Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-01-24
HARRIET
and tie
PIPER
by
Kathleen Norris
Illustrations BY
Irwin Myers
'TTIITTTTIIIIIIiIIIlIIIiiiilIiiIiiIlIiIllliiI ri
Copyright by Kathleen Norris

while she was dressing new idea
came to her, For Il few minutes she
shook her head, stood thinking, with
n face OF diStaste.
81 could do that p she said aloud.
And she picked up the gngham dress
that she had laid on the bed
But there was pretticr dress In
Harricts wardrobe, gift from ISa-
belle, that she had never worn It
WINS lowered silk of null, Of q soft
deep blue that was exactly the color
Of lIarriet's eyes, and At the throat
and wrists 1t had frills of transparent
lace The soft rutllcs that made the
skirt were cunnngly edged with black
and there was great open pink rose
at Che belt
Harriet put on this enchanting gar
ment, and as she did so she felt some
half-forgotten power rise strong with.
IN her. There was one trump In her
hand that she had never thought to
play in a game with Nina Carter but
she was glad 10 find It now
AT halfpast two o'clock the car was
Mt the side door. and Nina and Amy
came downstairs with their wraps
and Saunders and Ward ran about
laughing and confusing things Blon-
din watched the performance a2ily
from basket chair on the porch, hut
when Nina called him half-aughing.
Ial a
din" he Sauntered down to the car
with his pIcasantcSt expression, bot
with the regretful statement that he
was not going: vicious headache had
developed since luncheon.
Whatever the effect on Amy and the
young men. to Nina this was stag
gering blow. She had trlumphed all
through luncheon, had laughed and
chartered, had made Ward telephone
a dinner reservation for five, and had
assumed Il hundred Coquettlsh airs
Now all this Crumplcd, faded away,
and Harriet knew, as She stood he.
side the car looking down NJ the folded
light rug on her arm, that she was
ready to cry
mo, you'l have a far nicer time
without me" said Royal, throwing
away his cigarette, and resting one
arm on the car. IL wouldn't interfere.
becauseTi knew You'd all give itur!
You Just all have perfectly wonder
full time, and I'll be down next week
end and hear about it,
Nina Stood irrcsolute; too choked
with sudden disappointment to risk
her voice. It was all hateful, madden
ing, horrible. Those two boys and
Amy-ah, there would he no fun
now She Ioathed Amy. getting in so
brIskly. and saying, GONE on, Nina"
She hated Ward, she Wished that they
were alhdcad, and herself, too.
The storm came at Good Ground.
and they. all had to scramble with eur
tains smelly" curtains, Nina called
them And the dinner was eaten in
warm, Sticky half-darkncsS on a hotel
porch, with horrible music making a
horrible raCket, according to the same
authority. Saunders and Amy held
hands all the way home, too, and Nina
thought it was disgusting; everyone
was too tired to talk they bounced
along silently and GROSSLY.
And upon getting home Miss IIar-
rict came out Of the shadows on the
porch looking perfectly exquisite in
her new gown, sweetly Interested and
cheerful. She said thar she was so
sorry the dinner was poor, they had
had such nice dinner at home and
that she had had talk with their
father, sand they were to 90 back to
CroWnlahds next week Nina did not
see BlofHln; for the first time n her
life she cried herself to sleep
Harriet had assuredly triumphed
but it was on terms that for more
than one reason did not entirely
please her. Richard. finding the
pretty Secretary prettier than ever IN
her blue gown, and warmed by re
Taxed day ut the club and a mood of
friendliness, had specifically Instruct
tu HtIltlldl sue WIS 10 ulut WITH NV
family gdn all occasions. and to dress
as the Others did, and to regard her
self as 5fh member OF the family" And
this, Harriet was quick to realize,
placed litr in peculiar position, made
difficult by Richards kindly cham
ploning no less than his mothers hos.
tlllty, by the adoring sympathy OF the
servants, and the atfectionate fami-
iarties of the Carter children. Rich
ards friends took their cue from him,
as was natural, and in the first early
winter dinner parties at Crownlands
Harriet could not but sparkle and
lead; she had reached her own level
at last.
A sense of well-being and happiness
began TO envelop Richard Carter for
the first time in many years. He was
conscious of desire to express his
appreciation to Miss Field. 1t was
natural that this should take the form
Of money little present, in the form
of a check. She had a sister who was
not rich; she would like to 90 home
with laden hands. But the question
was, how much?
He was musing over this very point
and other matters Of deeper moment
one morning when Harriet herself