Show bed book merica's he best toman V 1 I CE 7 ti GERTRUDE ATHERTON Continued I cant can't say Ive I've been interested enough to tr try Janet informed me that they were going the pace be because because because be- be cause they couldn't hold the tho men any other way But I fancy tancy its it's merely a lI part of ot the general unrest I which Is the usual aftermath of war This was a avery very long war and the young seem to have lla made up their minds that the the- theold old who 10 permitted It are bunglers and criminals criminals criminals crim crim- and idiots and that it Is s up to them to demonstrate their con tempt And what vh t good do they think that will do them Mrs Oglethorpe's Oglethorpe's Ogle Ogle- thorpe's face and Infection betrayed betrayed be betrayed be- be no sympathy with the Younger Generation You roii dont don't suppose they worry their little heads with analysis do I you Somebody started the Idea I and the tho rest followed like followed like sheep No o doubt it had it ita real origin Inthe in inthe inthe the young men who the fighting fighting fighting fight fight- I ing and saw their thell c comrades do the dying and all the carried off oft by the old men who ran no risks They are very bitter And women women generally take their cu cues s from men little as they suspect It However whatever the cause here It Is and what to do about it Ive I've no more idea than you but I should think I It would be a good Idea for Jim to I take tako her abroad for a y year ar I dont don't s see se e Jim giving up his I clubs and sports and tagging around the world after alter a flapper He never took himself very very- seriously serious serious- ly as aSa as-a a parent still he be Is really really realy real real- ly y alarmed Ate Ace you going to marry Marian Lawrence Do you think think- engage Id m myself SeH to anyone without telling you first of all Better not net Are you In love with h her er No Im m told you were were devoted to her at one time That was one of tho times when I I saw little or nothing of ot you ou I Ive been devoted to quite a number of girls first and last ast but theres there's really been nothing In it on either side I know what youre you're driving at Shoot Yes Jim s sid said ld ne he told he-told told you Well Ive I've changed my mind Janet's a little fool perhaps perhaps worse Not half good enough for you and would devil the life out of ot you before you vou I got ot rid o of her In self Eel Let Lether Lether Leti i her ho hoe her own w. TO-w. row How about 1 I that writing person Gora Dwight i iI I you ou and Din are always talking about I Never been the ghost of ol a flirta flirta- tion She's all Intellect and ambition ambi ambi- tion I enjoy going going- there for tor Im I'm almost a as much at home with her heras heras heras I as I am with you Ha ha Harmless I hope she's as I flattered as I am There remains Anne Goodrich She's handsome I IAnne tru to tier traditions in every way Marian Lawrence is a hussy husy unless unless unless un un- un- un less Im I'm mistaken and I usually am amnot she not not she has talent and she has cultivated her mind She will have haye havea hayea a fortune and would make an admirable admirable admirable ad ad- mirable wife in every way for an n ambitious and gifted man man More rore pliable than Marian too Youre You're as tyrannical and conceited as allour all your our sex and would never neer get along along- with any woman who wasn't clever enough to pretend to be submissive while twisting t you vou aroun around her lit littIe little lit lit- tIe tle finger I rather favor or Anne Clavering was beginning to feel uneasy What was she leading up to o Who next But he replied with witha a humorous smile De Dearest rest Lady Jane why Jane why are you you- suddenly determined to marry me off oft Are Arc you anxious to get rid of me Marriage plays the very devil with friendships Only for a year jear ear or so Arid I 1 really think it is time you were we're were settling yoUrself To tell you the truth I worry about you you a good deal You are a sentimental boy boyat at heart and chivalrous and impressionable impressionable s although I r know you think you are a seasoned old round round- er or I Men Ien are ale children the children the cleverest cleverest clever clever- est of them them them-In in a sch scheming ming wom womans woman's ns n's hands But I dont don't know lenow any scheming wom women 1 and I am really not as ir irresistible irresistible irresistible ir- ir resistible as you ou seem to think Besides Besides Besides Be Be- sides I assure you I have fairly keen intuitions and should run from any unprincipled female who thought it worth while to cast her nets in my direction Intuitions be damned They haven't a chance against beauty and finesse Do not men as clever clevel as yourself make fools of ot them them- 1 selves seles over 0 the wrong woman every everyday everyday I day In tho the week The cleverer a aman aman man Is Is the tho less chance he lie has for lor there Is that much more to play playon i iOn on en by bya a cleverer woman It would be just like you OU to fall In love ove with a n. woman older than yourself j and marry her herFor herFor her her- i j For Gods God's sake Jane cut out I m my fascinating self It Itis is Is a subject subject sub sub- th that t bores me to te tears rs sub sub-I Fire I away about Janet How liow long has r she sho been shut up What will Jim do 10 next do my best to persuade per per- I suade him to take her around the world H He enjoy it himself for there thero are ne clubs dubs In In every port i I and some kind of ot sport Ill I'll look f him up tomorrow I Mrs Ogle Oglethorpe horpe gave him a sharp look but surrendered When he j I shouted Jan Jane J n at her herin In precisely t tho the same tone tonea as h he often oHen exploded Jim im to her son she found her her- I s self t suddenly in a mood to deny f him nothing g. g I I They went up to her sitting setting room to spend the the ther r rest st of ot the evening