The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-12-22
CHAPTER ~.


house as IL pursued by furies, and
again reached her room with white
cheeks and fast-beating heart. Nina
was not there. She crossed to the win
dow, and stood there with her hands
clasped on her chest, and her breath
coming and going stormily.
"Oh, he's clever" she whispered,
half aloud. Hes clever! He never
made a threat. He never made a
threat OF any kindi He knew that he
had me-he knew that he had me Just
where he wanted mel And what he
does here, in making his way with this
family. doesn't concern mel Nina is
old enough to decide for herself"
Nina had been experiencing what
were among the pleasantest hours Of
her life. A school friend, Amy Hawkes.,
who was romance personifled, under
plain and demure exterior, had OBJ
served Nina's long conversation with
Royal Blondin, and had found an arch
allusion to 1t so well received by Nina
that she had followed up that line Of
conversation. ever since.
Amy was to sleep with Nina, and
Harriet realized, as she superintended
their fluttered dressing, that she, Har-
riet, would be obliged to go to their
door five times, between eleven and
one o'clock that night and tell them
that they must stop talking.
There was modest knock at the
door, and Rosa came in with box.
She smiled, and put it on Harriet's
desk.
For me?" the girl said, smiling IA
answer, and with some surprise. Rosa
nodded, and went her way, and Har-
riet went to the box. 1t was not
large, florists box of dark green
cardboard; Harriet united the raffla
string, and investigated the mass IF
silky tissue paper. Inside was an o.
child. She opened the accompanying
envelope, and found Wards card. On
| the back he had written, "Just little
worried because he's afraid you're
cross at him!"
Harriet stood perfectly still, the or
child in one hand, the card crushed in
the other. Ward Carter had sent or
chids, no doubt, to other girls. But
Harriet Carter had never had an or
CQlQ DeIOre from n man.
She put the card into her little desk,
and the orchid into slender crystal
vase. Then she went back to advise
] Amy and Nina as to gold beads and
the arrangement of hair. But little
later, when she was in the big house
keepers pantry, where several maids
were busy with last-minute manipula-
tions of olives and ice and grapefruit,
Ward came out and found her, soberly
busy in her old checked silk.
"Why didn't you wear it?''
"Wear it-you bad, extravagant
child I'll wear 1t to town tomorrow"
mo; but" he sank his tone to one
Of enjoyable confdences-"but were
you mad at me? You looked SO glum
at breakfast"
"Well, you had nothing to do with
itr' she assured him, in her big-sis-
terly voice. "And 1t was the first or
child l ever had, and / loved you for
it~
1t was with something like pain and
impatience in his tone that Ward said
gruffiy:
"Yes, you do! You like me about as
"T like you-shl just little better
than I do Granny!" Harriet confided.
Don't spoil your dinner with olives,
Ward Don't muss that-there's a
dear! Dinners announced. by the
way. It's quarter past eight"
"Im going!" he grumbled, discon-
tentedly.
"At any rate, l love the orchid :"
Harriet said, soothingly. He was
laughing. too, as he disappeared; but
something in his face was vaguely
troubling to her none the less. and she
remembered it now and then with
little compunction during her quiet
evening of reading Well, she would
see Linda on Saturday, and have Sun
day with her and the children, and
that meant always complete change
and shifted viewpoint, even when, rs
frequently happened, Linda took the
older-sisterly privilege of scoldlng.
When Harriet had chaperoned Nina
and Amy to the Friday afternoon mat
inee, and had duly deposited Amy aft
erward in the Hawkes. mansion, and
had escorted Nina to her grandmoth-
er's apartment, she was free to direct
Hansen to drive her to the Jersey
tube, and to spend a hot. uncomfort-
able hour in a stream of homegoing
commuters, on the way to Linda's
house.
She mounted the three cement steps
from the sidewalk level, and the four
shabby and peeling wooden ones that
rose to the porch. On this hot sum
mer afternoon the front door was
open, and Harriet stepped into the
odorpus gloom of the hall, and let
the screen door bang lightly behind
her.