Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-07
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myself she has tolerated anything
from"
well, that's a relief" Helen said,
with her neW-found frlendllneSS. Il 40
like to be needed. But the whole situa-
ton is so exactly what any girl would
mother is such darling. And 1 love
this house, of course. 1 never saw any
thing quite like it. AS for Patricia, l
really think I can manage her. Shes
such an-an exciting child"
Il don't know" he said, that any
girl would find herself fitting into this
household as you seem to be doing"
We'll, it's like this" said Helen. "Alf
you need to do TO be comfortable Is to
keep near people who think the same
things are valuable, and the same things
worthless, that ycu do. II you begin
having contacts with people who don't,
you get into trouble"
That's wisdom" said Ethan, smiling
1T took me long time to learn it, but
think am beginning TO now. And"
said Ethan, with a sudden fortnight
ness, Il want to apologize to you If you
will let me. have misjudged you. Will
you forgive me, Miss Helen? Even"
his eyes lighted with amusement for the
moment, even If you've tried to make
me misjudge you?"
Color and light flew to Helen's face.
why, of course, I forgive you'' she
said IF you thought was horrid you
couldn't help it, could you? And I did
try to shock you. when / found you did,
she added honestly.
THANK you, Miss Helen" he said.
1t was only when she was back at
Mrs. Birch's, sitting down to sort out
her ideas, that she remembered some
thing. Not a word had been said about
Nina. Possessed with a curiosity which
she felt was equal to Marietta's, she
ventured to ask Mrs. Kingsway, two
days after she had begun her duties
as Patricia's professional aunt, If Ethan
had seen her cousin when he was
abroad
Nina never writes unless there is
business to be attended to-" she was
able to say truthfully, land I'd be glad
to hear from her"
1t was Patricia who answered, re-
joiced to have any excuse to abandon
her copybook. They were all three i'll
the library by the hearth fire.
IF her last name Is Higginson, she
telephoned twice. But Ethan didn't
have time to see her He had to hurry
home with me.
Helen fed down the right-hand path
way Of the maze with her bright scarf
blowing behind her and dropped, laugh
ing, on the stone seat. She could laugh
again, and it occurred to her that it
was almost incredible. Only a month
and to be laughing merely because it
was a tingliNg September day, with
leaves cracking under foot and a smell
of burning in the air and a child to
play with and bring you back to the
pleasure of running outdoors!
"Oh, here you are! You aren't very
clever in your hiding places" said Pa
tricia. Helen had crouched down in the
curve of the S-shaped windbreak, near
Mrs. Kingsway'S pet walnut" which
had been the beginning of her aSsocia-
ton with the Kingsways.
II forgot. really wasn't exactly hid
ing-I was just enjoying the weather"
Helen explained. Give me time to get
my breath and we'll do it again."
Helen had found it impossible to deal
with Patricia as with a child. Most
other people had found it impossible,
too, but they still tried to do it, Helen
had stopped. 1t worked better.
Helen found that her association with
the Kingsways made a good deal of diff
ference in Mrs. Birchs attitude toward
her Small services we're shoWered on
her, and the proposition that she take
down Mrs. Birch's wall adornmentS and
put up her own things was acceded to
sweetly, instead of being met, as before,
with an aggrieved feeling that Helen
didn't like Mrs. Birch's ideas of art.
Patricia, as Helen told her. had as much
"satiable curiosity" as the Elephants
Child. Every moment of Helen's life,
past and present, had to be in her pos
session, and Helen, remembering that
she had undertaken to civilize more
than to give her formal teaching al
lowed Patricia OF allowed was a word
headed, dominant child to help her
reconstruct the little room at Birch's