The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-10-30
By Virginia Terhune Van
de Water.
RCopyrtght, 1918, by Star Company.>
CHAPTER L


CNoRA and Mildred Brent
- were orphans.
The statement Of this fact
seems to demand sympathy
for them Yet they did not consider
themselves objects of sympathy.
Their father had died when they
were too young to remember him
The death of their mother when
they were aged, respectively. fifteen
and seventeen had at first appeared
as q calamity. Certain it is that
had the mother herself known that
she was to leave her young daugh-
ter she would have wondered ago
nizingly what would become Of them.
While they could live simply on her
small income. yet they certainly
needed a parents tender care Mrs
Brent had q way OF saying that
there was only one absolutely neces-
sary person in the world, and that
person was a mother.
Yet her death proved that she was
not necessary. Youth Is buoyant
and looks to the future Mrs. Erent's
friends spoke pityingly Of chose
poor children and showered them
with kindnesses.
So Honora and Mildred got on
comfortably in spite of the loss Of
the mother whose one thought they
were The middle-aged combination
companion and housekeeper who
had been devoted to Mrs. Brent con-
tinued to live with Mrs. Brent's
daughters Mrs. Higgins was an
able manager and spent the family
income .judiciously until the girls
had finished their course at the
FairIands High School After which
both took positions in downtown
Offices.
Different Views.
Il wish we could be together"
Honora had sighed one day soon
after their graduation. alt would
be so much pleasanter."
81 don't. agree with your Mildred
declared ave will get on better
II we are Separated during business
hours. II we worked together. you
would worry about me-or''-as an
afterthought-'T would worry about
you"
The older sister knew that this
courtesy than from yeracity For
81 had always fallen TO her lot to
feel the responsibility of her
younger sisters care. Whereas
Mildred was aware that Honora
was quite able to look out for her
self
This state of affairs was not due
to the fact that one girl was eight
cen mouths older than the other,
but that Mildred was very pretty
and Honora was not. Honora recog-
nized that her more attractive sis
ter would be subjected to tempta-
tions such as she herself was not
likely to meet
Yet she was not Jealous OF Mil
dred On the contrary, she had a
genuine admiration for her, coupled
with an affection that was almost
maternal in its strength. And Mil
dred was fond of Honora in an
easygoing. comfortable kind of
way.
Fairbanks nestles in the Connect
cut valley. In thirty years it has
developed from a quiet, elm-shaded
town into a city that feels itself as
important as New York One may
confess right here that Fairbanks
Is not its real name, but It will serve
our purpose as well as any other.
1t is an actual city, and a beautiful
one.
A Comfortable Home.
As the Brent girls had been born
here, and still lived in the home to
which their father had brought
their mother as a bride, they con-
sidered themselves as much a part
Of the place as was the old First
Church. standing on the hill over
looking the business section of the
city.
Had their mother lived, the sis
tiers would probably have gone to
College. AS it was, they preferred
starting life as soon as they could
%-Starting life" being but another
name for earning their own living
and thereby increasing the income
that seemed now too restricted for
their growing desires.
It was when Honora was TWEEN
" that she found herself very
fond Of Arthur Bruce. 1t was also
about this time that she observed
that AIildred's beauty increased
with each passing month
The sisters resembled each 9TH
er in spite OF the difference in ex-
preston and coloring. Honora
was dark. with brown eyes and
straight hair. She was natural
" pale, a fact which she deplored.
Mildred, fair, with light, curling
hair and with blue eyes and much
color, would occasionally urge her
sister to -Use just a little rouge"
tsWhst's the harm in it?" she
would argue
There's no harm in it." Honora
would reply. "but I would not like
70 use #"
Question and answer were In
dices of the character OF each
speaker.
Arthur Bruce had known the
Brent girls since childhood But
during his course at Cornell Fair
lands had seen him seldom. His
summer vacations had been spent
away from home with various
college friends, and the Christmas
and Easter holidays were SO short
and there was so much TO be done
in them that he had little time for
calls at the Brent home.
Now, however. his student day.
were ended and be was back in
A GOOD Bern.
Il am going into dads Office, you
know" he informed HonoFa late
one afternoon when he had dropped
10 TO see her and Mildred. Mildred
was out, but would be IN soon, ana
h. ~ Gowrn "a T1llk and chat a.