The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-10-27
CHAPTER I


The wedding was over. In the lit
ter of confetti that concealed the pat
tern of the rug on the floor the foyer
bore silent witness to the fact that the
bride and groom had departed. The
catering had been lavish; the wine, In
days Of supposed drought. veritable;
and the apartment, among the most
beautiful and spacious in New York,
entirely suitable for function that
had united an American family OF dis
tinction with the English nobility.
At last most Of the guests had gone
or were reluctantly making ready to
60, under which circumstances the
three elder Lovely sisters felt that
they were free to indulge their desire
for private conversation without CIV
ing the impression of family council.
"Cyril had to rush off to a patient
just after the ceremony" Lucy said.
"What did you think of it, Laura?"
'It was a beautiful wedding. l don't
believe could have improved on It,"
Laura conceded graciously.
ut will cost poor Bill-Lee fortune.
RidicuIously extravagant, I coll It,"
Lucy went on.
Louise nodded briskly. "The Scotch
blood in the Lovely ancestry is coming
out in you, Lucy. Why should you
worryf It isn't going to cost you any
thing. After all, it would have been
deplorable If this had been shabby
function. AS an international affair,
nothing else has been talked Of for the
past month. This marriage, and Smif's
stage management of it. won't take
penny out of your purse and certainly
reflects great credit on the family"
GLOW Sniff has done it on what she
has year is more than can under
stand" Lucy limited. "The very last
letter had from Bill-Lee said bust
ness in South America had gone to
pot" she went on; "every year he had
hoped he would make a killing and be
able to send Sniff something; but this
year there was just no use kidding
himself-there wasn't a Chinaman's
chance of it."
"Bill-Lee's way of expressing him.
self" Laura began, only to be inter-
rupted by Louise, struck by more than
the wording of what was plainly quo
tation from their brother:
'You can't mean he never has sent
her anything? Why. Cintra's educa-
ton alone-and this wedding! You're
right, Lucy. It must have cost for
tune"
"Oh. not SO much perhaps" Laura
cut In, Enthusiastically unwilling to
borrow trouble, 'after all, Susan
Phelps helped substantially when she
lent Sniff this apartment. think 1t
was awfully decent Of Susan"
Lucy shifted.
aSusan wasn't entirely disinterested.
It was one way to make sure that her
precious Pamela would be invited to
be a bridesmaid. She never offered
any of us such a chance. II Cintra
had been marrying a plain, every
day American l doubt If Susan would
have been so generous"
perhaps she's fonder of Sniff than
she is of US"
There's no need of specializing on
that" Laura interrupted Louise, sshe
let Sniff use it. Hadn't we better go?
Wen be the last, If we aren't careful"
"That's all right" Laura treasured
her, 'we're the family. I mean to
stay until I've seen Smif. I've never
dared to ask her, and I'm wondering
what she'll do with herself now that
she's lost Cintra."
"Poor old Sniff. 1t really is trag-
edy when you come to think of her
side Of the affair. You can't deny that
she has given up her whole life to that
child. I've said 1t before and | say 1t
again, Bill-Lee had no right to saddle
her with his offspring, young as she
was then" Louise looked at Lucy
challengingly and Lucy took up the
challenge.
Louise always talks as if she were
the only one who cares for Sniff. 1
adore her and so do you, Laura. She's
the most considerable, the most gener-
Gus person know. But neither of us
is blind to the unfortunate facts. I
shall always insist that Bill-Lee saved
her face by providing her with an oc-
cupation in life when his wife died."
"Smif's going to be awfully lonely"
Laura expertly managed to give the
effect of agreeing with both Of her
sisters. "On. dear, she was the best
hooking of any Of us when she was
baby. Why did she have to turn out
like this? It makes you feel too con-
spicuous for words to take her around
with you. You all know what l mean.
don't mind If people stare at me be-
cause I'm specially well dressed or
looking better than usual. They stare
at Sniff as If they believed she must
have escaped from a sideshow. Yet
can't you remember how proud poor
Daddy was, showing us off to his
friends2 The lovely ladies' he'd say
as If proposing toast, my four
queens Then he'd snatch Sniff up
and set her on his shoulder. And this
ones the trump, isn't sheT he'd ask /;
and every one would agree with him."