New Britain herald., 1917-07-18
Why Iadge Was Troubled as Sh
Dressed to Go HOuse-Hunting
With Dicky.

With Dicky.
Dickv turned from the telephone,
his face and eyes betraying the en-
thusiasm with which he always
greets proposition pleasing to him.
He spoke to me hurriedly, still holding
the receiver to his ear.
"The Durkees want us to go with
them and give those old houses the
once over this afternoon he said.
land then have supper at their house.
What do you say?"
Tell them I'd love to- 1 responded
promptly, and meant exactly what l
said, for l enjoy the company of the
Durkees very much, and 1 knew by
experience that one of Mrs Durkee's
Sunday night suppers was worth a
longer trip than the distance from
our home to theirs.
1.-The missus says she'll be
chawmed" Dicky winked at me I'M
pudently as he spoke the words into
the receiver. He knows that l detest
having him call me 1.-The missus,'
favorite pleasantly of his, and that
also dislike the word charmed be-
cause of it's ridiculous overuse on all
occasions by all sorts and conditions
of people. But I made no sign of dis
taste, no effore to correct Dicky's die
ton, as I probably would have done
year ago. Life with Dicky, with its
big problems, has taught me to over
look many minor annoyances.
We'll be over before o'clock
Dicky assured his friend at the other
end of the telephone, and hung up the
receiver.
"Alf's getting in a bit of wax over
those two houses, afraid some onel
beat us to EN-" he grumbled as he |
turned to me. He needn't worry,
we're proba bly, the only two suckers In |
all Long Island that would look at EN-. !
Birdsalrs been filling him up with |
dope about the dozens of eager would
he's holding back on our account, and
Alfs swallowing it whole. But we
might as we'll look the places over and
decide the matter without any more
fuss. Don't you think so
"Win Do No Harm
I was careful not to smile at the un-
conscious irony of Dicky's asking me
to decide about having a house of our
own as I answered him. When I had
preached the subject as a cherished
dream of mine he had ridiculed me so
that 7 made up my mind
never to open my mouth upon the
subject again. But when Alfred Dur
1ee had told him of two attractive old
neighboring houses near the big new
golf club, one of which he wished to
buy himself, Dicky had completely |
faced about, and appeared quite favor
ably impressed with the project. !
knew my husband well enough not to
display the slightest sign of exultation
at the prospeoe Of realizing my long !
cherished desire.
1T certainly will do no harm to |
look the places over l said quietly.
Dicky grinned in mischievous COM
prehension of my real feelings.
''Terribly Indifferent to prospect Of |
house Of her own isn't she?' he |
teased. whats the matter? Afraid |
l might renig on the whole deal If you |
showed any undue enthusiasm
"Perhaps," I said demurely, and |
Dicky chuckled. He was in high good |
humor and I hoped devoutly that |
nothing would occur to dampen his |
spirits before he made the final de- |
cision concerning the house. 1t was
not that I was unusually attra cted by |
the house at which we were to look, !
but I longed for some place which |
should be real home, from which no |
landlord could turn us from our own
roof tree"
Grace Diapers Message.
l was glad of the respite from
thought which the house inspecting
trip would give us, for l had been
much worried over my fathers affairs
since returning home from Lillian In
derwood's. The slurring reference to |
him in Harry Underwood's letter with ]
it's hints Of 'intrigues," "conspira cies'
and "private graft had brought back !
to my mind the visit to our home Of |
Mr.. Drake and the terror with which |
had learned that he was seeking my |
father for some unknown, and, I |
feared, sinister reason.
And the knowledge that Grace !
raper was in the Same country with |!
Draper was in the same country with |
him. My instinct told me that no |
matter what new interests came into |
her life, Grace Diapers strongest |
passion was to see me Inundated and |
grief-stricken. I knew her to be alb
solutely unscrupulous. and while it ap