Show V 00 L fe A ba fet Y f ayac 04 STOR 7 77 i J s Y q 30 T 0 q aly loy DOYLE L in w rw IN international PRESS CHAPTER IX A famili PLOT f ITTLE did por doctor walker im agine as he sat at his breakfast table next morning that the two sweet girls who sat on either s de of him vi ere deep in a consa r y and that he munching innocent ly at his muffins was the victim against whom their wiles were alanne I 1 patiently they waited until at last the r opening came it Is a beautiful day he remarked it will do for mrs she was think ng of having a spin apol the tricycle then we must call early we both intended to see her after breakfast oh indeed the doctor looked pleased you know pa said ida it seems to us that we really have a very great advantage in having mrs living so near why so my deara well because she is so advanced you know if we only study her ways we may advance ourselves also 1 I think I 1 have heard you say papa clara remarked that she Is the type of the woman of the future I 1 am very pleased to hear you speak so sensibly my dears I 1 certainly think that she Is a woman whom you may very well take as your model the more intimate you are with her the better pleased I 1 shall be then that is settled said clara demurely and the talk drifted to other matters all the morning the two girls sat ex tr acting from mrs her most extreme view as to the duty of the one sex and tyranny of the other ab solute equality even in details was her ideal enough of the parrot cry of unwomanly and it had been invented by man to scare woman away when she poached too nearly up an cm his precious preserves every worn an should be independent every woman should learn a trade it was their duty to push in where they were least welcome then they were mar ayrs to the cause and pioneers to their weaker sisters why should the washtub the needle and the housekeepers bool be eternally theirs might they not reach higher to the consulting room to the bench and eyen even to the pul pit bif mrs sacrificed her tricycle ride in her eagerness over her pet subject and her two fair disciples drank in every word and noted every suggestion tor for future use that atter after noon they went ng in london and before evening strange packages began to be handed in at the doctor doctors s door the plot was ripe for execution and one ot of the conspirators was merry and jubilant while the other was very nervous and troubled when the doctor came to the dining room next morning he was surprised to find that his daughters had already been up some time ida was installed at one end of the table with a spirit amp a curved glass flask and several bottles in front of her the contents of the flask were boiling furiously furious lv while a villainous smell filled the room clara lounged in an arm chair with her feet upon a second one a blue covered book in her hand and a huge map of the british islands spread across her lap hullo cried the doctor blink ing and sniffing where wheres s the break faste oh didn dian t you order it asked ida I 1 no why should 19 he ile rang tl ti e bell why have you not laid the breakfast janea it if you please sir miss ida was a at the table oh of course jane said the young lady calmly I 1 am so sorry I 1 shall be ready to move in a few minutes but what on earth are you doing ida asked the doctor the smell iq i most offensive and good gracious look at the mess which you have made upon the cloth why you have burned a hole right through oh that Is the acid ida answered contentedly mrs said that it would burn holes you might have taken her word tor for it without said her father dryly but look here pa see what the book says the scientific mind takes nothing upon trust prove all things I 1 have proved that you certainly have well until breakfast Is ready glance over the times have you seen if it the oh dear me this Is it which I 1 have under my spirit lamp I 1 am afraid there la 13 some acid upon that too and it is rathen bathen damp and tarn torn here it is the doctor took the bedraggled paper with a rueful face everything seems to be wrong to day he re marked what is this sudden enghu about chemistry ida oh I 1 am trying to live up to mrs a teaching quite right quite right said he though perhaps with less heartiness than he had shown the day before ah here Is breakfast at al last but nothing was comfortable that morning there were eggs without egg spoons toast which was leathery from being kept dried up rashers and grounds in the coffee above all there was that dreadful smell which i pervaded everything and gave a horrible twang to every mouthful I 1 baesa ft i aon t wish to 0 o put a damper upon your studies ida said the doctor as he pushed back his chair but 1 I do 10 think 1 would be better it if you did your chemical experiments a little later in the day but mrs says that women should rise early and do their work before breakfast then they should choose some other room besides the breakfast room the doctor was becoming just a little ruffled ruined A turn in the open air would soothe him he thought where are my boots he asked but they were not in their accustomed corner by his chair up and down he searched while the three servants took up the quest stooping and peeping un der book cases and drawers ida had returned to her studies and clara to her blue covered volume sitting ab sobbed and dl disinterested interested amid the bus tie tle and the racket at last a general buzz of congratulation announced that the cook had discovered the boots hung up among the hats bats in the hall the doctor very red and flustered drew them on and stamped off to join the admiral in his morning walk As the door slammed ida burst into a shout ashout of laughter you see clara she cried the charm works already he has gone to number one instead of to number three oh we shall win a great victory you ve been very good dear I 1 could see that you were on thorns to help him when he was look ing for his boots poor papa it is so cruel and yet what are we to do doa oh he will enjoy