Evening star., 1922-11-06
The Wife Who Wouldn't
Settle Down!
A Sequel to ssBrides Will Be Brides
By Lucille Va1. SIyke

say. wherever did you come from?
Johns father wasn't big like Jonn.
Indeed, they did not look at all alike.
!! for John took after his mother
folk" But Merriam had always liked
her father in-law. and they had been
very good friends.
disappeared. she had written dutiful
letters to Johns family and received
dutiful answers. But 1t was plain
from the stilted language IN which
Johns mother and his sisters ex-
pressed themselves that they were
privately blaming her because John
was missing. Frequently Merry flung
these letters aside before she finished
reading them because they seemed SO
hateful to her. From her father-in-
law she had had only one brief
scrawl:
Dear Daughter: I send you my love
and hope things will straighten out
soon. Let me know If you need any
money"
Now that he stood before her, a
GrizZled little figure, she was shocked
to see how suddenly old Looking ne
had grown since they had visited him
in the early summer. He put his
hands on his petite daughter-in-law's
shoulder and smiled at her through
honest tears.
Had a chance to come down; need
ed some stock for the drug store that
the drummers didn't seem to have
he stammered, 80 1 came down"
He was trying hard to be casual.
but both of them knew that his trips
down" didn't average once a decade.
How nice of you" She evinced
enthusiasm. She begged him to let
Susan cook him some dinner.
Had supper in New York" He sat
down heavily to wipe his glasses.
The twins watched him. They were
a trif1e in awe of him. for. with the
easy forgetfulness of babies. they
scarcely remembered their visit. But
when he held out his arms to them.
Ricky. her copper head bent coyly to
one side, sidled toward him.
You, too, Dick?" he begged the
little boy.
I've some sort of presents for you"
he said slowly. Merriam watched him
as he rummaged in his pockets. Il
them, except that they came all the
way from Montreal"
Her hands went to her throat.
From john" she whispered.
He nodded.
The twins. squatting on the fireside
rug. were tugging joyously at the
papers
side to me-" the man said over their
heads, with just a line asking me
TO FORWARD tnem. so ! came OO"H
Ricky had hers open first, but Dick
was a close second. and from out
the papers tumbled soft leather moe
casins quite unlike the hackneyed
| kinds that are sold as souvenirs. They
were fashioned beautifully and en-
broidered with porcupine quills. And
they fitted as though they had been
made to order-as they had:
Ricky found an inclosure in hers
and ran to her mother. A small
paper-wrapped thing that when it
was unrolled proved to contain two
twenty-dollar gold pieces and ten.
Around the wrapping was scrawled:
Foot note to Ricky. Ask Merry to
buy you warm winter duds with
this pretty money. Love from Daddy
boy"
Dick had a duplicate roll. They
! both danced joyously in their new
slippers until they were tired. And
when Johns father had helped her
tuck them into bed Merriam brought
him back to the fire and stared at
him.
The old man wet his lips.
Merriam" he whispered, do you
happen to know rightly whether
there was any gold in that money
that was stolen from the Blaisdells?'
Copyright. 1927
Cnntfnued in T0morroysa Star