Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-01-26
CHAPTER al.
I Engage the Enemy.


Ii was fortunate that l slept vel
+n-mynarrow berth on board the ku
rus Smith, for the next day was on
Of trial. Aunt Jane had recovered
what Mr.. Tubbs. with d%eprecatini
coughs behind his hand, alluded 10 a
her sea-legs, and staggered forth wan
~, leaning on the arm of Miss Higgles
oy-Browne. Yes. OF Miss Browne
while /, Aunt James own niece, trot
ted meekly In the rear with "A cush
/. on. Already ! had begun to realize
Nhpw fatally Il had moderated the
Ia0y of the hyphen, in imagining had
only 10 come and see and conquer
Aunt Jane. The grim and bony one
had made hay while the sun shone-
while | was idlIng In California, and
those criminally supine cousins we're
allowing Aunt Jane TO run about New
York at her own wild will. Miss Hig-
glesby-Browne had her own collar and
tag on Aunt Jane now, Whine she. so
complete was her peryersion, fairly
Rugged her slavery and called II free
dom. Yes. she talked about her Eman-
cipation and her Soul-foree and her
Individuality Lprattllng away like a
child hat has learned its lesson well.
Mercy. aunty, what long words -
| cried gaiiy. sitting down beside her
and patting her hand. Usually | can
do anything with her when | pet her
up a bit. But the eye OF Miss Hlg-
glesby-Browne was on her-and Aunt
lane actually drew a little away.
Really. Virginia" she said, feebly
en~deayorlng TO rise TO the occasion as
she knew Miss Browne would have her
rise, really. while It's very nice to
see you and all that, still | hope you
realize that / have had IA deep
Soul-experlence. and that | am no
longer TO be-trifled with and-and
treated MS II | were-amusing. | am
at aloss to imagine why you came. l
wrote you that | was In the company
OF trusted friends.
..FrIends2s p echoed aggrieyedly.
"Friends are all very well, Of course.
but when you and / have just each
other. aunty. | think II is unkind of
you to expect me TO stay thousands
Of miles away from you all by myself"
"But It was you who sent me to
New York, and insisted on my stay
ing there 7" she cried. Evidently she
had been living over her wrongs. a
"Yes-but how dlferentlp / inter
rupted hastily. There we're the
rAs.utna--of ooxrun I kn..o - ....x
sometimes { the rest of the family"
Aunt Jane is strong on family feeling.
and frequently ~reproaches me with my
lack of It.
But In expecting Aunt Jane to soft
en- at this. | reckoned without Miss
HiggIesby-Browne. A dart from the
cold gray eyes galvanized my aunt
into a sudden rigid greatness.
MY dear Virginia" she said with
quavering severity, 'let me remind
you that there are ties even dearer
than those of Observation-Disclosures,
you know, and-and. In short, in my
dear friend Miss Higglesby-Browne
met for the first time in my life
with IA Sympathetic Intelligence
that understands Me-"
So that was yiolet's line. / SUR
veyed the Sympathetic Intelligence
with a smiling interest.
Really. how nice And OF course
you feel quite sure that on your side
you thoroughly understand-Miss Hig-
glesby-Browne?"
Miss Brownies hair was rather like
A clothesbrush In her mlldest moods.
her rising wrath 1t seemed to quiv-
err like a lions mane
Miss Harding" she said, In the
chest-tones she reserved for critical
moments, has a nature impossible TO
deceive. because itself incapable of de
ception. Miss Harding and | first met
-on this plane-in an atmosphere I'M
usually favorable to so~ui-reveiation. |
] knew at once that. here was the APP
pointed comrade. while In Miss Hard
Ing there WAS the immediate recognI-
tion or a Complementary spiritual
force
KS perfectly true. Virginia" ex-
claimed Aunt Jane. beginning TO cry.
You and Susan and everybody have
always treated me as IL l were a child
aud didn't know what I wanted. when
the fact Is I always have known per
feetly well !" The last words issued
IN ! wall from the depths OF her hand
kerchief.
AYou mean. l suppose" | exploded,
-thaf what you have always wanted