Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-07-17

for hours looking on at the Leopua
show rehearsals, was what Jimmy had
told her about the technical side of
the work of production, the labors of
! the director, and so on.
AS the weeks and months wore away
and as the season of violent alter
nations between summer and winter.
which the Chicagoan calls sprine
gave pl; ce to summer itself, Rose
was driven to intrench herself more
ana more deeply behind this great
expectation. 1t was like dam hold
ing pack waters that otherwise would
nave rushed down upon her and swept
her away.
AND then came Harriet, Rodney's
otner sister, and the pressure behind
the dam rose higher.
Rose had tried, rather unsuccess-
1ully, to realize that there was actu-
ally In existence another woman who
occupied, by blood anyway, the same
position toward Rodney and herself
that Frederick did. She felt almost
IKE a real sister toward Frederick.
But without quite putting the notion
INTO words, she had always felt it
was just as well that Harriet was an
Italian contessa, four thousand miles
away. Rodney and Frederick spoke
OF her affectionately, to be sue, but
their references made a picture of a
rather formidably correct, seriously
aristocratic sort of person.
She'd discovered, along in the win
ter sometime, that Harriet's affairs
were going rather badly. 1t was along
In May that the cable came to Frede-
RIGA announcing that Harriet was COM
ing back for long visit THAT'S all
she said" Rodney explained to Rose.
But L suppose it means the finish.
She said she didn't want any fuss
MADE, but she limited she'd like to have
Freddy meet her in New York, and
F'reddy'S going. Poor old Harrietl We
must try to cheer her up"
She didn't seem much in need Of
cheering up, Rose thought, when they
first met. All that showed on the con-
tessa's highly polished surface was a
disposition to talk humOrously over
old times with her old friends, in
Guiding her brother and sister, and a
sort of dismayed acquiescence in the
smoky seriousness, the Inadequate
civilization, of the city of her birth.
Toward Rose herself, the contessa
was, one might say, studiously affec-
tomato. She avoided being either dis
agreeable or patronizing. Rose could
see, indeed, how she avoided It.
About this time the question where
Rose and Rodney were going To live
after their lease on the McCrea house
ended, had begun to press for an an
swer. October first was when the
lease expired, and it wasn't far from
the date at which they expected the
baby. They spent some lovely after
moons during the days Of the emery
ing spring, cruising about looking at
possible places.
This was the situation when Har.
riet took hand in it. 1t was a situa-
ton made to order for Harriet to
take hand in. She'd sized It up ar
a glance, made up her mind in three
minutes what was the sensible thing
for them to do, written a note to
Florence McCrea in Paris, and then
bided her opportunity to put her idea
into effect. To her Rose was simply q
well-meaning, somewhat inatleuuateIy
civilized young person, the beneficiary.
through her marriage with Rodney, of
a piece of unmerited good fortune.
When she got Florence McCreo e
answer to her letter, she took tbe
first occasion TO get Rodney off bv
himself and talk a little common
sense into him.
what about where to live, Rod
ney?" she asked. made I'D your
mind about it yet? 1t is time someone
with a little common sense straight
ened you out about this"
1 Harriet couldn't be sure from the
length of time he took seeing that
his pipe was properly lighted, wheth-
er he altogether liked this method of
approach or not.
Common sense always was a sort
of speciality of yours, SIS" he said at
last, "and Strengthening out. You
were always pretty good at it." Then
out of cloud of his own smoke.
Fire away"
"Well, in the first place." she said.
''if you had your house today you'd be
lucky if the paint was dry and the
thing was fit to move into by the first
of September
But we've got to get out Of here,
anyway, in October. And that means
we've got to have some sort of place
TO get into. 1t is an awkward time.
III admit"
mo, you haven't" she said. you
can stay right here another six
months, If you like. I've heard from
Florence. When I found how things
stood here. 1 wrote and asked her if
she'd lease for six months more il
she got the chance, and she wrote back
and simply grabbed at it."
Rodney smoked half way through
his pipe before he made any comment
on this suggestion. This house isn't
| just what we want" he said. "In the
first place, it's expensive"
Harriet shrugged her shoulders,
| picked up one of Florence's poetry
books and eyed the heavily fooled bind
ing with a satirical snile before she
replied.
I'D an idea there was that in It."
she said at last. Freddy said some
thing. Rose had been talking
10 her." Then, after another little
silence and with sudden access OF
vehemence: "You don't want to go
and do regular fool thing. Roddy.
You're getting on perfectly splendid
ly. But if you pull up and go TO live in
a barn somewhere and stop seeing any
body-people that count, 1 mean"
Rodney grunted. You're beyond
your depth, sis" be said. aCome back