Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-02-09

Of mischief sometimesl Anything I'M
usual you can refer to me; ! shall be
there every week, anyway"
. He paused and ruined the scattered
papers that were on the n~at-topped
desk before him. Harriet watched
him anxiously. She thought he locked
tired and, old, and her heart ached at
the troubled attempt he vas making
to simplify the tragedy for them ell.
He was not handsome, she reflected,
but surely there had Q been
keener or pleasanter gray eyes. and o
mouth so strong when II was In repose,
so honest when It smiled. Not like
Wards ready and incessant laughter,
not like Royal Blondin's carefully cal
culated amusement.
Reaching this point In her thought,
facing him with her whole beautiful
face alive with emotion and interest,
Harriet smiled herself, Involuntary
and family. 1t was q smile Of almost
daughterly sympathy and comrade-
ship, friendly and innocent. and wholly
Irresistible.
Richard, catching the look, was per
haps u~nconsciously cheered By It.
Even at forty-four, and under his
present difficulties and harassments.
he must have been dead not to be
refreshed by the vision Of earnest
youth and beauty that was o. near
him In the tempered summer light Of
the great library.
THANK you |" he said, as II she had
spoken. There lie one more thing.
Miss Field" he added. idly rumpling
his papers again, and then moving his
fine hand to his thick brown hair,
whose shining order he rumpled too.
"About this nan Blondin. Do you
know anything about him"
A more direct shot at her innermost
Businesses could hardly have been
made. Robbed Of breath and Ems
by the suddenness Of It, and with dry
lips. Harriet could only falter a repe~
titiOn: .,
"Know anything about himT'
II don't know much, and what I do
know l don't like" Richard continued,
noticing nothing amiss In her manner,
perhaps because he was so deeply alb
sorbed in what he was saying. Hes
a handsome fellow; he knows his SUBJ
ject, l guess. But / don't like him.
Now, l don't know how he feels to
Nina, OF she to him, but as you know.
she will come into her uncle's fortune
in a few months, unless the trustee,
who is myself, decides to defer pay
ment for another three years. / mere
Iy want to say that 1t might be as well
to intimate to this young fellow that
there are conditions under which |
would see ff to defer It, and anything
that brought him into that connection
would-weli,s would constitute one!"
Tsdidn'ti know Of thatf Harriet ex-
claimed, ,lnssuch obvious relief that
the man smiled iny~oluntarily.
'+Then yon agree with meT he
asked, eagerly.
Here In the somber sweetness Of the
library, withSthe man she admired and
respected above all others looking TO
her for confidence and counsel, what
could she say7 Even had Royal Blon-
din been present, Harriet might have
cast every secondary consideration to
the winds as readily. AS it was, she
could only tell him the truth.
"Oh, yes-yes! I told Ward that I
xuyov,ld rnthar una Nfna HaoI ~
"Why do you say sol" Richard
asked. Nov, TIL tell you why I do"
he added, as Harriet was, not .unnatu-
rally, cropping for definite phrases,
ave been watching this la I had
his record looked into. There's moth
ing extremely bad in THE seems to
be a gentleman adventurer. / don't
want him mixed up with my family,
I'm going to speak to Ward about II,
warn him that his sisters happiness
mustn't be risked by having the fellow
about at all. You're tired" said
Richard, abruptly.
Indeed I'm mott" the girl protested
with white lips.
"You don't imagine the man Is seri,
ousT" Richard asked, alarmed By hel
manner.
y don't knowl" Harriet answered
at random. "They've-they've hardly
known each other three weeksf"
"Ah, Welt And she is only seven
teen," her father said. Distract her
amuse her--if she's inclined to mept
q bit. Get riding horses"
No time to think-no time to trim
her course. Harriet must plung,
blindly ahead now.
"Mr. Carter, would you-if 70,
think wise-give your mother a hin
" Of this? Madame Carter Is romantic
you know
"0h, certainly! Certainly |" he said
~approvingly. "Ill speak to her. w
must keep Nina a little girl this sum
mer. And, Miss Field"
1t was said with only a slight chang
in the pleasant voice. But 1t brough
a sudden change In their Relationship
a tightening Of the bonds that wer
all Harriet's world now.
Miss Field, / may say here an
now that 1t is an unmixed privilege
In my estimation" Richard Carte
said, simply, shat my daughter. an
my son, too, for the matter Of tina
should have the advantage Of yor
influence. and your example, at thl
time. / have never been unapprecil
tive OF the value Of d simple, goo
unspoiled woman In my household.
have seen the effect in a thousar
ways. But at the present moment,
! hardly know whore I could turn witt
|. out you. I a only hope that in SON
.. way tho Carriers may be able to reps
your