The Washington times., 1920-06-30

the child Stephanle.
Once assured OF this. John Cleland
undertook the journey to Bayport'
running down in his car one morn
ing. and determined that a COM
bination OF mild dignity and gallant
urbanity should conquer any unto
ward symptoms which this "bird
might develop.
When he arrived at the entrance
to the place, a nurse on duty gave
him proper directions how to md
Miss Quest, who was out about the
grounds somewhere.
He found her at last, In nurses
garb. marching up and down the
gravel paths of the Common Sense
Home for Detectives" as the insti-
tuition was called.
She was pruning privet hedges.
She had a grim face. a belligerent
eye. and she stood clicking her
pruning shears aggressively as he
approached, hat In hand.
miss Quest, / presume? he in
quired.
am called Sister Rose" she an
swered shortly,
"By any other name" began
Cleland, gailantly. but checked
himself, silenced by the hostility In
her swapping black eyes.
What do you wish?" she de-
manded impatiently.
Cleland. very red, swallowed his
irritation:
"I came here in regard to your
niece"
Niece? haven't any"
81 beg your pardon; / mean your
Rreaf-piece-"
What do you mean? I haven't
any that / know OF.
"Her name is Stephanie Quest"
Harry Quests child? Has he
really got baby? l thought he
was lying! He's such a liar-how
was to know that he has a baby?"
"You didn't know II, them
mo. He wrote about a child. or
course, I supposed he was lying.
That was before I went abroad"
you've been abroad?"
81 have"
Long,"
Several years."
"How long since you've heard
from Harry Quest?"
Several years-a dozen. maybe.
I suppose he's living on what / set
tied on him. If he needed money
u near from SOOn II.
"He doesn't need money, now. He
doesn't need anything more from
anybody. But his little daughter
does"
"Is Harry dead?" she asked
sharply.
very"
"And-that hussy he married."
Equally defunct. believe it
was suicide"
How very nasty"
"Or," continued Cleland. at may
have been suicide and murder"
MASTER still!" She turned sharp
ly aside and stood clicking her
shears furiously. After a silence:
"I'll take the baby: she said in an
altered voice.
"She's eleven years old.
81 forgot. I'll take her anyway.
She's probably a detective"
'She is not" retorted Cleland so
sharply that Sister Rose turned on
him in astonishment.
Madame" he said, "I want a
little child to bring up. have
chosen this one. I possess a COM
Portable fortune. I offer to bring
her up with every advantage, edu-
cate her, consider her as my own
child. and settle upon her for life
sum adequate for her mainte-
nance. I have the leisure, the in
clination, the means to do these
things. But you. Madame, are Too
busy to give this child the intimate
personal attention that all chill
dren require
"How do you know I am?'
Because your time is already dedi-
Gated, in larger sense, to those
unhappy children who need you
more than she does.
Because your life is already con-
secrated to this noble charity Of
which you are founder and director
A world of unfortunates is depend
ent on you. II, therefore, I~offer to
tighten your burden by relieving
you of one responsibility, you could
not logically decline or disregard
my appeal to your reason" His
voice altered and became lower:
"And, madame, I already love the
child, as though she were my own"
After a long silence Sister Rose
said:
at isn't anything you've advanced
that influences me. It's my-failure
with Harry. Do you think 1t
hasn't cut me to the-the soul?"
she demanded fiercely. flinging the
handful of clipped twigs onto the
gravel. "Do you think / am heart
less because said his end was a
nasty one! 1t was! Let God Judge
me. I did my best"
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