Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-08
CHAPTER XIX.

G1AP LEN Ala.
At the moment of Dawson's
agitated arrival, Mrs. Forester, in
the Louis XVI boudoir, fresh from
the hands of her hair dresser, was
reclining in a deep-cushioned ber-
gere, enveloped in a negligee which
rivaled in delicacy the rare brocades
and the dainty cartouches of
Boucher which enlivened the walls
hung in blue silk. Miss Pound, the
housekeeper, had departed with the
instructions for the day, leaving her
to her reflections. Her nature was
too amiable and gay to give in to
violent depressions. Yet this morn
ing she was annoyed-by the steady
contraction of her eyebrows and the
little furrowed lines of her forehead
| which had not been there two years
ago. For this unusual and unwel-
come mood there were three rea-
sons-a letter from Andrew which
lay in her lap, a marked copy of the
! latest Tattle-tale, at which she was
| glancing with a sensitive aversion of
her little nostrils, and, last of all,
the annoying problem of Tody
Dawson.
The letter from her husband had
arrived several days before, post
marked from a town in northern
Mexico-short, direct, complaining
of his lack of news from her.
My Dear Amy: Three weeks
now without word of you-you
really might do better than that
Internal conditions here are so
bad that l look forward to the
future with great apprehension.
spoke to you of this, and
thought l had made you under
stand the situation. Last months
account, just received from Miss
Pound, was therefore a disagree
able surprise l may be up any
time or not for months. Please
treat as serious my plea for econ
omy. If the revolution spreads.
the mines will have to close in
definitely. You may realize what
that means to us. Aft,
ANDREW.
She had been overwhelmed with
remorse ON receipt of this letter, the
first in which he had shown a touch
of criticism. She was astounded
and incredulous. There must have |
been some mistake. Surely she had
written at least twice a week. But |
on consulting her engagement book, |
the mystery was. easily explained |
The last weeks before Lent had |
been absolutely crowded with social |
duties-four costume balls, half a |
dozen large dinners at home, every |
night consumed until three and four |
in the morning, luncheons, the dan
SAINTS, week-ends at Irma's or Gladys |
Challoner's, impromptu engagements
at restaurants, with barely time to
sandwich in a few hours necessary
shopping before the exactions of |
social afternoon. Only the morn
ings remained, but when ono woke
at II, what with the masseuse and
the hairdresser, where was there
time to do the things one really
wanted to do?
Nevertheless, she had reproached
herself at her neglect of Andrew,
who was working so hard, and had
resolved that she would write him
religiously three times a week-a
long letter each Sunday morning
and short note on each Tuesday
and Friday. AS evidence of good
faith, she had taken up her engage
ment book and written across the
dates selected, Write Andrew"
She had even addressed and stamped
a dozen envelopes, so that in hur-
ried moments half the work would
be done. Furthermore, she had called
in Miss Pound and, assuming a
severe manner, had said:
"The bills last month were simply
CHASTITY. We must economic this
month.
I'm what way, Mrs. Forrester?"
asked Miss Pound, bristling up.
I'm every way" she replied, and
in order to cover her complete ig-
and to show that she was
informed, she repeated
firmly, I'm every possible way"
She had not the slightest concep-
ton of their situation. At first, when
they had sublet, at twenty-thousand
lOlAdIS Tie 5cdSOHt the uLtAG palace
they occupied, she had been aghast
at the sum. But Andrew had laughed
and told her not to worry. She had
such confidence in Andrew. There
was nothing he could not do if his
mind were made up. Why, then, all
1t once, this bolt from clear sky?
Yet the ominous note Of his per-
emptory warning remained in her
memory. For there was the YER
iailles fete which she had planned
III season-the fete that would be
| social milestone in her triumphant
season The cards had been out FIVE
geeks-how was it possible to re-
.all them? And the fete would cost
what all such important events must
.ost
Andrews letter had arrived just
lfter luncheon, while she and Trina !
DsllsbaFre were waiting for the