Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-06-27
CHAPTER XXXIII

&AAAA
Stella turned into the driveway
and ran the Ford a few lengths be-
yond the old-fashioned stone horse
block and hitching post. The drive
way was wider al this point, and
she could pull out at the side. leav-
ing room for other ears to pass. II
was odd, perhaps, but that was the
sort OF detail which appeared to be
filling her mind just then. IL SEEM
ed important TO be careful about not
blocking the drive. She walked de-
liberately back TO the wide front
steps, carrying the small but heavy
bag. At the foot Of the steps she
even paused to look about at the
wide, ciose-clipped lawn and the
Towering shrubs and the great elms
and the naples and at the imposing
cluster Of tall blue spruce trees in q
corner Of the lot, their branches
spreading symmetrically to the
ground where they chung like drap-
cries. By clock-time the hour was
going on eight, but thanks to the
little legal fiction known as day
light saving. the light OF late after
noon still held, and there was a
warm, coppery glow in the western
sky.
a perfect evening"" thought Stella,
MS she mounted the steps and rang
the bell. "And what a dear old place
Ackland il. really Ham Pew was
right. We can't let these i~nterlopers
ruin it,"
A white-haired domestic answered
the bell. Stella said, Good evening,
Emma. Is Mr.. Harmer in - She re-
m%embered Emma Horne from her
own earliest girlhoOd. Everybody
who belonged in Ackland knew Emma.
She had to wait a few moments In
the long living room. sitting in one
OF the modern, overstuffed chairs
that contrasted almost comically with
the Sheraton table. the what-not or
the eighteen-forties loaded with sea
shells and china figurines, the dim,
really fine old family portraits on
the walls and the bell-pull Of faded
velvet hanging from a coil Of wire.
The present Joseph hadn't turned his
attention, as yet, as so many of his
neighbors had, 70 re-constructing the
Colonial atmosphere within his home.
Though, reflected Stella, why should
So AAS1 ANA AhAAE-HOukE MHA
not altogether Inappropriate, when
you came to think IL out, in the i'm
posing architectural h~odge-podge that
housed II. Mrs. Harmer, Of course,
couldn't be pictured rs undertaking
to change anything. She was a visit
full, silent little woman, one Of the
cowed sort.
"A slow, heavy step sounded from
hte stairway out in the hall. Stella's
nerves frightened. But her head was
clear. She wasn't afraid " Joe
Harmer. Even If she failed. il ain
she so desperately hoped to accom-
plish should 20 wrong and he
might prove too strong for her
she didn't have to live here in the
town he so adroitly ruled. No mat
ter how deep how bitter. her per
sonal sense ofloss. she could always
turn a determined, II dismal face
toward New York. The Stella Bagot
slender and pretty and still auite
young. who rose at that sound from
the stairway and stood rather tenselv
lingering the cover of a magazine on
the Sheraton table, was BY no means
merely the daughter of the kindly
but insignificant Pearce Bagot out On
what was left Of the old Barot prop-
erty by the state road. She was. in
truth, a trained young editorial per
son from New York. She represented
u successful and vigorous publishing
concern. She knew interesting and
independent and even famous people.
She was familiar with all the vari-
Gus currents Of thought regarding the
social problems OF the day. And bv
the way Of inner driving power she
was stirred by a love so deep and SO
confused that she hadn't vet, her
self. been able wen to think consecu-
lively about ii. All she knew was
that she had confessed il aloud N
the man she didn't love; and that IN
making that unexpected admission
she bad brought much that she had
thought Of as her world tumblinr
about her ears. She was, to n far
greater extent than she consciouslv
knew, set TO act crisply and strongly.
fight. She might easily turn
primitive, wen savage Joe Har-
mer, though a shrewd man. was
to be blamed for a failure to
recognize all this. After All. IN his
eyes, she stood there as Just Pcarce
bagot's daughter. who had drifted
out of the life Of the town.
He greeted her with q handclasp