The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-03-30


stopped on the road for dinner. and
the man had paper there. Is that
what you wanted me for-I dent be-
lieve it, It's dirty lie, and the boun-
der that put that in the paper"
I'm glad you came home, my boy"
Richard said. 1--WE been waiting fof
| you"
Harriet heard no more; she slipped
from the room. There were genuine
tears I'm her own eyes now; for the
boy had flung himself face downward
| against a great chair. and was crying.
| ALI the household knew 1t; Harriet
| could read it In Bottomley's carefully
usual manner and quiet speech. In the
little music room across the hall Royal
Blondin was waiting.
This is terrible thingl' he said,
seriously.
'tOh, frightfulr Harriet agreed. A
| rather fat silence ensued. She seemed
to have nothing to say to Royal now.
But she was not surprised when,
moment later, Nina came softly In, the
| picture of girlish distress, with her wet
eyes and fresh white gown.
II thought 1t best to leave Ward
with Granny and Father" Nina said,
i'm vague explanation, going straight to
| Blondin, who rose, dusty and weary,
but with solicitous manner that was
| infinitely soothing
His manner, Harriet had grudgingly
to admit, was perfection. When Rich
ard and Ward joined them a few mo-
| ments later, he expressed himself with
| manly brevity to the older man. He
realized, said Blondin, simply, that he
was absolutely de trop; he had merely
imagined, as the lad had imagined,
| that the sudden summons from camp
| meant illness or ordinary emergency,
or he would not have intruded at this
| time. He would not express SYM
| pathy that must sound extremely airy
to the stricken family. And now, If
| they would lend him Hansen, he would
/ GO over to the club
| Nonsense !" Ward said You're all
dirty and tired and hungry, and so am
/ I. Wen clean up, and then well have
something to eat hrstl Miss Harriet
will look out for u.s."
''And I'd like to see you for mo-
J ment in the library, Miss Field" Rich
ard said, rather YEARLY. 81 want
something sent to the papers," he ex-
planned In an undertone.
Ah-they all wanted her, and needed
her! 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
sleepless, 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 fitfuily: Isa-
belle, white-bosomed and beautiful, In
her prime; Tony Pope. passionate and
wretched; Royal, low-voiced, dreamy,
! poetic, with his eloquent black eyes !;
Nina, newly awakened; Ward, weak,
boyish, ardent; Madame Carter, full Of
theatrical dignity and well-rounded
phrases, and lastly-simple, strong,
anxious to protect them all, even from
their own follies-Richard.
Not one word of blame, not one
ugly insinuation," she unused, "yet she
has shamed him, and he is SO honor
able; and she has made him conspicu-
Gus, when he is so modest
She thought of Isabelle, fresh from
, Germaine's careful hands, lying I'm her
exquisite white against the cushions
of deck chair, smiling. In the rosy
flattering light under the green avn
ing, at the infatuated man beside her.
"Ugh!" said Harriet, with healthy
uprush Of utter disgust. These few
months would not be cloudless for lisa
belle, by any means. And after them,
what? Was it conceivable that those
fatal sixteen years would fail to iden-
tify Tony and Isabelle wherever they
went, even though the press was not
eagerly assisting them7 Supposine
that Isabelle never thought Of Crown
lands, of her handsome son and her
young daughter, of the man whose pa.
tience and cleverness had lifted her %
all this luxury from an apartment In
small town, would no memory OF the
place she had held, and the friend
j ships she had commanded. haunt heri
Truly there was always society for the
Isabelles, but to Harriet's clean sense
1t seemed but the society Of q JAN.
81 wouldn't change places with her T.
Harriet decided, in the soft silence and
darkness of the summer night.
From Isabelle's problem her thoughti
went to her own, to Royal Blondin. 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 antagonizinl
him, and secondly, would he hurt heI
IL she did7 For Royal could not punish
her without Furnishing himself. and
Y could not Danish her from Crownlandi
ha To- knxu hfa fnsrH 4QNf