Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1922-03-30

day with her and the children, ana
that meant always a complete change
and shifted viewpoint, even when, as
frequently happened, Linda took the
Older-sisterly privilege Of scolding.
When Harriet had chaperoned Nina
and Amy to the Friday afternoon mat
inee, and had duly deposited Amy aft
erward IN the Hawkes. mansion, and
had escorted Nina to her grandmOth-
er's apartment, she was free to direct
Hansen to drive her to the Jersey
tube, and to spend a hot, uncomfort-
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 to 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 APP
peared, pretty girl with blue eyes
and brown hair, a shabby but fresh
little shirtwaist belted by a shabby
but clean white skirt, and a napkin
dangling from her hand.
"Oh, MOther-its Aunt Harriet Oh,
you darllng-w
Harriet, laughing, went from the
child's wild embrace into the arms Of
Linda herself, a tall, broadly built,
pleasant-faced woman with none of
Harriet's own unusual beauty but
with family resemblance to her
younger sister nevertheless.
"Well, you sweet good child" she
said warmly. "Fred-here's Harriet
Well, my dear, isn't 1t fortunate that
we were late! We'd hardly COM
menced"
The remaining members Of the FAM
lily now streamed forth: Fred Daven-
port, thin, rather gray man of fifty,
with an intelligent face, worried
forehead, and kindly eyes; Julia, a
blonde beauty of twelve; Nanny, a
fat, sweet boy of FIVE, with bib on
and Pip, serious ten-year-old, with
black hair and faded blue overalls.
Fred was 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 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 1.-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- thinks there's no
one in the world like Daddy!"
Harriet's thoughts had wandered.
"How's David?"
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 a
lower voice: Ward Carter has had
Royal Biondin at the house this
week ~
Linda's rocker stopped as If by
shock There was an electric silence.
When she spoke again it was with
awe and incredulity and something
like terror in her tone.
"Royal Blondin! He's in Englandw
HE was" Harriet said, dryly. Hes
been in New York for two years now"
Linda shuddered.
II know remembers" she said In
a whisper. And she added fervently,
81 hoped he was deadw