The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-02-09


to struggling hair. but with such radi-
ance in her eyes that Harriet, clasped
in her arms, began to cry again.
"Oh, Harriet-if I can ever thank
God enough!" Pip's mother said, be-
ginning on her breakfast with one long
sigh. "Oh, my dear! He's sleeping
like baby, God bless him, and dear
old Fred is sleeping, too. Oh, Harriet
to go about the house, as just have
covering Nanny and the girls, and
feeling that we're all going to be
happy together again, in a few days
my dear, / don't know what I've done
to be so blessed My boy, who has
never given anyone a moments care
or trouble since he was born-my dar-
ling. who looked up at me yesterday
with his beautiful eyes"
The foodgates were loosed. and
Linda laughed and cried, while she
enjoyed her breakfast with the appe-
tite of n normal woman released from
cruel strain, whose whole brood lies
safely sleeping under her roof. Nam
my's light illness, Pip's wet feet, Lin
da's unwillingness to believe that 1t
was anything but a cold, every hour
Of the four awful days of danger. she
reviewed them all. And oh, the good
ness Of people, the solicltude of nurse
and doctor, the generosity of God!
1t was the afternoon of the next day
when Harriet could first speak of her
own affairs. Linda listened. over her
y,,opdfpu rn6dod ynrcad bar. IinS or
raised her eyebrows.
If Linda might ever have been
worldly minded, she had had her les
son now, and the viewpoint she gave
Harriet was the lofty one of a wom-
an who has faced supreme sacrifice
without shrinking and with unwaver-
ing faith.
You did right, dear" she assured
her sister. You could not stay there,
under the circumstances. Whatever
their code is, yours is different, yours
has not been vitiated by luxury and
idleness. AS for Mr.. Carter's talk of
marriage, that, of course is simply an
insult |"
"No, don't think 1t was that" Har-
riet said, feeling herself revolt inward
ly at this plain speaking.
'I don't see what else 1t could be"
Linda pursued, serenely. "a married
man-you would be no better than his
well, it's not a nice word-but his
mistress ~
mot at ALL" Harriet said, trying
hard to hide the irritation that rose
rebellious within her. "he is legally
free, or will be soon, and so am II"
II am speaking Of Gods law, not
mans" Linda said, gently but awfully,
and Harriet was silent Fred says
that such men regard these matters
far too lightly" Linda finished. Fred's
name, thus introduced, always had the
effect of angering Harriet. She had
shared the family exaltation over Pip's
recovery, and had thought more than
once in that fearful night of his illness
that even poverty, gray hairs and the
agony of 'parenthood, shared with the
| man she loved, would have been &C.
| stasy to her. But in the slow days
and weeks that followed, her spirit
| became exhausted with the struggle
that never ended within her. Her
bridges were burned behind her; 1t
was all over. Whatever her emotions
had been in leaving Crownlands, the
Carriers feelings had been quite obvi-
had wished her well; Ward had writ
ten from college that he thought 1t
was 'rotten," and that she had been
| n corker to get Dad to raise his al
lowance for him; Nina had felt her
| own wings the stronger for the
| change; and Richard had interrupted
his little speech of regret to answer
the telephone, and had given her a
| check that placed, it seemed to Har-
riet. the obligation permanently with
her. The utter desolation of spirit
with which she had left them was evil
IDENTIFY unshared the only word she
had had from that old life had been
frcs1 Mary Putnam, and even this cor
Hal note jarred Harriet with its frank
revelation of the change in her posi-
ton.
81 can't keep this up!" she told her
self, playing games with little conva-
lescent Pip, walking over frozen roads
18th the girls. reading under the eve
ming lamp. 81 can't keep this up Z!
Twenty-seven, and governess, and
II love with married man who does
not know I am alive" summarized
Harriet. bitterly. ~ will simply have
forget it, and begin again, that's
NJ"
Md she meditated upon David, the
excellent. steady, devoted David. who
was Fret's brother and dentist II
Brooklyn. and who gave the childrei
wonderful holidays at Asbury Park
1t would make Linda and Fred yer.
happy to have her change toward
him.: they were little hurt and 81
lent about David. He always wen
with them to the crowded beach wher'