The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1917-09-07
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Of stale tobacco smoke, and the ash
receiver at his elbow was piled high
with burnt offerings.
Pope rose at Adoree's entrance, eylng
her anxiously. sis everything all right?''
he cried.
''Is what all rightT
"The-er-Lorelie."
ooh. yes! What are you doing here?'
81 suppose I must apologize. You
see, / came here to wait and-and
help"
"You decided to-help?" Adoree
eyed the disheveled musician queerly.
you've helped to break my lease
I'll be thrown out Of this house sure"
Pope stammered, guiltily, II was
playing for Bob and Lorelei."
With one glove half off, Adoree slow
ly seated herself, showing in her facn
an amazement that increased the
mans embarrassment. Pope took a
deeper breath, then burst out:
"Oh, / have a sixty-horse power
imagination, and it seems to me that
music is sort of-prayer; anyhow, it's
the only way know of praying. Good
music is divine language. In my own
way 1 was sort of praying for those
two children. Foolish, isn't it? I'm
sorry I told you. 1t sounds nutty to
me when 1 stop to consider it." Pope
stirred uneasily under Adoree's gravely
speculative eyes. "Lorelei's all right p
Adoree nodded. Its boy" There
was a moment Of silence. did you
ever see brand-new babyw
Murder, nor
Miss Demorest's gaze remained bent
upon Pope, but it was focused upon
great distances; her voice when she
spoke was hushed and awe-stricken.
"Neither did until this one. held it,!
I held it in my arms. OIL was fright
ened, and yet I seemed to know just
what to do and-and everything. 1t
was strange. 1t hurt me terribly. for,
you see, 1 didn't know what babies
meant until tonight. Now know"
Pope saw the shining eyes suddenly
fill and threaten to overflow; instead
Of the grotesquely overdressed and ar
tificial stage favorite he beheld only
yearning woman whose face was sof-
tened and glorified as by vision.
Il didn't know you cared for chill
dren."
Adoree shrugged; the beads at her
throat clicked barbarously. Neither
did I, but suppose every woman does
if she only knew it. Tonight began
to understand what this ache inside Of
me means" Her gaze came back and
centered upon his face, but 1t was
frightened and panic-stricken. "I've
sacrificed my right to children"
How can you say"
"Oh, you know it as well as / dov'
A flush wavered in the speakers
cheeks, then fled, leaving her white and
weary. you, of all men, must under
stand. I'm notorious. I'm a painted
woman, wicked woman-the wicked
est woman in the land-and that repu-
tation will live in spite of anything
can do" She began to cry now in
way strange to Pope's experience.
Pope's habitual restraint all at once
gave way. "Nonsensew he exploded.
1.-THE thing that counts is what you
are, not what you seem to be. 1 know
the truth"
Now there was nothing sufficiently
significant about these words to bring
a light of wonderment and gladness to
the girls face, but her tears ceased as
abruptly as they had commenced, and
noting the slowly growing radiance of
her expression, Campbell was stricken
dumb with fright at the possible conse-
quences of temerity. The knowledge
of his shortcomings robbed him Of con-
fidence and helped to confuse him.
Adoree rose. For a moment she
stood looking at him with peculiar,
tender smile, then took him by the
lapels of his shapeless coat and drew
his thin face down to hers.
"I'm not going to let you back out"
she declared, firmly. "You asked me,
didn't you?"
"Adoree! No, no! Think what you
are doing" he cried, sharply.
But she continued to smile up into
his eyes with a gladness that intoxi-
Gated him.
She Struggled closer to him, murmur-
ing, coZily: 81 don't want to think
we'll have plenty of time to think
when we're too old to talk. Now, just
want to love you as hard as you have
been loving me for the last six
months"
To all young fathers there comes a
certain readjustment of values. To
Bob, who had always led a selfish,
thoughtless existence, it was at first
bewildering to discover that his place
at the head of his household had been
usurped by another Heretofore he had
always been of supreme domestic i'm
portance, but now the order of things
was completely reversed, if not hope
lessly jumbled. First in consequence
came this new person, tiny and vastly
! AxyV.o 0f