It was a large rge high room Overlooking overlooking over over- looking the the park and furnished in massive walnut and blood red brocade bro bro- broI I cade a cade-a a room as old fashioned and I ugly as Its mistress but comfortable comfortable comfort comfort- I able withal On a table in one corner corner corner cor cor- ner was an immense family Bible Bibe v very ery old and recording the births marriages a and deaths of the Van Vanden Vanden Vanden den from irom the time Ume they began I their American adventures in the I seventeenth century On another nother small table in another corner was was' wasa a pile of albums the albums the lowest containIng containing containing contain contain- I ing the first presentments of Mrs Mis Oglethorpe's family after atter the in invention in- in i of photography These albums recorded fashion in I all Its stages from 1841 down to the sport suit exposed legs and rolled roIled I stockings of Janet Oglethorpe a a photograph her grandmother had I sworn at but had admitted as a curiosity One of the albums was devoted to the friends of Mrs Oglethorpe's youth and Mary Ogden occupied the place of ot honor Clavering had i once once derived derived much amusement lookIng looking look look- I Ing over oer these old albums and listening lis- lis to Mrs Oglethorpe's running I and often sarcastic comment But II although he had recalled to mind this photograph the night Mr Ir Dinwiddie Din Din- I widdie had been so perturbed by bytho bytho 1 tho strangers stranger's resemblance to the flame of ot his youth he had bad himself been so little interested In Mary Ogden that that- it had hadnot not occurred to him to that old photograph photograph photo photo- graph raph of ot the eighties and examine It In de detail talI He turned his back squarely on It tonight although he had bad a misgiving that t It was not Ja Janet Janet Ja- Ja net who tho had inspIred Mrs O Oglethorpe's Oglethorpe's Ogle Ogle- le- le thorpe's singular note On one wall waIl was a group of da daI daguerreotypes daguerreotypes da- da hideous but rare and I valuable An oil painting of ot James Oglethorpe long dead hung over ver I the fireplace fireplace fireplace-an an amiable looking I gentleman with long side whiskers whis I kers hers sprouting f plump cheeks I I a florid complexion and the expression slon sion of a a New ew Yorker who never ne shirked his civic obligations his chairmanships of benevolent institutions institutions I nor his port Opposite was another oil on painting of young James taken at the tho age of 12 wearing a sailor suit and the surly expression expression expression sion of an active boy detained within with in iii walls while other boys were shouting in the tho park Beside it was wasa a water color of f Janet at the age of ot 2 even oven then startlingly like her grandmother She had been beet Mrs 1 Oglethorpe's favorite favorito descendant until the resemblance had become too accentuated by modern divagations Uon Clavering did not e extend te 1 himself himself him him- self on the sofa sota tonight but drew a aleather aleather leather chair built for Mr Oglethorpe Oglethorpe Oglethorpe Ogle Ogle- thorpe to the small coal grate which inadequately warmed tho the large room Mrs Oglethorpe like hike many women of her hei generation never indulged her backbone save saye in bed and sho she seated herself 1 In her own massive upright chair not too close to the fire She Sheli li had td made a to time Inthe in inthe inthe the rest of the house which was lighted by electricity but the gas remained In her own suite and the room was lit by faint yellow flames struggling through the ground glass globes of fo fours de The light from the tho coals was stronger and as it fell feU on her bony austere old face with its projecting beak Clavering reflected that she needed only a broomstick He really loved her but a L trained faculty works as Impersonally as a camera I IHo Ho He smoked In silence and Mrs I I Oglethorpe stared Into the fire She i too but to tonight tonight to- to toi i was fond of her cigar night she sho had shaken shalen her head hoad as I Ha Hawkins had offered the box hox hoxter after ter I nassing ng the coffee Her face no no longer looked sardonic but relaxed I I and sad Ca regarded her I with uneasy s Would It I be possible to Divert lI ert her mind T Lady Jane he began hean 1 t r wish you youx would call calI mo me Jane Tane tonight I T would not feel so intolerably intolerably I old ald I Of Ot course Ill I'll call you Ja Jane e. e But you'll never be old What skeleton have you ou been exhuming He was in for it and might as well wen give her a lead said ab abruptly abruptly abruptly ab- ab Its Mary Marv Ogden she and harshly Oh I w wondered how you felt about it You certainly ha have hav been splendid splendid splendid- What else could I do She was the most intimate friend of f my my youth the only woman I ev ever r had any real affection for I had al already already already al- al ready seen her and recognized d herI her I suppose she has told you that I I went went there there and arid that she treated me melike like hike an intruding stranger But I knew she must have some good rea- rea son for it possibly that she was here hele on some secret political mis- mis i and had sworn to preserve serve her heri i incognito I knew she had been I I mixed UD in politics more than once j I I thought I was going mad when i I saw her but I never suspected i the truth The light was dim and andI I took for granted that some One of ot those beauty beauty- experts beauty experts had made madea I a mask for her or her skin off I hardly knew what to think so I r concluded not to think about it at all and succeeded fairly well wellin wellin in dismissing it from my my mind I Ij Iwas j was deeply hurt at her lack of confidence coni con- con i in me but I r dismissed That I too After Arter all it was her right 1 I II Ido do as I choose choos why shouldn't she I And I remembered that she always 1 did I Continued tomorrow |