Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-10-23
CHAPTER LNNIII.


| copyright, 1919, Star Company.1
! For a moment after Miss Bristoe
had finished speaking there was ST.
lence in the room. David's eyes were
still fixed on the glowing Goals in the,
CRATE, but even in the freight his
very lips were pale. His hostess
leaned forward and laid her hand on
his.
'David-do not look so distressed,
dear boy! l tried to persuade De-
stree when 1 last saw her that you
knew nothing of this affair."
when was that?'
THE Sunday evening in October
when l took supper at the Leigh
tons. l saw you that day in church,
you know?"
Yes"
We'll, 1 mentioned that to De-
stree at supper. She said she had
never seen you and did not want
to. l could not discuss the sub
ject then, for her father and aunt
were present. But when L went
upstairs to put on my wraps before
leaving l spoke of you and told
her l was sure you were in igno-
rance of the terms of your aunt's
will even after her death.
He must know them now' she
said stiffly.
II acknowledged that you prob
ably did, and had been shocked by
them. and had made no effort to
| see her."
, and what did she say then?"
David asked.
"She frowned and stood up very
straight and remarked that unless
a man was a fool he would hardly
fnrna hiTRCn1f GIRL nndor
such circumstances. l believe you
hurt her vanity in the beginning by
not calling on her when she first
| visited in Baltimore, for she said:
| He avoided meeting me before his
aunt died. He could hardly have the
assurance to attempt to do so now!"
"She has very thorough disgust
for me, hasn't she?"
The spinster regarded the ques-
toner solicitously. His face was
white and strained. She. would not
have told him this story if she had
supposed it would affect him like
this.
Miss Bristors Argument
Dear boy" she soothed, why
should you care now? AS time
you do not need to marry to increase
your income"-with an affectionate |
will comprehend !
that you are not a fortune-seeker. |
Moreover why should you care what |
Il girl who does not know you thinks |
of you?"
Il do care!" he insisted. "I care .
very much. No man wants to be !
considered a cad--lease of all by a /
woman whose respect he would like
to win. You see," hastily. as an
aNnrnccinn nf IL;
face, II have heard so
much of Miss Leighton that 1 feel
almost as if / were acquainted with
her. / am aVerse to incurring the
hatred of anyone whom Aunt Jeanne
loved"
Il do not believe Desiree hates |.
you, David" Miss Bristol argued. \
II shall write to her some time and 4
tell her that you have an independ- /
ont fortune, that you have fought 1
in France and been wounded; that 1
she is mistaken in her estimate of 1
you-"
Please, please, my dear Miss
Bristol, do not do anything of the
kind" David protested vehemently, 4
checking her offer to be the god H
1ess of the machine "I must beg
YOU as friend of mine never TO
mention me to Miss Leighton until
] give YOU permission to do so.
Moreover, I do not want her to
know that I have a cent of my own
just yet. And now let us talk of
other matters"
Miss Bristol followed his lead. but
she saw that, in spite of his gallant
efforts to be natural, what she had
told him ranked. His eyes were
not as clear. nor his laugh as ready
as it had been earlier in the eve
ming.
When he arose to take his de-
parture she half apo'ogized for the
revelations. she had made.
David" she said. 'I feel most
about having told you
what YOUR aunt confided to me-
about Desiree Leighton, and all that.
Yete, as Jeanne's nephew. it seemed
to me that you had right to hear
it. But I hope you do not regret
coming here this evening and lis
tening to an indiscreet old woman's
endless prattle.''
"On the contrary, dear Miss Bris-
tol," he assured her, this is Just
where I wanted to come tonight.
and what you have told me is ex-
actly the information I sought
Valuable Information
II have fancied that Miss Leigh
ton objected to making my acquaint-
ance. 1 cannot blame her-now that
am aware of all that she has be-
lieved about me-"
Well think it is too bad that
you and she did not meet long ago
long before all this matter of thel
will ever came up. If you had, L
doubt If your poor aunt would have
gone to such an extreme as putting
that ridiculous provision in her Will
And, David, if you could have known
Desiree | am sure you could not
have helped liking her at once"
II am sure of that" he murmured.
''She is really beautiful, l think"
Miss Bristol continued, ''and she is
very broad in her views. too. Even