Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-05-04

children and wants to do what's right.
by all Of 'em-and you'll always find
he's right in the end"
He made 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 sta IN
mered, having begun to speak too
quickly. Checking himself, he drew
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 well 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 your?
''Mother?"
| "Well?"
Take good look at me-" he said.
"Oh, see here!' she cried with
brusk cheerfulness. You're not so
bad Off as you think you are, Bibbs.
You're on the mend, and it won't do
you any harm to please your"
at isn't that" he interrupted. "Hon-
estly. I'm only afraid 1t 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 long spell and begun to
get well, and that's all there is to It."
"All right. I'll come to the party.
If the rest of you can stand 1t, camp
eth do you good" she returned.
rustling into the hall. snow take
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, Bibbsv'
He woke refreshed, stretched him
self gingerly-as one might have 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 1t flew
up, letting in pale sunset.
He looked out into the lemon-colored
light and smiled wanly at the next
house, as Edith's grandiose phrase
came to mind. "the old Vertrees coun-
try mansion" 1t stood i'm a broad
lawn which was separated from the
Sheridans' by a young hedge; and it
was big. square, plain old box of a
house with giant salt-celar atop for
a cupola. Paint had been spared for a
long time, and no one could have put
q name to the color of 1t, 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" II
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 he
turned to cheval glass beside the
window and paid himself the dubious
tribute of thorough inspection.
Throughout this cryptic seance his
manner was profoundly impersonal.
but finally he appeared to become pes
simistic. He shook his head solelnnly:
then gazed again and shook his head
again, and continued to shake it slow.
ly, in complete disapproval.
"You certainly are one horrible
sight" he said aloud.
And at that he was instantly aware
of an observer. Turning quickly. he
was vouchsafed the picture of charm
ing lady, framed In rustic aperture
of the summer house" and staring full
into his window-straight into his eyes
too, for the infinitesimal fraction of a
second before the fiashingly censorious
withdrawal of her own. Composedly.
she pulled several dead twigs from a
vine. her action conveying a procla.
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 nconsciousness-and at
the same time her dlsapproval-of ey-
erything in the nature of a Sheridan
or belonging to a Sheridan, she de-
scended the knoll with maintained
composure, and sauntered toward n
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? rye been
looking for you. What were you do
ingY'
Nothing. Just looking into one OF
Sheridans windows" said Mary Yer
trees. II got caught at it."
"Maryw cried her mother. "Just as
we were going to call! Good heavens!"
"We'll go, just the same" the daugh-
ter returned. II suppose those women
would be glad to have us IL we'd
burned their house to the ground"
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