The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-11
IDLING
Chapter rs

Chapter 20
Pans heart sank, though she wasn't
entirely sure what George meant
She thought awhile then answered, /
Il don't know what I'd do if Gloria 1
married again. That would al! depend /
-perhaps-he-wouldn't like it." She II
couldn't bring herself to say her hus
band"
Shed need someone to look after
Frankie for a few years in any case, !
even after he starts school next year.
And she needs someone to run her
house, as I've been doing-even if she
had large house with a lot of ser
wants. She's often said she would
keep up her business no matter what
happened, once she'd been independ-
ent, she'd hate to be anything else
again" .....
That's the cry of the modern wo-
man." George said cynically. "But
most of them forget it after they mar
ry. Why not?" And he went into
discussion of marriage as a partner
ship to which the woman contributed
other things than cash.
Pan listened. But her mind was
only half on what George was saying.
81 must confess Pm not keen on the
independent woman" George ended.
she sacrifices a certain charm"
Pan wondered what CLEARINGHOUSE
certainly sacrificed nothing when she
became a business woman.
She said something of the sort.
We'll, Gloria, yes!" George muir
INJURED. "Glorias always a contradic-
ton to any theory of mine. Certainly
independence suits her"
He was walking along, head lowered,
swinging a stick-he never carried
stick in New York, but he fell into the
habit at once when he reached the
land where most men go about with
canes. They were going along Picca-
dilly. Pan had dozens of questions she
wanted to ask about the big clubs that
lined the street, but George looked
absent minded. frankie was running
along the path of the Green Park, sep
arated from them only by the high iron
fence. He was almost within touching
distance but had a beautiful feeling or
independence. He was pretending to
be very big and quite without need of
nurse as he went alone-though he
was as careful not to lose sight of Pan
as she was not to lose sight of him
Yes, independence suits her, >"
George repeated. 1T doesn't suit you
Your charm is your very lack of that"
Pan laughed little and said moth
ing. They had apparently talked
around to a full stop of conversation.
George, glancing down at the slight
figure in its boyish blue suit, the
small featured face that was pretty be-
cause of certain paleness and delica-
cy and thinness, the dark eyes that
were too often yelled because of shy
ness, thought that Pandora's independ-
ence was a very charming quality in
deed
Come along" he called to frankie,
well take cab and go sightseeing.
How about the Tower of London,
frankie? That's where they used to
chop off peoples heads and its long
drive"
"AlI right" frankie acquiesced
cheerfully, then We'll have ice
cream"
But ice cream that came up TO the
boys standards of what was good, was
not to be had in all London
So they idled through several days
Gloria faithfully ransacked shops and
salesrooms for furniture, made and
remade plans for the house she was
doing, as one precious antique after
another fell into her hands.
Once she left town for two DAYS and
rushed to a small town near Ely
where she purchased the carved oaR
paneling Of fine old Tudor mansion
that some family had to sell to pay
taxes This she had Grated and ship
ped.
And Pan and frankie wandered
around London, Piccadilly Circus, the
City with its law courts and winding
narrow streets, the Abbey and then ST
Pauls-its huge dome rising to a su
perior height over everything in Lon
don, the art gallery and the portrait
gallery with paintings of almost every
one Pan had read about, the windins
Thames and the quiet. prim LOOKING
squares with incredibly huge houses
in the smart quarters.
Pan adored sightseeing and woulC
have been perfectly happy. But
Gloria was jumpy and nervous to ar
extent she had never known before
Gloria was worrying over Santley.
Santley had not been heard from.
Mrs. Meighan is a frightful old COS
sip and quite unreliable. but she say!
Santley is engaged to this girl" Glori:
confided. "Ordinarily | wouldn't be
lieve her. | mean | wouldn't believ,
anything she said, but she happens L
know the girls friends. That explain
things-he was out of town when
wired, but certainly his office forward