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Show I 1 Remarkable Adventures of Mary Zeal A New .M.l! IZJ I In the first place he was sitting on , Mary Zeal's own particular bench In the park. In the second placo, Tradition, which denies womankind a sense of humor, hu-mor, gives her the lachrymose monopoly, and when one comes suddenly upon a masculine person Infringing upon this privilege something has to be done. Mary sat down at, the oilier end of the bench so unobtrusively that hor presence pres-ence couldn't have been resented by t he ' most sensitive of downcast gentlemen. She made swift deductions. He didn't look like the sort that would woep about business troubles or an unfortunate love affair, while a. rose cravat refuted the theory of bereavement Now, what clso would make a square-chinned man so doleful? A woman has so many nice little lit-tle things to cry about, but a man "I don't want to seem Inquisitive. ' ventured Mary, "but I won't pretend not to have noticed when I came along that you were distressed about something. Would you care to tell me about It? Sometimes It helps a lot." "Yes," admitted the young man. as he saw genuine sympathy in the girl's face. "It's neither a romantic story nor a now situation. Simply a clash of tempers between be-tween my father and myself flvo years ago. I'vo been knocking about Europe over since, feeling myself the Injured party and all that. Wc arc both stubborn, stub-born, and at last, regretting my own part or ..no quarrel, j name homo to tell him eo. But my father absolutely refuses to even seo me- Not a half-hour ago J was refused admittance to his door. You can sco the red tilo roof of the house from here." Mary gasped. Jonathan Graham s palace! pal-ace! "I know him too wll to hope, after that, for a reconciliation." went on young Graham. "He never nets on Impulse." "If you could just see him. encouraged encour-aged Mary. "a. five-minutes' talk would make everything all right." "Yes," said the young man, "but It would bo easier for me to get an Interview Inter-view with the grand lama of Thibet than with fathor." "Nonsense!" declared Mary. "Why, a book agent can got lo any man In America, Amer-ica, if "the book agent has pcrsoveranco. All vou have to do is to use your wits." "What, would you suggest? Try to sec him again? To be turned away si second time from that door " "Will you trust me to carry out an Idea I have?" she demanded. "Then come up to my grandfather's apartment in the Begonia this evening and we'll talk some more about it. Though I can't tell you about the scheme until It's all over!" Jonathan Graham read tho note over again with growing amaxemonl. It said: He didn't Ionic lllco the nort ttLat tronld weep about 'biurinejBi troslilca or c TLnXortuxLutc love uTalr. "Dear Sir Jf there's one thing that lakes tho zest out of Hl'o besides tho loss of HOPE. It Is tho loss of CURIOSITY. Have you lost your's? Everything that more money can buy you probably have purchased. Money won't buy what I have outside in a package. It's something vory nice. Should you miss this one opportunity oppor-tunity for satisfying your curiosity you may regret it. By tho power of suggestion sugges-tion this should start your imagination going. 'What could have been In that mysterious package?' will haunt your mind when it Is too late. AH the wealth at your command won't solvo tho prob-lcm prob-lcm should you rcfuso mo an audience now. Mr. Graham, don't you want to know what Is In the packago? "(Signed) GIRL OUTSIDE" "Henderson," roared Jonathan Graham. "tell that person " Now, what could any dignified man toll such an impertinent imperti-nent minx! He'd send no message at all. Simply have her sent about her business. Evidently some new dodge for wheedling money. Well. If anyone thought to trade on Ills curiosity, ho thanked fortune, ho hadn't any. "Send her away!" ordered tho multl-milllonnlro. "Yes, sir." said Henderson, starting to carry out the order. ' Oh. Henderson!" with exaggerated In-dlfTercncc. In-dlfTercncc. "what sort of a. package did tho young woman have In her hand?" "A large packago, sir. A very odd-shaped odd-shaped package, I should say." o "Jt wasn't a. child, was It?" "No. Indeed, sir. Qulfe the contrary." "What do you mean by 'quite tho contrary'?" con-trary'?" "It was too square, nnd then sort of i flared, out at tire top, sir. "Very peculiar." pe-culiar." "You wondered whnt was in it?" "Begging your pardon, sir,, but I did." "Well, you should never be curious, Henderson. It's a very bad trait In anybody. any-body. 1 desplso curiosity. It steams open other persons' letters, puts- cars at keyholes and " Ho took up the note again. "Um-m, as I was about to say, Henderson, show that young woman wo-man In." When Mary Zeal entered, demure and charming, Mr. Jonathan Graham was surprised. This wasn't tho adventuress type for which he wa3 prepared. "Put the ah package on the table, Henderson." he