South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-13
HOW LII MANAGED To SAVE
THE EVENING.


whatever her other faults may
be. Lillian Gale is a tower of
strength in an emergency. / discov-
cred this fact when Katie, my maid
OF all work. uttered a frightened
little cry at the sight of Mr.. Les
ter coming through ne door and
then stood, like a salute Of fear.
gazing at him.
Lillian "a standing at my side
when the Testers came in. With a
quick. unobserved whisper to me
Get Mrs. Lester in your room
quickly, she moved swiftly to
Katie's side. Dicky said afterward
that the muttered "Hush! Come
with me with which Lii propelled
Katie 10 the kitchen was regular
third -act-to-the-rescue stuff. L
could not see what she was doing,
however, for I was too busy try
ing to obey her whispered %injunc-
ton.
IL was "A hard task, however. OF
course 1 had 10 wait until Dicky
had introduced me TO both Mr.. and
Mrs. Lester. As / murmured the
conventional things and started 10
escort my guest 10 my room. Har-
~ Underwood barred the way.
NAY, nay, my child. you do not
pass me this way without a WORD or
look that l may cherish he said
grandiloquently to my guest.
Mrs. Lester dimpled and giggled.
You. awful man. Pm not going
TO talk to you at all tonight. Frank
says you are a bad man for little
girls TO know"
please unsay them croo-el
words" ne burlesqued. and then
turned to me, as he saw me trying
TO draw Mrs. Lester toward my
room.
AHA. my proud beauty; you do
speeches to another. I shall hum
bic your pride yet"
He bowed mockingly and I reach
ed my own room with Mrs. Lester.
As l crossed the threshold / drew
"A deep breath OF relief. The danger
of an unpleasant scene was over.
Katie was safe in the kitchen,
where, if / gagged Mrs. Under
woods powers correctly. she would
soon be reduced to sanity. while
my guest, all unsuspecting. as I
hoped, was removing her wraps.
OF course, / had grasped the sig
n~ifcance of Katie's frightened cry.
1 remembered the night she first
came to work for me, her terror
at sight of Dicky. and her sudden
flight. We had brought her back,
and Dicky had learned that reason
she was in such fear of him was on
account of the money he had given
her with which TO pay a bill. When
she was maid of all work i'm the
bachelor apartment which Dicky
and three other artists shared she
had disappeared with the money
and he had never seen her again
until he met her in our apartment.
The memory of her broken words
of explanation of her flight came
back 10 me.
You know when YOU left that
morning, Meester Lestaire. he was
painting too? Well, Meester Gra-
ham. I always good girl in old
country and here. / go to confess
sion. I always keep good. Mees-
ter Lestaire, he kissed me. say bad
things to me. He frightened me.
I afraid if I say. I nc be a good.
ufrf Co wrr, 1HrnnrI -rar Z
never dare come back. Dot Mees-
ter Lestaire. he one bad man. one
devil"
OF course "Lestaire, 70 was Les
ter, I "a thought nothing of the
coincidence OF lanes until Katie's
cry had shown a flashlight upon
the situation.
l looked at Mrs. Lester who. for
tunately. Ia heard and seen moth
ing. She was a pretty creature,
birdlike in her smallness and dain-
tiness, and a certain chirpy bright
ness. / judged that her mentality
about e~qualled the calibre of a
sparrow. but / admitted also that
the fact did not detract from her
attractiveness.
She was the sort OF women TO
be protected. 10 be cherished. She
was loving, innocent, helpless. Ana
her husband had amused himself
by prosecuting an ignorant. alien
servant, ] felt a rush of sympa-
thy for her. / remembered Dicky's
comment upon Katie's revelation:
$50 that was il, Well. that was
just about what hat pup would do.
That was reason ! got out Of
Gun housekeeping arrangements. He
set too swift a pace for me. and