Show forsaking all others J by AMELIA rf air CHAPTER vl contin led bhe followed his movements frith yearning eyes and unconsciously tn by her imi loring thoughts he bait hesitated is he came near quick as a dart helen glanced up she saw the pale woman bending anxiously lor nard and her bejes ejes flashed in cruel tri the next momma her voice rang out in a gay challenge and she sped rapidly onward followed by har vey in laughing laig hing paus ing until they had reached the road all the seemed to leave gladys when he disappeared she leaned heavily against the window pane her breath coming in labored gasps she tried to call to her aid the pride of a woman deliberately slighted or thoughtlessly forgotten but the agony of the one deserted crushed aut all weaker emotions the slow tears coursed down her white face as mem ory pitilessly flung at her the frozen hopes of her wasted years through the haze of grief she saw harvey in every chise of his infancy and boyhood the timid baby clinging to h gown the laughing boy strut ting about with d meled hands in his first pockets the bold lad flying beld on his pony the tall youth wa king by her side and in the dark eyes of babe and boy and youth was the loving light that in man s had tailed and darkened all her days I 1 cannot bear itt she sobbed I 1 am not old how shall I 1 endure the long lonely years why must we live when joy ana hope and courage are gone sanc my poor imperfect work Is done there is nothing left me but to die oh it I 1 could overwhelmed by her despair and grief she sank halt fainting to be caught by a strong arm no no my iambi your work isn t done its only just begun god will ing said phebe her rough voice soft ened by deep feeling never give way dearie the best of life ts before you look yonder at the sun in a sea of pur pie and yellow and fed this borning it rose in clouds and there waa fain at noon it shone hot and scorching and we frere glad to shut out its rays but tonight it sinks in glory throw ang a soft light on every little cloud turning all the gray to gold bo it be with your days miss gladys the ast better and brighter than the first ay hide our face my should er and cry out youia barrow there it d hot tor the first time years ago we flared together the darkness of an un known future we ll 11 do it again my pretty and comforted by your gruff old phebe you yet will find the toad to happiness and peace CHAPT ERIt it was perhaps to indemnity herself tor phebe s victory that in the succeed ing weeks helen by her bold bourse of action seemed to proclaim herself the acknowledged mistress of the house she waited in sullen inactivity tor a day or two after harvey had sent the letter to his mother expecting to be summoned by mrs atherton for a con terence though she had 8 intention of resigning the keys the symbol of her authority without a struggle hav ing fully convinced herself that as the wife of the defrauded sharer in the es tate this authority was hers by right it Is surprising how readily the cov betous and selfish believe what they wish to believe there Is rid doubt that shylock considered himself justly entitled td ats pound of flesh despite the trifling inconvenience the giving bt it might cause antonio and his of argument has been pursued by many another though in a modified degree helen nas prepared to back up her unauthorized claim with a dozen in genious arguments which she detailed to harvey with d sweet plausibility that made him her convert in the end though some of his scruples were hard to overcome but she was a convince ing talker and knew where to stop her closing sentence always left him with a new thought that did its work in her absence gratitude is not the dominant trait of humanity and it i pleasant to be convinced that what we have blindly enjoyed as a privilege we may arbitrarily claim as a r so the days passed on and gladys gave no sign helen made vigorous vigo rods movement she dismantled the best guest chambers a suite of two hand some rooms and fitted them up luau piously for her sisters taking furniture from every part of the house to carry out her fancy why keep vacant and in the center of the house rooms that could be used to advantage 7 she ar gued in this town of short di farces tarces they never had resident guests and the chambers in the wing and on ts upper floor were quite sufficient tor the few who tarried for the night hel en s reasons were always logical and stated in a manner so copiously con evincing that in agreeing with her ar her hearers lost sight of the fact that she was regulating a matter in which she had no concern she had excellent taste and ample materials to work v ith the suite nov arranged as a parlor and bedroom which also served as day nursby looked so charming when completed that with her sister s help and man argement she extended the wor t ot renovation to other apartments every evening when harvey returned from business he was playfully dragged into some room in course of alteration and his approbation demanded b the group of happy workers it he had misgivings they argued them away it he as he u mes did they cooed and laugh d him into corn aliance the odds were against the boy there was an excy e tor aa weak ness gladys took her meals in her own rooms and never left them except tor a dally airing upon the upper balcony which her s de windows opened P ebe in her pilgrimages back and forth to the kitchen and pantries sa v all that was going on and her face grew grimmer than v but she made no protest en quid to interpret any sign in her own favor decided hat this was one of the ao 10 stances when silence meant cence no doubt mrs atherton had thought everything over and rather than totally alienate her boi conclude ed to yield at least in a measure to his just demands full surrender would come later when she realized how tardy she had been in a matter that should long ago have been adjust ed naturally she found it hard to acknowledge herself in the wrong but the acknowledgement would surely come and when it did even though late they must receive it very kindly and generously helen told harvey with the air of a very good person magnanimous enough to pardon a very bad one helen however was not afraid of Tomlin sori nor of any living being to do her justice she had thoroughly persuaded herself she waa doing her duty and thus grounded flatly refused to surrender the keys when I 1 have given an account of my stewardship to mrs atherton she said I 1 am sure she will give them into no hand but her own I 1 am ready to see her at any time my m stress 1 t strong enough to talk business just yet said phebe hastily As for the keys I 1 m not par nicular for a week or so I 1 can t be much about