Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-08-25

Mr.. Deacon now felt his little jocu-
larity lost before a wall Of the matter
of fact. He was not pleased. He saw
himself as the light of his home,
bringer of brightness, lightener of dull
hours. 1t was q pretty role. He in
sisted upon It, To maintain It intact,
1t was necessary to turn upon their
sister with concentrated irritation.
Kindly settle these matters with
out bringing them to my attention at
mealtime," he said icily.
Lulu flushed and was silent. She
was an olive woman, once handsome,
now with fiat, blush shadows under
her wistful eyes, And if only she
would look at her brother Herbert and
say something. But she looked at her
plate.
81 want some honey" shouted the
child, Monona.
"There isn't any, Pet,s said Lulu. 2
81 want some," said Monona, eyeing
her stonily. But she found that her
hair-ribbon could be pulled forward to
meet her lips, and she embarked on
the biting of an end. Lulu departed
for some sauce and cake. 1t was
apple sauce. Mr.. Deacon remarked
that the apples were almost as good
as If he had stolen them. He was
giving the impression that he was an
irrepressible fellow. He was eating
very slowly. 1t added pleasantly to his
sense of Importance to feel that some
one there in the parlor, was waiting
his motion. t',''''
at length they rose. Monona flung
herself upon her father He put her
aside firmly, every inch the father.
No, no. Father was occupied now.
Mrs. Deacon coaxed her away. Monona
encircled her mothers waist, lifted her
own feet from the floor and hung
upon her. "She's such an active
chile" Lulu ventured brightly.
"Not unduly active, l think" her
brot ler-in-law Observed .''s
Ee turned upon Lnlu his, bright
smile, lifted his eyebrows dropped his
lids, tstoOd for q moment contemplate
ing the yellow tulip, and so left the
room.
Lulu cleared the table, Mrs. Dea.
con essayed to wind the clock. Well,
now. Did Herbert say 1t was twenty
three tonight when 1t struck the half
hour and twenty-one last night, or
twenty-one tonight and last night
twenty-three? She talked of it as they
cleared the table, but Lulu did not
talk. .
Cant you remember2' Mrs. Dea.
con said at last. 81 should think you
might be useful"
Lulu was lifting the yellow tulip
60 set it on the sill. She changed her
mind. She took the plant 10 tie wood
shed and tumbled 1t with force upon
the chip-pile.
The dining room table was laid for
breakfast. The two women brought
their work and sat there. The child
Monona hung miserably about, watch
ing the clock. Right or wrong, she
was put to bed by it. She had eight
minutes more-seven-slx--five-
Lulu laid down her sewing and left
the room. She went to the woodshed,
gropeu about in the dark, found the
stalk of the one tulip flower in its
heap on the chip-pile. The tulip she
fastened in her gown on her fiat chest.
Outside were to be seen me early
stars. 1t is said that if or sun were
as near to Arcturus as we are near
to our sun, the great Arcturus would
burn our sun to nothingness.
In the Deacons' parlor sat Bobby
Larkin, eighteen. He was in pain all
over. lie was come OH an errand
which civilization has contrived to
make IN ordeal.
Before him on the table stood pho
tograph of Diana Deacon, also eighteen.
He hated her with passion. At school
She Knocked him, aped him, whispered
about him, tortured him. For two
years he had hated her. Nights he
fell asleep planning to build great
house and engage her as its servant.
Yet. as he waited, he could not keep
his eyes from this photograph. 1t
was Di at her curliest, at her fiuflest,
Di conscious Of her bracelet, Di smil-
Ing. Bobby gazed, his basic aversion
to her hard-pressed by most reluc-
tant pleasure. He hoped that he would
not see her, and he listened for her
voice.
Mr.. Deacon descended upon him
with an air carried from his supper
hour, bland dispensing. Well! Let
us have it. "What did you wish to see
me about ?"-with a use of the past
tense as connOting something of indi-
rectiOn and hence of delicacy-G
nicely customary, yet unconscious.
Bobby had arrived in his best clothes
and with an air of such fOrmality that
Mr.. Deacon had instinctively suspect
ed him of wanting to join the church,
and, to treat the time with due sol
emnity, had put him in the parlOr un-
til he could attend at leisure.
Confronted thus by Dis father, the
speech which Bobby had planned de-
serted him.