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Show I fMRT AT flNF Telegram Fiction by UllLL iVJU W IM Hi Priscilla Wayne CHAPTER SIXTEEN The happy days of preparation In New York for the great vacation vaca-tion were days that blurred In Beth'a mind In ona lovely Kaleidoscope Kalei-doscope of excitement and amotion. amo-tion. A atrange something was happening hap-pening to the glrL Back In Can-tertown Can-tertown she had Just been Tom Warden's youngest daughter, a shy, dovelike girl who spoke when she wif spoken to and he --eM -actly what she waa expected to do. Always she moved, breathed, and had her being In the shadow of the radiant Charmlon. It had been natural enough for Tom Warden and Mary to put off soma of Beth'a triumphs. "You're the youngest.'' they would say if Beth ventured an occasional protest pro-test against a parental decision. "You have plenty of time to occupy oc-cupy the spotlight. You'll have your chance." She Dance W.B Charmlon danced divinely. Once, at splendid musical celebration. Charmlon and her partner had won the prize as being the most graceful grace-ful dancers among the hundreda of young couplea who participated in through which Tom Warden was ust emerging. It had been the logical thing for Beth to give up her school teaching to help her father. In a way, Mary, Beth'a atep- mother, had understood the sacrifice sacri-fice Beth waa making. And Mary had regretted It, for Mary waa a very fair-minded woman and ahe loved the little girl ahe had raised. Yet Mary waa powerleea to help. Motherlike, she took'so much pride in Charmlon s triumph and achievements achieve-ments that poor Beth s failures were lost sight of. Removed from the stifling home soil of Centertown, plumped down in the very midst of the excitement of New York, living with Aunt Jane and experiencing the Joy of getting ready for a European trip, shy Beth bloomed. It waa exactly as though a straggly, strag-gly, wilted, lifelesa plant had been moved from barren soil, Its roots carefully planted in rich earth, warmed by the tender sun and caressed by a gentle rain. How such a flower would bloom! And how Beth bloomed! Aunt Jane put her through her paces every day and aha loved to watch the bloasoming. "We'll have plenty of time to youth waa very elois only yenUr- day and aha gaxed again Into the jeyes of the man the bad loved, would love all her life. "I know what you mean, dear." Aunt Jane aaid softly. "I know exactly what you mean. I loved my John like that. It's been almost ' 30 years since I heard hia voire, since I touched hia ban d, but I I have not forgotten. "God givea only a few of ui the ability to Jove Ilka that. My love for John, his love for me, have blaasrd my life, helped me to go on alone. "And the path hasn't been ao , very lonely. There have been girls I like you, hundreds and hundreds of them. "I've been able to sympathize with them, to help them because I understand them. After we have this glorious vacation. Beth, I'll think of you as going home to Centertown. Back to love and back to Jim." Beth leaned swiftly to kiss the older woman. "Aunt Jane, I love you. I think If my own mother had lived I would love her just aa I love you now. I don't mean , to be disloyal to Mary" "I know, honey. And you aren't disloyal to Mary. Mary has had ICnntlnued on Following Pace) practice," Aunt Jane told Beth. "By th time we get back from Europe and you go home I'll guarantee, Beth, darling, that you can win any free, eligible man you care to win. But maybe you won't want thia Jim of yours, then." Beth Wants Jim Til always want him." Beth said, starry-eyed. "I'll always want him. I loved him the first day I ever saw him. Aunt Jane. I'll love him aa long aa I live." Aunt Jane stood by an open win-dom win-dom In her beautiful apartment. She looked down at the thousands and thousands of electric lights In the streets below her, stretching aa far aa her eyea could see. She looked up In the blue heaven, dimly atudded with stars. Sudden-ly Sudden-ly It seemed to her that her own Charmlon had great dramatic ability. She had played the leading role In the senior play. Whenever honors were to be handed out, Charmlon Char-mlon alwaya had her share and Just a bit more. Beth danced lightly and gracefully grace-fully aa a thistledown, but