Show forsaking all others by AMELIA f CHAPTER I 1 some women are born to daugh in law some achieve daughters in law and some have daughters in law thrust upon them I 1 am 61 the last category said gladys in her whim way and really louise there are times when I 1 am crushed by the weight of the unexpected boon mrs leonard looked indulgently at the dainty creature reclining in an easy chair that would have swallowed her quite but for the assertive nature of the gown that fell in airy billows on footstool and floor mrs atherton was always well sed as a pretty woman should be in her flowing draperies of blue matching the color 0 her eyes with blush loses at her breast and in her red golden hair she looked fair and young strangers would have set her age at seven and twenty perhaps but grim old time tor once giving no hint of his vicinity was checking off the minutes that must soon complete her avowed seven and thirty years of life you knew harvey would marry some day not when he was a stripling under twenty you may say I 1 needa t have consented to the match well all my life I 1 had given him everything he cried for if he cried long enough so when he wanted this new toy after making myself nearly ill by opposing him I 1 yielded as usual beside what could I 1 doa she added more serious ly he was infatuated with helen when a handsome woman of twenty five resolves to capture a boy of nine teen it is useless to try to offset her influence and there was the father you think he helped matters yes A quack doctor of no social standing swamped debt and bur bened with five daughters would use any means to see one of them ad married he of course regarded harvey as my heir and even then he had a fine situation rock ville has biown from a village to a manufacturing town since I 1 came here and well educated young men tor several sears I 1 had private masters for harvey as I 1 dared not send him away to college find no difficulty in gaining positions of trust the boy was in advance ot his age had I 1 opposed him he might have been persuaded into a runaway match he thought I 1 would forgive him anything I 1 m afraid women are not success ful in rearing boys I 1 know they are not we are too indulgent too afraid of hurting our darlings and in the end they become our masters then too they are so accustomed to being led by a woman that they surrender to the first design ing one they meet thinking her all ehe seems to be understand I 1 have no fault to find with helen in her relation to harvey she Is a de voted wife and mother exemplary in all her ways she helps the poor and goes regularly to church she is moral as well as a copy book and has a trite saeng tor every emergency she was the cornerstone of her shiftless father s household and Is kind enough to wish to be tle entire foundation of mine that is where the trouble begins Na phebe tomlison Tom linon has kept my house ever since 1 had one to keep and resents interference I 1 uphold my old servant helen thinks me weak frivolous and extravagant she has persuaded harvey that I 1 am a mere butterfly fl unable to manage my i own affairs you know I 1 am nothing of the kind yet every day finds me yielding to some ney encroachment having admitted the nose of the camel I 1 must make room tor the whole body and be crushed to the wall unless I 1 fight for tooting am not brave and rather than fight i give way but the time Is at hand ahen I 1 must assert myself or become a cipher and I 1 dread it never mind dear it they go too tar come to bew york you must do so without tear now death has re moved the chief cause of your quixotic exile mrs atherton sat erect ln her chair and looked cautiously abo it the room I 1 can hardly lealice I 1 am really tree from that haunting terror she said in a lowered tone if our deliverance ha donly come batore harvey s en ga gement everything might have been altered T he does not suspects 7 oh no how should hea phebe and I 1 are the only ones who know but you can see how many cons alons forced me to countenance the marriage and not drive the boy to ex lest worse should befall I 1 think you were wise gladys yet since harvey really is married he needs you no longer you have lived in this quiet town long enough ao you no longer entertain you must find rockville very dull helen does not care for company said gladys apologetically her health was precarious last winter ani now that baby has come she dislikes to hae the routine of the house dis she receives only side door callers her sisters and their friends whom she entertains in her own apartments at any hour of the day or even ing harvey seems satisfied with the society she provides and has lost in terest in his old associates so I 1 m obliged to floca by myself mrs leonard laughed and rose to go well try it for a few months longer then it matters do not change come to the city your money will enable you to live in good style and enter society it Is your money gladys she added s never forget that consider well be fore you make further sacrifices to an overstrained sense of duty you should never have so immolated yourself had I 1 known your intention in time mrs atherton did not answer as she walked with her friend to the door encountering on the threshold a tall handsome young woman about to en ter can you see mp now mother the I 1 newcomer asked when mrs leonard had taken her departure I 1 have a little matter of business to discuss with you gladys hated business she looked ruefully t her son wife as with a great rusti ng of crisp skirts she took a seat at a small onyx table by the window and p dicea diced a number ot neatly folded and rece apts with a brand new book whose pages were headed by various names in scribed in the plainest ot writing and followed by beamut fully shaped figures even on a check gladys detested figures harvey ad I 1 were talking over household matters last night mother began helen in the concise tones that so well matched her clear cut person allty and decided that in future it would be best for us you and me to examine the tradesmen s long drawn accounts every quarter asked gladys evidently disturbed by the suggestion I 1 have perfect faith in the people I 1 deal with I 1 know you have too much per haps our bills last quarter were very high 1 I