The Elk Mountain pilot., 1916-10-26

|
Robert Lamhorn cares the snap of his
finger for her? Do you suppose man
like him would look at Edith Sheri-
dan II 1t wasn't for the money!" And
again Sibyrs emotion rose to the sur
face. 'I tell you he's after nothing
on earth but to get his finger in that
old mans money-pile, over there, next
door! He'd marry anybody to do it.
Marry Edith2" she cried. II tell you
he'd marry their niger cook for that!'
She stopped, afraid-at the wrong
time-that she had been too vehement,
but a glance at Mary reassured her,
and Sibyl decided that she had pro-
duced the effect she wished. Mary
was not looking at her; she was star
ing straight before her at the wall. her
| eyes wide and shining. She became
visibly a little paler as Sibyl looked at
her.
After nothing on earth but to get
his finger in that old mans money
pile, over there next door" The voice
| was vulgar, the words were vulgar
| and the plain truth was vulgar! How
1t rang in Mary vertrees' ears! The
clear mirror had caught its own image
clearly in the fiawed one at last.
Sibyl put forth her best bid to
clench the matter. She offered her
bargain. "Now, don't you worry" she
said, sunnily. "about this setting
Edith against you. She'll get over 1t
after while. And another thing-I
guess you won't mind Jim's own sis
ter-in-law speaking of 1t. OF course,
don't know just how matters stand
between you and Jim, but sisters-in-
law can do lots of things to help mat
ters on like that. There's lots of
little things can be said, and lots"
She stopped. puzzled. Mary Vertrees
had gone from pale to scarlet, and now,
still scarlet indeed, she rose, without
word OF explanation, or any other
kind of word, and walked slowly to the
open door and out OF the room.
Sibyl was little taken aback. She
supposed Mary had remembered some
thing neglected and would return in
moment; but 1t was rather q rude
excess of Observation-Disclosures not to
have excused herself. especially as
her guest was talking. And, Mary's
return being delayed, Sibyl looked at
her watch and frowned; went to
window and stood looking out upon
the brown lawn, then came back to
the chair she had abandoned, and sat
again. There was no sound In the
house.
A strange expression began imper-
ceptibly to alter the planes Of her
.In hn of
as Mary-scarlet to the ears. She
went into the hall, glanced over her
shoulder oddly; then she let herself
softly out of the front door, and went
across the street to her own house.
Roscoe met her upon the threshold,
gloomily. "Saw you from the win
dow" he explained. you must find
lot to say to that old lady"
what old lady?"
"Mrs. Vertrees. / been waiting for
you a long time, and I saw the daugh-
ter come out fifteen minutes ago and
post letter. and then walk on up the
street. Don't stand out on the porch"
he said, Grossly. "Come in here.
There's something it's come time I'll
have to talk to you about. Come I'M"
But as she was moving to obey he
glanced across at his fathers house
and started. He lifted his hand to
shield his eyes from the setting sun.
staring f1edly. Something's the mat
ter over there" he muttered, and then,
more loudly, as alarm came into his
voice. he said, Whats the matter over
there2'
Bipbs dashed out Of the gate in an
automobile set at its highest speed.
and as he saw Roscoe he made a ges-
ture singularly eloquent Of calamity,
and was lost at once in cloud Of dust
down the street Edith had followed
part OF the way down the drive. and It