The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-02

try to be contented and happy,
Mr.. Barr. OF course, want to
proect mother"
"That lis another thing, Sally"
Courtney Barr interrupted in an al
most gentle voice. you must try
to remember not to refer to Mrs.
Barr as your mother in the hearing
Of any one-any one! If we are
going to protect her, we must begin
now"
Eyes, sir" Sally bowed her head
lower so he might not see her tears.
Both Mrs. Barr and I will drop
casual remarks about my pretty
young ward in school down South,
until our friends have become ac-
customed to the idea. You will be
registered as Sally Barr, a distant
relative Of my own, and my ward.
1t is even probably that it would
not be unwise to have you with us
for a short time next summer. We
have an estate on Long Island, you
know.
"As my ward and as my distant
relative, you would not be particu-
larry conspicuous, but our friends
would meet you casually and be the
less surprised when it became
known that Mrs. Barr and had de-
cided to adopt you as our daughter.
All our friends and acquaintance
know that it has been a great grief
to us that we have no children, ana
believe our action in this matter
would occasion no great surprise.
The adoption itself will take place
before your eighteenth birthday,
while you are still in school. If there
is any newspaper publicity, it will be
Of an innocuous kind, hope.
Naturally I shall take care that
any newspaper investigation will not
be able to go back Of the story I
shall prepare very carefully, and If
there is any hint Of scandal. at all
it will inevitably reflect on me and
not on your mother, as I have al
ready pointed out. After your
adoption and your graduation from
the finishing school, you will, of
course, take your place in our home
as our daughter, will make your
debut in society that fall, and I
hope, be very happy with us and
in your new life"
Sally sat very still, her eyes wide
and blank, while her bewildered
unhappy mind tried to picture the
future which Courtney Barr was
outlining for her. At least she
shook her head, as if to clear away
the mistS of doubt and bewilder-
ment. Her mother had taken Sally's
little lax, cold hands and was cud-
ding them against her cheeks,
bringing f1nger-tip to her lips
occasionally.
Poor babyl And-poor mother!"
Enid whispered brokenly. and the
spell was broken. The hard lump of
and resentment that
had been aching in Sally's throat
since Courtney Barr had begun to
speak, melted into tears. They wept
in each others arms, while Ends
husband walked impatiently up and
down the room.
When the storm had spent itself
Sally remembered David again, and
pain and fear contracted her heart
sharply.
did you see David, Mr.. Barr?"
She sat up and dab )ed at her wet
cheeks with one Of the exquisite
sheer linen handkerchiefs which
Enid had given her.
"Oh, yes, yes!" Barr answered
quickly. IT managed his affairs
very neatly. Rand, the district at
torney, personally attended to the
quashing of the charges against him
and it cost only $1,000 to get Car
son to issue a statement to the
press that he had really seen moth
ing compromising between young
Nash and yourself. He also admit
ted that the boys anger had been In
a measure justified, that the, as
sault had been provoked by his
own mistaken charges against you
and Nash. The boys reputation is
cleared now and he can go back to
college this fall. also saw his
grandfather and persuaded him that
the boy had been a hero rather than
a blackguard. Young Nash is at
home on his grandfather's farm
again, so that incident is success
fully closed"
Gratitude brought Sally to her
feet. THANK you, Mr.. Barrl
You've been wonderful It won't
be SO hard for me to be away at
school if know that David is in
school, too. I wrote him tonight,
but I'll tear 1t up and write a new
letter, telling him all about every
thing and how. happy I am that
he's free Of those awful charges"
mo, Sally" Barr interrupted,
frowning. "Your mother and are
agreed that you must not write to
young Nash, that there must be no
thought Of an engagement between
you"
Not write to David?" Sally
echoed blankly. "I love David, Mr..
Barr, and I always will. It's not
fair to ask me to promise not to
write to him."
II already have his promise not
to write to you," Barr told her i'm
placably. "He understands the
situation. agrees with your mother
and me that your past must be for
gotten as quickly as possible. You
are entering upon a new life to-
morrow when you leave for Vir-
ginia with me, a life that will be
totally different from David Nash's.
You will-though you don't seem to
realize it-be an heiress to great
wealth some day"
t'You told him thatl" Sally &C
cused him hotly. "You told him
he'd be a fortune-hunter if he tried
to marry me when I'm Of age! Oh,