The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-02-23

of people thfonged the Stafford estate
on the afternoon Of the festival ant
the roads outside were quadruply linet
with automobiles.
/ There was no hesitation about EN-
ploying piratical methods of extortine
from the rich as much money as they
had been reckless enough to bring with
them. The hollow eyes of the ragged
starvelings Of Poland would have filled
with wonder if they could have seer
in far-off America the well-fed, silk
clad aristocrats reveling in their be
half. 1t was strange way of getting
| food for the hungry, but it was the
fashion of the day, and most important
of all, it accomplished its purpose.
The world was so packed with
tragedy and so bounded with cries for
! pity that it took something more than
sorrow to wheedle funds from the
weary public. 1t took beauty and en-
tertainment. Gloria furnished these in
full measure at her festival. In her
ragged doublet and hose, with her
feathered cap Atilt, she danced and
piped, and the children followed about
the lawn with a moving audience till
she led her little army into the great
cave that Pierpont had ordered con-
structed in one of his bills.
The mothers left behind pretended
to weep for their lost ones and they
begged the pied piper to return. So
Gloria, contrary to tradition, came
back from the cave. and, surrounded
by her kidnapped troop, bowed and
bowed.
Gloria was good and tired When the
last. of the spectators had gone home
impoverished. She stretched herself
out on the divan in the living room and
felt her old loneliness come back upon
her. Her task was done and she was Of
no more use to the world, for, Of
course, her father had pointed out to
her that her project to take the funds
to Poland in person was beautiful
impossibi1ity. There were several mil
Hon soldiers between her and Poland,
and the price of the voyage, even if
she could make it, would buy several
thousands of loaves of bread.
when Doctor Royce took a chair close
to her and poured forth his praises
she accepted them hungrily. He was
encouraged to the widest hopes by her
response and he kept launching his
chair closer and closer.
His head was almost touching hers
when her father had come into the y
room with the proceeds of the festival.
There were baskets of bills and boxes
of coin and the total was thousands of
dollars.
Royce fell back disheartened. He
had forgotten how rich Gloria was, anc
how poor in comparison was even his
telling her how long and how deeply he
had loved her, but he felt that such
declaration would only be pre-
sumptuous folly.
Gloria could not read his thoughts, |
but she knew that he had suddenly
chilled and shortly after he was gone.
And then she knew how much she |
missed him. She was tempted to fall
i'll again so that she might summon
him to wait upon her once more. But
her health, which had broken down |
when she was in the first flush of her |
affair with Freneau (for "affair" was |
what she called it now, held up splen- !
didly when she felt sick at heart and |
weary of life.
For some reason which he did not |
make plain-largely because his excuse |
was artifcial-Doctor Royce happened |
to drop in at the country place few
days later. The fact was that he could
neither endure the lack of Gloria nor
find a plausible reason for calling. SO
he called and mumbled his reason in
He talked very earnestly about moth
ing at all and kept saying that he must
go, but did not go. At length he really
started, and Gloria felt that she was
being marooned once more on the dull
waste Of life. So she pretended to
swoOn. He heard her little gasp and
saw her topping over on carefully
selected soft spot. He ran to her in
great alarm, tried her pulse and found
It normal, chafed her hand and found
It warm. He was bewildered The
symptoms and the condition did not
|ibe.
Gloria opened one eye and watched
him unbeknownst. He let go her hand
md walked the floor.
She sat up in disgust, demanding,
Don't you know what is the matter
With me?"
He shook his head meekly.
She cast her eyes up in despair and
'aid 'Tm afraid you're too stupid
loctor to keep in the family. Good
VI"
''In the family?" he stammered, won
iering why she said just that. sDid ]
7ou say in the familyY"
She looked at him with despair In
Ter eyes and nodded her head.
II said in the family 2" she said. T
And, "Oh p, said he.
Then he stared at her so hard that
he closed her eyes and did not see the
mango come over his face from be-
vilderment to an eager guess, to a
apturous hope, and a reckless cour- :
ha MT