New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-07-18

%briskness: "IIl call Reben up at once
No. I'll go see him."
"But you put me under such Obllga
tions. I'm afraid"
"Never be afraid of an obligation
"Tm afraid i can never repay It,"
"Then you're one ahead. But yol
can repay me and you WILL"
"How?"
Lets wait and see. Goodby. Dom
worry"
He gave her a hand-grip of perfect
good fellowship and went into the hall
She followed him to tell him again
how kind he was. AS she was clasp
ing his hand again Leila opened the
door with her latchkey.
Now there was triple embarrass
ment. Tom Duane had paid ardent
court to Leila before she married Bay
ard. Here he was in Bayard's wife's
home, apparently flirting with Bay
ards young sister.
Leila felt all the outraged senti
ments of jealousy and all the indig'
nation of n chaperon who has been cir
cumvented. Duane ~retreated in poor
order. Daphne stammered an expla-
nation too brief and muddled to suf'
flee. Then she went to her room.
There her mother found her when
she came in later. Daphne had only a
faint hope that Duane could work his
miracle twice, so she told her mother
that she had failed as an actress. She
told her bluntly:
Mamma, I've been fired"
To her comfort her mother caught
her to her ample bosom and said 'rm
glad of it. I'm much obliged to who
ever Is to blame. Not but what you
could have succeeded if you had kept
at 1t. But you're too good for such
a wicked life. A person couldn't be an
actor without being insincere and n
%pretender. and my little girl is too hon
est. So now you com along home
with me-"
mo, thank you, mamma"
Mrs. Kip gathered herself together
for a vigorous assault when the tele-
phone rang and the maid brought word
that n gent'man wished to speak with
Miss Daphne.
II was Duane, and she braced her
self for another blow. But his voice
was clarion with success.
"Tve seen Reben. It's all right. He's
promised to keep you on and give you
n chance. He says for you to report
Mt the theater ut seven-thlrty tonight"
And now again Daphne was more
afraid of her success, such as II was,
than of her failure. But ii was pleas
ant to carry the news TO her mother
and Leila.
1t disguised them both. They were
still trying to dissuade her from con-
tinuing on the downward path when
a telegram from her father came for
her mother:
Taking beaver arrive Grand Cen
tral tomorrow don't meet me love.
yves"
Bayard was late, as usual, and
Leila's temper had Just begun to sim
mer when the door was opened stealth
lily and n hand was thrust in. II prof
fered n small box of jewelers. size and
waved II like n flag of truce.
Leila rushed forward with a cry of
delight, seized the packet and then
the hand. and drew Bayard into the
room and into her arms
This is your apology, I suppose"
she said.
"Yes, the apology for being late, and
that's what made me late"
Leila was enraptured. She adored
gifts and she bad the knack of inspir-
ing them. The little square parcel
provoked her curiosity. She opened
st 80 excitedly that the contents fell
to the floor. She swooped for them
and brought up q platinum chain with
delicate plaque of tiny diamonds and
pearls on a device Of platinum.
Leila ran to Mrs. Kip and Daphne,
exclaiming: "Aren't they beautiful?
Aren't they wonderful? Aren't they
g~loriousf"
Mrs. Kip and Daphne tried to keep
the pace, but once more they could not
forget who 1t was that was raining
down gold on this greedy stranger.
Their alarm was not diminished when
Bayard said to Leila:
you're not the only one who can
open accounts. | started one for
He took from his pocket a pale
brochure and said to Leila THAT nj |
lowance we agreed on you known"
"Yes. I know"
swell instead Of paying 1t to you
by week I decided to open a
bank account for you SO I ran over to
this bank at the lunch hour and made
a deposit to your credit-fve hundred
iollarsl"
Leila forgot her jewelry for a mo-
in this new pride. She strutted
about with mock hauteur, waving Mrs.
Kip and Daphne aside and saying:
Don't speak. to me. I am a lady with
l bank account"
Mrs. Kip sighed In dreary earnest,
That's more than I ever was"
Leila was porting over her bank book,
he blank pages In which so many dra-
mas. tragedies and life histories could
De codified in bald numerals.
Her first question was ominous: "Do
have to go all the way down to
Broad street every time I want to
iraw out some money!"
Her first thought was already to at
ack the integrity of her store.
"No, dearest" said Bayard, there
S an uptown branch. right around the
,orner. But / hope your visits there
viii be more for a putin than take
tut. Every time / give you anything