The Holbrook news., 1922-02-03

''I have explained to my mother and the children" he said, quickly, to Har- riet, that Mrs Carter has asked for immediately arranged. Now, Miss Field, you will understand that you are in charge from now on. My mother will-well, you know how to handle her! She is old-enjoys her little bit of mischief sOmetimesl Anything un- usual you can refer to me; I shall be there every week, anyway"
 He paused and ruffled the scattered papers that were on the fiat-topped desk before him. Harriet watched him anxiOusly. She thought he looked tired and old, and her heart ached at the troubled attempt he was making to simplify the tragedy for them all. He was not handsome, she reflected, but surely there had never been keener or pleasanter gray eyes, and a mouth so strong when 1t 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, inyoluntarily and faintly. It was a smile of almost daughterly sympathy and cOmrade- ship, friendly and innocent, and wholly irresistible.
 Richard, catching the look, was per haps unconsciOusly 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 so near him in the tempered summer light of the great library.
 "Thank yOu!' he said, as if she had spoken. "There is 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 man Blondin. Do you know anything about him?"
 A more direct shot at her innermost fastnesses could hardly have been made. Robbed of breath and senses by the suddenness of it, and with dry lips, Harriet could only falter a repe- tition:
 "Know anything about him?'
 "I don't know mucn and what do know I don't like" Richard continued, noticing nothing amiss in her manner, perhaps because he was so deeply ab- sorbed in what he was saying. Hes handsome fellow, he knows his sub- ject, l guess. But I don't like him. Now, I don't know how he feels to Nina, or she to him, but as you know, she will come into her uncle's fortune in few months, unless the trustee, who is myself, decides to defer pay ment for another three years. I mere ly want to say that it might be as well to intimate to this young fellow that there are conditions under which I would see fit to defer it, and anything that brought him into that connection wOuld-well, would constitute one!"
 "I didn't know of that!" Harriet ex- claimed, in such obvious relief that the man smiled invOluntarily.
 "Then you agree with mel" he asked, eagerly.
 Here in the somber sweetness of the library, with the man she admired and respected above all others looking to her for confidence and counsel, what could she say? 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-yesi I told Ward that I would rather see Nina dead!'
 "Why do you say so?" Richard asked "Now, I'll tell you why I do," he added, as Harriet was, not unnatu- rally, groping for definite phrases I've been watching this man. I had his record looked into. There's noth- ing extremely bad in it-he seems to be a gentleman adventurer. I don't want him mixed up with my family. I'm going to speak to Ward about it, 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 not !" the girl protested, with white lips.
 "You don't imagine the man is seri- ous?" Richard asked, alarmed by her manner.
 "I don't know!" Harriet answered at random. '"They've-they've hardly known each other three weeks!"
 "Ah, well! And she is only seven- amuse her-if she's inclined to nope a bit. Get riding horses! !"
 No time to think-no time to trim her course. Harriet must plunge blindly ahead now.
 "Mr. Carter, would yOu-if you think wise-give your mother hint of this? Madame Carter is romantic, you know"
 "Oh, certainly! Certainly!' he said, approvingly. 'I'll speak to her. We must keep Nina little girl this sum- mer. And. Miss Field"
 It was said with only slight change in the pleasant voice. But it brought sudden change in their relationship. tightening of the bonds that were all Harriet's world now.
 Miss Field, I may say here and now that it is an unmiXed privilege, in my estimation" Richard Carter said, simply, that my daughter, and my son. too, for the matter of that,