The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1921-12-09
~ WV k~opyriqht. 1921 blythe Bell Syndcote. Inc

wen, 10 nate 10 nave Jutla ; JoD
when she m back ~ Julia's brother
said ruefully.
whats that?"
Breaking it to her admirers"
"Oh, she isn't going to do that!"
She'll have to, now he said. "Shell
either have to write the news to EN-,
or else tell 'em, face to face, when She
comes home"
"She won't do either"
why, how could she get out Of IT.:
His wife smiled pityingly. "She
hasn't set a time for coming home,
has she? Don't you know enough Of
Julia's ways to know she'll never in
the world stand up to the music? She
writes that all the family can be told.
because she knows the news will leak
out here and there. i'm confidence. lit
tie by little; SO by the time she gets
home they'll all have been through
their first spasms. and after that she
hopes they'll just send her some for
giving flowers and greet her with
manly handclasps-and get ready to
usher at the w%edding.'
Well" said Mr.. Atwater. I'm
rather Ike Julia to stay away till the
first of the worst is over. I'm really
sorry for some of her lOve-lOrners.
| suppose il will get whispered about.
and they'll hear it; and there are
some of the poor things that might
take il pretty hard"
Take it pretty hard" she echoed
loudly. There's one of 'em, at least,
who will just merely lose his reason
(Which one?"
Noble Dill
AT this. the slender form of Flor
ence underwent a spaSmodic seizure,
in Ter chair, hut as the fit was short.
and also noiseless, it passed without
being noticed.
Yes said Mr.. Atwater. thought
fully. II suppose he WILL"
He certainly will! Mrs. Atwater
declared. Mobiles mother told me
last week that he'd gotten so he
was just as liable to drop a fountain
pen in his coffee as a lump Of sugar:
and when any one speaks to him he
either doesn't know It, or else jumps.
When he says anything, himself. she
says they can scarcely eve make out
what he's talking about. He was try
ing enough before Julia went away ::
but since she's been gone Mrs. Dill
says he's like nothing in her expert
nee. She says he doesn't inherit it :;
Mr.. Dill wasn't anything like this
about her"
Mr.. Atwater smiled family. Mrs.
Dill wasn't anything like Julia"
NO" said his wife. "She was
quite a sensible girl. I'd hate TO be
in her place. now, though. when she
tells Noble about this"
How can Mrs. Dill tell him. since
she doesn't know it herself?'
"Well-perhaps she ought TO know
ii. so that she could tell him. Some
body ought to tell him. and it ought
to he done with the greatest tact. II
ought to he broken to him with the
most delicate care and sympathy. or
the consequences"
"Nohody could f~orete!l the conse-
quences," her husband interrupted
no matter how tactfully it's broken
to Noble"
NO she said. II suppose that's
true. l think he's likely to lose his
reason unless it is done very tactful-
", though"
"Do you think we really ought to
toll Ngcc mn NF.I1tn0 eor;
onsIy: Do yon?"
For some moments she considered
his question: then answered. "No. It's
possible we'd he following a Christian
course in doing it bnt still We're rath-
err bound not to speak of it outside the
family. and when it does get outside
the family | think we'd better not be
the mes responsible-especially since
it might easily be traced to us. I
think it's usually better to keep ont
Of things when there's any doubt"
Yes he said. meditating. II new
err knew any harm to come Off peoples
sticking to their own affairs
But as he and his wife became 81
lent for a time. musing in the fire.
light, their daughters special convic-
tons were far from coinciding with
theirs, although she. likewise. was 81
lent-a strangeness in her which they
should have observed. But SO far
were they from 2 true comprehension
Of her. they were that she
had more than q casual. yonng-cou-
sinly interest in Julia Atwater's en-
gagement and in those possible On
sequences to Noble Dill, which they
had sketched with some intentional
se~xaggeration, and decidedly without
the staggering seriousness attributed
to their predictions by their daughter.
They did not even notice her express
sion when Mr.. Atwater snapped on
the light. In order t read. and she
went quietly ont Of the library and up
to her own room.
On the floor. near her bed. where
Patty Fairchild had left her coat and
hn< UlOrornO vn0An hor cooOnI die.