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Show mm husqwd Mgm CHAPTtR CLXVH. A Letter to Clifford. A mother had requested I wrote Clifford Clif-ford anettt the changed plans for rona'i weddins;. Hh added a poM script aekina; htm an a eperlal favor to her to make an rfort to be with us. "I fel that 1 shall not he with you much longer and nhotild like to have you all around nte once more." he told htm. I had written of the dale of the wedding J nnd rommiFHlnnd him to tir.v a priit fr Zona. Homrwty I couldn't help fpl- I ing glNd thl father hnd l-ft me a little money no that I con Id buy what I wished without tHri-ulttiig anyone. "Lhdn't I hrr Morton levering say that he knew Clifford Klele a-hrd Khe had Just joined us, and had Waited to apeak until we bad finished our letter. "Yea, why?" 1 returned 'Nothing f hoi Oifford will come." she added Irreverently i "Hh wanta to t.ueallon htm about Morton Mor-ton l evertns. flnhed thtoush my mind. "T think he will." mother answered, but I natd nothing. Kuppoe he did come, how would he J art toward me, how ahould I manage to. hide from other the true ntate of affaire between ua? That t could auk myaelf the question showed how little 1 knew of the character of the man I had married, j my life, and as suh I had the right to order It as I pleased ao 1 responded, A MEMS T(UFLE. Morton levering bad avoided ma moet consistently since the morning I had talked with him In the garden. Kor Elsie sake I was pJewstHl: but 1 feared hie very avoidance would attract the notice I was , so anxious to avoid. Ho I determined to make an effort to talk with htm. "One would think I waa a poisonous plant the way you avoid me." 1 said laughingly to him. "I won't hurt you." "Hut 1 thought you mlrht, oh. you know! might fi-.-l einbiirratiiw-d and" "I shall be more embarrassed If you I continue to act us you- are now doing. I I Two people viNltlt.g the same house do j ' not go for days without speaking unless i tht-re ta a reaaon. Now there is no reason rea-son why" j "Hut the other day" i "la the 'other d:iy!' what happened la too trifling and foolish to remrinter. Jet alone to rauae comment. 8o we'll be good friends If yuii are wis and allow our memories to full us concerning certain cer-tain matters " I wn thinking of Klaie. hut of course he didn't know that. I knew that if he got over the siTTy notion that he waa In love with me. he misht, most likely would, turn to her. "Mr. Huminond Is coming on for the wedding and la going to rt-matn a few days." I i added for his delectation. I "lleally!" waa his surprised ejaculation, j til the trurk mas opened; bill Wlltf! 1 big doll wna produced ehe went off by herself, and left ua. ZONA IS DELIGHTED. "Here's my present. Zona." Clifford said, taeslng a small box to her. "Oh, oh, oh!" Zona eirlaimed aa ahe ojaened the box and disclosed a diamond bracelet ling on Ita whits satin couch. : "It la perfectly lovely, Clifford, almost too 1 lovely'" and she gave htm a rapturous hoc and klea. ii. had shown his usual good taats and tbe hrarelet was a dainty faacinatlng affair af-fair v men anyone would have been delight de-light ! own, 1ut waa particularly appropriate ap-propriate for a very young bride. "And ):. re s Mildred's donation." he laughed. Ii " 7 out a boa which ft seemed half filled h.s lure trunk. "Oh oi ci.ar"' Zona cried when she tened It and found every piece of flat Oliver a young housekeeper could wish for I knew that CurtaJtn's parents were ! going to givs her all the flat table silver, j knives, forks, snd spoons; so I had elect-.1 ed to supply the rest. "I really think you have done too much," It was mother's gentle voice. I "Zona, you muin't let your big brother 1 and sister rnoll you." I "No, mother; out aren't they lovely?" j she iuerU-d. slipping the bracelet' on her . arm, and holding up for Inspection a i i)Ut-;r1y shaped cak knife. "Why 1 ehall have to keep d re sued up all the time so (I. I . hp.Ut a 1 a, ho II I shall most certa Inly run