New-York tribune., 1920-10-24

.omep'n the trouble with grandpa
4 makes him sick to smell violets:
= had it ever since he was q little
hev. and he can't help it; and he
hates animals, and they keep sendin'
~, Airedales and Persian kittens.
md then there was that alligator
..ms from Florida and upset Kitty
Silver terribly-and so, you see,
u,andpa just hates the whole ever
lasting business"
Mr.. Dill nodded and spoke with
,anviction: "He's absolutely right
absolutely.
@Well-some ways" said Flor
.nee: and she added confidentially:
Grandpa seems to think you're
.hout as bad as any of 'em."
What"
"Weu" Florence exclaimed, with
inward gestures both Of eye and of
hand. to signify what she left untold
f Mr.. Atwater's orations upon his
f.yorite subject: Noble Dill. "Some-
times it's just torrable."
Noble breathed heavily, and his
ecuntenance betokened unlooked-for
and uncalled-for suffering, but a
thought struggled to him and
frightening appeared upon him.
sYou mean - he began. "That
is-you mean, terrible for your aunt
Julia? You mean his injustice about
me makes her feel terribly"
NO said Florence, for some rea-
son becoming truthful entirely ir-
stead of partially-though only fos
;he moment. "No; ] mean the way
he goes On about everybody. Aunt
1ulia's kind Of used to it, Hare
the truthful moment came definitely
to its ~on lusion, but Florence COR
tinued without any consciousness of
the change: "You needn't worry
about him long as I'm on your siIe.
He won't do anything much to you
fIsay so---hardly anything at all. :"
And then, with almost q tendern ess
as she marked the insufficient reas
surance denoted BY the facial .ex-
preston of her companion, she said
handsomely: He won't say word
I'll tell him not TO-"
NOBLE was dazed-no novelty,
y for he had been dazed almost
continually during the last
seven months, ever since an eve
ming when. dancing with Julia, whom
he had known all his life, he had
noticed for the first time what she
looked like. This was his mothers
description, and his mother was
more accurate person than the lady
at whose side he was now walking.)
Somewhere, he vaguely recalled, he
had read of the extraordinary inf1u
ence which certain kinds of children
possess over whole households; he
knew, too, what favorite grandchil-
dren can do with grandfathers, and,
no doubt little hazily, he accepted
Florence at her face value, as a
powerful force in the Atwater fam
ily, practically the sole controller of
her grandfather, parent of Julia
and consequently a potency of in
calculable possibilities in the fabric
Of Noble's own destiny. The effect
upon him was altogether base; he
Immediately sought by fattery to
increase and retain her kindness.
"Iguess your family probably do
step round pretty lively when you
want 'em to" he said, in this craven
mood. 81 would, ! expect, myself.
I'd do about anything you wanted
me to. Most people would, I ex-
pect."
Straightway the slender chest of
Florence puffed out visihly; and with
Mobiles credulity her own belief in
her powers, belief somewhat
ethereal heretofore, became solidi-
he'd. Withal she was the more heav-
lily charged for even louder and
grander explosions. 1t was her
great afternoon.
She glanced over her shoulder at
the switching skirt, and increased
Its radius Of action, though this
probably required more exercise,
compared to the extent of ground
covered, than any lady member of
walking party had ever taken,
merely as pedestrian, until that
present time.
We'll, judging by the family
she admitted, Il guess most anybody
would do what / wanted 'em to. It's
kind of in the way I tell 'em to, l
guess"
"How's that" he asked innocently
Well, | just she paused,
threatened by an unexpected vacuum
IN her imagination. Then her eye
rose to the overhanging branch of q