The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-05-26


Flossie would always be there to keep
Cary from sliding out from under.
st was lucky day for Cary when
he married his Baby" he said to
Cynthia when they were driving back
from the inspection Of the new home.
Miss Mona refused to accompany them
and the Captain had stayed home to
keep her company. Flossie and Cary
rode in the latter's disreputable car.
II shouldn't wonder at all If she
turns matchmaker. marries off our
first wife and so rids Cary Of the
alimony."
Cynthia assented soberly. 'Flossie
is a dear! It's smart Of her to move
Cary into home of his own, even If
it's only one room. It'll give him
some responsibility for the first time
in his life"
"Will Miss Mona be upset about 1t
long, do you think?" he asked little
anxiously.
"Oh, no. It's the first break in the
family and naturally it hurts her. But
she'll get over it. Miss Nona's dis
position is so sweet" said her daugh-
ter. shat nothing upsets her very
long"
= -
The dreary and uneventful January
that Cynthia had feared was broken
by two events: the arrival Of Mrs.
Ensloe for a visit, and the Captains
death.
The one preceded the other by ten
days. Miss Mona looked up from her
morning mail with an exclamation of
pleasure.
"Eunice Is coming to Denver! Geoff,
your mother Is coming! But of
course you have letter. too. She
says her book is finished and she's
rather at loose ends now and she
She was quite flushed with delight
over the announcement. She told
them several incidents of her child
hood, and Cynthia smiled to recognize
in Geoff his mothers own decisive
ness and quick formulation Of plans.
Geoff himself was divided between
delight and apprehension at the pros
pect of his mothers presence in the
Cary house. He longed to see her,
but he feared her accurate analysis
of the situation here, the blunt frank
ness Of her speech.
He need not have worried. Mrs.
Ensloe knew Miss Mona of old and
only listened with indulgent amuse-
ment when her friends gentle i'm
practicability was to the fore.
She arrived early one bitter JAN
uary morning. Geoff, who had gone
to the train to meet her. endeavored
to prepare her on the way home for
what she would find.
81 wrote you Cary and Flossie have
left" he said. "Aiiss Mona hasn't
got over it yet But Flossie's sensi-
BILE little thing and it was the wisest
possible action-taking an apartment
of their own"
Mrs. Ensloe looked at him and
smiled. you're head-over-heels in
the family affairs. aren't you, Geoff?"
He grinned "They have sort of got
me-" he acknowledged "Their prob
lens and conversation are as inter-
esting as a play. You wait-you'1l
find yourself involved. tool"
And soon Eunice Ensloe was ad-
hitting the truth of this. Whether
It was the Cary charm, or the unusual
ness of the household, or the sus-
ceptibility of the onlookers. sooner or
later most people who had anything
to do with the Cary-Aylesbury con-
nection found themselves swept into
the current which moved them.
Doctor Bigham was an interesting
example Of this. A widower of two
years standing. he had known Miss
Mona all her life. Cynthia's illness
had shown him her mother at her
best. He still drew down his bushy
lessness in money matters. but 1t was
a frown now tempered by a smile
which was almost tender. He made
Tenny an excuse to call frequently
at the house. To be sure, he was as
likely as not to drop in when the
child was at school, but neither he nor
Miss Mona appeared to regard that as
important.
Elsie Dunsmore was another who
thought of the family's affairs as her
own.
Cynthia" her anxious voice might
say over the telephone. II see where
those Dedham bowls your mother was
wishing for are on sale at that little
pottery shop on Arapahoe street to-
morrow at an awfully low price! Shall
come down half an hour early and
get her one?"
The first time Mrs. Ensloe found
herself knitting her brows over the
problem of Marguerite's habit of
leaving the milk on the back porch
until it froze and burst the bottle, she
Law back in her chair and laughed.
You Carys." she said to Miss Mona.
"There's something about you that
makes everything you say and do i'm
portant. l really came out here to
60 To-