the house until she is well on her feet agan the thing I 1 am particular about Is to get her par lor ready for her right away and I 1 want every servant in the house to help me the room cannot be disturbed to day said helen firmly I 1 must first make some suitable arrangements for my sisters she glanced at her husband who stood a little aloof looking as awk ward as men generally do when ing as a buffer for two angry women did you not explain this to your mother harvey fully but my arguments failed to carry weight he answered with as fumed lightness hoping to win helen te a less determined mood he knew phebe better than she did and feared serious trouble if the housekeeper waa defied t think we must try and do what the mater asks sweetheart she Is seldom exalting exa eting and the fane es of an invalid should be humored 1 have no patience with sick fan ties they are born of weakness that should not be encouraged she demands an ty in her weak state she does not heed the room 1 wonder at iou harvey tor encourage ing her in such selfishness oh well well don t let ua quarrel over anything so trifling no doubt tomorrow will be soon enough to think about it he hastily replied slipping his arm about her shoulders and draw ing her to him she gazed affectionately into his face and put up her hand to meet his her frown gone he look ed at phebe smiling persuasively 1 in afraid this wilful girl must have her way won t you maka it all right with the mater I 1 m sure you can if you will to any other onlooker the tableau would have had am charm it enraged phebe she wa jealous of her mistress pushed aside and treated like a child by this pre sumptuous sump tous pair who seemed to think the world made tor them and their paltry love she glared angrily at them from under her shaggy a a is that your last word mr harvey she asked with ominous calm ness then listen to afe both of you the rooms will be ready tor the mistress in just three hours give the nurse and parlor maid halt an hour to take away their things tt anything is left after that I 1 ll 11 throw it out of the window and you from the door it you dare interfered 1 she added to hel en who had started forward hot words on her lips what do you mean by addressing my wife in that insolent manner exclaimed harvey what do you mean by disobeying the best mother a son ever had you ungrateful boyf she furiously return ed for that s all you are though you re mightily set up with having a wife and baby it you were a few years yo inger I 1 d larrup you well tor your impudence get out of my way ou ve hindered me long enough As tor this woman whose lumping jack you are shell be dealt etith later phebe never gave gladys the full particulars of the scene that ensued but tor once helen had found her match and vas forced to yield though it halt killed hei to do it said phebe she was in an awful rage I 1 tho gh shealy at when 1 called mr harvey a boy I 1 had to give her that shot she chuckled h r shrewd gray eves twinkling and it hit him too I 1 never saw him angner he vows he 11 not forgive either of us tor insulting his wife or rather she said it and he fell in with the idea gladys sighed she had gained h r point but at the cost of her boy ads pleasure she looked around her pret ty parlor with its open piano and music and books and brie a brac and pictures all lit up by the dancing flames of the fire and thought drearily that its comfort meant little when un shared by any congenial person who loved her for the next weel or so the house was ominously quiet gladys took her meals in her own parlor waited on by phebe and annette no other member of the household came to her from her windows she saw helen and th baby on the covered veranda of the south wing the woman pacing back and forth in the sun the child clutch ing at her ha r and crowing with de 1 and she yearned to hold the lit tie fellow in her arms close close io her desolate heart was she never again to be loved and lovings CHAPTER VIII one morning a letter arrived from mn leonard gladys read it carefully several times then lay back in her chair to muse on its contents all that day and the next the sabbath she v as very tho and in the after noon having had a long adle with phebe ed bianey to her room his answer was a curt note when you have sent foi mv wife and apologized tor the insult offered to her and her sisters I 1 will see you again not before meanwhile it Is only fair td warn cm that I 1 sl all resist any interference with mrs plane through a third party being convinced that she Is serving your in teresta and ours id the course she Is pursuing gladys laughed sadly at the mannish assumption of the letter helen bad rather an imposing style sue admitted she could scarcely believe that the writer was her once obedient son he had been an apt pupil very ready to turn against her at the bidding of an other A measure of contempt tor him a scorn of his weakness was making itsell felt in her heart she strove to put it away but it remained and gained strength I 1 hate helen she thought for sha has robbed me of my boy but she owes me no allegiance and he dees he should never have written that rubbish even at her dictation their interests ah you arc making a sad blunder poor in grates she ran over the contents of the hote once more then tore it into frag ments and threw them into the grate there was no fire the day h vans been unusually warm for the s and applying a 1 gated match to the little heap she watched it burn to ashes wishing she might destroy the re lection of the written words as easily phebe had i ot returned from her sun day class meeting annette was en her weel ly outing for the coming hour gladys would be alone and she longed tor she went to the w adow after awhile and stood looking at the pretty scene below the sun v as binl ing fast and the grass and the trees seemed to show a deeper green under the bur dished sky and v in greater con the groups of late flowers touch ed by its firc soon all this autumn splendor wo i d be over to make way for the white lonea winter she shiv ered as she thought of the long cold days and nights the door in the south v ing opened and harvey and helen eq lipped tor their evening ramble came forth laughing back at some one R ho accod danied them to the entrance helen had pinned a black lace shawl about her head and shoulders and in her hair shone a yellow rose the compan ion of which harvey wore in his coat it was one of her loving demands that at all times he would wear the flo vera she wore and he humored her in it he d sport a collar and bumbel it she asked phebe once said corn on this and gladys who found nothing c miss in the caprice reproved her for her ind crit cism to be continued |