The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-03-24

able hour In a stream OF homegoing
commuters, on the way TO Linda's
house.
She mounted the three cement steps
from the sidewalk level, and the four
shabby and peeling wooden ones that
rose 10 the porch. On this hot sum-
mer afternoon the front door was
open, and Harriet stepped into the
odorous gloom Of the hall, and let
the screen door bang lightly behind
her.
Immediately, In the open archway
into the parlor, a girl Of fifteen ap-
peared, a pretty girl with blue eyes
and brown hair, a shabby but fresh
little shirtwaist belted by q shabby
but clean white skirt, and q napkin
dangling from her hand.
"Oh, Mother-it's Aunt Harriet Oh,
you darling-w
Harriet. laughing. went from the
child's wild embrace into the arms Of
Linda herself, a tall, broadly built,
pIeasant-faced woman with none Of
Harriet's own unusual beauty, but
with a family resemblance 70 her
younger sister nevertheless.
swell, you sweet good child I" she
said warmly. "Fred-here's Harriet
Well, my dear, isn't it fortunate that
we were latei We'd hardly com
menced!"
The remaining members Of the fam
fly now streamed forth: Fred Daven-
mort q thin rofhor 0rau man ~ aP%-
with an intelligent face, a worried
forehead, and kindly eyes; Julia, q
blonde beauty Of twelve; Nanny, a
fat, sweet boy Of five, with a bib on;
and Pip, a serious ten-year-old, with
black hair and faded blue overalls
Fred was q newspaper man, one Of
the submerged many, underpaid, over
worked, unheard, yet vaguely gratified
through all the long years by the feel
ing that his groove was not quite the
groove Of the Office, the teller's desk,
or the travelling salesman's "beat."
Here in the little suburban town his
opinions gained some little weight
from the fact that he had been ten
years with a New York evening paper.
Mrs. Davenport was interested In ev-
erything her sister had to say: knew
the Carriers, and even some Of their
closest friends, by name, and asked
all sorts Of questions about them.
Later in the evening Fred was at
the piano. 1t was a poor piano, and
he was poor player who smoked his
old pipe while he painstakingly
fingered Mendelssohn's "Songs With
out Words" or the score Of 'The
Geisha." But Linda loved him.
"He will putter away there, per-
fectly content, for an hour" she told
Harriet. "And at ten you'll see him
starting to get Josephine. They're
great chums-she thinks there's no
one in the world like Daddy!"
Harriet's thoughts had wandered.
Flows David2"
Lovely. He always comes to US
for Sunday dinner" Linda said. "And
he always asks for you" she added,
with some significance. David Daven-
port, Fred's somewhat heavy and plod-
ding brother, a successful Brooklyn
dentist, had never made any secret
Of his feeling for the beautiful Har-
riet
81 like David" Harriet said, In an
swer to some faint indication Of re-
proach In her sisters tone. But i'm
mediately afterward she added, In q
lower voice: "Ward Carter has had
Royal Blondin at the house this
week 70
Linda's rocker stopped as II by
shock There was an electric silence.
When she spoke again 1t was with
awe and incredulity and something
like terror In her tone.
"Royal Blondin! He's in England"
"He was" Harriet said, dryly. Hes
been In New York for two years now"
Linda shuddered
81 know-I remember!" she said I'm
q whisper. And she added fervently,
"I hoped he was deadi"
$50 did II" Harriet said, simply.
"Our meeting was entirely accidental.
He had no idea of finding me; was
as surprised as I was" She stopped
abruptly, musing on some unpalat-
able thought. "You wouldn't know
him, Linda. He is a perfect freak.
New thought, and poetry, and the oc-
cult, and Tagore and the Russian
novelists, and the Russian music; he
lectures about them and he has been
extremely successful! He wears pom
gee coats and red ties, and has his
hair long, and-well, you never saw
women act 50 about anything or any
body! He's having dinner with the
Carriers tonight" To this Linda could
only calculate an amazed:
Royal Blondinr" And as Harriet
merely nodded, in the gloom. she add
ed, vigorously, "Why, he hadn't O
pennyi He was always an idiot-hs
didn't have enough to eat ten years
agoT
"Well, he has enough to eat nowi
Ward told me that he gets three hun
dred dollars for his drawing-room
talks-his interpretive musings he
called them"
"Well, that" Mrs. Davenport was
still dazed with establishment and In
dignation. 'aThat really" she be-
gan, and stopped, shaking hsr head.
Tell me everything you said!" she
commanded.
81 will" Harriet's voice fell fatty.