New Britain herald., 1924-05-10
How Leila Guessed the Plan
 Edith Fairfax Made

Edith EalrIaN Mauc
 Edith Fairfax turned to me, and there was fierce questioning in her eyes.
 .What is it?" she whispered tense Iy. and I saw that anxiety for Leila had erased from her brain for the minute. the recollection of the clr- cumstances under which last we had in other days seen each other.
 Then, contrite and broken because she had been responsible for Dickys absence from home at the time Grace Draper spirited Junior away she had worked indefatigably to trap the other woman, and had aideu Hugh Grantland materially in his successful attempt to find my bapy boy and restore him to me.
 But I knew that her never nag ging labor had been actuatcd as much by sympathy for Dicky's grief ss 1t had been by remorse, keen as that had appeared, and while l had been grateful to her, l had been distinctly relieved when she left for North Carolina shortly afterward. where ever since she had remained with Aunt Dora Paige, the nearest relative the orphaned Fairfax Sis ters possess.
 There were dozen questions pounding in my brain at this uneX- pected sight of her. Was her feeling for Dicky, of which, on one memor- able occasion she impassionedly and reproachfully--had told be, still flaming within her? Or had time and her own determination killed it?
 "Why Didn't You Write?"
 Had she listened to the pleadings of big 'Dr. Jim" Paige, the cousin fo' or five times removed"-to use his own quaint phraseology - who had loved her from childhood? Or was their relation still the comrade- ly cousinly one upon which she all ways had insisted?
 There was no opportunity. how ever, for me to deduce any answers to to my queries from Edith's looks or manner. Dicky could not forever hold Leila in bantering conversation that Katherine and I might have an opportunity to give Edith a clue to the emergency confronting her, and as Leila moved away from Dicky toward us had just time to whisper. -rll tell you later" before she was upon us.
 "why didn't you write you were coming Edie?" she cried reproach- fully. "I've been eating my heart out for you"
 T did" Edith responded quickly, 'I wrote twice since l got yours tell. ing me"
 Faiths Surprising Plan
 She broke off short at sight of the telltale color stealing into her sis. ter's thin face, and changing hel sentence with perfect composure:
 "-Of Mrs. Durkee's home coming I wrote you I would start within { week. then wrote again when found I could get away earlier. did not wire for fear of frightening you or Alfred's mother. How is she by the way"
 "Convalescing fast," Leila answer. ed, and then added with a worried look. But I'm afraid everything will be set back when she gets wei enough to come down stairs. Sh' won't be well enough 10 do house work. and she'll never stand for tn, maid we have"-lowering her voice to a discreet whisper at the las words. And I don't blame her Lucy's an awful old erouch. sh, must have been responsible for m, not getting your letters. She prob ably stuffed them in the stove tt save coming upstairs"
 This she said with a yindictive lit tie snap of her teeth. adding: 'Td lov, to get rid of her, but Mother Burke, never would let me do the worl alone, and there you arc" She spreat her hands in a hopeless little gesture
 Edith swung toward Katherine.
 How soon will Mrs. Durkee bt able to travel?" she asked.
 Katherine considered.
 How long journey and wha klnd7"
 Heated limousine from here t, New York. one day and night oi train where she does not need t leave her stateroom. limousine driv of four miles at the end.