Show THE WAY MADGE MANAGED MR MRS DURKEE Little Mrs Durkee rose rOM unsteadily to her feet as if my words had been an electric shock galvanizing her into movement movement move move- ment merit and took a step toward me Her es e were wide with amazement With s satisfaction I saw that into them was creeping a hint of or terror Postpone the wedding she repeated repented Why hy Madge what do you you mean mean Exactly what I 1 say I returned You Youit say that h you cannot control t y your grief it ge if you o see e the ceremony o and therefore mean to stay away from it As a true I friend to both Alfred and Leila I must tell them of this That Leila lella will postpone postpone postpone post post- pone her wedding is certain Oh Alfred will vilL never forgive me if you vou do that she said childishly Dont tell lell them Madge Do Do imagine I retorted you sternly that he will ever forgive you if Ir you I I 1 either display undue grief at his wedding wedding wed wed- dl ding or r 8 stay away w from it it Oh Oh h Whit What a shall fal I cl do do sh she asked wed I wildly but I saw that sh she had surrendered dered Then I permitted my ver very real pity for her to show Itself something I I had not dared to do while she was Obsessed ob obsessed obsessed ob- ob with the idea that slie could not Ob attend her sons son's wedding Do I countered u t n Nothing at all save be yourself the plucky little woman we all know and love Why you rou didn't didn t tact act this way when Alfred Altred went to the war war war I knew that you OU wept sometimes of course but hut I never ver saw you do it It Surely Surel if IC you could control yourself in that awful time you ou can do so now Perhaps that tint is the reason I can cant can't t do doIt doIt doIt It now she said Bald with a a. simple dignity that made me feel reel remorseful Until she promptly banished m my remorse by adding adding adding add add- ing a bit spitefully Sometimes I think I would almost rather have him dead than married I advanced toward her and took tool her by the shoulders You need a a. good shaking I said with witha a laugh Hugh which I had to force You will persist in putting your our worst foot foremost foremost foremost fore fore- most sa saying ing things you don dont don't t mean Now forget all this tills nonsense and lie down and try to sleep a little and you will feel a great deal better when you ou wake up MADGE STANDS nv av She looked up at me with tear bedewed i eyes and quivering lips If you you'll 11 lie down with me and hold my hand I think I could sleep she said I as simply as a grieved child and I felt I again the tug at my sympathies which I I always experience when I see my little friend in any Of Of course I said in as matter of or fact manner as I could manage for tor 1 I knew that any undue display of sympathy sympathy sym sym- I pathy would set her to weeping again I 1 want my nap too Well We'll Just leave the door open b between our rooms It I will give us better air all Besides If it we miss hearing th the maids maid's s knock at one door lOOr we will hear it at the other Aunt u I 1 JI ef se g h Dora is going to have a us called I II In an I hour you know I I know she said with a frightened little air and I feel reel that I simply must get some sleep my head aches so Dont Don t worry I said soothingly Ill Tn put you to sleep I lay down on her bed put m my arm around her and cuddled her as I would Junior In a few tew minutes her regular breathing told me that sleep had come cometo cometo cometo to her and I rapidly drifted after hex her I Into slumber We Ve both arose refreshed when the maids maid maids maid's s low knock sounded on the door and I saw that I would have no more trouble with my little HUle friend She had summoned her reserves of or courage and would go through her ordeal which ordeal which I did not minimize with minimize with flying colors When an hour later Leila Lelia danced Into the room in a bewitching negligee her face radiant with happiness and kissed us both I watched little Mrs Durkee furtively to see if she would betray anything anything any any- thing of her real feeling to the girl But there was i io 10 o sign of or anything but the warmest affection as she kissed Leila and railed her upon her brilliant colorIng coloring color- color Ing WHAT LEILA ASKED I Ive ve come to borrow something Leila Iena I announced You know I must have something old and something new something something something some some- thing borrowed and something blue My l great grandmothers s wedding v veil ell which Aunt Dora Is 15 guarding with her life in inny my ny room Is certainly something old and ande my ny gown is of r course new e Edith provided pro pro- oi vided tided e me with t s something blue and now ive v come to borrow ro something a a mou- mou orrel choir hoir ir if it I may a Before I could pr proffer one of or ormine mine little Ittle Mrs Durkee spoke eagerly I I have Just the thing Leila Lelia dear a a. a perfectly exquisite handkerchief which Alfred brought me from Paris In another moment the two heads were bent above a bit of ot delicate embroidery and nd I saw that the danger of ot an outI outburst out out- I burst from little Mrs Durkee had been avoided temporarily at least |