Show is LADY BLANCHE LANCHE FA FAA FARM A Romance of the Commonplace By FRANCES PARKINSON KEYES t b Frances France Parkinson Kere Key Sr r rIco tee Ico CHAPTER VII 6 6 TlE T fi lot In life of the girl who has been jilted Is ls probably not very pleasant nt aD anywhere where but there Is no place on earth where It Is quite as hard as In a n small country village But nut Mary Iary went about her usual occupations after Blanches followed weddin wedding and the storm that fol- fol fol lowed It with her tier head hc-ad held hold and her back straighter than e ever r She got of course no credit for this it was set down against her that she had never ne really cared for Paul after all or she would feel fe-el It more Almost In the same breath she was accused by some someone someone someone one else or else or even eyen by Ly the same per person son son-of son of having hn worn her heart upon her sleeve for all to see If It village gossip was hard to bear however howe the family attitude was worse Cousin Jane had a good deal to say about the fate of girls who ho ran after men who didn't want them Instead of attendIng lag their plain Christian duty ditty As for Asfor Violet Iolet she became so violently nervous about the whole affair that Mary dreaded to see her more titan all the others put together She never guessed that Paul way also suffering from his mothers mother's nerves ner If you rou had the slightest consid consideration for me you ou never would have e let It happen she lamented over and o er 0 er again to her son My Iy life Is so full of grief and trouble that It takes a good deal of forti fortitude tude to bear It lt Here Is Blanche married married- You were tickled to death over o that muttered Paul null Paull I How flow can you be so vulgar gar I l I 1 tried to he bo cheerful of course nut Cut no one knows hoI how ho I miss her And Marys Mary's money would have ha come In very handy too I didn't know Mary had any money She will have hare as soon as she's one one twenty and that's very ery soon now Laura had a little property of her own and she left It all to toMary toMary Mary 1 I dont don't know as Mary Iary knows It herself but of course Seth will tell her soon now But nut this was not the way Violet Violet talked to Mary Iary She dwelt on the talked fact that the girl had not made her ber her herself self attractive e enough to Paul that she slie was always neglecting to change her dress and tidy her hair that she didn't Join with him In those little pleasures that nil youn young men like Ilke to share with their But nut Paul didn't expect to share them with mel me I flared dared Mary stung beyond endurance lie He didn't even want to I AndI An And il I guess If you rou did the all the cooking and cleaning and washing and Ironing for four peo people pIe plc and took care of two children Into the bargain you wouldn't al- al always always al always ways look as nice as you do Dont Don't you suppose Ive I've longed to be com comfortable and rested and rested and pretty whenever er Paul saw me I 1 guess Im I'm m just as human as ns any other girl girland and 1 l guess I know the way to do things just as well as you ou do Well i I should manage to do them then and to look well at the same timed time I retorted Violet every ery womans woman's duty to herself What about her duty to her fam fame family family ily If the two taro conflict Mercy Mary what a temper you have haye No wonder Paul couldn't stand It 1 1 I Im I'm sure I 1 do my duty to tomy tomy tomy my family If any woman ever dl did but I 1 keep mi m myself self up liP too If you had more system about your housework house hous- housework work you could get It done all right Its It's Its It's all nil In II the way ay you do it It Violet felt that she had bad come out ahead In this tilt Nevertheless Ne It used er cr up to have ha c Mary Ia ry so shockingly Impertinent to her as bhe said to Jane lane In elling eiling her about It afterwards ards and she did not at nt at- at attack attack tack her In this same saiDe way again Instead slip she brought Blanches Blanche's let letters letters and real read them to her tier And us lis to those these accounts of Blanches Blanche's happiness was to Mary like having salt rubbed In a raw wound wound Blanche lanche was blissful Philip was all perfect they were divinely happy no two persons had ever er loved each other so much before And so on Places and pastimes that thai had hail nl al ways been mere names up visions of delight to be sure but never ne within the reach of anyone we know were n matter r of course to Blanche Blanchc Not that Mary Mory begrudged be- be begrudged begrudged grudged her that she that she had from frum the beginning rejoiced e edly In her cousins cousin's happiness s hut didn't she deserve dserve a little happiness too Mary l was thoroughly human and she was er very Intelligent She he would have known how to squeeze not only enjoyment but out of every drop of pleasure sure that she could have bad bad- bad But Bul this wa was not the worst of It It The man whom Blanche Blanc loved lo wanted to lavish all these good things s on her while the theman theman man whom she Mary oved o had bar 81 st ne neglected and ignored d her nod lIld fl 0 at unstilted Insulted her and cast casl her from atnally er nally Blanches Blanc Sim him Mary listened