The Jasper news., 1922-02-02
CHAPTER ~.

: Royal Blondin went straight from
Nina to the tea table, which was al
most deserted now. Harriet saw him
coming. and she knew what hour had
come. She stood up as he reached
her, and they measured each other
narrowly, with unsmillng eyes.
There was reason for her paleness
today, and for the faint violet shadows
about her beautiful eyes. Harriet had
lain awake deep into the night, toss
ing and feverish. She had always
thought that be must come back; for
years the fear had haunted her Mt
every street crossing, at every ring OF
Ilnda's doorbell. At first II had been
but shivering apprehension OF his
claims, an anticipation of what he
might expect or want from her, Then
came saner time. when she fold her
self that she was an independent hui
mans being asssvsll as h0,l that she
might meet his argument with argti-
ment, and his threat with threat.
But for the past year or two her
lessening thoughts OF him had taken
new form. Harriet Ind hoped that
when they met again she might be in
a position to punish Royal Blondin, to
look down at him from heights that
even his audacity might not scale.
That time. she told herself in the
fever of the night, had not yet come.
Her pitiful achievements, her beauty,
her French and Spanish, her sober
book reading, and her little affecta-
lions OF fine linen and careful speech,
all seemed to crumple TO nothing. She
seemed again to be the furious, help
less, Seventeen-year-old Harriet OF
the WRtertown days, her armor inef-
fectual against that suave and self
confident presence.
She had forced herself to unblnd
the wruppings, to look at the old
, wound. She had gone in spirit to that
, old, shabby parlor to which Linda and
Fred had carried Josephlne's crib late
every night, and where sheet music
had cascaded from the upright plano.
She saw, with the young husband and
wife, a fiery. tumble-head girl of If
teen or sixteen, who helped with her
sisters cooking and Homework. who
adored the baby. who planned future
on the stage, or us great painter, or
as a great wrlter-the means mat
tered not so much that the end was
fame and wealth and happiness for
Harriet.
Fred had brought Royal Blondin In
to supper one night. and Royal had
laughed with the others at the spirited
little waitress who delivered herself of
tremendous decisions while she came
and went with plates. and forgot to
take OFF her checked blue apron when
she finally slipped into her place.
The man had been a derelIct then,
MS now. But he was nine years older
than Harriet Field. He had had the
same delightful voice. the same pen
etratlng eyes. He had brought poetry,
music, art, into the sordid little parIor
OF the WATERFOWL apartment; he had
helped Harriet to tame and house
those soaring ambitions. She felt
again those kisses that had walked the
Iittle-gIrl heart into passionate wom-
anhood she shut her eyes and pressed
her hand tight against them. SO young
so happy--so confident l--plungIng
beadlong into that soaring blackness.
And now Royal Blondin was back
agnin, and she was not ready for him.
She could not. score now. But he
could hurt her Irreparnbly II he
would. Isabelle was an Indifferent
mother, and an incorrigible filrt. but
Mt the FIRST word. at the first hlnt--ah.
there would be no arguing. no weigh
log OF the old blame and responsible.
ltyl II there wps the faintest cloud
Of doubt that would be enough