The Holly chieftain., 1922-11-16

1
rest, Lulu came In with another lamp.
DO you need this?" she asked.
They did not need 1t. there was. in
fact, no place to set it. and this Lulu
must have known. But Dwight found
a place. He swept Ninian's photo
graph from the marble shelf of the
mirror, and when Lulu had placed the
lamp there. Dwight thrust the photo
graph Into her hands.
| You take care of that" he said.
with droop of lid discernible only to
those who--presumably-l him.
His old attitude toward Lulu had
shown a terrible sharpening in these
ten days since her return.
[ She stood uncertainty. in the thin
black and white gown which Ninian
had bought for her. and held NInIan's
photograph and looked helplessly
about. She was moving toward the
door when Cornish called:
See here Aren't you going to
sing?"
"WhatT" Dwight used the fa!setto.
Lulu sing? Lulu?'
She stood awkwardly. She had u
piteous recrudescence of her old
agony at being spoken to in the pres
ence of others. But Di had opened
the "Album of Old Favorites," which
Cornish had elected to bring, and now
she struck the opening chords of
"Bonny Eloise." Lulu stood still,
looking rather piteously at Cornish.
Dwight offered his arm, absurdly
crooked. The Plows and Ina and Di
began to sing. Lulu moved forward,
and stood little away from them,
and sang, too. She was still holding
Ninian's picture. Dwight did not sing.
He lifted his shoulders and his eye
brows and watched Lulu
When they had finished. Lulu the
mocking blrd!" Dwight cried He
said baird"
Finer cried Cornish. 'Why, Miss
Lulu you have good yoicew
Miss Lulu Bett, the mocking
ba-ird!" Dwight insisted.
Lulu was excited, and In some ac-
cession of faint power. She turned to
him now, quietly, and with II look OF
appraisal.
Lulu the dove" she then surpris-
ingly said. to put up with you"
1t was her first bit of conscious
repartee to her brother-in-law.
Cornish was bending over Dl
what next do you say?" he asked.
She lifted her eyes, met his own,
held them. There's such lovely,
lovely sacred song here" she suggest
ed, and looked down.
"You like sacred muslc?"
She turned to him her pure profile,
her eyelids fluttering up, and said: II
love It."
'That's 1t. SO do !. Nothing like a
nice sacred piece" Cornish declared.
Bobby Larkin, Mt the end of the
piano, looked directly into DIS face.
give me ragtime." he said now,
with the effect of bursting out Of
somewhere. Don't you like ragtime?"
he put 1t to her directly.
DIS eyes danced into his, they
sparkled for him, her smile was Il
smile for him alone, all their store of
common memories was in their look.
Lets try MY Rock, My Refuge"
Cornish suggested That's got I'D
real attractive
DIS profile again, and her pleased
voice saying that this was the very
one she had been hoping to hear him
sing.
They gathered for "My Rock, My
Refuge"
"Oh," cried Ina, at the conclusion
of this number, "I'm having such Il
perfectly beautiful time. Isn't every
body?" everybody's hostess put It,
Lulu Is" said Dwight, and added
softly to Lulu: "She don't have to
hear herself sing"
1t WIS Incredible. He was like
bad boy with n frog. About that
photograph of Ninian he found
dozen ways to torture her, called at
tention to 1t, showed it to Cornish,
set 1t on the piano facing them all.
Everybody must have understood-ex-
cepting the Plows. These two gentle
souls sang placidly through the Al
| bum OF Old Favorites, and at the
melodies smiled happily upon each.
| other with IN air from another world.
!
Always 1t was as II the Plows walked
some fair, lnter-penetrating plane,
from which they looked out as do
other things not quite of earth, say,
flowers and fire and music.
Strolling home that night the
Flows were overtaken by some one
who ran badly and as IL she were un-
accustomed to running.
"Mis' Plow, Mis- Plow!" this one
called, and Lulu stood beside them.
SAY" she said. do you know of
any job that I could get me? | mean
that I'd know how to do? A job for
money. ! mean job. :"
She burst into passionate crying.
They drew her home with them.