here were additional persons in the house bab harvey brought his own court W th him said gladys smiling however I 1 have no object alon to yoi taking the accounts of I 1 never meddled with such matters in my 1 fe that is really nothing to be proud of mother replied helen with a deprecating smile As tor mrs tom linson how do we know he is not in league with the 7 such cases are not unusual I 1 aou d suspect myself than phebe said gladys her soft vo ce hardening she has been in mhd tarn lly for over thirty years and so it she takes what she con siders her regards her self sate really botner oh helen I 1 wish you wouldn t call me that cried glaays who found her daughter in law s manner unusual ly irritating why how else should I 1 address youa aaker helen compressing her full red lips by my name gladys or madam gladys it you like harvey always called me so before his marriage A mother should not be ashamed of the bt of all titles I 1 have been taught to venerate my elders gladys was an air table woman but she had a pretty one s van ty at this allusion to her seniority over the speaker she lost her temper don t be absurd she retorted there Is no common sense reason why a woman of your age should ven erate one ot m ne when you call me mother you make us both appear ri di culous one should regard the fit ness of things what shall I 1 call you thena helen steadily repeated anything but that mrs atherton will do if you really decline my grevl ous suggestion said gladys careless ly she was warming to the tray and fejt some pride in her new found cour age and now I 1 must ask you to excuse me I 1 rile at three helen methodically replaced her pa pers in the ac aunt book shall you have time to attend to this matter when yoi return mrs Atherton 7 she coldly asked gladys almost flinched the beliber ate utterance ot her name seemed like a douche of cold water before she had time to rally her forces the door was thrown open with the abrupt movement that indicates a perturbed spirit and a clumsily made woman of fifty with keen gray eyes and a shrewd plain face entered now now now mrs harvey what are you worrying the mistress she asked in a deep voice roughened by a provincial burr she s not to be troubled with business phebe be quiet I 1 m ashamed of you cried gladys looking even more disturbed than helen now covered with angry confusion my son s wife Is at liberty to do as she pleases in these matters I 1 m not saying other ways she a welcome to all you have no doubt it s her that complains of the leaks not me but it she wants to stop them show her where to begin fruit out of season and wine and cordials soon count up to a pretty penny you are insolent sald helen with difficulty controlling her anger you must be aware that what I 1 send to my father most of it would otherwise be wasted is tor dis rib ution among his poor patients CHAPTER II 11 phebe grunted bisbe but at an imperative sign from mrs ather ton left the room you will I 1 sure pardon phebe s freedom of speech helen she regards herself as a privileged person gladys apologetically so far as I 1 am concerned I 1 feel indebted to you for becoming my almoner indeed I 1 am perfectly satisfied with things as they are in all ways phebe keeps the establishment as I 1 desire it to be kept and must be left alone I 1 shall not meddle with her province and 1 advise you not to do so you have seen how she resents interference then you will not look at the ac asked helen she had corn plemely recovered her poise and was again calmly assertive no you really must excuse me very well I 1 am sorry you cons der my well meant offer interference do not forget that I 1 acted on my bus band s suggestion I 1 have no doubt your intentions were 0 the best I 1 admit too that I 1 may live extravagantly but I 1 have been used to luxury all my life I 1 like it and I 1 can afford it that I 1 think covers the question she rose indicating that the inter view was at an end but helen had still something to say and being a resolute young woman proceeded to say it and do you owe nothing to your eon and to his sons after him she slowly asked my dear father has ottea told me that he Is but the glew ard ot his children s property ae all ha hag will one day be theirs he owes it to them to limit his expenses as much as possible have you no such realization of a plain duty gladys stood for a moment it petrified then her outraged outi aged feelings found vent in a stinging reply I 1 was not aware that doctor blabe ever had a dollar he could honestly call his own she said with contempt helen turned scarlet her anger seemed almost to buffo ate her she put her hand to her throat which throbbed violently gladys shrank from her fierce look terrified at the demon she had stirred but the poor doctors daughter daigh ter had learned self mastery in a trying school and after one stormy moment was herself again I 1 thank you for kind and char liable thought madam she said calmly and with a bow left the room leaving her conqueror to endure what was worse than the pangs of defeat the consciousness that she had not acted with the generosity which usual ly characterized her every action standing at the drawing room win dow halt an hour afterward with her baby Is her arms helen saw gladys gallop off followed by a groom in un assuming livery she disapproved of this groom as she disapproved of the housekeeper and gladys own maid they were all unnecessary luxuries to the debt haunted doctor s daughter lavish expenditure seemed almost wicked the more so that one day the money which made it possible would belong by right to her children she stood looking discontentedly into the fair garden now rioting in roses waiting tor harvey s appear ance every day found her at this window ready to greet him with a smile while he was still at a distance and with her baby in her arms her beautiful eyes glowing with wifely love and motherly pride she made a pic ture fair enough to justify young Ath ertons infatuation for her she was his world and had been ever since her slow glance sought and lingered on him two years before prematurely kindling the dhimant fires of his na ture from that moment all things in earth and heaven were as naught to him when compared with his peerless helen to be bontin led |