The Monticellonian., 1919-04-25


 Bayard had guessed the situation 1; he saw the cruel joke of it. He thought he could dull the edge with moekery. He snickered, rather cray enly:
 T wrote to ask you to lend me some money. l guess I wasted the postage"
 And guess I wasted the fare over here. l thought l oughn't have taken berth in the sleeper but your moth CT insisted Ed not been feelin' any too well.
 Bayard laughed outright-a laugh wei 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 feroGious remorse. He could not speak, and there was Il long dumbneSs before Wesley sighed
 T guess we got to lose the home. then"
 That then was history in a word.
 Bayard bent his head in shame at his helpleSsness. As usual. 1t was Wesley who found Il shabby comfort in the situation-found il for his son.
 Don't you think anything more about it. my boy. I'm kind of relieved" /" 1 He giggled with pitlful senility. .I i ha l to bother you instead of rushin' over 1 to help you like 1 ought to-being 1 your father-that I'm kind of glad you can't help me. I got no right to add to your trou5les, I'm supposed to take care of you."
 Bayard kept grooming:
 "Fo lose your home To think of you losing your homel And me stand i ing by!
 Why, it's nothing, Rayard After all, we're not in Belgium. We've got l friends, And relations. There's no danger of anything happening to us" Daphne and Leila overheard this con versation while listening in the hall. Daphne clung to Leila and buried her face in Leila's bosom to smother her frenzied grief. Leila, mopping l Daphnes cheek with her own hand kerehief caught the glint of dia- mond on her finger. It glistened like q great immortal tear
 It inspired her with q new hope l She had often consoled herself with the thought of her jewels as a final refuge, but she had put off the evil day. Now she felt that the time had come. She threw open the door and spoke into the gloom with q voice of seraphc beauty:
 T couldn't help hearing what you were saving. You needn't be down hearted. though. for Eve just thought of a 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 rubiesi And Eve got a necklace or two. and some chains and brooches. They're worth n lot of money. And you're welcome 10 '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 sacrilege to receive it with reluctance And yet for Wesley to let this new daughterin-laW pawn her trinSetS for him was postgraduate humiliation.
 The end of it was that Bayard de manded the melancholy privilege of visiting the pawnshop himself. Leila made heap of her adornments. Last of all she took from her neck the little plaque he had given her with it's star dust of diamonds frosting platinum filigree.
 He kissed her mournfully and hur- ried away to the paWnShop. He sllulked in and cut like burglar, and he brought away pack of tickets and