Evening star., 1921-12-18
BY Rupert Hughes


Calverly. She tiptoed up the walk
and the front steps and found the
front door locked
When her brother came. barefooted.
shirtless and tousled to the door for
the morning paper, whose thumpin-
arrival had not wakened Idalene. his
eyes rivaled the yawn Of his mouth as
he made her out in the hammock. H"
went and told his mother. who was
Gathering away in the kitchen: Ida
lene's home"
His mother had to go see with her
own eyes. The girl was SO newly
pretty and SO winsome that Mrs. Mob
bin sighed:
Let the poor thing have her sleep
out"
Pamela also slept gracefully and
woke with a smile. But on this morn
ing she was still sos drugged with
sleep when Ninette ran In to wake
her with the news and the letter of
Idalene's departure that she could
love of DIR. Breen.
Later she understood it. for on
her way to breakfast she saw Walt s
baggage going down the hall In the
grip of two of the menservants. And
Walt followed, dressed for travel.
What on earth" she cried.
I'm going west" he explained
that's a lie. but I've got to go back.
I came east to ask you to go with
me, but-well, the fact is. PAM
you're too fine for me. You're A
glorious, brilliant, darling creature
and / haven't got the heart to drag
you out to that plain. rough country"
Her heart leaped to say: I'm tired
of all this. 1 long for all that. TAKE
me with you"
But she could not force herself
upon him. So she gave him up with
! a smile. Then she sighed:
"Idalene's already gone, poor littlr
soul"
Walt was stiIl sore enough ant
tactless enough to snarl:
Poor little nothing! asked he
to be my wife last night, and sh
nearly snapped my head Off"
Pamela thought of this all througF
breakfast. Then the truth of 1t cam
to her. She saw that Idalene ha'
broken her heart to keep from breaL
ing Pamela's. She said to Walt:
Before you go west you're goiE
to motor over to Calverly with m,
to tell Idalene good-by. It's a lon@
| ride. but you can pick up your ira
there"
Walt was stubborn, but she wa
stubborner. On the way over she eA-
planned the situation to him in h.'
own way with a miserly economy ..
truth. She said nothing about hc;
own interest in the affair. but laiu
all the blame on Idalene's notori-
Gus meekness:
"She adores you, and she doesr
think herself worthy of your godlil.,
wealth of destinations and dollars. 5,
she ran away. You take one gooG
look at her in the daylight, and i
you can't read it in her eyes. th"L
I'm liar and you can go on abou
your business without being botil
eTeQ ny either OF US.
WHEN tLey reached the Nobbi.
w home. they found Mrs Nobbi..
| out in the side yard casting bread
| upon her chickens. Pamela hung
| back and pushed Walt forward. Be
fore he could ask where Idalene was
he heard her voice. She was sing
ing. He caught a glimpse Of her
| at the kitchen window.
She was in an apron. and her arms
were white with flour, but she was
| more graceful in her gingham than
she had once been in the satin con-
fection of "Ye L'Art Shoppe." Her
song was sad but eerily sweet.
When she caught sight of him she
thrust her head out Of the window
and hailed him with a Hello" that
was ambrosial with welcome.
All he could say was "Hello!
She leaned her elbows on the sill
and said: well. tine wallfiower has
come back to the. wall"
Not for long," he groaned. then
he reached up and plucked her. He
caught her two hands and dragged
her squealing right through the win
dow and caught her in his arms. and
hugged her so hard that neither OF
them heard her mother indulging in
amazed profanity: Land sakes to
goodness!"
Neither of them needed the racket
of the panic-stricken poultry. Neither
! Of them saw that Pamela's eyes were
now enriched with the divine light
of self-sacrifice. The rich simply get
everything away from the poor.
Copyright, 1921. All rights reserved,