The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-01-30
CHAPTER vI-continued.

CHAPTER VI-continued.
Her sympathies would ordinarily
have been with her brother in any dis
quite between him and his wife. But
this was a dispute between Bayard
and love. It was s%acrilegious for him
ito go on reading the Times when his
bride had so much more important
things to discuss. He heard her dis
cuss them as through a morning paper
darkly, and he made the wrong an
swers. and finally he snatched out his
watch, glared it in the face, gasped,
and attacked the last of his breakfast
like a tr%ain-catcher at a lunch-counter.
1t was thus that he heard Leila wall,
''What's to become Of me all morn
ingY
Bayard stared at her sharply, but
spoke softly enough: "Why, I don't
know, honey. There ought to be plenty
for you to do. The Lord knows there's
enough for me at the Office"
"All right" sighed Leila. "T1l be
brave and worry through somehow, till
noon, with my sweet new sisters help.
But We'll come down and lunch with
sou. About what time do you go out
to luncheon, Bye"
Bayard'S answer was diScOuraging:
''This is one Of the three days a week
when the heads of the firm always
lunch at Delmonico's in a private room.
I'm afraid 1 can't lunch with you to-
day."
"And you'll leave me this whole ter
rible day? I can never exist SO long
without YOU"
"I'm mighty sorry, honey. But men
must work, and-so-forth. I've been
away too long. The office needs me.
And I've spent a lot Of money, and I've
got to go down and earn some more to
buy pretty things for my beauty"
This frightened her in a way he had
not expected, and a little too far be-
yond his hopes. Gloom left her face
like a cloud whipped from before the
sun. She dazzled him with her smile.
"Oh, I know what to do! Daphne
and your mother and I can go shop
ping"
Bayard's heart topped. He Won
dered what on earth more there was
in the shops that she could want to
buy. She had come to the marriage
with her trousseau only partly COM
wedding. But she had bought and
Bought in Europe. She had made his
honeymoon anxious by her rapacity
for beautiful things to wear. And now
that they had come to New York with
their old trunks bullying and new
trunks bought abroad bullying, and had
paid a humping sum at the CUSTOM
shopping!
What he wanted to do was to quit
Buying for a while and sell something.
He did not say this. Love was slip
ping the bandage off n eye; but it
had not yet removed the sugar stick
chat stops the tongue from criticism.
Leila grew more cheerful at a ter
rifying rate: go on to your old
luncheon, my dear child, and Daphne
and your mother and I will go on a
spree in the shops. Then We'll all
have a banquet tonight and q theater,
and if we're not too tired, a supper;
and if you're very good I'll take you to
n Of those dancing places afterward.
I'll buy the theater tickets myself. I'll
get good ones. I want to ave you as
much trouble as I can, honey. So run
along to your office and don't worry
sbout us. But Tou must miss me
<rightfully! Will your"
He vowed that he would, and he
meant it. She was a most missable
creature.
He rose to leave, but she stopped
him to say, "Wl.at play shall we see?"
This was the occasion for elaborate
debate till Bayard gave signs of truln-
peting his wrath and boiling.
Leila graciously released him only to
call him back to say that he had for
gotten his newspaper.
II left it for you. Don't you want to
read it," he asked. II can get another
at the subway station"
She shook her head: "There's moth
Ing interesting in the papers. I'm just
from Paris, and l know more about the
fashions than they do"