The Irish standard., 1916-02-19
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Many they were who drank at the
fountain of hospitality in Maple House
and to all, quiet Mrs. J. Y. held out
the measured cup of welcome with
impartial hand. But once in a while
one came who made the rare appeal
to the heart. Such one was Col
lingeford. For all his wanderings, his
roughing, and his occasional regres.
sion to city drawing rooms and ultra.
country houses. Collingeford fitted into
the Hill-he belonged.
On Sunday night they were gath.
cred on the lawn, all but Glen who
sat at the piano beside an open win
dow and poured her girls voice out
over the ripping keys. Her voice was
thin and clear like a mountain brook
hurrying over pebbles and like the
brook it held the promise of coming
fullness.
Collingeford sat by Mrs. J. Y, a lit
tie apart from the others. They had
not talked. Mrs. ]. Y. broke a long
silence when she said, in full low
voice that somehow seemed related to
Clem's thin trill. 1--WE are very quiet
here"
Collingeford looked thoughtfuMy at
his glowing cigar end. "The best parts
Of life are quiet" he answered.
"Do you really like it?' said Mrs.
J. u, almost shyly. "Englishmen of
your class generally fall to the lot
OF our landed and chateauxed."
My dear Mis-. Wayne" said Col.
lingeford, "1've been sitting here in
a really troubled silence trying to think
out how to ask you to make It week
for me instead of a weekend"
Mrs. ]. Y.'s laugh was happy but
low. 1t did not disturb the others.
Collingeford went on. II know Amer.
lea pretty well for an Englishman.
! thought had done the whole coun.
try. from Albuquerque to Newport
But you are right. When we're not
roughing it out West, we visiting ENG
lishnien are pretty apt to be rubbing
up against the gilded high-lights of
the landed and the chateauxed. This
-Collingeford waved his cigar to EN-.
brace the whole of Red Hills some.
thing new to me-and old. It's the
sort Of thing Englishmen think of
when they are far from home. l have
never seen it before in America
And yet" said Mrs. j. Y, 'there
are thousands of quiet homes in Amer.
lea just like it in spirit In spite of
all our div0rces-all our national linen.
washing in public-our homes are to.
day what they always have been, the
backbone of the country. The social
world is in turmoil everywhere and
America is in the throes no less than
England. Our backbone is under a
strain and some think it is breaking,
but l don't" She turned her soft
eyes on Collingeford and smiled.
There" she added, II have been
polemic but one seldom has the chance
to spread the good fame of ones coun-
try. am glad you can give us a
week instead of a weekend"
Collingeford heard someone speak
of Mrs. Lansing and he said to Mrs.
J. Y, Il know Mrs. lansing beau
tiful and scintillating young person
the sort Of effervescence that flies over
to Europe and becomes the dismay of
our smart women and the fate of many
men,"
Mrs. J. Y. for a second was puz-
zled. THAT isn't Mrs. Lansing-it's
Mrs. Gerry you're thinking of. Mrs.
Lansing is her mother-in-law. They
live next door,"
The next morning, with Glen az
cicerone. Collingeford went over to
The Firs to pay his respects to Alix.
They found her under the trees.
How do you do?" said AK. THE
Honorable Percy, isn't it?''
what memory you have for
trifles," said Collingeford, laughing.
May l sit DOWN."
DO" said Alix. She was perched
in the middle of garden seat. On
each side of her were piled various
} stuffs and all the paraphernalia of the
. sewing circle. Collingeford sat down
i, before her and stared. Glen had gone
of in search of game more to her
taste. Alix seemed to him very small.
He felt the change in her before he