New Britain herald., 1922-06-22
Why Madge Had Conflicting Thoughts
 About Allen Drake.

literally held my breath at thu
 end of my little speech to see If m,
 ruse would succeed with Katie. Ru
 l did not have to hold 1t long. Witl
 a howl-it could be called nothing els. from my tempestnous little maid
 she dropped her hands from her face
 made a dash for me, arc clIng 10 me convulsively.
 "Oh. I no mean. dot = she walled
 You always so goot 10 me, al"ay. stand cop for me. un1 dcn you ink let you york, feex tinzs for dot poor feesh. Meester Drake. Eet shoost dot old devil inside me, coon cop some times in my troat und make mo say sooch tings I know vot I tink of Meester Drake shoost same, dough He shoost sometine cat brought in, but eef you fader want heem like king mt all meals oopstairs, l teeH, und feex right. you know dot"
 T am sure of that. Katie" I san. warmly, struggling between a desire to laugh at her potpourrl of foreign dialect and new world slang, and the impulse to reprove her for her dis respectful reference 10 our guest But I wisely did neither. I lad accom- plished my object. and 1t behooved ne to retire gracefully.
 T don't think it will he very long, anyway" I said. as l moved toward the door
 T no care how iong," Katie replici magnificently-her concessions are al- ways thorough. "Rut, L1ell you. got to pray me hard not to put red pep per in hees coffee"
 One Problem Solved.
 She giegled joyously at the fancy laughter and tears are SO near to- gether with Katie. that never quite know where the dividing line is--ani I went from the kitchen with the as- surance that the domestic problem connected with Allen Drake was solved. In this moment I felt that I could dismiss our fascinating but troublesome guest from my mind until such time as he should emerge from his room with the codes mastered.
 But perversely enough. I found that instead of mentally dismissing him, my thoughts were aylng to that up- per room as If drawn to a magnet. My imagination was stirred by the picture my fathers requirements had drawn. the picture of the brilliant secret service agent, working feverlsh- ly at the baffling codes in the silent hours of the night taking sleep or food only when exhausted battling on doggedly, no matter what the ob- stacles in his path.
 Because of his arrogance, his patronizng loftiness. his tormentlng of Katie, l mentally had echoed the wish for his humiliation which my little maid had phrased crudely and which I knew Lillian had shared be- cause of Mir. Drake $ concelt. BuS I found myself weakening in my cen serious attitude toward him, indulg- ing instead in the secret hope that he would be able after all to emerge triumphant from his ordeal.
 "I Don't Think"
 And then, as the hours wore on, and there was no sign from the up per room in which MT. Drake was housed. there came to me the re- mem brance of the times when Allen Drake had come to my aid. Never had need of mine failed to bring him. I realized with a little thrill of my pulses that beneath the mask of Al 1 len Drake's indolent polished man. ner. lay an indefinable something which had once or twice gleamed out at me, but at which I never had dared l a probing glance.
 He did not deserve my wish for his l I told myself shamefacedly, 1 and as there is no standing still for 1 me in my emotion, I found myself pro- 1 gressing from that attitude to an in- 1 tense desire for his triumph
 The second day of his stay had | waned into the third night, when my father tapped at the door of my room | and at my summons, entered, giving l a relieved glance at finding me alone |
 Daughter, dear" he said after he | had closed the door and come over to my chair, T am going to ask some thing strange of you"
 His manner was hesitant, and I put up my hands and drew his face down Q mine.
 T don't think there is anything in he wold you could ask of me that | wouldn't try gladly to do" replied. l
 T know that" he returned fondly. 'But-I know you don't care particu