The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-01-02

hearty laugh, that I ought to reduce
Bit"
Lang smiled again as he recalled
the immense bulk of the speaker.
Surely DR.. Grant had no petty vanity
since he could laugh at his own
figurel
A minute later there was the sound
OF car driving out of the garage.
Then Ruth appeared in the doorway.
some letters in her hand. She was
sorting them as she came out.
The Mail
Three for you and three for me-"
she remarked. handing him his mail.
He glanced at tho envelopes. The
topmost one was addressed in his
mothers handwriting and bore the
name of a fashionable hotel on the
! Maine coast. OF course, Ruth must
have known from whom this letter
was-even II she had not troubled to
give 1t a second glance.
ut Is evident that my mother has
received my communication of last
Sunday-or rather your communica-
| ton" he remarked.
She smiled but made no reply.
! The next letter was typewritten
and had on it the imprint of his
bank. The third was Enthusiastically
| from a woman. The flap of the en-
velope was decorated by an unbiased
/ gold monograms IN which the letters
~. W." were intertwined.
II see that our bank president has
honored me with letter." Lang
said awkwardly, then despised him
self for trying to make idle CONVEX
sation.
But again the girl did not repiy.
She was already turning back into
the house, her gaze fastened on her
own mail.
CHAPTER XIX
| Kenneth Lang opened Henry Dob
sons letter before either of the other
epistles. He had vague sensation
of deferring possible. unpleasant
ness as long as possible. The pres
ident of the bank wrote kindly, ex-
pressing the hope that Lang would
take care of himself and not try to
get we'll too fast
He besitated before opening his
othor mail. Which epistle should be
read firstf With a swift movement
he tore open the envelope addressed
by his mother
But he did not read the contents
swiftly. Instead, he perused them
slowly, taking In every sentence.
reading between the lines for the
something he had learned to seek in
his parents carefully worded letters.
/ Her Concern
She expressed concern and regret
at his accident. 1t was particularly
unfortunate that it should have hap
pened in a small place like Southold,
where, she inferred, there was no
decent hospital, otherwise he would
be In one instead of staying with
strangers. OF course. he would be
moved as soon as possible.
| That is to insure my making my
getaway promptly" the reader NUT
tered She always suspects some
thing!'
Her next paragraph showed him
that she did indeed suspect some
thing"
II notice that your amanuensis is
a woman, Kenneth read Possibly a
trained nurse, for I suppose that one
Is available even in such forlorn
spot as that In which you-poor lad,
now find yourself. In fact. I know
that you would insist upon having
| a trained nurse. Your sense of fit
moss would not allow you to receive
attention and care from any woman
| who CHANGED to be your hostess in
your present dilemma. Yet / observe
that the initials signed after your
name are "R. c.
"As your address Is in care of Or.
Samuel Grant. 1t may be that his
wife has offered to write to your
mother for YOU. 1 take 1t as a
matter OF course that she is mid
dle-aged or elderly woman. Other
wise, you would not accept her SER
vices. And yet-her handwriting
| looks like that of girl-for some
reason. The women, who were girls
80 years ago, do not write in just
that style. Yeti know your good
taste would deer you from debating
to a young girl letter for your
mother.
Instruct iOns
"As you insist that you are improy-