Show r 11 t L ABLY ASSISTED I BY JEA j COOPER OO J Jr Jf I f rt m pl ik I N h I aa 1 s i a I t I IA A 1 t 3 y i d f e HI If Ii you have finished reading Ill IP walk up with you yon he said Copyright 1909 by BenJ B Hampton you oU notice that woman In gray DID JID Diana Miss moved her eye eyebrows eyebrows brows as a polite recognition of the fact that she had been addressed and continued to t read The one at the next table who talked all nIt through breakfast what do you think Is the matter with her Dl DI DIDiana I Diana took time for a glance at her Inquiring young cousin She Is In the New Thought Gracie Grade she said Yes broKe In Peter who was just behind his sister got the New Thought with a string around Its neck What Is the New Thought Diana Give Give It up Honey HoneyWell HoneyWell HoneyWell Well I thought said Grace that she talked as If it you were what you thought you were Peter bent beat a glance of deep admiration on his sister By Jove Tove Gracie Grade youre a 0 wonder he murmured And you got all that by just listening to a conversation that meant for you Now I think I 1 Iam Iam am Keep still sUJI Peter Say DI Dl Miss Sinclair glanced up again Did DidI I understand that you were each sup supplied supplied supplied plied with an apartment In this hotel she queried But I want to find out about the New Thought said Grace and be besides besides besides sides my room JS Is s warm and yours Is nice and cool How about the parlor suggested Miss Sinclair or the piazza or the 1 summer house or the tennis court or orthe orthe the woods or orI orI orI I I never thought to see such inhospitality said Peter but I only dropped In to say farewell Well Weil Diana said Grace In a voice of determination you know that Mr Gresham I 1 Introduced you to last night Certainly she knows him after you ou Introduced him said Peter helpfully You Tou know DI Dl he Is staying at the Hunting club Yes said Diana with polite interest Inter Interest Interest est Well I met him on the links before breakfast and he thinks you are Mrs Sinclair That Is no matter matt r You Tou can tell him that I 1 am not But I You see Di he is aw awfully awfully fully nice I 1 used to see him last win winter winter winter ter at Uncle Wills and he like old maids Grace at last had not only an atten attentive attentive attentive tive but a Ii convulsed audience She was standing on one foot and kicking the skirt of her dress with the other In tin tina Ina Ina a manner retained from childhood for moments of embarrassment but she eyed ey d her cousin and her brother argumentatively argumentatively as they wiped away aw y the tears of mirth Did you call her Mrs Sinclair de demanded demanded demanded Peter She nodded But anyone can see It In the register you silly Silly yourself I put a big blot right In front of her name so that it looks like Mrs Peter gasped Do you OU know where you will bring up young lady And I called you ou Mrs Sinclair to the clerk too said Grace Gra e who had regained her assurance now that the news was broken And if you go around correcting me Di well get our 5 t a ohms limit W that th Jiggle you said Peter solemnly Our little Grace Is a forger I 1 think Grace began Miss Sinclair with sternness and then the absurdity of ot It caine came over her and she broke brake Into laughter There Is only one thing she said sald when she had got her breath you can keep your Mr Gresham at ata i ia a distance I dont like widowers I prefer the young and fair the Jackson boy bo for choice He a widower No So the Jackson boy a er said Peter Mr Gresham a widower He is a bachelor I Good heavens said saIl Peter And AnU you are trying to put Diana off with an anold anold anold old bachelor Have you no family feel teel lug Ilg I r do wish you would woud keep still sUl re Pe reter ter Hes awfully popular Diana Dina he ha is 15 issi isso si so clever and so handsome and Diana Dials waved an impatient hand Whatever W he Is she said aid dont ex expect expect expect me to entertain him Why he must be nearly forty He is nothing of ot the kind kindSay Say broke In n Peter who had hal been doing some thinking where Is Mr Sinclair supposed to be beThere beThere beThere There any a widow Indignation sat upon Peters coun countenance countenance countenance I refuse right now to be a apart party part to anything of the kind he firm firmly firmly ly protested It Is taking a arnea mean l ad advantage advantage vantage because the man here Sit and laugh heartlessly It you will Diana I am not going to havo have Sinclair killed off In his absence You are a ridiculous pair said sard Diana But you understand Grace that It Is only because I do not intend to see your elderly friend Grace race sniffed Indignantly that I t do not riot In Insist Insist insist upon your Immediately correcting your misstatements I should advise your going away by yourself and meditating med meditating meditating on the difference between George Washington and Sapphira But DI If only think that you cu cuare are Mrs Sinclair see you would be e 1 And to this his the t e New h led us Peler Let Lei us shun It iny ms On a green bench under a spreading tree sat Diana and before her h r stood Mr G res ham He was surveying her with interest It Is strange that you dont like me Mrs airs Sinclair he said sald She looked up at him Oh by your our manner he