The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-12-06
CHAPTER XVII.
Youth and Mr.. Psreher.


A tory both moral aud physical
Thrcc-quarters Of an hour lat
er she was unburden!ng the contents
OF the two baskets aud putting the
things back In place. Illuminating these
actions with an expression OF strong
distaste In spite Of broken assurances
that MIR Beljus had not more than
touched any OF the articles offered to
him for valuation.
At dinner. which was unusually ear
ly that evening. Mrs. Baxter did not
often glance toward her son. She kept
her eyes from that white face and
spent most ~ her time In urging upon
Mr.. Baxter that he should he prompt
- dressing for card club meeting
fhich he and she were TO attend that
evening.
William retired to his own room.
where he lay upon his bed In the dark.
ness lie heard the evening noises OF
the house family through the closed
door-voices and the chatter of metal
and china from the faraway kitchen.
James laugh Ia the hall. the opening
and closing ~ the doors. Then his
father seemed To lie In distress about
something. William heard him com
planning 10 Mrs RsSter. and, though
the words were indistinct. the tone
was vigorously plaintiye.
Everything was quiet now. The
open window showed as greenish
oblong set In black. and william knew
that In little while there would come
through the stiffness OF that window
the distant sound OF vlolins. And as
he lay ON his dreary bed he thought
OF brightly lighted rooms where other
boys were dressing eagerly. faces and
hair shining. hearts beating high boys
who would possess this last evening
and the last waltz together the last
smile and the last sigh
Now arrived that moment h. had
most painfully anticipated. and dance
music driftcd ON the night. but there
came n tapping upon his door. and
soft voice spoke.
"Will-ecr''
With a sharp exclamation William
swung his legs over the edge Of the
bed and sat M or all things he de-
sired not he desired no conversation
with UT ON the part Of Jane. But he
had forgotten to lock his door The
handle turned. and a dir little figure
marched In.
willie. Adeiias goin' TO put NE To-
bed"
"iou gway from here" I've said
huskily II haven't got time to tall
"a you. I'm busy g
We'll. yen can wait n minute. can't
you;' she asked reasonably. II hat
to tell you Joke On mamma
IL don't want to hear any Jokes"
well bar To tell you this one
cause she told me Ia Oh Jane
elapsed her hand over her mouth and
Jumped up and down. Offering a fan.
castle silhouette against the light a
the open door. "Oh, oh. OH
whats matterf'
"She said ! mustn't mustn't tell that
she told me To tell! My goodness! I
forgot that! Mamma took me OF
alone right after dinner. an she told
me to tell you this joke on her u little
after she an papa had left the house.
but she said. Above all things she
said. don't let Willie know l said to
tell him. That's just what she said.
an here that's the very frst thing I
had to 20 an do
"Well. what Of it1'
Jane qulcted down. "Did you hear
xrhfA f,tsa mana mn. ips han ha
was dressin' for the card partyr'
81 don't care IT,
"IIe had 10 go In his reg'lar cio'es."
whispered Jane triumphantly. AN
this Ii the joke ON mamma; You know
that tailor that let papa's dress suit
way outf Well mamma thinks that
tailor must think she's crazy or some
pm. cause she took papa's dress suit
TO him last Monday to get IL pressed
for this card party. an she guesses he
must OF understood her to tell him 20
do lots besides just pressin' II. Any.
way. he went an altered II. an he
took II way way In again. An this |
afternoon when It came back II was
even tlghter'n what Il was In the first |
place. an papa couldn't begin to get |
into Il!
well. an ~ It's all pressed an
ev'ything an she stopped on the way |
out an whispered TO me that she'd got |
% upset over the joke on her that she
couldn't remember where she put Il |
when she took II out o. papa's room
after he gave up tryin' to get inside
Of H. An that" cried Jane-"thats
the funniest thing Of ALI Why. it's
layin right ON her bed this very min
ute!'
In one bound william leaped through
the open door. Two seconds sufiiced
for his passage through the hall to his
mothers bedroom. and there. neatly
spread upon the lace coyerlet and
brighter than coronation robes. fairer