Omaha daily bee., 1920-10-28
How Madge and Mother Graham
Gave Each Other a Shock.

Jave Eacn Otner a SnOck.
Margaret. do you know what
Richard is up to?"
My mother -in-law came into the
little living room OF the cottage
where | was repairing a rent which
kmy gown had received in stepping
out of the carriage the night before
when coming home from the Paige
dinner. Junior was seated ION the
floor near me, playing with a string
of empty spools | always keep in
my work basket to amuse him with
when sew. ! know that his grand
mother was unusually perturbed, for
she neither stopped to caress him,
nor found fault with anything about
him, two almost invariable proceed
ings with her when coming near him.
looked up, smiling, for / gener-
ally find her mountains concerning
Dicky or Junior to be very small
holehills.
II haven't the slightest idea,"
said. Indeed, I haven't seen Dicky
this morning He wasn't up when /
breakfasted."
didn't add that | had forced my
self to waken early, and had dressed
with extreme caution in order to
breakfast before my sulky husband,
and had kept out of his way ever
since.
Dicky Writes Some Letters.
For Dicky had returned from the
Paige dinner in high dudgeon, and,
except an occasional word to his
mother, had sat stonily silent during
the drive home. / knew, Of course,
what was the matter-his overhear-
ing of Major Grantland's confidential
undertone, without knowing the
words uttered. But I, conscious of
no word or action at which he could
cavil ever so little, equally con-
scious of his marked attention to
Edith Fairfax during the entire eve
ming, had made no effort to concil-
late him. We had not spoken to
each other since, but, of course, that
was something didn't care to tell
my husbands neither.
"Good reason why you haven't seen
himw she retorted tartly. Hes
been in my room writing letters till
I'm nearly crazy from that clicking
typewriter of his I wish the pesky
things had never been invented. Peo-
pie wouldn't write so much foolish
ness if they had to do with a pen"
"He nusf have suddenly been con-
victed of his epistolary sins, and be
making up for lost time ! urged
reassuringly. "You know Dicky is
probably the worst correspondent IN
the known world"
"All of that" she said. "But he
isn't writing to his friends this trip.
He's got New York classified tele-
phone directory from the hotel, and
he's writing letters to all the real
estate firms in the city. | saw some
addresses"
l dropped my sewing, looked up
at her with astonished eyes.
Mother Graham is Aroused.
"Real estate firms! Whatever in
the world?" =.
II thought you'd open your eyes"
she said grimly. "I've tried to get
a peek at what he's writing, but he's
as close and careful as clam about
it. Have you any idea what he's
doing?"
I shook my head doubtfully.
"I can't think of anything" 1,
said. "Unless-"
l stopped short, for into my brain
had flashed fantastic notion born
OF a memory of the night before
when Dicky had leaned forward at
the sight of the stately oid-fashioned
Paige homestead with its blow
away" and colonial pillars, and had
murmured with his soul in his eyes,
"I'm going to have house like
that"
"Unless what7" snapped my
mother-in-law. "Don't sit there like
stoten bottle. If you've got any
thing to say, say it-if you haven't,
say that and, shut up."
I had no intention of conhding to
my mother-in-law. the bizarre mo-
ton which had occurred to me. but ]