he likes 90 feel he might
fail and hurt himself. break an arm
or leg. and then not fall" said or.
cult. with n laugh.
The man and tho hoy looked at
each other. and both twinklcd with
a mirthul understanding between
them. The child turned 10 his
mother.
Papa knows. because he was a
boy once himself" he continued
Women know how girls feel bout
things. | guess. but they just never
know exactly how boy fcclH"
Condemned by Jury Of my
pccrs'" Calls laugh was as gay as
a birds trim. "All right. Vance"
There we're 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. presents for
every one that served them. In the
house and outside 81 Il. presents for
the Lormos and other friends who
were to come next morning 10 help
them celebrate the first family
Christmas tree OF the George circuit
household.
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'n pride had not
allowed her TO have a family tree
with the head OF tho family so prom
inentiy absent She could not blind
herself 20 It's irony.
More ironicRl yet was the present
situation. But not 10 Calls present
seeming An excessive buoyancy
was upon hcr-that made her oh.
liviouH 10 ali but the Joys Of the
hour. Sh. had been thus for three
months. since tho day OF Circuits
Homecoming
Free from the suspicious ~ the
servants that she had dreaded. free
from Dr. Inderwood's suspicion
as she believed the new Circuit &c.
ccpted complac.ntly. even II
curiously. by friends and aequaint.
ances Vance happy beyond words:
and the man playing HIS role OF
friend TO the letter all this pro.
vided an ancsthesia that auict.d
her fears.
Gall had never known n man like
this one. shc bad not even known
that such existed
She had been at first bewiidered
by his conyrrnafion. conversation
not meant TO instruct her. bu, 10
pass the timefbciwecn them that he
insisted they should spend together.
30 many hours each day.
II was largely her excited delight
In these novel excursions Of thought
that blinded her 10 the dangers Of
the intimacy they brought philos
ophy and science seemed such safe
imperEoua nbiects. She haaked In
the warmth OF this friendship. With.
out stopping 10 ask where !, was
leading them
She had grown TO think OF him as
a relative. as one who belonged by
right 10 the family And she had
paraded him before her world with
a pathetic pride in his possession --
n husband who honorcd her. and OF
whom she was not ashamed
JOY in this revelation had mingled
with even her first fear OF discoy.
cry. Which fear was groundi.sN.
she soon found. Her world had
known George circuit only as
name and n position which his wife
bore for him. The rolden-brovu
Vandykc OF this man placed him sat.
sfactorily IN society's eyes--the one
distinctive thing II had ever remark
ed about him.
She had found. also. that society.
trades-people. friends. every one
save the new circuit himself and
some OF the servants who held 90
the theory OF n double personalIty---
accounted for the change in him on
the rrnnnd Of hla nov hcln. anhor