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Show JU1 McFarlane, whose father, Rlch-i, Rlch-i, disappeared In World War I, tails u, Jove with Lieut. Spang Gordon. She I, npset to find that her brother, Rlc, hal fallen In love with Sandra Cal-rert, Cal-rert, divorcee. During her absence, Richard returns from the dead and vls-kl vls-kl her mother, Julia. He if using the ,ssumed name of Captain Mackey and U itatloned at the same camp as Rlc. (ulla Is heartsick. Richard tells Rlc tt mew his father In France, and later threatens Sandra with exposure of an Illegal divorce If she doesn't leave Rlc done. Julia, her father-in-law, John I., Jill are horrified when they get a litter from Rlc announcing his mar-Uje. mar-Uje. Sandra will live with them. ,,, HM.rtlMOTli .,,, ,.1 j myself, in a minute." j "I'm stopping," gulped Julia, I swallowing the ragged sobs that tore at her. "I don't know why I ' went to pieces like this. I never do cry. I haven't cried In years!" "I could kill Ric for doing this to youl He lied to me, when I went down there. I was furious at him. ; But to do a thing like this, not to have any pride for his family j Please, Dooley, don't begin again. Come upstairs with me. I'll get you some hot milk and a sedative tablet." tab-let." She followed Jill meekly. She lay on her bed, where the dying light of September dusk came through the branches of the great trees. She drank whatever Jill brought her, she was grateful for the cool cloth laid over her eyes. She was aware of John I. In the room, felt his wor- j ried eyes upon her, wanted to com-' fort him and was too numb. She did not talk, because her spinning brain was so full of cries that must not escape her lips. Because her ears were hearing Richard's voice again, calling to the old ache with-j in hpr tminVnTia that tonrlornocc Richard's voice came again. "Dooley, I've seen the boy. He didn't know me, of course. I haven't told him anything. You've heard from him, today?" "Yes." She had to hold her lips stiff, keep her face calm because John I. and Jill were watching her. "Yes. Captain, I heard from him today. He told me that he had been married." "That's why I'm calling you, Dooley. Doo-ley. I wanted you to know that I did everything I could. As soon as I suspected that he had this reckless reck-less marriage In mind, I had him up before the board and arranged for bis immediate transfer, but I was too late." "It's an impossible marriage, you think?" (Oh, Richard, Richard, why are we talking like this? We're Ric's father and motherl And we must speak to each other like formal strangers!) But a little warmth lightened her wretchedness. Richard had tried to save Ric. Richard had not betrayed be-trayed himself. It helped a little to that had never healed. v "Dooley, trust me!" (Oh, Richard, Richard, why did you come now, so tragically too late? When he needed you, when he was little, when I was so alone, where were you then, Richard? He had no father to teach him honor, no one to teach him to be strong. Now it's too late, Richard, forever too late!) It was with trepidation that Julia met the train next afternoon. She had got Ric's room ready that morning. She had impressed upon Mamie that Mrs. Richard McFarlane, Mc-Farlane, Jr. would be tired when she arrived, and it would be kinder not to cook cabbage or anything i else that smelled up the house. She' had talked to John I. I "If she should turn out to be a nice person, John I., do try to restrain re-strain Jill a little, will you? I do' hope we can meet this situation as nice people." "Jill and I will be so nice you'll admire us," the old man promised. j "Only don't you get in our way." That smudge of smoke down the shimmering V of the rails, was it another cloud that would lie darkly over her heart? She walked out to the track. She set her face in her best imitation of a welcoming smile. "Don't you dare dress up, Dooley," Jill had warned. And Julia had countered, dryly, "You're still here, Jill? I thought you were leaving us forever, If Ric's wife entered this house?" CHAPTER XV Julia said, "Jill think. Rlc Is wing out to fight, for us. If he loved this woman enough to marry ber, the least we carl do for Ric is to make her welcome." Jill's face was stony. "I love Ric. He's my brother. But when be sends a female tramp here to live .with his mother it's too much!" John I. had come bumbling up behind them. "Confounded young puppy!" he snorted. "He's got ibout as much use for a wife as I have." "It's this war. It's that feeling of desperate haste they ail have, that they must crowd a lifetime of living into a few weeks or a few days," Julia said. "She can't be the dreadful creature that Jill thinks she is, she wouldn't have appealed ap-pealed to Ric." "I saw her, I tell you! I had lunch with her." "Why doesn't he send her to her own people?" John I. wondered. "Probably she hasn't any. Prob-ibly Prob-ibly they threw her out, long ago. If you're going to take me to town, Dooley, we'd better go. The telegraph tele-graph office