New Britain herald., 1930-12-15
BEAU I ' by MATTEL HOWE FARNHAM

[ his eX-wife he has only to burn the letter or turn it over to me-
 He'd be certain to open it would think she vas sick or need ] ed money or something like that. 1 But l know she's after Sheila. ! knew she would be sooner or later
 And I won't have David upset. Hes i just begun to get over 1t this last
 year. since Mary Morton came home. Her return was q blessing" Mary Morton and her mother had gone 10 Europe few weeks after ! David's sudden marriage. The war 1 drove them to Southern California where they established themselves. ! There Mrs. Morton had died about q year after Dayid's divorce. Mary brought her mothers body back to l Cloughharre for burial, opened her old home and remained.
 ''I thought David rather avoided Mary said MT. Philbrick curiously. He did at first But I had her to dinner and Mary asked him to call. He did finally. Now he goes regl- larIy. Not often but regularly. And I won't have his affair with Mary interfered with a second time by that woman" Mrs Frost reached over and picked up the letter. You don't know what I've gone through the past three years and a half" she said beligerently; and delib- crately tore open Fanny's letter, settled her eye-g glasses firmly on her Roman nose and read it through to the end Mir PhiIbrick watched her uDcomfortably. He had never been fond Of his cousin; now only his strong sense Of kinship kept him
 from actively dislihing her.
 Its as I thought Mrs. Frost an- nounced triumphantly. She's after SheiIa: coolly suggests that Sheila should spend her vacations with her. It's a good thing I opened that letter. There's more here than meets the eye. She gives 8, strong hint for an interview. You know D8vid's soft streak. If she once got hold Of him. broke down and cried - or pretended to-Heaven knows what she might get out of him."
 Mr. Phlbrick's family caution took alarm.
 T don't believe David is as soft as you think he contended stout ly, "Dayid's hardened, matured since his trouble and poor Judson's death." But he was arguing against his own fears and he agreed to an- swer the letter on lines laid down by Mrs. Frost.
 David Frost regrets" Atr. Phn- brick wrote Fanny, that he Is un- able to accede to your request. Un- der the present arrangement the little girl ia ertrely happy and con- tent and t does not seem right or
 reasonable to upset and unsettlc
 her. She is still too young and too sensitive 10 be burdened with re- responsibilities or divided royalties. Very sincerely, etc"
 Fanny had worked herself up 10 such d pitch Of expectation, vas so all but certain that David would let her have Sheila the next summer, that she had a small nervous col lapse from disapP ointment. It was q. long time before she pulled her self out of it, A hard year followed. She filled her life as best she could
 with her friends and Garrett's
 friends. the girls where she worked, her Housekeeping the many delight ful things Garrett found for her to
 do in New York.
 Garrett kept his word, and did not make overt love to her. She vas not in lcve with Garrett, but with out him life would have been lntol- erable.
 What Fanny really wanted vas Shella. The desire the hunger for her little daughter had burst its bounds She was always thinking
 about her, always making plans 10 see her. And. lylng in bed one early morning n May, she made q sudden
 resolve David or no David, Brown Lecks or no Brownbecks, she would see SheIla-and soon.
 Sheila's birthday was next week. Was 1t possible that her baby would soon be 1D years old. How she must lave changed. What had they done 10 her? What had they told her about her mother? She
 would go 10 Cloughbarre.
 She must have the answers 10 her questions. must find out what they
 had done to her little girl. (Copyright, 19&n. by MatocI Howe
 Farnhamj
 Driven by her hunger to see Shajla. Fanny carries out her plan tomorrow. Will she succeed?