ned to letters In silence allence or said m merely I Im glad she's having such a n good time In a n low voice but when Violet left her alone again n aln she al always al- al always ways sat for a time clenching and unclenching her hands dry little sobs of or agon agony rising In her throat But hardest of or harder all all harder than facing the village e gossip harder than facing Violets Violet's was complacence complacence complacence- was facing her own bruised 1 pride her ber own accusing conscience Long Longn n she ago she o-she she knew It only too well she well should have ha tol told 1 Paul that unless he mended his ways their engage engage- engagement engagement ment must end She hn had 1 evaded e an Issue which she should have met She ha had 1 been a coward Because she feared losing Paul she had compromised with right and now she had lost him after all Site She felt that she deserved her unhappiness and this was more bitter than any anything thing else except the way In which she had lost him The thought of the words Paul had spoken to her herIn herin herIn In the hall ball that night after Blanches manches wed wedding the memory of his heavy henvy breath and violent kisses branded her with shame She was rN A 1 a aa a J T 0 1 lit jp I II D Ds Dl s t l M cf Sylvia 1 I Youre You're-You're Youre You're Youre You're Not a Bit Well Are You cheapened degraded In her own owne e eyes es that any man should have dared to behave e so to her an and 1 that was Infinitely worse than being cheapened and degraded In the eyes of her family Had she after all deserved ed that too In all those dreadful weeks Mary Iary foun found 1 only two sources of ot comfort besides the wa walks II s she took tip Countess hilt hill to gain solitude and the pra prayers ers she managed 1 with shaken faith to say y The rite first of these sources was Sylvia Gray Cray She was extremely fond of Mary Iary and usually saw a good deal of her but she was not well enough to do that now V The neighborly visiting back and forth had been to a certain degree de- de degree de decree gree cree Interrupted nut Cut one ODe after lifter afternoon afternoon noon Sylvia Syl phoned phone 1 that she was having ha n a pretty good day and that she wished Mary Iary would bring her sewing and come over o to sup supper per It was as ns usual hard 1 for Mary Iary to break away from her family but she spread out an appetizing cold supper on the table covered ered It care care- carefully carefully full fully left the kettle boiling for forSeth's forSeth's forSeth's Seth's evening cup of tea and took the two little boys to the barn for their father to watch while he was milking Seth did not altogether ether approve of this arrangement but as ag usual he said little and she prom prom- promIsed promised promised to be back early She It a minute at the old Gray Cray home homestead homestead stead where Mrs Irs Gray was sitting on nn her hack k porch feeling instinctively Instinctively that this kindly woman had spoken of her less harshly than must most of her n neighbors and that thai slip she shedid shedid did not need to shun her then went down the shady shudy road that thai Ip led 1 to the little brick cottage where Sylvia and Austin lived lI She found foum her lying In the hammock on her deep df and anil sheltered piazza looking as s 's supremely lovely ely but also aIM very trail frail The expression on Sylvias Sylvia's face shook Mary for the first time tilde from the lie thought of her own troubles oure not bit Sylvia I l Youre You're- Youre You're-you're Youre You're youre you're a n well are you you Im perfectly all right But ut Im I'm afraid I shall be tempted to pinch the twins very gc gently of course sometimes to make up lip for all the trouble they've they caused me Just think they'll be he the first twins In li since the Countess Countes only Blanches Blanches Blanche's only mine are going to tobe tobe tobe I be both girls I 1 Mary shivered slivered a little Why do doI I you keep talking about having twins she asked have ha just one another boy You wait walt and sell seed But ut I didn't send for you to talk about twins Ive I've got a new scheme and I want to see what you ou think of It lt Now that David 1 and Jacqueline have ha built that splendid cottage hospital I think weve we've gone one a long step for for- forward forward ward In But ut after all I that only looks out for the thc people when they're sick or convalescent I want to build f something that will look out for them when they're well Mary dropped her sewing What do you mean menn she asked excitedly th the place In Inthe inthe Inthe the world to live lI In went on Syl Syl- Syl- Syl Sylvia Sylvia via In without apparent connection lint that Is I think so But nut I can Inc imagine that I wouldn't have ha when J I was younger especially younger especially If Id I'd been a boy There Isn't much to todo todo todo do I see said Mary Iary beginning to think that lint she did And so as long as there Isn't most boys try to find Ond something And what they find On 1 Isn't always very good for them How glow much this kind 1 wise woman saw and understood and forgave e No wonder Austin worshiped her I I cant can't understand myself Syl- Syl Sylvia Syl Sylvia via went wont on why more parents dont don't send their boys away to good r really ally