The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-06-27

who seemed to be Sw0oning, he took
the little one back to Ernestine.
And so the parlor Of the little house
was a bower for death. The gray
coffin. the room filled with flowers.
the WORKOUT shell of the woman Ernes-
tine had understood so little.
Will accepted his mothers death with
more philosophy than Ernestine had
expected Of him. The long waiting,
the clinging, had been harder for him
than the final separation. Besides, the
new little life cuddled against Ernes-
tines heart was so much more than
any loss-it was such an appropriate
compensation.
The baby had finally established
Ernestine among her new neighbors.
Slowly but surely they had come to
respect her, and now, with Peter IN
her arms, with her house clean and by
her own efforts, she found Mrs.
Schluss and Mrs. Pryor and others
showing her real affection, which she
appreciated and respected in full.
Ernestine felt that all sacrifice was
justified, and they entered into a new
phase Of life, in their own small home.
Will at the oars. Ernestine at the
helm, and the baby for passenger.
It was harder to maintain the high
level Of contentment after Lillian re-
turned from Europe and established
herself in her new home on the road,
out near Loyola. Will went across
with Ernestine one noon shortly after
their return. Mamma was there. LII
liam was charming to Will, kissing
him when she greeted Ernestine and
the baby and flattering him skilfully.
After Will had left for the Sun the
three women followed one another
about the house, passed the baby back
and forth between them, and talked.
talked, talked, all at the same time,
all listening and talking, all intent on
catching up the old intimacy. 1t was
charming. Ernestine could not re-
member when she had spent such a
happy afternoon. There was no one
like mamma-no one!
bringing a new stone-merger man
home with him for dinner. I am go
ing to put rock powder in the coffee"
Mamma kissed them all goodby, with
tears in her eyes.
Ernestine looked at Lillian and real
lied with a shock how changed she
was in the six months since her mar
rage. She was satisfied with her lot
and herself. There was almost danger
"a challenge to fate in her COM
placency. She was gentle and kind to
Ernestine, but subtly patronizing. 1t
was especially noticeable since mamma
had gone, for mamma kept Lillian in
check.
But If Lillian was changed, L0ring
was startlingly so. He seemed to
Ernestine bigger, handsomer. His
blond strength was now set in a robust
vitality which was very different from
Wills volatile excitability. He kissed
Ernestine affectionately, told her she
looked we'll and admired the baby.
Mamma had trained a maid for Lii
liam, and she served in silent COM
petence an excellent dinner, but the
bright vivacity of the afternoon was
gone. The interviewer volubility of
the three women, their constant inter-
ruptiOn of one another, their exclama-
lions and cries of establishment or
sympathy, now disappeared, and Lor-
ing talked and the two girls listened.
He assumed Ernestine knew all
about their European journey. Over
there, he said, he had got new slant
on things. 1t was a good thing for
man to get away from his desk for a
while. Now he had decided to forego
the idea of the bench and go in for
crime.
They laughed and he twinkled at
them, but all the same, he insisted, he
meant it.
1.-The judiciary qualities are excel
lent, but not remunerative-unles one
becomes corrupt judge, from which
fate Heaven deliver me! The GRIM
inal lawyer is the important lawyer of
today. He is the man with power in
the courts. 1t will be new kind Of
litigation for our office, but if 1 can
get the business / can handle it. I
went to see that Greek chap-Pastano
this afternoon, and recalled to him
our acquaintanceship and our mutual
| friends. He remembered me perfectly
and asked about you. He seems much
interested in you and Will. He's the
man to see, Tom Kelly told me, at the
City hall. He has the say about all
that Clark street colony. There's no
end Of money there and I'm going to
dig some of it out for US"
Ernestine's face was flushed. She
| could not deny her anger.
But it seems inconsistent to me-"
she said quickly, "for you to take ad-
vantage of his friendship for Will when
you disapprove so of our knowing him.
don't understand"
(TO BE CoNTINUED)
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