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Show Mf 1 W HUSBAND AND I jryj Jr' Jfci.e Phelps 1 ; mi a wB"e. CHAPTER CXXXIX. A Hmim Party. T scarcely had tim to unpack ad get ..... Milled for 111 long visit I told mother I waa going to mtki whan the feous filled '" ' up with a ray hous party. All young, cart f re boy a and girl. 1 felt aa old aa th fablad Mthualah but gradually I antarad Into tha aptrtt of tha party, and than took part In tha yayaty. Mothar and Elala war avldently datarmlnad that Zona hould ba aa happy aa poasibla In tha abort tima aha waa to ramaln with tham, Rarly daneta, at raw r1da, and all tha Innooant plaaauraa of young- paopla wara plaimad for hr. I had not luwn noma twenty-four hours, howvr, bafora I aaw that my dertaton to keep my troubl from mothar waa a ! wIm on, ftava whan aha waa Interacted i In ilvtnf ba all a food tima, 1 could awe that aha had chanted greatly. Mhe had . alwaya ben rather quiet ami reaerved. but now there waa added a aarfneae which aeemed pitiful. She would look around ihe room whan aha thought no one waa rvjn-. and aa hag ya reeted upon ofnethlng which reminded bar of father they would fill with teara. Fortunately ah had taken my vtait aa a matter of reurt and had aaked no ambarraaalng ajuealiona. "(o you think Clifford will coma after you?" ah had Inquired on day when w ware a Ion. 1 hardly think mo." 1 bad replied; "he la verv buey." Then aha had dropped tha subject. A LKTTKft FROM MURIEL. remarked, "it la a good long one, judging from Ita thlrkneea." I revognlaed MuHel'a writing at one, and anxioualy watted until I rould eltp away by myaelf 1o read It. I whi aura It would contain nawe of both Clifford and Leonard Hronke. I waa not mlataken. "Ieonard la Inconeolable," aha wrote. "I have had all 1 could do to heap him ! from following you. If you write him ! which 1 aupuoae you will you will have to make him underetand he muatn't come that ta, unless you have chanced your ! mind at nre you wrote me, and want him. Krom what you tell m of your mother I 1 think It would ba too bad to sadtlen her further Juat now. Anyway. I don't believe be-lieve you have decided in your own mind Juat what la beat to do. have you? "I met air. Hammond on tha afreet and be waa courtly aa ueuaL Keally ha la one of the hanrieomeat man I have aver aeen. I aaked after you, and he aald you had written him of your aafe arrival and your enter' a engagement. I am glad you are having a little gayety down there, it waa Juat wltat you needed. Here you were alwaya thinking of either Mr. H or Jeonarf, and under the clrcumatancee It waa no wonder you oould not enjoy yourself and ware growing thin and worn. "1 mlaa you terribly, but nop you will atay until you are aura of what you want to do. The world never fonrivea a woman whan aha meaeea up her life, even If It doea mak eaU aorta of ear usee for a man." The remainder of the latter waa goaaip of our mutual acquaintance, etc. MILDRED It DISTURBED. What aba had aald about Imiard worried wor-ried me. He muat not follow ma: It would not do at all. Home am plana t Ion would then have to be made to mother jmrtJefHTdhMhIMrriTid , not to do. I would remain a long time, then go back and when 1 reached thte point in my thoughta I alwaya etntpd-U'hat etntpd-U'hat would I do? Could I take up my lira again with Clifford and try again to get what happlneea I could regardleaa of htmf Could I do tale now that 1 knew of Leonard Leon-ard a love, and that ha knew i loved blm? Life waa becoming a serious problem for me. The harder that I plainly aaw 1 had others to consider. Had 1 the tight lo make mother more unhappy to ciourl the lives of my slaters? I knew It would In their conventional circle. Yet all the time 1 felt It wasn't fair for my life to be e polled ftVcauae of tha senaeleas con-ventiona. con-ventiona. . I was ao young, and 1 might live to be very old, 1 thought, with a rush of ae If -pity. CHAPTER CXL. Of 014 thing I am stir, leonard muat , ba warned not, to come Kouth while I waa j there. No amatter what I did In tha full fu-ll ur a t anuat wait until after Zona a marriage? mar-riage? The Merrlweathers ware one of the most conservative aa well aa oldest families In the country, aitd would ba unutterably ehocked at tha Idea of any on In any way related to them causing I the elighteat acandal. j I wrote and tor up several letters be-I be-I fore I finally sent a ahort note aim ply tell- Ing Leonard that on no account muat he think of coming to me, and explaining my reasons Then I added: "Nothing la act tied in my mind; ! am Juat drifting for a tlm. If you really car for m ple do not urge ma to decide de-cide anything until I can do ao with a clear conscience. Now I cannot. Rather, , I if you force aa teeue, H might be unfa- vocable to you. After reading my reaaona I I am aura you will underetand and re-' re-' pe-t my wiehea." A RELIEPV r -The ten ar sent, t at once determinedly 'est my f elf to put aaide my own affaire and help make mother and the girls happy whfle I waa at home, alandy had slipped Into her old niche In the household, house-hold, and tdlth was petted ana spoiled to her heart s content and Mandy a delight. de-light. "I tote yo' dar wam't no one lak little missy.1 aha reminded me. wheu I on. ected to her being so Indulged. "Ain't Missy button got der right to lak bar and to giv her what aha wants to? Yo'a too strio wid der chile," aha would ecold, when 1 Interfered in any way with Kdltb's wishes. 1 found as the daya passed a sort of peac which 1 had not known for a long time. Rather It was a uumbnese, and I was glad that it waa ao. Occasionally one of the girls would complain that I had grown quiet, and 1 would remind them that 1 was growing old. "Twenty - five, aren i you ?" fcllaie laughed. "Shall I order spectacles and a night cap for you?" "Not tpday. dear." I answered, "but It won't -be long before I ahail taaed them." CLIFFORD SKNOt ZONA A GIFT. 1 had written Clifford telling him of Zona a engagement, and that mother and all were delighted. He replied that he remembered meeting th at errt weal hers and that tt was very ntc that Zona wss doing so well In every way. Colonel Mr-ri Mr-ri w est her w very rich. Clifford had also written Zona a Uttle t congratulating her. A day or two later a box cam from bins, and whea ehe Ofw.ie it aha found a complete toilet set of stiver beautifully anarked with her Uil tial len t It iovely to have awek a dear (or a brother-in-law he aaked ber fiance wben exhibiting It to Mm. "You will have to work hard to be aa popular with the gltia ag he Is with Klaie and me." x "Do you think 1 can fill tha bltl Mildred?" Mil-dred?" he queried. "You ought to be able to judge." ! eurely think ou can. Curtain," 1 returned, wondering what be would say If ho knew. It really waa a vary beautiful gift. Aside from th espenae. It showed thought la selection and marking. Then, too, Clif- 1 ford had a urn excellent taete, aa another satd when ah looked at It. , . Horn wayIn epite of all thai had bap- i pened. all that might happen this or any praia of Clifford pleased m. I think tha constant aaaoclatloa with a man makea women like that, even when they ar not happy, or as peopl say. "do not get along." W Ilk to har other ar Impressed; that they think w have ' ptrked a prim in It fa' a marrtag lottery whether w have or not. |