The Washington times., 1921-03-17
BY KATHLEEN NORRIS.
Auther Of "Mother.- ~The Heart Of
Rachel" "Sister" and Other

GkA lSS JH, 10 50
M Mrs. Palmer. please" said
AvA the caller In a voice that
secretly rejoiced the buffers heart
A. he impassively admitted her
Peacock admiringly noticed heI
beauty, her correct and severe tailor
suit, her confident brevity of speech
He had been two years In thii
American city without seeing q WIS.,
itor Hike her in the Palmer home
and was correspondingly gratined.
her card. Patricia Chesebrough
studied the dreadful reception
room with cool, appraising eyes
She had always heard that the fur
nishinK of THE Castle was az pre-
posterous as it's exterior. and she
found nothing here to disprove the
rumor.
Her eyes moved from the life
sized terra Gotta figure Of q Nubtan
slave to a bronze horse rearing
on an onyx pedestal. She noticed,
among a tumble of things. plush
cushions, Tiffany lampshades. an
antique walnut spinning wheel half
hidden by q mahogany talking ma.
chine that might have been made
for Napoleon's bedroom.
The floor was deep in overlap
ping rugs, the bay windows trebly
curtained In brocade, lare and
fllet. On the mante!, between gold
candelebra and Copenhagen vases,
was Q clock made Of small geld
and silver bricks, a tiny model Of
Westminster. Upon every avail
able inch of the tables. desk or
book shelves photographs In sill
"a xuSt
boxes of gold and silver lacquer
and enamel. books in tooied leath-
or, odd bits of Bohemian glass,
silver toys from The uague, strips
OF Oriental embroidery and bowls
and jars OF flowers. On a draped
easel was the oil portrait Of a man
Of perhaps hfty.
COMPARES PHOTOGRAPHS.
The caller regarded this work Of
art thoughtfully. After a few min
she took from a table near her
large framed photograph and COM
pared the two faces. The photo
graph was of young girl, dressed
for a London drawing room, with
three ostrich plumes rising from
her hair and a great train sweep
ing about her knees.
InlS must DC Tue
mused Patricia And that of
course" as she glanced again at
the painting, "is the late Daniel
Palmer, Of Palmer's Magic Sensa-
tone! A patent medicine can give
a little druggist this" she said.
with a rather bitter smile and a
look about the room, land al
though my family has been prom
inent in America for three hundred
years, come to ask his family for
employment"
A footstep in the hall behind her
made her turn and rise, expecting
to see the mistress of the house.
But there came in instead a man
whose crude and florid youth made
him seem at twenty-three or four
at least a dozen years younger
than the finished and superbly
poised young woman Of twenty
seven who faced him.
He was squarely built, too newly
and too correctly dressed; there
was a jewcled ring on one broad,
heavy hand, and his thick tawny
hair was as sleek as a seals coat.
His manner was half-uncertain,
half-arrogant; he was the SON of
the druggist, but he was also the
richest man in Deerbridge.
ANsEwRs NOTE.
"I am Dan Palmer" he said, in
. deep. embarrassed voice. "Will
you come to my mother? She Is not
very we'll" And as Patricia silent
ly followed him into the big hall he
added sharply. to the butler. mot
at home to anybody, Peacock"
The man bowed respectfully; but
Patricia was conscious of q deep
tinge OF laughter. She knew that
"The Castle" was not customarily
troubled by callers.
what an immense ROOM" she
murmured, as they crossed the
largest apartment she had ever seen
in a private home. Like the other,
1t was packed with furniture.
TITS ballroom, scventy-two
by sixty" her escort volunteered.
Patricia made no sound, hut after
q quick glance at her enigmatic
face ne suddenly flushed deeply.
and added an uncomfortable laugh.
This young woman's self-possession
vaguely disturbed him, and he did
not speak again.
Patricia proceeded in serene
silence at his side, and they entered
81 tHC
back Of the house, where The gaunt
big frame Of the mistress Of "The
Castle" was comfortably establish
ed by a wood fire.
She was a woman of perhaps
nifty, with a lined, rather harsh
featured face and kind gray eyes.
She wore a billowy mass OF bro
caded material trimmed with lace,
fur, gold embroidery, and pleated
chiffon. Patricia, taking a chair
near her, was vaguely aware of
goldfish in bowls, canaries in cages.
flowers, toy dog blinking on a
cushion, and q Persian cat. all maxi
ing q confused background.
''Sit down, Miss Chesebroughw
said the older woman. My rheu-
matism has been so bad I've been
just about laid up with It! Isn't
1t dreadful cold for OctoberT'
IT'S heavenly-walking Pat
ricia smiled. Mother and son
smiled too.
But, of course, you're wondering
what II was ] wanted to see you
about" said Mrs. Palmer, suddenly
becoming serious and self-conscious
again.
Il had your note" Patricia said,
ID DaeI N1s