down fr Zona's weddlna," Clifford wrote, "and halt brine; your Sifts as well as my own. I shall arrunse to remain a few days. Tell your mo!hr for me tat 1 will alwnys coma to her when she needs me." Then with inestt.e of lovs fur Edith, and a Utile gossip he closed. Was ever woman placed In auch a peculiar pe-culiar tmsltlonT I hail left home, oaten-slhly oaten-slhly hers life I could not liye tn It. had told my 'iiishand eo. had assured hint that I wished to lesvs him. and he alaolutelv Ixno-ed all that I bad said, and treated me emactly am he had before- like a child. You may think that I feared the embarrassment em-barrassment of meet tra him hut that was not eo 1 really dreaded the Influence he erted ov-r me, hia Instant compelling; compell-ing; of hia will no matter what 1 had planned or said. I waa sure he did not foe nitr ; at tunes I almost hated him. Yet often at the thought of what I had done, the knowledge that I hud -so I Imagined burned my bridge behind me I would grow tremulous and unhappy that I should be entirely cut off from his life. And here he was not even thinking me serious Why U waa almost Insulting. A sickness, a hind of mental nausea, seized nte at the remembrance of what I had done, and the contemplation of what I fully Intended to do. In a way It waa like tearing out my life. It was tbe abnegation abne-gation of all the principles dad had 1n-C'l'. 1n-C'l'. -t In ft-i-m rh-'"MH Hut it l CHAPTER CXLVIII. We were all sitting around the breakfast break-fast table when an exclamation from old Moa took ua to the windows. I'll f ford wa Juat alighting from a depot wagon and the driver pulling. at hia luggage i tii'cklire at the Idea ot 'sprlstt.g' a'l the Button folks. U e hadn't sipected him for several days No one noticed that 1 wna iuiet In all the hub-bub. Kdlth h."d run out a rut Jumped Into hia arm teasing to Wi-'w whut he hnd hrought nr. "You're not going to g t married, are you?" he laughed 'It's imly brides who expert preeents now, jot, know." "And little giria-' I uith asked, ready to cry. "Yes. and little girls that la. If they are good " Clifford replied then turned to greet mother Then he kissed me on the cheek, asked how I was Just as If nothing had ever one wrong between ua; oked with the girls, and finally demanded de-manded to know If he were not to have any breakfast. "You shore la. ftrse Hammond."' old Mom told him. thn hurried Into the kitchen. We all sat around the table while Clifford Clif-ford ate hia breakf.tst, then trooped after him when be went to his room to ees what he had brought Zona for our wedding wed-ding Kifte. Kdith pn'ild cnrr-Ty enpt-vn herself iin- I have to learn to cook all aorta of things i -o that 1 can uae all these dainty knives and spoons. How shall 1 do both?" EDITH HAS A OirT. i "Walt a minute!" Clifford a:d as moth- i t er suggested we leave him to unpack and j j rreshrii up. "Kdfth lias a gift for you, I too" I "ivd you bring something for me to ! ,gfve auntts Zona" Kdlth asked, heeltat- J ing onlv a moment in the process of dls- j rohing her new doll. "Why don't you give it to her?" j "I will!" Clifford replied solemnly, amidst our laughter. 1 was surprised for I had not mentioned j Fdlfh. or thought of her giving a per- j sonal present to Zona. It Seemed Clifford ' hail hern more thoughtful. ' &. how you like it. Zona." ha aatd aa i he passed her an oblong box. i l.vnxone of us drew a long breath of; admiration as ehe took the fan front the box. It waa of peacock feathers, mounted mount-ed on dainty celluloid atlcka It was ex-tiulstte. ex-tiulstte. and I did not wonder that Zona should show so much enthusiasm. '! you like It?" Kdlth asked, whoa she had been called to sea the gift her father had purchased for bar to present Zona, "1 should say I did"' Zona punctuated her remark with a kiss and a squeeae. "I'd rather have my dollie," Kdlth Ini-perturbablr Ini-perturbablr replied aa ahe returned to It. I "It'e kf nicer." I Monday Clifford Proves Considerate. |