being comfortable all the more if we give him a little dis comfort now what horrible work this chemistry Is look at my frock it Is ruined and this dreadful smell she threw open the window and thrust her little golden curled head out of it charles was hoeing at the other side of the garden fence good morning sir said ida good morning the big man leaned upon his hoe and looked up at her have you any cigarettes charles yes certainly throw me up two here is my case can you catch A seal skin case came with a soft thud on to the floor ida opened it it was full what are these she asked egyptians what are some other brands oh richmond gems and turkish and cambridge but why never mind she nodded to him and closed the window we must re member all those clara said she we must learn to talk about the brands of cigarettes has your rum come comee yes dear it Is here and I 1 have my stout come along up to my room now this smell Is too abominable but we must be ready for him when he comes back if we sit at the window we shall see him coming down the road the fresh morning air and the genial company of the admiral had caused the doctor to forget his troubles and he came back about midday in an ex cellena humor As he opened the hall door the vile smell of chemicals which had spoilt his breakfast met him with a redoubled virulence he threw open the hall window entered the dining room and aghast at the sight which met his eyes ida was still sitting among her hot bot ties with a lit cigarette in her left hand and a glass of stout on the table beside her clara with another cigarette was lounging in the easy chair with several maps spread out upon the floor around her feet were stuck up on the coal tie tle and she had a of some reddish brown composition on the smoking table close at her elbow the doctor gazel gaze us x ane rne to the other of them through the thin gray haze of smoke but his eyes rested finally in a settled stare of astonishment upon his elder and more serious daughter clara he gasped I 1 could not have believed it what is it papa you are smoking trying to papa I 1 find it a little difficult for I 1 have not been used to it but why in the name of goodness mrs recommends it oh a lady of mature years may do many things which a young girl must avoid oh no cried ida mrs westma cott says that there should be one law for all have a cigarette pa paa no thank you I 1 never smoke in the morning no noa perhaps you don t care for the brand what are these clara egyptians ah ali we must have some richmond gems or turkish I 1 wish pa when you go into town you would get me some turkish I 1 will do nothing of the kind I 1 do not at all think that it Is a fitting habit for young ladles ladies I 1 do not agree with mrs upon the point really pal it was you who advised us to imitate her but with discrimination what Is it that you are drinking clara bum rum papa rum in the morning 7 he sat down and rubbed his eyes as one who tries to shake off some evil dream did you say ruma rum yes pa they all drink it in the pro which I 1 am going to take up profession clara mrs says that every woman should follow a calling and that we ought to choose those which women hav always avoided quite so well I 1 am going to act upon her ad vice I 1 am going to be a pilot my dear clara claral A pilot this Is too much this Is a beautiful book papa the lights beacons buoys Citan nels and landmarks of great britain here Is another the master mariner s hand book you can t imagine how interest ing it Is birou wp joking clara you must im fc joking nt at all pa you can t think wh a lot I 1 have learned already I 1 im in ml 96 warry a green light to starboard and 4 red d to port with a white light at the th mast head and a flare rare up every fifteen minutes oh ob won t it look pretty at nighal cried her sister 0 and I 1 know the fog signals on one blast means that a ship steers to star board two to port three astern tour four that it Is unmanageable but this man mail asks such dreadful questions at the fend end of 0 each chapter listen to this you see a red the ship Is on the port tack and tl e wind at north what cours course Is that ship steering to a point femi the doctor rose with a gesture of da I 1 can t imagine what has come over you both I 1 said he v I 1 my dear papa we are trying hard te to live up to mrs p ard well I 1 must bay say that I 1 do not admire the result lour chemistry ids may perhaps do no harm but you your scheme clara Is out of the question how a girl of your sense could ever en bertain such a notion Is more than thin I 1 can imagine but I 1 must absolutely forbid you to go further with it but pa asked ida with an air of 0 innocent inquiry in her big blue eyes what are we to do when your commands and mrs Westma cotts 8 advice are opposed you told us to obey her she says that when women try to throw oft off their hackles shackles their fathers brothers and husbands are the very first to try to io rivet them on oil again and that in such a matter no man has any authority does mrs teach you that I 1 am not the head of my 0 own W n houses the doctor flushed and his grizzled hair bristled in his anger certainly she says that all head heads of houses are relics of the dark ages the doctor muttered something and stamped his foot upon the carpet then without a word he passed out into the garden and his daughters could see him striding furiously up and down cutting off the heads of the flowers with a switch oh you darlin darling gt you played your part so splendidly cried ida but how cruel it Is when I 1 saw the sorrow and surprise in his eyes I 1 very nearly put up my arms about him and told him all don t you think we have 0 done enough no no no not nearly enough you must not turn weak now clara it ie Is so funny that I 1 should be leading you it Is quite a new experience but 1 know I 1 am right if we go on as we are doing we shall be able to say all our lives that we have saved him and T if we don t oh clara we should never forgive ourselves TO BE CONTINUED |