Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-19
CHAPTER NIX
Copyright, 1919, Star Company

i
| Mrs. Dufield formed the fourth
member of the party at the supper
table at the Leightons' on Sunday
night.
| Miss Bristol, always loquacious.
talked a great deal ABOUT the old
friend at whose house she had first
met Desiree.
Il miss dear Miss DeLaine sadly"
she remarked. MY dear, l wonder
if you have any idea aow much she
loved you?"
She was very good to me-" De-
stree admitted, "and l was fond o.
her."
She had so few people to love-"
Miss Bristol continued. Her brother
David-the father of the nephew
| she was so devoted to-died years
| ago, you know. There was another
brother-but he was a queer person,
and she did not hear from him for a
good while before her death"
Il did not know she had another
brother" Desiree said.
mo? Well she seldom mentioned
him. 1t seems that when her father
died he left a handsome fortune
to his three children. The younger
brother, David, spent his lavishly,
made foolish investments, and died
poor, leaving nothing for his only
child-young David.
THE other brother, Francis, went
out West with his money and be-
came interested in some mining en-
terprise and grew very rich. At
least he was wealthy when Miss
Jeanne last heard of him. But he
was a recluse, and, l fancy, a miser.
l do not even know If he Is alive
now. Miss Jeanne invested her for
tune wisely. / suppose David is her
heir, and, strange to say, / met the
lad at church here in New York
this morning"
Indeed" Desiree calculated. I'VE
heard he was in France"
He isl mean," with laugh,
"he sails tomorrow. He has been
over here, perhaps on business con-
nected with his aunt's property"
Mr.. Leighton smiled, raising his
brows skeptically.
He claims-does he?-that the
government would allow him to re-
turn to this country on private
business" he remarked, sarcastic
ally. IF he told you that he was
drawing long bow"
"Oh, no, he did not tell me just
that" Miss Bristol fastened to ex-
Dlaln. L Only lIllSIICu IL AAO ooi u
ly said he was sailing at once for
France. and l took it for granted
that he had come here on business.
Perhaps he may not even have been
across the ocean yet But I have
an idea that his aunt told me he
had gone"
She may have been mistaken"
Mrs. Duffield ventured.
Desiree remembered that Miss
Bristols memory was not the best
in the world, and that Miss DeLaine
had remarked with affectionate
amusement on Mary Bristors abil-
ity for getting things mixed up" So
the girl smiled indulgently now at
her guests statements.
What branch of the service is
young DeLaine in?" Mr.. Leighton
inquired.
even noticed what kind of a uni
form he had on this morning when
I met him. 1 am most unobservent.
But / think his clothes were of
some dark blue material"
Then he is In the navy" Mr..
Leighton hazarded.
But 1 am sure it was not one
of those regular sailor-suits that
he wore. There was no white braid
about it-or 1 would have noticed
that. And I think his things fitted
tightly"
Probably he has his commission
by now and wears an officers uni
FORM" the host suggested. That
would account for his being in New
York; mean his being in the navy
would account for it. He may be
on a transport which is in New
L. Iox
on shore. He sails tomorrow, you
say?"
"Yes-I think that is what he
said. You never met him, my dear,
did you?" Miss Bristol questioned.
turning to Desiree.
mo, I never did"
80 he said" the spinster in
~ Desiree flushed. How did he
happen to mention that fact to you?"
she demanded.
"Oh, in the course of our CONVEX
sation I remarked that 1 was COM
ing here tonight and reminded hin,
that you had been, a favorite of his
aunts. He said he had never called
on you when you We're in BaIti-
more"
"No-nor when ne has been
here" Desiree supplemented stiffly.
"I am not particularly anxious to
meet him-certainly not anxious
enough ever to suggest his coming
to my house."
Here Mrs. Dufaeld hastily intro
duced another topic of conversa-
tion. She feared that Desiree
might make some. remark that was
derogatory to a young man whom
Miss Bristol evidently liked.
After supper. when her guests had
gone into the drawing room, Desiree
slipped out into the hall for word
alone with her father.
Dad" she said,. you really
should give Smith a few points In
manners. ] was surprised at the way
he behaved this evening. saw
him myself get into the car and sit |