South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-09-24
WHAT HAPPENED N THE VII
LACE STORE.

Sometime a temp rameatal object.
Iproved 20 be entirely tractaDle so
directly after breakfast. with Mother
Graham and Junior crsconced in
1.-THE tonneau. and ccsta-c Marion
beside me. we started for Easthamp-
iton.
NJ mother-in-law mood had
mot improved even with the delicious
Ihrea kfast Katie had given as, and i
iforesaw a day before me IN which
Mother Graham. as D!cEys comment
ran. dared anybody 20 please her
However. i did my best ia the way
Z OF occasional remarks, for / knew
che hated 20 ride IN silence.
How bracing the air is,' / be-
gan banauy. afraid 20 choose any
but the tritest topics.
IT'S good enough she returned
causticauy. "but IL YOU tell me that
Its like wine I snail get right out Of
this car"
flushed at the bulls eye. for I
have boon guilty OF using the over
worked old smile frequently. But
10 mo % is always especially appro-
pirate. There is something about
THE autumn air which eXhllarates-
Mother Graham Complains.
ITS too warm for wine ] re-
+ turned with "a mighty effort 20 make
my voice good-natured
Warm Warm!'' she repeated
with an effect OF sowing exclamation
points broadcast like seed. Well
IL this Is what you call warm, I'm
. glad I had sense enough 20 put on
this heavy coat. I'd been freezing 10
death if ] hadn't. AS it is I'm shiv-
ering. And your have your death
Of cold with just that sweater. But
& then you never viii take anybody's
advice"
I had heard this TRADE many
times before, but never cease be-
ing alarmed by one feature Of II.
When Mother Graham speaks of
feeling chilly we all come TO heel
I She has had too many narrow es-
Z capes from pneumonia for Us to take
any chances. I was fairly sure that
she was exaggerating when she talk
cd OF shivering. but IL behOOved me
TO find out So I swerved the car
10 the side Of the road and stopped
IT,
z nowf Something gone wrong with
this carr I knew II I started"
Nothing Is wrong with the car
4 Mother" I interrupted but you
spoke OF shivering, and I thought
perhaps II I put the rear curtains
| on they would keep the breeze away.
You mustn't get chilled
She had the grace 10 look a bit
ashamed OF herself, but her voice
lost none Of its sharpness.
The Man OF Mystery
when I want the curtains on III
tell YOU" she snapped. If I want
10 shut myself up inside curtains !
/ can stay at home I'm not going to
/ get any hurt. You drive along and
get there sometime"
Z accordingly drove along the
lwindirg road through stretches OF
tfpricevaI forest TO the loveliest Of all
IIong Island villages. 1 never drive
Through its ancient common with its
tipond I'm which dropping willows are
.mirrored with its churchyard slop-
ling 10 the pool. with the stately an
Client houses set in exquisite century
Hold gardens on either side, that do
/ not feel that a motor car is an
anachronism. Surely there should
be no vehicle here more recent than
.coIorful chaises And powdered
wigs ruffled skirts and silken shirts
i.should reign instead OF tennis fan
nels and golf Knockers.
But there Is a very modern side
ito the old village nevertheless, and
we presently reached IL and parked
before a most attractive looking
store. which TO my eyes seemed
most metropolitan
once inside. Mother Graham. with
IIlorgnette held before her eyes. swept
iup one aisle and down another with
the stateIiness and Miniature of a
2 cross old swan. A patient, court
-eous ealesv. oman who had often
waited on me 90 my entire satisfac-
ton tried In vain 20 please her
while the proprietor and the other
flc'erks. moWentarily idle. looked on
iIcreditably conceaNng their amuse-
meut or annoyance-proba both
lat her caustic comments and
i'felt my cheeks getting hotter and
iImore crimson with every succeed
ling outburst upon her part
We haE reached the rear OF the
store. and I with Junior had taken
shelter behind a rack Of draperies
when there was a furry-no other
word describes tin the front q
the store. as proprietors and sales
people stepped forward 20 greet sew
iseral persons who had just entered
fitorether. And when saw the fore
f'uost Acure drew back still farther
i.For il was lemistakably the mys-
iiterious. arlsrocratic. foreign looking
man who had frightened, Yet be-
friended me. when my train was
'storped for hours beneath the East
river.
~ with hands that could not keeT
from shaking. 7 picked up the hlmy
handkerchief which the mysterious
i Don Ramon Almirez had dropped
Tat nv feet. and later had pressed
I'into my hand on the pretense that
i;lt IVES mine.
81 From its folds I extricated a tiny
4 folded note. uuseLled. and bearine
no address. This 7 laid aside FOR
tfdeIverv 10 my father. as the mar
I, calling himself Don Ramon had
asked. and gave a curious, leetins
tfthourht 20 the trust which the mar
had put in me. Evidently he haC
.ibeeu sure that 7 would not open the
! note. wondered also 70 he had de
.IcideI not 10 address 81 because h'
n feared I mi-ht recognize the hand
writing But ths next instant I had
f'put all other conjectures away from
4 me and was staring as ~ at basilisl
Lat q bit az dainty embroidery In the
ttcorncr or the kerchIef. haadi'
work knew only too we'll