Fair play., 1920-02-07

ing at the same time, "There was 1fty
dollars in It." The letter read:
"Dear Madame Delario:
II was unable to return according
to promise because Of telegraphic com.
| munication notifying me that my wife
-Claire's mOther-is probably Ill with
a fatal illness and am leaving for
California Immediately. My child
knows nothing of her mothers Illness
and the reason of my so sudden depar-
ture. am concealing 1t from her by
saying that it Is diplomatic business
which calls me away. 1t would be
cruelty to subject her so sensitive ma
| ture to anxiety and shock of long jour.
ney when she could not hope to see
her mother alive.
II implore you in human kindness
take pity on her once more and shell.
ter her for few days, keeping from
her the knowledge Of this calamity
that threatens her. I shall communi.
| cate with you in a few days. My
gratitude" etc.
"And Claire followed it in an hourr
Mrs. Delario whispered.
did he bring herr"
"No>-he sent her in q carriage. OF
course he didn't bring her! He didn't
take any chances of my refusing to
keep her for him."
Poor childw I exclaimed. "She
was devoted to her mother--it will be
a terrible blow to her."
Mrs. Delario shifted at me-taking
! the letter from my hand and glancing
| at it before she answered: "You don't
| think for minute there's anything the
matter with Claire's mother, do you?"
"There isn't?"
"Why, of course not! Oh, !
know" she answered the question she
must have read in my face. II psyche
metrized this note as soon as l got it.
| That man can't deceive. mel feel
| scheme and plot all over it."
She held it a moment in testing
sort of way, running her fingers back
and forth over it, then placed it In my
hand, asking: Cant you feel the oc.
cult influences?" and looked as if she
expected me to reply that could feel
the occult influences, plain as any.
thing. Which / couldn't. She seemed
disappointed and put the letter into
it's envelope and that into her hand.
bag. remarking: "It's part Of scheme
he's working. 1 haven't made out the
rest of it-Im not clear on it yet,
though know it's something-tricky.'
"And you think he didn't go to Cali.
fornia?"
"I'm sure he didn't can't see a
| journey for him-I mean an immediate
journey. There are journeys all around
him-he travels great deal-but
don't see anything for today-for to.
morrow there's nothing like that near,
But I do get the word-clairaudient-
ly-'Hidng.' That doesn't help things
very much for us, if he s!''
| "Or for Claire!"
"No. But please don't think I'm not
willing to do all can for the child
for her own sake. But having her
thrust on me in this mysterious
way"
She broke off and looked at me help.
lessly and finished for her: HAS up.
set you."
"Terribly! I'm nearly distracted! !!
And that isn't ALL mean Claire's be
ing thrust on me; there's a new man
come on the scene-I'm more troubled
about him than almost anything else"
"a new man? When did he ap
pear?"
Last night-just after I got back
from here and was waiting for mon.
sieur; so 1 let him in" and she de.
scribed the very man who had just
been to see me, and who was either a
thief or Baron Won Follow-up for the
Emperor William, as Billy had called
him. He had reached Mrs. Delario as
he had me, through Claire, saying she
had disappeared.
"And what's your impression of this
new man?" / asked. was beginning
to take some little stock in her impress
sions, partly because they cOincided
with my own; partly because 1 was
clutching ut anything that might help.
"Trouble-trouble for monsieur.
get the word clairaudiently. You see.
I'm so upset-why, my dear. it isn't
any more possible for me to do my
work-get my readings right--in an at
mosphere of confusion-and fear and
anxiety-than it is for you to do your
work--write, and compose beautiful
things. You couldn't, could you? You
couldn't write, If you were all upset?"
/ admitted / shouldn't expect to pro-
duce much of my own line of goods
under like circumstances; and having
won this from me, she laid her hand on
my arm in an appealing way and said {:
"It's why / came to you'll didn't know
what else to do or where to turn for
advice. What am to do about Claire?"
was sure didn't know. but asked
some trite question about how she
seemed to be taking 1t.
"The poor child went into Mysteries
the minute she got in the hOuse