Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-18

mere casual visitor, entering into the lists
Of criticism
There were probably only two people In
the house who felt kindly disposed toward
the attractive If ineffective young man. and
they were both women. one of them, of
| course. was Mr.. Pollock's daughter. Molly;
the other-and here was one new cause Of
grievance against Brent--was a charming
widow who had arrived only the evening
before.
Mrs Lee had not, of course, had time tc
develop strong liking or partisanship on
behalf Of Brent, but she had played
smoker" with him most Of the evening
and been amiablc over the marmalade
during breakfast. What more is needed to
cause comment in a boarding house? 1t
had caused comment already and the sub
ject now came up again.
''If you ask me- said Miss Myrtle, "I
think Mr.. Brent is too fond of playing about
with the ladies 10 undertake anything that
would interfere with that. Mrs. Lee comes
from heaven only knows where and | con-
slider she Is overdressed-or should | say,
perhaps underdresscd?"
"Oh, Miss Myrtle you are cruel" expos
tulated Fraulein Schroeder
II have called attention to no more than
we could all see for ourselves, and Mr.. Brent
certainly hung around her very obviously"
Brent mOnOpoliZed her" said Mr.. Pol
lock. Every bad form. | call it, There she
goes across the garden now. Very smart
white suit she has on Miss Myrtle, what
ever you may say" He strobe to the win
dow and stood looking out. ooh, my good
ness" he added. here comes that chatter
ing kidlingtOn girl She'll come in at the
front door; we may just escape her If we
clear out this way Ever meet her, Penni-
cuik?"
Good Lord yes" said Pennicuik when
the First Manchesters were down here she
LIST L Man
chester Harriers.' Here, let's do n hunk
I'm rather keen to meet your widow"
The two men passed out through the
French window leaving a sudden silence
and emptiness behind them. Miss Myrtle,
gathering up her knitting and apparently
forgetting her chiliness, arose and made to-
ward the window also. She was one of
those numerous people who, having no par
ticular object in life, spend themselves in
futile but persistent hitting at any one much
discussed, much as a wasp knocks itself
again and again against the larder window.
The kindly disposed widow was already
making toward Christopher Brent and a
little in her rear the varying degrees of
antipathes to him in the persons of Pollock,
PenniCuik and Miss Myrtle were also con-
yerging toward him in the bright sunlight
There remained in the sitting room only
Fraulen Schroeder and she was too color
less and Insignificant a personality for her
Fraulen Schroeder was still sitting in
the room, IA black blot in the midst of its
bright chintzes, when young lady burst
in from the passage. She was a pretty girl
in the dark, eager, intense style with rather
too much color and a mouth that would
become thin and hard with years. On her
arm she carried "A large basket full of a
soft drifted whiteness. She paused abrupt
ly on seeing only Frauleln.
"Oh good morning" she began. speaking
in high, rapid voice, Can you tell me
where every one is?'
Fraulein Schroeder put down the Mirror
and took up her singularly plain and useful
looking knitting before replying:
Mrs. Sanderson is interviewing the cook
and Mr.. Sanderson Is not down from the
admiralty yet. The others are, 1 believe.
somewhere in the garden"
Daphne Kidlington THANKED her and ran
on through the open window. The wind of
her going made one or two particles of the
drfted whiteness in her basket float ont
and, weaving a gentle zgzag course through
the air, they showed themselves to be featb
ers They sett ed In delicate crescents on
the carpet, uptilted at either end like nm
substantial fairy craft, Fraulein Schroeder
looked at them for moment through her
gold-rimmed spectacles with the ghost of a
placid smile about her dry, tucked-in little
mouth.
Daphne Needless, van across the Iawn
and joined the little group she saw tbara
She knew them all with the exception Of
Mrs. Lee, and she stared with frank curios-
ity at the tall handsome woman. mentaI,,,
clubbing her passee.
Mrs. Lee was. as matter of fact .
good-looking woman of about thirtv-a,,s
who gave the impression Of being n a,'Is
too proud and too occupied with othss
matters TO have troubled to prsssrvs 20. 's.,
illusion OF youth. This II VnSe ,S,,sn e
20 her eaarm, a. II showed hor D r...S
4ene, n y : cQp4aep9e H6idn 3 - ~; ~