The Washington herald., 1916-06-18

her eyes filing with tears at his gibe.
You would so! You would sol" taunted
Harry. See, you're getting ready to cry
right now! Cry-baby! Cry-baby!
And he wiggled-a scornful forefnger in
front Of her flushed little face.
You let her alone!" ordered Tom.
"Quit teasing her"
"shan't~ Knocked Harry She's my
own sister. isn't she? I'll tease her any
| time I want to-"
Leave her be-" commanded Tom "If
you don't I'll--'
Harry showed his disregard for the
warning by giving Marjorie's curls a
sharp tug. The little girl cried out in
! pain. With a yell OF fury Tom launched
himself on her tormenter. Harry. who
/ found it much safer to tease girls than
TO tight boys, turned and ran.
Around the library table dashed the DuL
suer and the pursued. Harry lodged as
Tom caught up with him and ducked un-
der the latter's out1ung arm.
Toms fist, missing its mark. struck
fu'' against the side of an antique
! clotsonne vase that stood at one end Of
the table. The vase-worth its weight in
gold-was the pride Of Mr.. Blake's heart
He had forbidden his son to lay so much
as a finger upon il.
At the impact OF Tom Blake's fist
the vase flew into the air. crashed down
upon the hardwood floor and lay there.
smashed into fra agments.
The catastrophe struck all three of
the children dumb with horror Then,
as heavy Footsteps sounded. from Mr..
Blake's adjoining study. Harry so far
recovered his presence OF mind as to
grab up his cap and run at top speed
out of the room and out of the house
Mr.. Blake, drawn thither by the crash,
sauntered into the library in housecoat
and slippers. In the doorway he paused
aghast at the tableau before him
There on the floor lay hts priceless
vase in ATOMS. Above it covered the
two scared children-Tom and Marjorie
For an instant Mr.. Blake stood gazing
at the wreckage, his hard face slowly
purpling with the wrath that swelled up
in him.
Tom he thundered at last
'Yessir," replied Tom in a very small
voice.
Who did that?" demanded his father,
pointing dramatically at the ruined vase
The boy hesitated; then, drawing a
I long breath, he prepared to confess. Be-
fore he could speak his father rasped
out fiercely:
The truth, now! No iesp'
Il don't tell lies, SIR" answered Tom
Il did. sir" said Tom. IT was chas-
ing
of one slipper. picked It up, caught the
wretched boy by the nape Of the neck,
flung him over the paternal knee and be-
gan to rain blows upon him with the full
force Of a vigorous and anger-driven
arm
The whipping hurt, excruciattngly And
the fact that Marjorie was an appalled,
witness Of IT hurt thousand times more.
7 No man-oe he eleven or one hundred and
eleven-can bear to be humlliated in the
eyes Of the girl he loves.
Yet the fact that Marjorie witnessed
his disgrace kept Tom from committing
! the weakness OF crying under the pun
| ishment He kept his teeth tight clench-
I ed and choked back every sound. His
| father. unable to make the boy cry piled
the slipper all the harder. The tears were
rolling down Marjorie's own face. But
| Tom was, dry-eyed.
At last the ordeal was over Mr., Blake
showed the tortured boy away from him
and stamped out Of the room Marjorie
ran up to Tom and caught his pain
! clenched hands in hers.
Tom" she walled. "Oh, Tom! You
poor, poor boy! I'm so sorry. But why
did you tell him It was you that busted
the vase? Why didn't you say it was
/ Harry"
II had to tell him the truth" pant
to do.
7 don't see why" argued Marjorie.
| Harry was gone. Your papa wouldn't
| have dared to punish my papa's son, any,
! how. Why didn't you say"
Il wish I could have" he muttered
| "But-it would have been lie. And"
! Mr.. Blake. thrust his head back into
| the library.
Tom" he snapped. Because you dis
obeyed me and broke that vase you shall
not have birthday party this year And
| you shall not have the bicycle I prom
ised you.'
He slouched back into his study to
nurse his anger leaving Tom and Mar
jorie staring in helpless dismay at each
other.
1t was Marjorie who broke the dunn
I founded silence.
| II thought you said your papa always
| tells the truth" she whispered. He
promised you that bicycle; and now"
Il guess I was mistaken" murmured
Tom, dazedly. THE truth seems to be
queer thing. I'm afraid I don't. under
stand very much about it"
From the days when he had defended
her from the collie-dragon, Tom Blake
had loved Marjorie Lampson Indeed, he
could not remember when he had not
! loved her. Always. she had seemed to
ulIn as DeduhIul ana as necessary as the
sunshine itself. Even in his early teens
at the age when boys pretend to despise
girls-his love for her had not wavered.
And now, at q, it was no longer the
affection Of child for a child, but the
whole-souled alteration of a man for a
woman
Marjorie had grown to slender, grace
full young womanhood. Very pretty she
was. and very winsome. To Tom she
was by far the most wonderful person in
all the whole world.
And one evening he told her So
It was during his senior year at the
university. He had but three months
more to study. After graduation he was
to go into business with his father; and,
from the very beginning, was to receive
q salary that seemed to him enough to
marry on.
He and Harry Lampson were in the
same class at the university. But their
childhood acquaintance had not ripened
into friendship. In fact, between the two
young fellows had sprung up one of those
lnexplicable dislikes that sometimes burn
fercer than does a genuine grudge bred
hatred. The lads had nothing in COM
mon. Tom, for examule, was studious and
athletic. Harry was lazy and a leader
of the avowed sport set in his class
However, because Harry was Marjorie
brother, Tom tried, with some dificulty,