Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-06-08

days, but she said she'd already told
him he could" She paused. then added,
rather guilty: 81 got kind of notion
maybe Roscoe don't like him as much
as he used to. Maybe-maybe you bet
ter ask Roscoe. papa" And as Sher'
idan nodded solemnly. she concluded,
in haste: Don't say l said to. might
be wrong about IT, anyway"
he nodded again, and they sat for
some time in a silence which Mrs.
Sheridan broke with little sniff, hav-
Ing fallen into reverie that brought
tears. THAT Miss vertrees was good
girl" she said "She was all right"
Her husband evidently had no diff
Guilty in following her train Of thought,
for he nodded once more. affirma-
lively.
"Did you How did you fix 1t about
the-the Realty company" she fall
tered. "Did you"
He rose heavily, helping himself to
his feet by the arms of his chair. ~
fixed it." he said. in a husky voice. He
went to her, put his hand upon her
shoulder, and drew long, audible, ire
mendous breath. "Its my bedtime.
mamma; I'm goin' up" When he
reached the door he stopped and spoke
again, without turning to look at her.
THE Realty company'll go right on
just the same" he said. "It's like
it's like sand, mamma. 1t puts me in
mind of children playin' In sand
pile. One of 'em sticks his finger in
the sand-pile and makes a hole, and
another of 'em II pat the place with
his hand, and all the little grains
of sand run in and fill 1t up and set
tie against one another; and then,
right away it's fat on top again, and
you can't tell there ever was hole
there. The Realty company II go on
all right, mamma. There amt any
things anywhere, I reckon, that
wouldn't go right on-just the same"
And he passed out slowly into the
hall; then they heard his heavy tread
upon the stairs.
Mrs. Sheridan, rising to follow him,
turned piteous face to her son. "It's
so forlorn," she said, chokingly. That's
the first time he spoke since he came
in the house this evening. l know 1t
must "a hurt him to hear Edith
laughin' with that Lamhorn. She'd
oughtn't to let him come, right the very
first evening this way; she'd oughtn't
to done 1t! She just seems to lose her
head over him, and it scares me. You
heard what Sibyl said the other day,
and-and you heard what--what-"
what Edith said to Sibyl?" Bibbs
finished the sentence for her.
"We can't have any trouble O. that
kindw she walled ooh, 1t looks as If
movin' up to this new house had
brought us awful bad luck! 1t scares
me-" She put both her hands over her
face. ooh, Bibbs, Bibbs! If you only
wasn't so queer! If you could only
been kind Of dependable son! don't
know what we're all comm tor And,
weeping, she followed her husband.
Bibbs gazed for a while at the fire;
then he rose abruptly, like man who
has come to decision, and briskly
sought the room-it was called 1.-THE
smoking room"-where Edith sat with
Mr.. Lamhorn. They looked up in no
welcoming manner, at Bibbs' entrance,
and moved their chairs to a less con-
spicuous adjacency.
Good evening"" said Bibbs, pleas
antly; and he seated himself in a
leather easy-chair near them.
what is tip asked Edith, plainly
astonished.
Nothing" he returned, smiling.
She frowned. did you want some
thing?' she asked. N.s
Nothing in the world. Father and
mother have gone upstairs; sha'n't
be going up for several hours, and
there didn't seem to be anybody left
for me to chat with except you and
Mr.. Lamhorn."
"Chat within she echoed. incredu-
lousy.
81 can talk about almost anything"
said Bibbs with an air of genial polite
ness. ut doesn't matter to me. 1
don't know much about business-if
that's what you happened to be talking
about. But you aren't in business, are
you, Mr. LamhornT'
"Not now" returned Lamhorn,
shortly.
I'm not, either" said Bibbs. SIT
was getting cloudier than usual, no.
ticed, just before dark, and there was
wind from the southwest. Rain to-
morrow, shouldn't be surprised"
He seemed to feel that he had begun