South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-09-19

vexed question Of Jim and Kate was
In other. and confessed reluct-
antly-stronger and more capable
hands than mine. In the state my
nerves were in I could not have
dealt justly or capably with either
Kate's hysteria or her sullenness.
heard Dicky's Hitting. CHEEKY
whistle before 1 saw him. and I
knew by its tone, and the confident
swagger Of his walk when he came
into sight that he had won.
We have met the enemy and
they are ours" he quoted, as he
came up the veranda STEPS. being
careful! however. 10 pitch his voice
In such fashion that no one save me
could hear him.
You mean they'll stay?" I asked,
delighted.
precisely" He staggered bit.
his thumbs in his armholes. You
see, when a great intellect gets re-
ally to work"
II can dispense with that part Of
the report" 1 said. with a saucy
moue at him. Just tell me what
really happened"
What you'll get when 1 get time
10 attend TO you properly" he
threatened ominously, then quickly
changed to a matter-of-fact tone
and manner.
Jim saw the light after a good
deal Of persuasion" he said, and
he'll attend 10 Katie. You prob
ably won't see anything more Of
them tonight. I guess Katie had
her little feelings hurt pretty badly
this time from what Jim said, but
he'll bring her around all right I'll
bank on jim. He's one white lad.
So don't worry any more about that
Let's look at our real worries. I'm
afraid this will cost US a pretty PEN
nu if it's as bad as you tell me-
We made a hasty but thorough
Inspection Of the downstairs rooms.
confirming what I had told him,
that the real damage to the house
proper was confined to the walls Of
the dining room. When we had fin
ished, and had returned to the din
ing room, I voiced the question
had foreborne TO ask before.
viii it cost much to redecorate
this room, Dicky?'
"Redecorate," Dicky calculated,
Where dye get that redecorate
bug? Jim can clean off this stuff.
and though I'm not a journeyman
painter. think I know enough
about mixing colors TO aid Jim in
touching up the paint so it will
never be noticed. And I'm practi-
cally sure there are some rolls Of
this same parer in the attic, aren't
| there? ?"
Eyes" replied mechanically.
We'll. that's all that's necessary.
We can fix II up So the dear dame
will never know the difference. She
didn't get a slant at the dining
room. did she?"
NO she only saw the kitchen
through the open door, and I fancy
Katie had it open only as far as
the chain would permit"
Good old Katie! She had a glim-
| mer of sense for once in her life
| Dicky commented Then 1 felt his
eyes. searching. disappearing. on my
face. What the dickens's the mat
ter now" he demanded.
Nothing" 1 prevaricated.
"Oh, my sainted grandaunt"" he
exclaimed. clasping his hands In
| burlesdue fashion. How we'll
know that answer. That means that
something decidedly unpleasant is
the matter. Come, out with it, ole
dear"
II told you I had nothing to say,
I retorted. a bit petdshly. I an
afraid. for he had hit the nail upon
| the head. If I had spoken at all.
knew that 1 would have offended
him.
He glowered down on me.
You might as well give ur first
as last" he said at last. "If you
think I'm going around knowing
that there's something fostering in
that article you call your conscience
you're very much mistaken. For, OF
! course. that's the trouble I know
you. That Puritan ingrowing con-
science of yours is having a spasm
1 somewhere"
His intuition seemed TO me almost
unc1nny. for I had tried TO give no
! inkling of the feeling which he had
pointed out so unerringly. 1 had
! just slkirted an unpleasant quarrel
with him, and had no desire TO risk
! another. But the sheer in his voice
as he uttered the old familiar taunt
concerning my Puritan conscience
gave an edge TO mine as I replied:
"If you must have II. don't think
/ il either honorable OF businesslike Ia
palm off patched-up walls in place
/ Of the almost freshly decorated ones
! which those people bought"