New Britain herald., 1923-04-13
The News Dicky Tclephoned Madgc and Why Madgc Hesitated to
 Question Him


 Back from the glint Of blue in the
 sky still visible 10 my searching eyes
 I turned to the letter l had inter
 rupted when my thinking hour" had
 arrived and my diary called me. IL was
 my daily letter to Mother Graham in
 answer to her daily report of Junior.
 What a wrench it had been to
 leave him even for the brief time it
 seems necessary we must now be
 parted Ito leave him even in the ten
 der care of his adoring grandmother,
 But there had come to me In those days of convalescence after the traglc hours in that sinister country house where Allen Drake. Lillian and their operatives had captured the men who promised to be such a menace to our country, q thought which ohsessed my every waking hour
 Have been too thoughtful of my son at the expense of his father Does part of the fault of our unhappiness lie in the fact that I have made Dicky pay the penalty of his neces- sary work in the city, alone ?'
 Although I did not talk this over with any one, though Of it almost every hour of my brief convalescence. For 1t was not many days before was up again--a bit weak and some times woefully dizzy-from the shock ing blow which had come to my head when Harry Underwood had seized me and had swept me into the eleVa- tor behind the draperies in that music room.
 \ Quiet Home
 That Harry Underwood had saved my life that instant when tho bullets began to fy in the great room so un- 1 e1pectedly plunged into darkness. i there was no denying But that l had nearly lost my life by the accidental striking of my head against the iron grillwork of the elevator. my poor head for days proclaimed whenever even turned over on the couch the doctor insisted I should not leave for nearly a week after we returned to the farmhouse and I was given into the tender care of Mother Graham,
 Lillian had gone with Marion for a f brief soiourn in the Catsklll noun tain homo of Robert Savarin's sister, Tom Chester had also departed | against the solictious insistence of Dicky. Royalty repentant as nicky is whenever he has once convinced him self he is wrong. Dicky had made Tom Cbester,s going almost as emharras- sing as he had made his presence in our home. when he discovered that Tom Chester was there. So our little family had been alone--Mother Ora ham. Dicky. Junior and land had been made ideally comfortable by grateful Jim and Katie, for days be- fore I made the decision which brought me to the city wiht Dicky.
 How is Leila Lpoking:"
 It was somewhat of a relief. how ever. to be free from tn. seemingly neverending words of thanks with which Katie showered me, after she had survived the first terrifying shock of my being brought home on stretcher Even her relief that Joe was gone--the man she had known in her old home in Poland and who had such a superstitious hold upon her imagination that she believed she could never again be happy even with her beloved "Jeem' m'--seemed engulfed by her terror lest I should not sur vive that Dot man Joe he put on my. dear Meesis Graham
 The shrilling of the telephone in the little hallway of the apartment brought me to my feet and scurrying to answer it's call But as I went, asked myself irritatedly:
 Why are the telephones of many small apartments so close to an egg shell door on a dividing wall that any one passing on the stairway or with an ear to the thin partitioning wall of the next apartment can hear everything that Is said, If she wants to listen?'
 But all captious thoughts were ban ished by the lit in Dicky's voice which came to my ears when had taken the receiver from the hook with a perhaps-irritated "Hello--yes?"
 Why the peeve, oh, princess of the breath" he chuckled. and I knew that Dicky was in one of his outrageous teasing moods.
 I am breathless at tne thought of at least hearing the voice of my liege lcrd for which I have fungered all day long,
 "F'iddlesticks 70 he chortlod, If - the run across that tiny apartment { which you wished yourself into takes { all your breath, I'll begin to suspect that you need to bant bit, my darl- N Ing Now--now--'' he did not give l me time to gasp what he well knew was seething on my lips. "--oh. love y lady of the sylphlike form, let me | live but to speak these words that ! tremble on my lips this instant and I you will absolve your humble"
 Speak !' I laughed at his arrant y nonsense. ''Alf and Leila are in town," he was bubbling now, and they've U booked us for this evening dinner, y 'how and supper, If if pleaseth thee. What say?" That will he delightful" I slowly ~ aid Strange that should have I, been thinking of them not ten minutes :, Igo. Where do we meet and when" "Seven-thirty at that quaint little :, estaurant where they have those de- , icious steaks, and----' 7, "Oh. you mean that funny place n where last time they almost let you F nix the salad' l. Sweetheart mine" Dicky's voice vas quizzical. but still without edge F | what feared was an unfortunate " eference-for good as is the food h erved at this particular eating place, n, he waiter had, he last time Dicky A nd 1 dined there almost ruined 4,