directed. To Mary he said, In his most courteous manner: "Won't you sit down? I admit that I am a victim of curiosity, not, as you Imagine, because of what lino of goods you may have to noil In thai bundle, but to see tho writer of tho clever advertisement adver-tisement by which you sought to gain my attention." "I'm not an agent," said Mary. "I'm your fairy godmother In disguise." "Indeed?" queried Mr. Graham. "What do you think you can do for mo?" "Amuse you, perhaps," she answered. "I should Imagine you were very lonely In this big house alone." "Arc you a settlement worker among the deserving but unfortunate rich?" he demanded, with a whimsical smile. "It would be a field rich In opportunity." opportu-nity." parried Mary. "You arc a funny little thing," commented com-mented Mr. Graham, gazing at tho elfish young porson with undisguised enjoyment. enjoy-ment. '"I suppose It must seem odd lo you to meet some one who Isn't one bit afraid of you," she axplalncd. "I think you're quite a nice man only, you should follow fol-low your pood, kind Impulses." "How do you know 1 have kind impulsesor, im-pulsesor, if I have, that I don't follow thorn?" "That's merely my impression," she said. "And now! What's in the package?" Mary swiftly tore off the wrappings. "Why!" she cried, In genuine disappointment, disap-pointment, "It's only a phonograph!" "It has very unusual qualities." Mary said complacently, examining tho records "Oh, I'd Just as soon buv another," he smiled good-naturedly, "though I have several. I will say you have mq fooled. I congratulate you. young lady, on youi enterprise. If your firm doesn't treat you right I've got lots of good positions always open for hustlers!" "Thank you." said Mary meekly. "But before we close the sale I want you to know more about this phonograph!" "All right," tho great man consented. His lonely evening had been most agreeably agree-ably broken Into by this audacious girl. Mary sllnuod a. record on. 11 couldn't have been the extraordinary quality of the volco that burst forth after tno preliminary "Grrrrrh" that caused Jonathan Graham to start out of his chair. It was tho volco of tho average young man singing a familiar college song. "Why, what's tho matter?" asked Mary Innocent ly. "Nothing. Just a trifle nervous. Take that record off and try something else." "I suppose you nro accustomed to kucIi good music anything like that grates," she observed. "But here's a . record I made myself that Is, J was in Uw position posi-tion of listening to a very sad outburst. It's so true and so human It makes a wonderfully Interesting story. I'm sure "Frtmlc I" -whispered. JonntUon Graham, Kranplnc the tivmn of Mb chn.tr. you will agree with me that It's remarkable. remark-able. Listen." "After leaving you this morning I went back and waited near tho house m seo If I couldn't at least got a distant glimpse of father. Just to sec If he was well and happy. Then I thought I could go away oaslor In mind, if not In heart " "Frank!" whispered Jonathan Graham, grasping the arms of his chair. Ho forgot for-got Mary Zeal's presence. Ho listened breathlessly to every word In tho well remembered voice. On and on went the voice. Sometimes it was relating an Instance of his father's klndnoss. tho Indulgences to him as a bnv tho little larks they 1 gether. pleasure Jaunts. -ilK panlonship up to the fail? stndlng; his own deep r his share of the quarrel; aSf tho hardships of those flrsfW years away from home, 'tl it humorous turn In the tel gradual winning of n suo t honed would bp approved V or. Now nothing mattered f "My poor III tie boy." rfi i ham. brokenly. He sat i In his hands, rocking bacj jl ..,'.'Mr- 9ra,,fim'" recalled! it 1 m going now. But II 1 know, first, that vour sonll edge of this. I have dono 'f responsibility. I just thou 't to know how he felt abc (' "I don'l know what to Graham. "How can I ba ,1 Isn t a clever ruse he hns.'a I around me?" nP gava e- , man! $ V "Mr. Oraham.' said 3W i" even think such a thing 1! If time, upuble and thoughts 4 you! i our yon came una father's last evening. I dejfj out his confidence, and, unr had placed my phonograph'.!' rccorda behind a Bcreonlw' Just felt vory sorry to ncofiln' hearted at your attitude! please. You mav have th h play over when he's back In y where. He's going tom'oi , "Tomorrow?" he cried "Where can I get. hold oft f "He's at the . WolL f Thanks for your patience; I probably has gone, 0pjj; ,i nograph tomorrow, if voaTi I "Oh. you muBt wait tl up here or it wouldn't b the boy!" declared Jonath t: forgive or am forgiven t I give both of you my btej I a flamed lucky chap " w ! Mary's peal of mirth IriU "Oh. dear man! Don'tJ boy off again by nnyj I schemes." m i Having assured Mr. Gra Interest in his son was no $ of a sentimental nalure.-i? t homo In tho Graham broil i sat back In the carriage sli bo It was because suchffj young man didn't coino un exacting idens. |