her own shyness and lack of faith In her ability would have kept Beth from winning any prixe no matter how humble. Beth was so painfully self-conscious that she did not even try out for the senior play or any other dramatic events that would have placed her in the limelight of her own little world. After high achool, Charmlon had gone on to wider flung honora. She carried the daisy chain In the eastern college ahe attended and ahe came In for her share of all the honora passed out. But even fewer of the popularity popular-ity breaks rame to Beth after ahe graduated from high achool than had come to her before graduation. gradua-tion. Beth decided to go to a teachers' teach-ers' training achool so that she could prepare herself aa quickly as possible pos-sible to be Independent at a Job of her own. Plenty of Money ! Charmlon's dead father had left a legacy that helped Charmlon to a great extent, even though ahe would not receive full benefit from It until after her approaching birthday. GIRL ALONE '"ZL'j (ContlniMd from Prac.dlng y..l a hard position to fill. She's filled it a well as most women could fill it Fathor Was Broken-Heerted "Your father was broken hearted heart-ed when your little mother died, Beth. He loved you with all his heart, but, In a measure, you had separated him from the woman he loved. "And he couldn't quite understand under-stand why such things had to be. Then he met Mary. Mary had lost her husband. She was lonely and Jane's lovely apartment Beth stood alone by the window. Some of the lights In the long street below had been extinguished and It seemed to Beth that now the atar-etuddod sky seemed brighter than before. The star hung very low and close. One of them, bigger than ail the rest seemed to swirl toward the watching girL A Child-LiU Gesture Suddenly, Beth clasped her hands in the little gesture of entreaty she had known as a child. "Star light Star bright Wish I may. bitter, too. "They made an arrangement to marry and raise their two little girls together. And both of them were fair and Just and did the very best they could do. But yours wasn't a real home, Beth. "Just a place to live in. I realized that when I vlsitsd your father the last time. I reproach myself that I didn't ask him to let me take you away." "If you'd taken me I might never have met Jim, Aunt Jane." Aunt Jane gazed out Into the star-filled aky. "Life is like that, Beth. Thank Cod most of your life lies ahead of you. If Jim ever loved you, darling, he can't ever forget you. He'll be waiting when you come back." 1 That night in her room, In Aunt Wish I might Have the wish I wish tonight." Softly, Beth was saying over and over again, "I wish that Jim Guthrie Guth-rie will be waiting for me when I come home just aa Aunt Jane says he will be. Dreams In Sleep And then Beth watched the stars "I wish with all my might and with all my heart and with all my soul that he did not mean the letter that he wrote, that he loves me, that he will always love me just as he said he would that wonderful won-derful night." in their swirling course. Somehow, it seemed to her that her wish must come true. 8he went over to her bed, to fall asleep Instantly and to dream aa sweetly as a child would i dream. Aunt Jane's friends came down to the steamship to see them off. They brought flowers and fruit and magazines. They we,re all very gay and friendly. Especially one very handsome, black-eyed man who waa one of the directors of the very exclusive girls' school In which Aunt Jane was dean of women. I His name was Ned Benton and he was enore than ordinarily interested inter-ested in Beth Warden. He had escorted Beth and Aunt jjane about a number of places and wise Aunt Jane beamed with appreciation ap-preciation that this man's keen eyea noted Beth'a attractiveness with approval. "I'll meet you In Paris," he told them tonight "Coming to Paris?" Beth'a voice held a touch of dismay. Only a blind girl could have failed to notice Ned Benton'a Interest "On the next boat and I think I'll be lucky enough to be returning return-ing on the Queen Mary." "That will be fun," Beth said. na almost meant me rcmarx wnen : she looked up and saw the adml- . ration for herself In this handsome man' eyes. (Continued Friday.) (Copyright 18S7, for The Telegram.) |