bf answered as if she had asked the question You y ou refuse to have anything to do with m me How of ot en n have I observed you and Grace and Peter having an hilarious time but no matter how stealthy st althy my approach how my attempt to share the gayety you invariably seek the seclusion of silence Modestly I wonder on er aril atit at It You Tou Imagine she began beg n You are too honest to Jo finish that he said as she paused Besides why should I r Imagine It My opinion would naturally be that you would be glad to have me to talk to considering the scarcity of people On the contrary you never bestow a word upon me un unless unless unless less I hold you up for It ItI 7 I 1 think this time I shall refuse to be held up P with a smile Jo temper the decision In her voice The more the acquaintance grew the greater the complications She picked up her book again deliberately I will keep very still he said There was another green bench under I the tree He sat down on It and laid his hat beside him Ho He did not even look at her When she unwillingly glanced at him him over the top of ot her book he lie had his head thrown back and was gazing up Into the green branches He was very handsome Miss Sinclair found this fact getting mixed up with Sidney Laniers symphony when she he returned to her book b ok She frowned lind endeavored nd to concentrate her mind mimi on the poem Her neighbor was abnormally quiet She closed her book I and androse rose Instantly he was on his feet If you have finished reading Ill walk nov with you he said There was solemnity in his tone She smiled in spite of herself herselt sI I have not no finished reading she said I am going down by the brook Then Ill walk down there with you obligingly There are cows Frances Diana Sinclair sat down again on the seat she had Just left She aid did not know whether to be angry or not and while she was making up her mind Peters voice came plaintively plaintive I Iacross across the lawn and the panting Peter followed What hat Is It she inquired with some asperity asperIty the situation getting on her nerves It Is s that woman with the bird book explained Peter in a tone of great greit exhaustion She made me walk across three fields to listen to a Wheeler heeler and Wilson on thrush and 1 caught a little sunstroke And here was you ou my appointed protector hav ing a nice comfortable cool and happy time under a tree He dropped upon the bench be ch beside her Did she ever at tack you Mr Gresham Z he inquired She h neTer never walked Balked me across three fields said Mr Ir Gresham She only asks me whether Ive rye noticed the cloud effects her assented Peter I 1 never rook look at the clouds any anymore more I Inquire In the morning If there are to be any effects and If there are I 1 stay In i 1 used to be a perfect child of nature too I think you underrate that sun sunstroke sunstroke sunstroke stroke Peter said Diana Perhaps I lo Mrs Sinclair he mur murmured murmured murmured and Mr Ir Gresham Cresham noticed how she sha colored and then laughed Her face tace was charming when she laughed and the fact that all her laughter seemed to be against her will made It all the tho themore more mare alluring a She straightened out the th curves of her bel red lips and looked at Peter severely Where Is Grace she asked Off Oft somewhere with the Jackson Ta kid Hes been leaving ever since sinco Inc we came told me he only ran up for a days fishing How many guests are there Mr Gresham appreciated d Peters presence as s an all aid to conversation c Well ell theres Mrs She reads Emerson between meals she says you are what you think you are It true said Mr Gresham I 1 thought I was an Interesting and agree able companion and I am not Diana ruthlessly ruthl interrupted Peters demand for light on this statement Why y here Is Js Grace she he said as if It sie s1 e had supposed sup posed that young person to I I J In n China Grace and nd the Jackson Tacks on boy carne canto up U smiling Grace sat down beside Mr Gresham and the Jackson boy dropped onto the grass Caught any fish flab yet Jackson In Inquired Inquired inquired Peter No said the Jackson boy solemnly eyeing the sky I 1 believe Ill ru go to tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow morrow Its been miserable weather for tor fishing We oWe have been telling Mr Mt Gresham about the guests Peter observed after he h had waited wafted successfully for the Jackson J boy to turn crimson We be begun began began gan gun with the tho New Thought woman the theone theone theone one that helps you with suggestions Grade Gracie GradeI I 1 wish some one would help you with a few taw In the way war of manners said Grace sharply You X oo simply mo monopolize monopolize conversation It Is my one little gift I do 10 what I can with It it If I had your talents There are only half a dozen guests put In Diana with some effect of haste baste Sho She laid her hand on Peters arm and he subsided with a gentle grin at her Mr Gresham fell teU Into a conversation with Grace His manner with her was W charming and such as the Jackson boy could see without a apang apang apang pang Diana caught taught herself smiling once or twice at the badinage Ho He caught her too and smiled quizzically Into her eyes An air lr of peace pea e hung over the group Movel Tovel said saId sad Peter I 1 