first class schools an and 1 col- col colleges col colleges leges They dont don't seem to realize what a difference It would make just at the he age when Its It's perfectly natural and normal for a boy or girl to crave e excitement and pleas pleas- plea pleasure pleasure ure and activity and change Im I'm a pretty good goo 1 Episcopalian but hut I be be- believe believe lieve lIe just as many hoys boys souls have been saved d by g gymnasiums as by churches And I want that nice new cousin of yours to start In on some plans for one as soon as ns he gets home from his wedding trIp tripI I want It made suitable to use for dances and want a n billiard room an and 1 a kitchen and a swimming pool poolIn poolin poolin In It too I want Oh Sylvia no one In the world would have ha thought of this but you I 1 Did Old you ou ever er hear went on Syl Syl- Sylvia Syl- Syl Sylvia Sylvia via again a aln without apparent connection connection connection tion how wild Austin was wag when he was youn young yes I I yes I have have- have That was before I knew him But ut he be was twenty seven when I came here If It Id I'd grown up with him loving him nil all the as time time as of course I should have ha for I loved him as much as I possibly could from the first moment I ever er set setI I eyes on him and never ne coul could 1 help showing It It-I It I suppose It would have ha hurt me dreadfully to dreadfully to have ha him wild I mean menn I suppose suppose I 1 would woul have ha either mistaken Immaturity for viciousness and condemned him when he had really done nothing to condemn or excused viciousness for Immaturity and forgiven him when he should some way have been punished Either Rither would have been equally bad and equally likely to happen We Ve dont don't judge lodge clearly when were we're unhappy Of course It hurts Austin and me a little now v to think think that he slipped ever ever slipped up at all He lie and I have talked this plan over o a good deal lie He thinks It ought aught to help the lie fellows In lam lam- 1111 stead Ham m stead 1 some anyway Do you re- re remember remember re remember member that poem by Coventry Pat more Pat Pat- more that Ruskin quotes Ah wasteful woman she ehe who may mayOn mayOn mayOn On her own sweet self set get the price Knowing man cannot choose but pay pay- pay How she has cheapened Paradise How given elven for naught the priceless gift How tow spoiled the bread and split spill the wine Which spent with due du respective thrift Had lad made brutes men and men di dl- dl Vinci vinel that what were we're all tempt tempt- tempted tempted ed to do when we love a man to roan led walk straight Into his arms with without out knowing whether his arms are ready for ns its Or worthy worthy worthy-If If they're really read ready they will willbe willbe willbe be worthy That's just the point I see said sallI lary Iary very low In Indeed In- In Indeed deed And then continued Sylvia Austin had Ideals ah a always s 's even It If Ithe he didn't live up lip to them Theresi Theres There's a tremendous difference between THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Motoring through Vermont near ne r the village v of Hn te d Philip Phllip Starr young seM tat led m makes the tb lb acquaintance f ol ot Blanth Manning with whom ht be b Is immedi- immedi enamored From her ber b hi i team i of 01 o her hr h family from IrolD Revolutionary time lime Stan SlUT St be long distance from froin ble hl Blanche u t there brine being no hotel that bat h be b ID s a become becom for the Ibe night ni ht guest pul r of 0 her ber cousin cou ln Story MAry T Manning Mannin Mary receive him hi Vermont nl hospitality and nd he he b makes ni the acquaintance nc ol of her ber cousin Paul her herm fiance true inform Mary of 01 his hi bl desire lc ire to win Blanch BlAnche for lor ot bl hit his wife wile Sh tells tell leU him of an old Id Philip concerning In the Manni Manning Blanches Blanche Paul MannIng la II I Inclined to b family and nd doe does do not Dol realize Mary true worth Marya M Mary Mry ry reproach chu for or hla hi bl undue d are badly ba ly received by Paul Gale Gl I lemou mou tone long a for Philipse y hand h nd but bul mAke milte no 0 In bil hi lovemaking Philips Philip Mary HI for e ry with Blanche l la II From old records record of or the tbt Manning I family Philip wedding n sorrowful story torr ot of the tM Countess Counter Blanche and of 01 lb the peculiar culiar P curse CUM cur she Ibe he learns learD transmitted the to 10 bee ber b Pendant descendants and nd th women of o His HI wedding with witha h has That Paul Pul under lh the Influence ot 01 liquor af foe This roots fronts a Mary Mar la II when hen she reproach him lor ble hl condition and nde nd tella hila tell beri beT ber their I engagement I Is ended ended- that and not having ha any Ideals not I being able to see them yourself and anel I not having anyone care for you enough to give them thew to you Austins Austin's got a n wonderful mother So have hn your boys said Mary lary sobs rising In her throat There was no more direct allu allusion sion slon to her trouble than that No one but hut Sylvia In all Ham stead Ham stead would have ha been c clever er enough to see that nothing would comfort Mary Iary so much as to be able to 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