Evening star., 1922-03-09
VAN BLAISDELL PUTS HER FIN
GER IN A HUMBLE PIE.

n AN BLAlSDELL, gray haired.
Nj pink cheeks and very much
interested. sat in tall,
carved chair in Cecily Le-
lands apartment. trying to get some
sense from the jumbled mess Of de-
tails that Cecily and Susan had been
reciting in chorus.
Cecily. pale and agitated and very
important, paced the floor in one of
the grotesque batiks that served her
as house dresses: Susan Sue, much
rumpled as to apron. stood quietly:
but her former mistress could see
that of the two Susan Sue was the
more deeply perturbed.
''Now, then" Nan said pleasantly
DO try to keep still just one minute
ciccie, you'll wake Merry up, and
you sa" that the doctor cautioned
you not to disturb her. AS nearly
as l can make out. this Japanese
boy thinks he has some news of her
father; but John and Merry are
quarreling; about who is to investigate.
Merry went off into one of her
best little tirades-" Cecily began.
You know what she can do. and this
one was a whale"
"Mr. Lindsay kept a-saying over
and over that he didn't want Mr.
Slocum photographed to-" Susan sue
volunteered
Mans eyebrows lifted.
''Who wanted Mr.. Slocum cabled""
.Leila--" Cecily burst out petu-
lanty. '.Of course Leila had to butt
in and try to run the whole works
well. go on. " Nan was trying hard
to be patient. Did they cable Rich
Leila did But of course she
hasn't any answer yet. That's not
the point. We are simply scandal
lied at the fool John made of himself
before my guest I'm sure ] don't
know WHAT Monsieur Herve thought
John practically forbade Merry to
have the cable sent Richard. SO you
can just about imagine how little
old pepperpot blew up. I'll tell you
right now ! don't believe that Merry
will ever forgive John. She told him
to get ott. and she simply screamed
| guess she's beginning to realize
at last what a fool she was to marry
a man that she knew almost nothing
about. He's simply not our sort. and
never will be-
My dear, my dear" Nan protested
"Do please stop walking around talk
ing such rot Are your clothes UP in
that same room where Merry is
asleep? Then. Susan Sue. you walk
up as still as a mouse and get what
ever Miss Leland needs 10 go out--yes
YOU are. Cissie, you're going out to
luncheon. and. / think. to a matinee.
You're my guest. my dear she
paused to smile. "Tm not going with
rou. I'm going to stay here and be
your guest. Susan will dig me out
something to eat. l want you out of
here entirely until | get this thing
cleared Either I'm going to take
Merry TO her own home or she can go
along with me: but she can't stay here
with YOU. You're altogether too
wrought up. I don't want your finger
in this pie
She's my own cousin cecily inter
rupted. hotly. She's no relation to
you at all. And why you sit there
sticking up for an upstart like John
Lindsay is more than | can under
stand. think Leila is quite right. we
should never have allowed Merry To
marry him in the first place. Hes a
jealous brute. Gee. but | hate men
Il know you do Mans eyes twin
kled. I've heard you say so before.
But l don't. love them all. Espe
cially the young. good looking. i'm
petuous ones. who are so terribly in
love with their silly little. pretty little
wives that they haven't any judgment
ut all. ] love them so much that l
just can't let them mess up their lives
not even to please manhater like
YOU"
You make me sick" Cecily snorted
Things are messed already, and you
can't pull any peacemaking stuff with
Merry. She's mad clean plumb through
this time. l don't blame her I'm so
mad myself that i
That you're going to dress and trot
along. And | don't want you to trot
over to Leila and hash this over. Ell
ther." She put both hands on cecily's
always acted badly about John. ever
since the day he fell in love with her.
It's all nonsense this talk of yours
about his not being our sort Hes
the sort Merry picked out-a very
good sort. indeed. God bless her for
having the spunk to marry a poor
man. She's in the very midst of the
most courageous adventure in the
whole world-poor darling" There
were tears in her eyes as she glanced
toward the balcony. Something
much too big for a scatterbrain like
you to understand. Run along I'll
lend you my car. What time did you
say that doctor gave Merry the vero-
you tell Briggs to get back here for
ME about hall past q
1t was 1 when Merriam lifted her
heavy eyelids. She sat up drowsily.
blinked at her unwonted surround
ings. gave a deep sigh of recollec-
tiOn, and became aware that Nan
Biaisdell was sitting quietly by the
window. serenely knitting
Very pale. with deep violet smudges
under her brown eyes. looking much
older than her usually pretty self.