Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1922-03-16


infinitely soothing.
His manner, Harriet had grudgingly
to admit was perfection. When Rich
ara and Ward joined them a few mo-
ments later, he expressed himself with
manly brevfty 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 a 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
"NOnsensev Ward said You're all
dirty and tired and hungry, and so am
l. Wen clean up, and then we'll have
something to eat first! Miss Harriet
will look out for u.s."
And I'd like to see you for mo-
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 fitfulIy: 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 welI-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 mused, yet she
has shamed him, and he is so honor
able; and she has made him conspicu-
Gus, when he is so modesto"
She thought of Isabelle, fresh from
Germaine's careful hands, lying in her
exquisite white against the cushions
of a deck chair, smiling, in the rosy
fiattering light upder the green avn
ing, at the infatuated man beside her.
"Ugh!" said Harriet, with healthy
uprush of utter disgust These few
months would MT be cloudless for Isa-
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 them? Supposing
that Isabelle never thought of Crown
lands, of her handsome son and her
young daughter, of the man whose pa.
tie8ce and cleverness had lifted her to
all this luxury from an apartment in q
small town, would no memory of the
place. she had held, and the friend.
ships she had commanded, haunt herr
Truly there was always society for the
Isabelles, but to Harriet's clean sense
it seemed but the society of a Jail.
Il wouldn't change places with her =
Harriet decided, in the soft silence and
darkness of the summer night
From Isabelle's problem her thoughts
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 antagonizing
him, and secondly, would he hurt hel
if she did? For Royal could not punisf
her without Furnishing himself, ant
could not Danish her from Crownland<
if he ever hoped to show his own face
there again. But Ninal
Was Blondin so bad2 She tried t.
ask herself the question honestly, anC
an honest shudder answered it before
it was fairly framed. She tried to pic
ture Nina's marriage, their early days
together, the breakfast table, where
the crude little girl blundered anC
floundered in conversation, her helples:
devotion, that would annoy and exas
perate him. She saw Nina's near
sighted eyes welling with hurt tears
Nina's check book eagerly surrendered
, to win from her lord a few deliciou!
hours of the old fiattery, the old atten
ton.
1T would take a clever woman Il
hold him." Harriet thought, land 1
wouldn't be worth a clever woman!
while"
-Royal-Richard. TIL,
\ wearying procession began again. Roy
al might treat her with honesty ant
4 honor. He was not small in everything
and she had never done him harm
But-there might come the terrible mo
ment when she had to face Richart
with the confession. Yes, she ha'
known him before. Yes, they had en-
tered into a tacit compact. Yes, sh
had kept from Nina's father a secre
that, while it might be unimportant
certainly should have been told him.
Impossible to think the thing to an.
conclusion! Too many pOssibilitie
might alter the entire situation. If sh
were married safely to Ward, for ex
ample? But then she dared not mar
ry Ward until Royals attitude wa
finally defined. For if her position
were dangerous now, what would it b
if she had committed herself irrevoca
bly, to deception by marriage? Ward
! young, crude intolerance sitting i
] judgment upon his wife !-Harrie
shivered.
Suddenly she fell upon her knee:
! and dropped her bright head agains
| the wide balustrade. For a long tim
Harriet had not prayed. But now, i
few words, and quite without pre-
meditation, there burst from her tn
most sincere prayer of her life. Sh
= looked up at the stars.
"God!" she said, softly, aloud, "hel
me! Make me do what is right, how
:. ever hard it is. Father, don't let N
t make another mistake!"