The Monticellonian., 1919-04-18

Bayard had guessed the situation; he saw the cruel joke of it. He thought he could dull the edge with mockery. He snickered, rather crav- enly
 T wrote to ask you to lend mo some money. l guess I wasted the postage"
 And l guess I wasted the fare over here. l thought I oughn't have taken a berth i'll the sleeper, but your moth CT insisted-said I'd not been feelin' any too we'll"
 Bayard laughed outright-a laugh wet with vinegar tears
 Wesley sank into q chair with the little whimper of sick old man.
 Bayard went to his father and put his arm about him and regretted his Wall street disaster with a ferocous remorse. He could not speak. and | there was long dumbness before Wesley sighed
 T guess we got to lose the home, then.'
 That then" was history in word.
 Bayard bent his head in shame at his helplessness. As usual, it was Wesley who found shabby comfort In the situation-found it for his son.
 Don't you think anything more about It, my boy. I'm kind of relieved" He giggled with q pitiful senility. T been so ashamed at traipsn' over here to bother you instead of rushin' over to help you like 1 ought to-being your father-that I'm kind of glad you can't help me. l got no right to add to your troubles. I'm supposed to take care of you"
 Bayard kept grooming:
 ITO lose your homel To think of you losing your home. And me stand ing byl"
 Why, it's nothing, Bayard. After all, we're not in Belgium. We've got friends. And relations There's no danger of anything happening to us." Daphne and Leila overheard this con yersation while listening in the hall
 Daphne clung 10 Leila and buried her face in Lcila's bosom to smother l her frenZied grief Leila. mopping Daphnes cheek with her own hand l xerchief caught the gint of a dia- mond on her finger. II glistened like great. immortal tear
 It inspired her with I new hope. l She had often consoled herself with i the thought of her jewels as final refuge, but she had put eff the evil day Now she felt that the time had come. She threw open the door and l spoke into the gloom with d voice of seraphic beauty:
 'I couldn't help hearing what you were saying. You needn't be down hearted. though, for Fve just thought of q way 10 help daddy out He was daddy to her also.
 Bayard and Wesley turned and stared at her in amazement. She went on in kind of ecstasy.
 My rings :" she cried Don't you see! My diamonds and rubies And i I've got necklace CT two, and some chains and brooches. They're worth lot of money. And you're welcome to 'em, daddy"
 The men were confused with too many emotions to know what to feel. much less what to say. Leila's mis- sion was so divinely meant that it was saerileee to receive it with reluctance And yet for Wesley 10 let this new daughter-in-lw pawn her trinkets for him was postgraduate humiliation
 The end of it was that Bayard de- handed the melancholy privilege of visiting the pawnshop himself. Leila made a heap of her adornments. Last of all she took from her neck the little plaque he had given her with its star dust of diamonds frosting a platinum fiigree.
 lie kissed her mournfully and hur- ried away to the pawnshop. He skulked in and cut like burglar, and he brought away pack of tickets and