The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1920-05-06
LADY ]
.LARkSPURI J
&
By
MEREDITH
NICHOLSON
IS IS M rs ~ ~ ~ y. y. " ~ s'a s M IS 3. IS
Copyright by Charles ScEibners Sons

were ptoIle apparently tDllNcrSlhS
sanely and happily. The appearance
OF Uncle Bashs ghost in the familiar
dining room would, have been wei
come diversion. ] was Specializing nS
to just what he would say about his
widow and the whole mess ut Barton
when Mrs. Farnsworth addressed m"
pleadingly.
"If YOU knew that we want YOU To-
play with us only n few days longer
three days, shall we say, Alic"?--if
you knew that then wc'll untnngle ev-
erything, wouldn't YOU be nicc--very
nice!'
In spite OF myself ! couldn't resist
this appeal. l WAS more and more i'm
pressed 10y the in"ncsS, the charm of
Mrs. FnrnSworth. When She dropu"d
the makc-bclicvc fOoliShu"SS in which
she indulgcd quite as amuSingiy uS
Alice, she appeared to bc very sen
Siblc person. The humor danced in
her eyes now, but her glance wnS more
than an appeal; 1t WAS command.
"lf YOU knew that our troubles are
not at all the troubles you're thinking
about, but very different"
'Pl"ase pardon me" muttcred
humhly, and wished TINT Alice were
not SO hcwilChing in Il sailor hat II
may have have been the hat or only
Mrs. Farnsworth's pleading tone that
brought me TO a fricndlicr attitude
toward the universe and its visible
inhabitants. The crowd thinnrd out,
but we fingered, talking Of all manner
of things.
'We must come In again very soon"
sand Alice. And next time We SEun't
run owo7, which was very naughty.
suppose when YOU begin II story YOU
just have to keep 1t going or Ii will
die on your hands. That's tic WY
with our story, You know. OF cours"
It's unkind TO mystify you; but YOU
are in the story just as we are"
My myStiiiCutiOn was certainly deep
enough without this suggestion that
was Il mere character in II tale whose
awkward beginning aroused only the
grnr"St npprchcnsiOns as to the con
cluSiOn. She looked at her watch and
continued: I'm so abSurd--rcalIy
am, in ever so many ways, that no
Everyone would say no such person
ever existed! It's Incredible! And
so i have to pretend I'm I'm a story all
the time. It's the only way / can
keep happy. And SO many people are
In my story now, not only MOntani
and the poor N'!low locked up at Bar
tOn-oh, what if he should escape
Constance, ii would be splendid if he
should escape!"
"Iou didn't finish your enumeration
of characters" | suggested. "IS my
part an important one or am l only
n lay figure?"
MY dear boy" cried Mrs. Farms
worth, 'yOu are the hero You have
been the hero from the hour the story
began. If you should desert us now,
whatever should we doi'
eff I'm the hero" | replied in her
own key, II shall begin making love
to Alice at once"
Alice, far from being Disturbed by
my declaration, nodded her head ap-
prOvingly.
"Oh, We had expected that, But
you needn't b" in II hurry. In story
like this one, that runs right on from
day to day, we must leave lot 10
chance. And there are ever so many
chances"
"Not all on the side of failure, ]
hOpcf"
1--WE must be going" She laughed.
l wished sh" hadn't that characteristic
little turn of the head that was 50
beguiling!
Folly rode with us all the way to
Barton. If anything sensible was ut.
tered on ia" drive, | can't recall it. our
talk. chiefly of knights ana ladies', and
wild flights from imaginary enemies,
had the effect Of squirting Flynn {"
perilOus spurts Of speed.
"Flynn has caught lhc spirit !" cried
Alice exultingy. 'Iiavcn't YOU,
Flynn"
Flynn, turning to confirm this, CauS-
ed the car to swerve ana Craze "A truck
piled high with household goods.
"We may eludc the pursuing
knights" / suggested. "but some VII
lage constable may take It into his
head to pinch u.s."
"Oh, that would be lovely" cried
Alice. "And Wen telegraph dear Mr..
Terrence to come and bail us out"
We reached Barton at nine o'clock
and after an informal supper ! list
ened to AntOine's solemn reports as
] walked TO the garage. The prisoner
had made no sign, he said, and moth
ing had occurred during the day.
"But there's this, Mr.. Singleton,
which you ought to know, sir The
old Tyringham people don't like the
gOings on here. You'll admit It's all
mighty queer. don't complain, sir,
but some of the boys threaten to
leave, sir. And I look at 1t this way.
that nobody understanding what the
spying and bribes offered and taking
prisoners is all about, is most pc
culiar. We got to know where we
stand, that's whGt It's come to, sir.
And the widow being nightyIIke and
Flynn coming home and saying moth