The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1922-04-06

dislike the ideH Of potential despotIstn.
OK the travelled, experienced woman Of
tho world. conndent OF her charm.
Iceff offered a check To Royal. %
| you suppose he'd accept itT she re-
marked. after dirk muslng. She was
sitting ON tho edge Of her Ted now. and
Harriet was brushing her hnir.
'It you renlly are worried about his
business aifhlrs. Nina. Why not Try
itr Harrla suggested, seusibiy. 10
this Nina returned a poutIng
| "rm perfectly willing 10 try N.Y.
And as n great concession she added
with sigh "And III tell him what
Father tllnksr'
Now you're talking like woman
who las herself we'll In hnnd!" Hnr-
iaet said. approyingly. "when are sou
to see himT'
Hes coming over especially 20 see
Father tomorrow" MINI said. Il sup
pose might rs well 20 down" she
added cycling herself eloomlly In her
mirror, -for Ward and TINT boy seem
absolutely at less for amusement r.
sAnd III be down presently" Hur-
Ifet snld. But when Nina was gone
! she walked slowly 20 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 II.
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 60 him all over again rs
Mrs. .Carter"-there was no halfway.
III the eyes of the world at leaet, In
this relationship Of hers with Richard,
and she must begin to take her plnce
IN the family.
Mrs. Carter" Harriet loved that
distinction as II the .Iae, the sigma
ture, and the dignity lad never been
| youchsafed to womankind before. She
had maryeleh at her old self, that had
iaken Miss" and Mrs" with cheer
/ full INDEPENDENTLY, there was
worldwide chdsin between the two.
Just TO have this silly Saunders boy
call her Mrs Carter, 0s q mnrter OF
course, was 10 receive the accolade
that gave her all her longed-for
dreums IN one. II wns the name OF
the man size loved aud, even though
IN a shndOwy and unloved way. she
liked the title that made her his.
And now she owed him the truth.
the whole, painful, humiliatIng story.
II she had told him months ago. so
much the better ana Drawer woman
she She lad 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 tell
him came TO her in rush. Why--is
was nothingi 1t was less than Moth
ing. In, half an hour she would be
hack here In her room again. with all
the past clean and straight at last,
With the cloud gone, and with her
whole soul singing with hope Of the
glorious future For moment she
knelt by her bed. her face In her
hands.
She rose to her feet, There was
tap at the door.
1t was Bottomley. "lf you please,
'm--Mr. Carter would be so much
obliged II you would step down to tho
library, IN" Harriet gave herself a
parting glance. and followed the man
downstairs
"Courage!" she said to herself. with
her hand on the library door, "rve
exaggerated and enlarged upon this
thing too longl I've Imagined IL into
an importance that It really hasn't ut
allI'
Richard was back a. 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. II was
) Royal Blondln.
A dizziness and sickness came over
her Us she went slowly TO the chair
: opposite Richard.
AMr. Bl0ndIn has come to talk 10
me about Nina" Richard said. Har-
riet somehow moved her dizzy eyes
toward BloDdin. and she smiled me
chanlcally. But she had 10 moisten
her lips before she could speak.
|