The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-03-09

'Yes. you are Jealous You wouldn't
be real true woman If you weren't :"
she accused. A reluctant dimple tugged
at Nina's pouting mouth. She did not
dislike the idea of potential despotisn.
of the Travelled. experienced woman OF
the world. confident of her charm.
"If ! offered check to Royal, do
you suppose he'd accept it?" she re-
marked, after dark musing. She was
sitting On the edge of her bed now and
Harriet was brushing her hair.
IF you really are worried about his
business affairs. Nina, why not try
it?' Harriet suggested. sensibly. To
this Nina returned pouting:
I'm perfectly willing to try itw
And us great concession she added,
with sigh: And I'll tell him what
Father thinks,''
Now you're talking like woman
who has herself well in hand!' Har-
riet said. approvingly. when are you
to see him?''
Hes coming over especially to see
Father tomorrow Nina said. 81 sup
pose l might as well go down. she
added. eyeing herself gloomily in her
mirror. for Ward and that boy seem
absolutely at loss for amusement 7"
"And I'll he down presently" Har-
riet said. But when Nina was gone
she walked slowly to her own dress
ing table. and sat down. and regarded
herself steadily, and with heavy eyes
Unexpectedly, here between the fam
lily dinner and the early going to bed,
on June evening, crisis in her life
was confronting her. and she knew
that she must meet it.
Wards guest was only the young
Saunders boy. who had been with
them constantly last summer, and who
was of absolutely no significance in
their lives. And yet Harriet had been
introduced to him all over again as
"Nlrs. Carter"-there was no halfway,
in the eyes of the world at least. In
this relationship of hers with Richard,
and she must begin to take her place
In the family.
Mrs. Carter!'' Harriet loved that
distinction as If the title. the sigma
ture, and the dignity had never been
vouchsafed to womankind before She
had marveled at her old self, that had
taken Miss and Mrs" with cheer
| full indifference-why, there was a
worldwide chasm between the two,
Just to have this silly Saunders hoy
call her Mrs. Carter, as matter Of
course, was to receive the accolade
that gave her all her longed-for
dreams in one. 1t was the name of
the man she loved. and, even though
in shadowy and unloved way she
liked the title that made her his.
And now she owed him the truth.
the whole, painful, humiliating story.
If she had told him months ago, SO
much the better and Drawer woman
she! She had not done so; she had
been fighting Nina and his mother
then; she had been afraid. But she
was not afraid now; he could forgive
that long-agO girl Of seventeen be-
cause her advocate was the woman of
twenty-eight, the finished, cultivated.
capable woman who had served him
and his house, who must win his re-
spect back because she loved him with
every fiber of her being.
The words in which she would rel
him came to her in rush. Why-i'
was nothingl 1t vas less than noti
Ing. In half an hour she would
back here in her room again, with al
the past clean and straight at last
with the cloud gone, and with her
whole soul singing with hope of the
| glorious future. For a moment she
knelt by her bed. her face In he,
hands.
She rose to her feet. There was a
tap at the door.
1t was Bottomley. "If you please.
'm-Mr. Carter would be so much
obliged If you would step down to the
library, m" Harriet gave herself "A
parting glance, and followed the man
downstairs
"Courage!" she said to herself with
her hand on the library door. "I've
exaggerated and enlarged upon this
thing too long! I've imagined It into
an Importance that 1t really hasn't at
all"
Richard was back at his desk; he
smiled and rose as she came in. There
was another man in the library, who
rose and faced her, too.
And when Harriet saw him she
knew that she was too late. 1t was
Royal Blondin.
A dizziness and sickness came over
her ms she went slowly to the. chair
opposite Richard. She touched tn
desk for support as she sat down. an,
felt that her fingers were cold and
wet.
mir. Blondin has come to talk 70
me about Nina" Richard said. Har
riet somehow moved her dizzy eyes
toward Blondin. and she smiled me-
chanically. But she had to moisten
her lips before she could speak.
81 see!" Her voice sounded hor-
ribly choked to her; she could find
nothing tn add tn tho mon N In, frl os.s