Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-26
CHAPTER XXI Continued

anyhow. there won't be any more Of that kind
nor anybody after my money now. I guess"
he finished with n sage wag Of his head as he
turned away
To Miss Maggie that evening Mr.. Smith
said. after recounting the earlier portion of
the conversation: so you see you were right
after all. I shall have to own it up. Mr.
Frank BaisdeI had plenty TO retire upon,
but nothing to retire to- But I'm glad-if
he's happy now"
And he isn't the only one that that $4,000
loss has done a good turn to-" nodded Miss
Maggie "Mellcent has Just been here. You
know she's home from school, It's the Easter
vacation. anyway. but she isn't going back
It's too expensive
Miss Maggie spoke with studied Casualness.
but there vas an added color in her checks
Miss Maggie always flushed a little when she
mentioned Mellicent's name to Mr. Smith, in
spite of her indignant efforts not to do so.
"Oh. is that true?"
Yes Well the Pennocks had a dance last
night and Mellicent went She said she had
to laugh to see Mrs Pennock's efforts to keep
Carl away from her-the loss of the money Is
known everywhere now and has been greatly
exaggerated I've heard. She said that even
Hibbard Gaylord had the air of one trying
to let her down easy. Mellicent was i'm
nlensely amused"
Where was Donald Gray"
oh. he wasn't there He doesn't move in
the Pennock crowd much. But Mellicent
sees him, and-and everythngs all right
there. now. That's why Mellicent is so
happy"
You mean Has her mother given i'm"
Yes. You see. Jane was at the dance. too.
and she saw Carl and she saw Hibbard
Gaylord. And she was furious She told
Mellicent this morning that she had her
opinion of fellows who would show plainly
as Carl Pennock and Hbbard Gaylord did
that it was the money they were after"
I'm afraid-Mrs. Jane has changed her
shoes again" murmured Mr.. Smith. his eyes
merry.
Has changed-oh! :" Miss Maggie's puzzled
frown gave way to a laugh We'll. yes per-
haps the shoe is on the other foot again.
But. anyway. she doesn't love Carl or Hib
bard any more and she docs love Donald
| Gray. He hasn't let the loss of the money
make any difference to him. you He's
| been even more devoted If anything. She
| told Melicent this morning that he was
| very estimabe young man, and she liked him
very much Perhaps you see now why
| Mellicent is-happy"
Good I'm glad to knowa It," cried Mr.
| Smith heartily. I'm glad" His face
| changed suddenly. His eyes grew somber
| I'm glad the loss of the money brought
them some happness-if the possession of IT
didn't" he finished moodily, turning to go to
| his own room At the hall door he paused
| and looked back at Miss Maggie, standing
by the table gazing after him with troubled
eyes. Did Mellcent say--whether Fred was
| there" he aAked.
| Yes Shs said he wasn't there He
didn't come home for this vacation at all
| She said she didn't know why. l suspect
Melcent doesn't know anything about that
| wretched affair of his
| We'll hope not. So the young gentleman
| didn't show up at al?'
| NO. nor Bessie. She went home with
a Long Island girl Hattie didn't go to the
| Pennocks' either Hattie has-has been very
| different since this affair of Fred's. think
| it frightened her terrby-it was near a
| tragedy the boy threatened to kill himself,
you know. If his father didn't help him out"
| But his father did help him out" tiared
| the man irritaby
| Yes. I know he did and I'm afraid he
found things in pretty bad mess-when
| he got there" sighed Miss Maggie. 1T was
| bad mess all around"
You exactly right" calculated MIR.
| Smith with sudden and peculiar emphasis.
| 1T is indeed bad mess all around" he
| growled as he disappeared through the door.
| Behind him, Miss Maggie still stood motion
| less looking after him with troubled eyes.
AS the spring days grew warmer, Miss
| Maggie had occasion many times to look
| after Mr.. Smith with troubled eyes. She
| could not understand him at all. one day
| he would be the Old delightful companion,
| genial. CHEEKY, generously donating box
| of chocolates to the centertable bonbon dish
| or dozen hothouse roses to the mantel vase
| The next, he would be nervous, abstraCted,
| almost irritable. Yet she could see posi-
| BILE reason for the change.
Sometimes she wondered fearfully If Mei-
| cent could have anything to do with it, Was
| it possible that he had cared for Mellicent,
| and to her now so happy with Donald
| Gray more than he could bear 1t did
| not seem credible, There was his own state
| ment that he had devoted himself to her
solely and only to help keep the undesirable
| lovers away and give Donald Gray chance.
| Besides had he not said that he was not
| a marrying man. anyway? To be sure, that
| seemed a pity--a man so kind and thought =
| full and delightfully."- companionable. But
| then. it was nothing to her. of Course-only
she did hope he was not feeling unhappy
| over Mcicent
| Miss Maggie wished. too. that Mr. Smith
| would not bring flowers and candy so often.
| 1t worried her, She felt If he were spend
| ing too much money-and she had got the
| impression in some way that he did not have
any too much money to spend And there
| were the expensive motor trips. too--she
| feared Mr.. Smith was extravagant Yet she
| could not tell him so, of course. He never
seemed to realize the value of a dollar. any
way, and he very obviously did not know
| how to get the most out of it. Look at his
foolish generosity in regard 10 the board he
| paid her
| Miss Maggie wondered sometimes if It
| might not be worry money matters that
| was making him nervous and irritable on
| occasions now. Plainly he was very near
| the end Of his work there in Hillerton. He
| was not getting many letters on Blasdell
matters from away, either.
| For a month. nov, he had done nothing
| but useless repetition of old work and of
| late a good deal of the time, he was not even
making that pretense OF being busy For
| days at time he would not touch his records
| That could mean but one thing, of course
his work was done. Yet he seemed to be
making no move toward departure. Not that
she wanted him to go, She should miss
| him very much when he went of course. But
| she did not like to feel that he was staying
| simply because he had nowhere to go and
| nothing to do Miss Maggie did not believe
| in able. bodied men who had nowhere to go
and nothing to do-and she wanted very
| much to believe in Mr. Smith.
| She had been under the impression that
| he was getting the Blaisdell material together
| for a book and that he was intending 10