The Hickman courier., 1922-04-13

streaked with dirt and oil. aud CHASTITY
with fatigue He went straight TO
his father
Say. what's all this" ne said, in a
voice hardly recognizable. Harriet
saw that he had been drinking. II got
your wire. and we started. | thought
the Mater was sick. perhaps My God
that worried me. :" he broke off BIT
terly. "Blondin came with me: we
stopped on the road for dinner. and
the man had a paper there. Is that
what YOU wanted me fOr-I don't be
lieve it It's a dirty lie. and the boun-
der that put that in rhe paper"
I'm glad you came home. my boy"
Richard said. I've been waiting for
you"
Harriet heard no more she slipped
from the room. There were genuine
tears In her own eyes now; for the
boy had flung himself face downward
against great chair and was crying
All the household knew it; Harriet
could read ii in Bottomley's carefully
usual manner and quiet speech In the
little music room across the hall Royal
Blondin was waiting.
This is terrible thing,'' he said.
seriously
"Oh. frightful :" Harriet agreed. A
rather fat silence ensued. She seemed
10 have nothing 10 say TO Royal now.
But she was not surprised when, a
moment later, Nina came softly in, the
picture of girlish distress. with her wet
eyes and fresh white gown.
II thought IL best TO leave Ward
with Granny and Father" Nina said,
in vague explanation, going straight TO
Blondin. who rose, dusty and weary.
but with a sOlicitOus manner that was
infinitely soothing
His manner, Harriet had grudgingly
10 admit. was perfection. When Rich
ard and Ward Joined them few mo-
ments later, he expressed himself with
manly brevity to the older man. He
realized, said Blondin, simply, that he
was absolutely de trop; he had merely
imagined. as the lad" had imagined,
that the sudden summons from camp
meant illness or ordinary emergency,
or he would not have intruded at this
time. He would not express a SYM
pathy that must sound extremely airy
to the stricken family. And now, II
they would lend him Hansen. he would
20 over TO the club
Nonsense :" Ward said You're all
dirty and tired and hungry, and so am
l. Wen clean up. and then well have
something 10 eat first Miss Harriet
will look out for US"
"And I'd like to see you for a mo-
ment in the library. Miss Field" Rich
ard said, rather wearily. 81 want
something sent to the papers" he eY-
planned in an undertone.
Ah-they all wanted her, and needed
her How quick, and how efficient.
and how self-effacing Harriet was as
she went about the business Of making
them all comfortablei
They talked deep into the night.
Harriet knew. for she herself was
sleepless, and she could see from the
upper balcony that stream Of golden
light was pouring across the brilliant
flowers beneath the library windows.
She reviewed the incredible events
of the past few days, and the actors
drifted before her vision fitfully: Isa-
belle. white-bosomed and beautiful, In
her prime; Tony Pope. passionate and
wretched; Royal, low-voiced. dreamy.
poetic. with his eloquent black eyes !;
Nina, newly awakened; Ward, weak.
boyish. ardent; Madame Carter, full Of
theatrical dignity and well-rounded
phrases, and lastly--simple. strong,
anxious TO protect them all, even from
their own follies-Richard.
Not one word of blame, not one
ugly insinuation,' she mused. yet she
has shamed him, and he is so honor
able and she has made him conspicu-
Gus, when he is so modest"
She thought of Isabelle, fresh from
Germaine's careful hands. lying In her
exquisite white against the cushions
Of a deck chair, smiling, in the rosy
fattering light under the green avn
ing, at the infatuated man beside her.
Ugh said Harriet, with a healthy
uprush Of utter disgust. These few
months would not be cloudiess for Isa-
belle. by any means. And after them.
what? Was Ii conceivable that those
fatal sixteen years would fail to fden-
tify Tony and Isabelle wherever they
went even though the press WAS not
eagerly assisting them7 Supposing
that Isabelle never thought of Crown
lands, Of her handsome son and her
young daughter. of the man whose pa
tience and cieverness had lifted her TO
| all this luxury from an apartment In q
| small town, would no memory Of the
| place she had held, and the friend
ships she had commanded, haunt her?
| Truly there was always society for the
| Isabelles, but to Harriets clean sense
| IL seemed but the society Of jail
''I wouldn't change places with her r.
| Harriet decided, in the soft silence and
darkness of the summer night
| From Isabelle's problem her thoughts
went to her own, to Royal Blondin. She
| was wakeful and restless tonight sim
| ply because she could not decide just
how much she need fear him. Firstly,
was there any reason for antagonizing
him, and secondly, would he hurt her