wish William could come on for tor the fishing William who demanded Grace Why Mr Sinclair of or course Mr Gresham paused a little In some something somethIng something thing he be was going to say Grace gave a start and glared at Peter Diana who had kept her youthful y l proneness to laugh gh at the wrong time smiled d help lessly leasly If UIt he could come on for a week weak and bring Willie pursued Peter Diana gasped Grace tried to conceal co eal her un unwilling unwilling willing mirth In the lace of ot her hand handkerchief handkerchief handkerchief kerchief Peter sat in fn pleased and con contemplative contemplative silence nce I am afraid ld said the Jackson Ja boy that t they would find it pretty poor fishing Not they said Peter promptly Why It make any difference e to Willie and his rather ather Oh Diana appealed app aled to the ills Jackson boy with sudden animation Will you yon come and show me where that fir balsam Is 1sT she said I want to get 1 some fora pillow She went across the I lawn with the th Jackson boy Mr Gresh Gresham am did not look up Say Diana whispered Peter Poter at her door that night he thought you wera were e a widow He did not say sa It in words but I Peter could see it He told me meto m e to say that he would not be ba over to tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow morrow he is groin going going to Boston Mr Gresham had been gone three days daya Diana had taken advantage o othe of oC f the uninterrupted solitude a deux to ex extract extract extract tract from Grace and Peter P Peter ter a solemn promise to refrain from all allusions to any husband departed or otherwise Now with a mind at ease she sat on the piazza on the afternoon of Mr return and denied to herself that she found It a natural and desir desirable desIrable desirable able circumstance when his tall gray clad figure appeared at the turn in the drive He cane came up the steps with his accustomed athletic stride and shook hands Diana greeted him smilingly Grace and Peter rackets in hand hand came out from the house Came Come an and d have a set after you are through talk talkIng talkIng talking Ing to Diana they both urged They were very ver fond of Mr Gresham But It seemed that Mr Gresham was not even sitting down I 1 am on my way to the village he said I really mean to stop at atall atall atall all Please dont count this one up against me I am coming over later to call Then TIlen he turned to Diana who was looking unusually lovely in her herbest herbest he hebest r best white gown with her head thrown against the high back of her chair The world very large after atter all he said It Is the proper preface It for tor saying youve met some one that some one else knows Diana forgetting her dual role looked a pleasing Interrogation Did you meet some one that we know she asked Yes I met Mr Sinclair Diana gave a start and stared her face fac growing crimson Peter murmured mur murmured murmured an exclamation Grace spoke up excitedly Why you she said sal ad stopped I 1 happened to sit beside him on the train he explained In answer to her contradiction and nd we got to talking about this place He was vas good enough to tl tell me his name and say sa that Mrs Sinclair was staying here It was rather odd It I 1 had h d supposed that Mrs Sinclair like you OU and Peter was from the west He had kept his eyes from Diana during this speech Now he turned to her again i Mr Sin Sinclair Sinclair Sinclair clair told me that he expected to run up over Sunday Tho The horror with which this was received was too patent to be Ig Ignored ignored nored Mr turned to Peter who was purple with repressed enjoy enjo enjoyment mentIll ment mentIll Ill rn make my formal call later then he said easily It is la nice to be in the hills again He lifted his hla hat and went down the steps avoiding a look at Diana The three left left behind sat ra tn silence It was Peter who broke brok It Its up to us now to do something he said briskly In my opinion said Diana you have done quite enough Now No see here Diana Peter ad addressed addressed dressed her with grieved firmness Im not going to be blamed for more mure than Ive done one I put Sinclair on that train Well you Insisted on his being alive said sad Grace Grac and now you seel see It gives me the shivers Its like Frank Frankenstein Frankenstein enstein or something You started him himm out oat and now hes going on himself Your little lithe brain Is liable to turn with this Gracie Grade said her brother looking at her anxiously You run along and play with Jackson Leave It to mature minds to cope with this problem I 1 think said Diana that I will ex excuse e excuse cuse you both from further assistance Grace swung her racket excitedly Well Nell all I can say Is she remarked that if 1 you had let him stay dead you would have hare ha e saved yourself a lot of trouble She started down the steps with a righteous switch of her skirts Diana got her hat May I ask where you yon are going said Peter but It do you any good said Miss Sinclair She pinned on the big white hat and gave an absentminded touch to the lace of at her h r high collar Then she gathered up her skirts and departed Left alone Peter devoted voted d himself to meditation As the man of the family It was his duty to straighten things out He would go down by b the big elm |