Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-01-12
CHAPTER ".

again reached her with white
cheeks and a fa~st-beating heart. Nina
was not there. She crossed to the win
cow, and stood there with her hands
eiasped on her chest, and her breath
coming and going stormily.
"oh. he's clever" she whispered,
hah aloud. Hes cleverI He never
made q threat. He lever made a
threat Of any kindi He knew that he
had me-he knew that he had me Just
where he wanted mel And what he
does here. In making his way with this
family, doesn't concern mel Nina Is
old enough to decide for herself"
Nina had been experiencing what
were among the p~leasantest hours OF
her life. A school friend, Amy Hawkes.,
who was romance personined, under q
plain and demure exterior. had OBJ
served Eina's long conversation with
Royal Blondin, and had found an arch
allusion 70 IL 90 well received By Nina
that she had followed up that line Of
GOA1sEES2dV2t GNck htANcs
Amy was to sleep with Nina. and
Harriet realized. as shs sapeFfntended
SAs!r Auttered dressing. that she Hafs
Fiet, would be obliged to 90 to their
6oof fire. times between eleven and
one O'Clock that night. and tell them
that they must stop talking.
There was a modest knock al. the
door, and Rosa came In with Q box
She smiled. and put It on Harriet's
desk.
"For mel" the girl said, smiling In
angwer, and with some surprise. Rosa
nodded, and went her way. and Har-
Eiet went to the box. 1t was not
large. a florists box of dark green
cardboard: Harriet united the rafia
string. and Investigated the mass Of
silky tissue paper. Inside vas an or
child. She opened the accompanying
envelope. and found Wards card. On
the back he had written. "Just q little
worried because he's afraid you're
cross at him"
Harriet stood perfectly stll. the or
chid In one hand. the card crushed in
the other. Ward Carter had sent or
chid@ no doubt, to other girls. But
Harriet Carter had never had an or
child before from a man.
She put the card into her little desk,
and the orchid into a slender crystal
vase Then she went back to advise
Amy and Nina asSto geld beads and
she arrangement Of hair. But a little
later, when she was In the big house
keepAs pantry, where several maids,
were Basy with l~astsfnInute n1anipnla-
lions. Of olives and ice and grapefruit.
ward came out and found her, soberly
busy In her old checked silk.
"Why didn't you wear itT'
+Wear it yOu bad, extravagant
ehtIdi I'll wear II to town tomorrow"
mo; but" he sank his tone to q
Of enjoyable cOnidences--"but were
you mad at met You looked so GUM
at breakfast"
swell. you had nothing to do with
att" HE assured him. In her big-sis-
teFly voice. "And 1t was the Hrst or
chld l W had, and I loved you for
stl"
II was with something like pain and
smpatience In his tone that Ward said
grufly:
Eyes, you dol You like me about as
much as you like Nine or GRANNY"
III like you-sh! just a little better
than ] do Granny" Harriet conlded.
Don't spoil your dinner with olives.
Ward! Don't muss that-there's a
deari Dinners announced, by the
way. It's quarter past eight"
'Tm gOingT" he grumbled, discOn-
tentedly.
AT any rate, 1 love the orchidr"
HaFriet said. soothingly. He was
aagshing, too. as he disappeared, but
something In his face was vaguely
troubling to her none the less, and she
remembered 1t now and then with q
little conjunction during her quiet
evening OF reading. Well. she would
see Linda on Saturday, and have Sun
day with her and the children, and
that meant always q complete change
and a shifted viewpoint, even when, as
frequently happened, Linda took the
eader-sisterly privilege of scolding.
When Harriet had chaperoned Nina
and Amy to the Friday afternoon mat
inee, and had duly deposited Amy aft
erward In the Hawkes. mansion, and
had escorted Nina to her grandmoth-
eris apartment she was free to direct
Hansen to drive her to the Jersey
tube. and to spend a hot, uncomfort-
able hour In a stream Of homegoing
commuters, on the way to Linda's
house.
She mounted the three cement steps
from the sidewalk level, and the four
shabby and peeling wooden ones that
rose to the porch. On this hot sum
mes afternoon the front door was
open. and Harriet stepped into the
odorous gloom Of the hall, and let
the screen door bang lightly behind
her.
immediately, In the open archway
into the parlor. q girl Of fifteen ap.
peared. . pretty giri with blue eyes
an1 brown hair, q shabby but fresh
iiEtle shirtwaist belted By q shabby
but clean white skirt. and q napkin
dangling from her hand.
ron, MotheF--itss Aunt Harriet Oh,
ron daFiing-w
Harriet. Laughing went from the
chIld's Wild embrace into the arms OF
Linda herself. a tall, broadly built,
pleasant-faeed woman with none Of
Haxrdet's own unusual beauty, but
with d family resemblance To her
younger sister nevertheless.
'sgpeII. you sweet GOOD child" abe
aAa44 .ZZ.--z ANNA 49, uT~.-f~kg