Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-04-25

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effects of her altruism and from the
fact that Bayard was in one Of his
| tantrums.
A special delivery letter had just
come from Dutilh's shop It said that
Mr.. Dutilh was arriving from Paris
with his winter models, and since he
would have to pay large sum at the
customs house it was regrettably nee
essary to beg Mr.. Kip to send by re.
turn mail check for the Enclosed bill.
which was long past due.
And now the briefly adjourned laws
of finance were reassembled. Leila's
short reign was over; her extravaganza
punishment. The gown she had bought,
and was asked to pay for, had been
worn shabby, danced to shreds in
Newport. But the bill was as bright
as ever.
Bayard was so tagged with his
weeks Of Encouragement that he was
as irascible as a veteran Of the govt
whose toe has been stepped on. when
Daphne walked in he was denouncing
Leila in excellent form. He used
Daphne as a further club.
my poor sister sent back the gown
she bought! But you-you bought
more p
Daphne realized how much this
would endear her to Leila and she
took immediate flight. She found the
Chivvises in state of tension. Mr..
Chivvis was not usually home before
half-past six. Daphne felt an omen in
the way they looked at her when they
acknowledged her entrance.
She went to her room in state of
foreboding misery She had not paid
her board for several weeks. She had
not mentioned the fact to Mrs. Chivvis,
nor Mrs. Chivvis to her, though the
nonpayment of board bill is one of
the self-evident truths that landladies
usually discuss with freedom.
A few minutes later Mrs. Chivvis
tapped on the door, her thimble max
ing a sharp clack. She brought her
sewing with her and sewed as she
said: MAY 4 sit down a moment?
Thank you." She kept her eyes on the
seam while she talked.
"Well, Miss Kip, the war has reach
ed US also at last. My husband lost
his position today"
eyes? Oh, how horrible!" Daphne
gasped, with double sincerity.
'The Office was closed unexpectedly
by an involuntary petition in bankrupt
cy. His salary was not paid last week
nor this, and-well don't want
to inconvenience you, but"
II understand" said Daphne. "Tll
give you what can"
She took her poor little wealth from
her handbag. She had paid ten of the
fifty to the photographer as deposit.
She gave Mrs. Chivvis twenty-five dol
lars, and promised her more.
Mrs. Chivvis was very grateful and
went down the hall, smiling little
over her seam.
Clay called that evening. He was
exhausted with day of tramping the
town, looking for work. He was too
weary to talk and he fell asleep twice
during one of Mr.. Chivvis' common
taries on the probable effects Of the
imminent capture of Paris by the IT.
resistible Germans. The French gov
eminent had already moved to Bor-
deaux and But Clay had read it all
in dozen different newspapers, and
he passed away.
Daphne was restless. Mr.. Chivvis
was on her nerves. Clay was not
pretty, asleep, sitting with his jaw
dropped and his hands hanging down,
palms forward, like an apes. She was
enjoying another Of the woes of mar
riage without it's privileges.
The Chivvises began to yawn, and
Mrs. Chivvis finally babe the startled
Clay "Good evening" She had been
brought up to believe that it was in
delicate for a woman to bid a man
Goodnight"
Clay, left alone with Daphne, at
tempted drowsy caress, but she felt
insulted and she snapped at him:
IF you're only walking in your sleep
you'd better walk yourself out Of here
and go to bed"
His apology was incoherent and she
was Indignantly curt with him at the
door. She went to her room and sat
at the window, staring down at the
dark swarm Of watchers before the
bulletin boards.
She had told her brother that she
did not have to starve or sin, because
she had father, a brother, lover
to protect her from want. And now
her father and her brother and her
lover were all in dire predicament.
staggering blindly in fog of debt
Suppose her fathers train ran off
the track or into another train. A
spread rail, block signal overlooked,
switch left unlocked, might bring
doom upon his train as on SO many
others. She shivered at the horror of
her fathers loss. She shivered again
at the thought of what it would mean
to her.
Suppose the Chivvises turned her
out. Why should they feed her for
nothing when their own future was
endangered?
What could Bayard do for her? or
Clay? There was Mr.. Duane, of
course; but she could not take his
money without paying him. And in
what coin could she pay him? She
trembled, and the breeze turned gla-
cial.
The next morning was another day
of the same shoddy pattern. She rose