Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-02-11

than a scalp day" said her brother
fraternally.
"Nina has a fortunel" the girl re
marked, dryly. opening her wide whit,
parasol.
Lord. he could marry a girl with
ten times that Look here, you don"
think a man like Blondin would con
slider thatl" he protested.
IL would rather see Nina dead ant
buriedw The words burst from Har
riet against her viii, against her prom
Use to Royal. There was no help foI
ii, her essential honesty would have
Its way.
"Talk to him. Ward, fortunately
was not inclined to take her too seri
ously. you'll like him. Gosh, h,
certainly has good effect on me,
added the youth, modestly. al,
doesn't drink. and he talks to me-
you ought to hear him about char
acter being fate. and all that! Say
listen, before we get out of tn,
woods-T
His sudden sense Of her nearnesi
and beauty belied the careless words
Harriet found his arms tight abou
her. her face tipped up to the young
handsome face that was stirred nov
with trembling excitement. The Qulcl
movement of his breast she could fee
against her own, and the passion O
his kisses almost frightened her; sh,
was held, bound, half-llfted Off hel
feet.
Ward" she gasped, freed at last
and with one hand to her disorderet
hair, while the other held him a
arm's-length. "Dear! Pleasei"
1t was no use. Seul and senses wer,
enveloped again, and close to her ca,
she heard him whisper: "rm mat
about youl Do you know thatf In
mad about youi"
Il think you arer she stammered
breathless and laughing. "You mustn'
do that! You mustn't do that Why
we might be seen !"
Breathless, too, he flung back his
hair. and stopped to pick up her para
sol.
do. you think carel" he painted
indlfferently. II wouldn't care IL tn.
whole world saw r.
"Sh--sh!" BY the magic only
known to youth and womanhood Har
riet had gathered herself into trim
ness and calm again. She took hei
parasol composedly. Her eyes told
him the whole story. Nina and Royal
Blondln were two hundred feet away
coming up from the tennis court
you iool--fool--fool!" she said ia
herself. What had they seeni What
new twist to the situation would
Nlna's suspicious affordl Richard
Carter trusted her; this was no time
to tell him that she loved his son
Did she love Ward2--or with his keen
and kindly eyes would Wards father
see exactly what she saw In the mar
rlage? Caught kissing In the woods
like Rosa or GerInaine; It was I'M
thinkable How she had weakened
her position herei How she had
rIsked--her heart contracted with
paln-seyering of her association with
Crownlands.
Luncheon, under Its veneer Of
gaiety and fooishness, offered fresh
terrors. For old Madame Carter had
come down, and ii occurred to Harriet
that II Nina had seen anything In the
wood, she might naturally interest
her grandmother with an account Of
IT, The old lady would 20 instantly
to her son. And Richard-TIarrIet
could imagine him, tired, harassed
heartslck over the recent inexplIcable
weakness of his wife, having to face
another woman's treachery, having to
listen to the demure announcement OF
the little secretary's engagement to
his son.
He was experiencing the most over.
whelmlng shock of oil his life now
he must shortly be exposed to all the
whirl Of scandal: the silenced gossip,
the averted eyes Of his world, the
weeklies with their muddy inslnua.
lions, the staring fact headlined above
his breakfast bacon. This was her
time to efface herself and the house.
hold to help him to lift the load.
"I'm afraid / wasn't listening. Mr..
Blondin"
"Miss Nina and want to know
what day we may have our partyr
Royal repeated.
"The studio partyT
"The roof-garden party We're 60
ing TO have 1t from half-past six TO
half-past seven only, because then II
won't be too hot"
"Why not have IL at night, with Ian
terns2" Harriet said, quite inyolun.
tariIy. And again a psng Of self-con-
tempt swept over her II was hateful,
It was incredible. but she was playing
his game as calmly as II doubts and
reluctance HAD never entered her
heart.
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