The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-01-28

There's Barbara, now"
Barbara is a child!'
Il don't know. Seems to me one grows
up pretty quickly nowadays. l don't think
that Barbara'S quite happy"
I'll speak to her" Eva's voice was
touched with panic now.
And then Christopher. Of course, he's
only a Kid. But he's twelve"
Harry, what d. you meanP What could
possibly be the matter with Christopher? 2"
Harry flushed deeper, but dOggedly to
his point. Father and you are absorbed In
your Owl affairs, of course; you don't
seem to notice things--but poor old Chris
TOPPER isn't quite. straight"
oh, grotesque! oh, mOnstrOus! Alb
surd, Harry, absurd"
He looked at her kindly, meekly, but with
judgment. 81 dare say it does all seem alb
surd to you, mother. You're so serene"
He said it as if it was a great compliment.
~Nothing's ever happened to you, either.
You can't quite understand"
can't I, Harry ?"
WELL" still with admiration, 'ft must
be difficult for you to get it-temptatiOn,
all that sort Of thing
do you think that I'm perfect, HarryP"
makes it so difficult"
He looked at her %candidly, and all her
secret life Knocked bitterly at her; how
carefully she must have played her part Of
sweet negation; how little Harry knew Of
her, or she Of Harry.
In her bewilderment she played for time.
Don't do anything at once, Harry-put up
with it a little longer. I shall have to try
and think about it. It's been a great sur
prise"
"An right. But youth speak to father?
oh, Harry-Iu try tO-but give me a
'"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have spoken If it
? hadn't been-well, all out"
With elaborate carelessness Harry left
, the room.
Eva Concerns startled mind darted to
Barbara, to Christopher. Barbara was out
2 to a dinner and dance; she would not be In
till late. Christopher was staying with
school friends; he would not be back till
4 tomorrow. Eva felt suddenly isolated from
both Of them, not only mOmentarily but az
If She had been all her life cut off from
. them; she had thought Of them always as
Just her ehildren-happy, ordinary chtldreK
And how had they thought OF her?-as
. happy, ordinary mother, so good" thaI
you couldn't tell things" to her placiC
simplicity.
!. Tn return OF Timothy scattered tn,
nightmare that had settled on Eva. limo
thy was so cheerful, so stable, 50 complete
" sqre that everything was normal, settled
b and comfortable.
OF course. Harry had spoken out Of
mood; young people were like that prob
ably he would never mention the matte
] again. He had been 80 easy and jolly wit
l. his father at dinner.
y But Eva waited up for Barbara that ev
. ening-a thing she had never done before
a thing there was no need to do In q hous
with good maids and electric heating-an
X with a sensible girl like Barbara, who 81
re ways came home escorted by a gay famil
{ party. But tonight Eva pretended to e
to bed to prevent any questions from Tim
he 0thy, then got up again and waited 70
her daughter. She felt oddly shy, strangel
=" foolish, utterly disturbed. And yet
20 She kept telling herself that there va
absolutely nothing in Il. She heard the mC
"a tor stop, ~the brisk, noisy good nights, th
" young laughter. Why, Of course it was a
I right; everything was all right. From hc
&c own room she heard the girl run upEtqlr
20 and then close her door.
g. "As I'm up" thought Eva, "Iu 60