The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1922-02-22

a Win Dcr anO tue SnaA0fen, 9uO
that meant always q complete change
and a shifted viewpoint, eve when. rs
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
tube. and to spend a hot, uncomfort
able hour IN q stream Of homegoing
commuters, ON the way to LInda's
house.
She mounted the three cement steps
from the sidewalk level. and the four
rose to the porch. On this hot sum.
mer afternoon the front door wa
open, and Harriet stepped into the
odorous gloom Of the hall. and let
the screen door bang lightly behind
her.
4lJlIHCulutCtys IN tIIC OpCu uTSUWuy
into the parlor, a girl Of fifteen ap-
peared, a pretty girl with blue eyes
and brown hair, a shabby but fresh
little shirtwaist belted by q shabby
but clean white skirt, and q napkin
dangling from her hand.
"Oh, Mother-it's Aunt Harriet! Oh,
you darling"
Harriet. laughing. went from tho
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 a 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 We're late! We'd hardly CON-
menced."
The remaining members Of the fam
lily now streamed forth: Fred Daven-
port, a thin, rather gray mar Of fifty,
with an intelligent face, a worried
forehead, and kindly eyes; Julia. a
blonde beauty Of twelve; Nanny. .
fat, sweet boy Of five, with a bib en-;
and Pip, a serious ten-year-old. With
black hair and faded blue overalls.
Fred was a newspaper man, one OF
the submerged many, underpaid. over
worked, unheard, yet vaguely gratif1ed
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 a 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 a poor player who smoked bis
old pipe while he p~ainstakingly
fingered Mendelssohn's "Songs With
out Words" or the score OF 1.-The
Gelsha.' 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-she thinks there's no
n in the world like Daddy"
Harriet's thoughts had wandered.
"How's David?"
Lovely. He always comes to ns
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.
Il like David" Harriet said, in an
swer to some faint indication of re-
proach in her sisters tone. But i'm
lower voice: "Ward Carter has had
Royal Blondin at the house this
week |"
Linda's rocker stopped as II by
shock. There was an electric silence.
When she spoke again 1t was with
awe and %incredulity and something
like terror In her tone.
Royal Rlondin! He's in England I"
HE was" Harriet said, dryly. Hes
been in New York for two years now"
Linda s~huddered.
II KNOW remember! !" she said in
a whisper. And she added fervently,
IT hoped he was dead!"