The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-04-20

6s1nf ninsSs d 5fdsnafy smsFssncy,
O 10 would not have intruded at thin
time. he would not express Z sym
pathy that must sound extremely airy
10 the stricken family. And nov. X
they would lend him Hansen. he would
60 over to the club
Nonsense Y Ward said. You're MI
dirty and tired and hungry, and 80 am
H. Wen clean up. and then well have
something to eat first Miss Harriet
win look out for u.s.
sAnd I'd like to see You for q mo
ment In the library, Miss Field" Rich
ard said, rather YEARLY. I want
something sent to the papers, 4 he ex-
planned in IN ~undertone.
Ah--they all wanted her, and needed
herl How quick, and how efficient,
and how self-effacing Harriet was as
she went about the business of making
them all comfortable!
They talked deep into the night,
Harriet knew, for she herself was
sleepIess, and she could see from the
upper balcony that a stream Of golden
light was pouring across the brilliant
flowers beneath the library windows.
She reviewed the incredible events
Of the past few days, and the actors
drifted before her vision ftfully: Isa-
belle, white-bosomed and beautiful, In
her prime ; Tony Pope, passionate and
wretched; Royal, I~ow-voiced, dreamy.
poetic, with his eloquent black eyesi
Nina, newly awakened; Ward, weak.
boyish, ardent; Madame Carter, full OF
theatrical dignity and w~ell-rounded
phrases, and lastIy-simple, strong,
anxious to protect them all, wen from
their own follies-Richard.
"Not one word of blame, not ona
ugly insfnuation," she unused, yet she
has shamed him, and he Is so honor
able and she has made him conspicu-
u when he is SO modestP ># :
She thought of Isabelle, fresh from
Germaine's careful hands, lying in her
exquisite white against the cushions
of a deck chair, smiling, In the rosy
fiattering light under the green avn
ing, at the infatuated mar beside her.
"Ugh!" said Harriet, with a healthy
uprush Of utter disgust. These few
months would not be cioudless for ISa-
belle, by any And after them,
what7 Was it conceivable that those
fatal sixteen years would fail to iden-
tify Tony and Isabelle wherever they
went, eve though the press was not
eagerly assisting them? Supposing
that Isabelle never thought Of Crown
lands, of her handsome son and her
young daughter, Of the man whose pa
tfsnce and cleverness had lifted her to-
all this luxury from an apartment In d
small town, would no memory OF the
place she had held, and the friend
ships she had commanded, haunt herr
Truly there was always society for the
Lsabelles, but to Harriet's clean sense
it seemed but the society Of q jail.
Il wouldn't change places with her r.
Harriet decided, In the soft silence and
darkness Of the summer night. 81
From Isabelle's problem her thoughts
went to her own, to Royal Bl0ndin. She
was wakeful and restless tonight sim
ply because she could not decide just
how much she need fear him. Firstly,
was there any reason for antagonizing
him, and secondly, would he hurt her
If she did? For Royal could not punish
her without Furnishing himself, and
could mo- Danish her from Crownlands
n he ever hoped to show his own face
thsrs again. But Ninaf
Was Blondin so bad? She tried to
ask herself the question honestly, and
an honest shudder answered it before
it was fairly framed. She tried to pic
ture Nina's marriage, their early days
together, the breakfast table, where
the crude little girl blundered and
houndered In conversation, her helpless
devotion, that would annoy and x a
perate him. She saw Nina's near
sighted eyes yelling with hurt tears ;
Nina's check book eagerly surrendered
hours OF the old ffattery, the old. atten-
ton.
ut would take a clever woman to
hold him." Harriet thought, land 1t.
wouldn't be worth a clever ~woman's
while.''
Observation-Disclosures. The
wearying procession began again. Roy
al might treat her with honesty and
honor. He was not small In everything,
and she had done him harm.
But-there might come the terrible mo
ment when she had to face Richard
with the confession. Yes, she had
known him before. Yes. they had en-
tered into q tacit compact. Yes. she
had kept from Nina's father q secret
that. while 1t might be unimp0rtant.I
certainly should have been told him
Impossible TO think the thing 10 IN
conclusion Too many possibilities
might alter the entire situation. f she
married safely to Ward, for o.
AMPLE But then she dared net mar
III Ward until Royals attitude was
finally defined. For II her position
/ ere dangerous now. what would It ~
fsshe had committed herself irrev0car
bly, to deception by marrfage3 Wards
young. crude intolerance sitting 81
Judgment upon his wifel--Harriet
shiyered.
Suddenly she fell upon her knees
and dropped her bright head against
tho Wide balustrade. Tor i 1ong ttme
Harriet had not prayed. But new q
4 few words. and quite without pre-
meditation, there burst from her thu
L mnSf n3nroro nrouor ~ hnrN lffn H.