closes at nine." "Go up and put on something else then. You certainly can',t go to town in a negligee and nothing much under it Tell Mamie to help jou with the zippers. I'm still shaking shak-ing all over." Julia dropped on the long seat In the hall. Every inch of her body was cramped and cold. Her throat iched intolerably. She said, "Should I have told Slchard about Rlc, John I.? After ill Richard is his father. He might have found an opportunity to talk to Ric. He might have saved him from this folly." "They're both soldiers. Soldiers Jo where they're sent. Richard may be Is Africa by this time." "John I., I can't bring myself to turn Ric's wife away from his home! Where would I have been in that other war if you had cast me off?" "It was you took me in, Dooley. I was a homeless old man, living liv-ing in a hotel." "You took care of us for years, till we could make this place pay. Perhaps this is the way I must pay back to pass that help along. I . wish I could change Jill's attitude. She's so determined when she's angry an-gry and upset." John I. lit his pipe, puffed it slowly. slow-ly. "You and I aren't so young any more, Dooley. You're young, compared com-pared to me, but you've lived long enough to know that things pass. Maybe she won't like it here." He chuckled. "Could be she wouldn't like it here at all. You ' just relax re-lax some ways, and get tough other ways. Keep a strangle-hold on your money. Ric's done a lot of bragging about his family, like as not, and she thinks you're a wealthy woman. wom-an. Well, don't be wealthy when she's aronnri " "Yes, this Is Mrs. McFarlane." be able to believe again in some small nobility In Richard. Richard said, "It's a rotten marriage. mar-riage. She won't do, Dooley. She's no good. I knew her in the islands. I don't know just1 what I can do, but I'm going to try to do something." some-thing." "But, she's coming here. That was in the letter." "Dooley, do the best you can for the present, will you? And trust me? I know I haven't the right .to ask it, but I'm going to try to do something some-thing about this. Yes, she's coming there. She's already on the way." "Then I suppose there's nothing we can do? But thank you so much for calling. Captain." She wanted to cry, "Thank you, Richard! Thank you for trying to be a father to your son at last!" But Jill was listening. Jill must not suspect. Richard said, "Wait, Dooley. I just wanted to tell you. Don't worry. wor-ry. He'll be all right. He's a fine lonkine bov. He's like you. He isn't "I decided that it would be crim-1 inal to desert you. You're such a softy, Dooley, that you'd let her walk all over you," Jill said. "I'll give her two weeks. But if she's still hanging around after that, I may go to Washington and get a job. Boots Palmer knows a con-: gressman." "All right, Jill. But try to be a ! lady for those two weeks. After that 1 won't raise any objection, whatever you want to do." Perhaps, Julia was thinking as she watched the engine thunder toward to-ward her, Sandra wasn't too happy either. Perhaps she had let love rush her off her feet, and now she was being shifted off on people she did not know, whom she might suspect sus-pect did not want her. But would a ' woman who had been married be-i foxe be swept off her feet by a boy? i Jill could be wrong after all. This ! might be a girl whom Ric had met i later. She held to that hope till the j train ground to a stop, then surrendered sur-rendered it, resignedly. Sandra Arrives At the Farm That had to be Sandra getting off. Julia's heart gave a sick flop. I Small, blonde, no girl for all the! soft curls, the delicate make-up. The face under the clever hat had been written upon grimly and a bit cruelly by life. Julia went forward. "You must be Sandra? I'm Richard's mother." She felt that slow blue gaze travel over her, moving anxiously, but the voice, too young and limpid for that throat, cried, "How nice of youl I was afraid you might not get my telegram." "It came this morning. I'll havs some one see to your bags. Ar all these yours?" "They do look a frightful lot don't they? That's because since the war began I've had no real home, j I've lived in a trunk. I have a1 trunk, too. Do you think it could be here?" I "We'll ask." Moving across the platform, Julia felt the impact oi watching eyes upon her. The eyes of women she knew well, women who knew to a day how old Ric was. and she knew that they were seeing, too, with pitiless, female clarity, that for all the illusion ol youth Sandra Calvert had achieved, artifice had put up a losing battle with time. It would be ail over town In no time that Ric McFarlane had married a peroxided old hag. she was certain. She said. "I'm so sorry we have to take you out in the station-wagon, station-wagon, hut we've put up the cars for the duration." (TO BE CONTINUED) ' "How can I be wealthy, when we both know that if they put low ceil-!ng ceil-!ng prices on hogs this year, we won't make a penny?" "If she does come if Jill doesn't head her off, put on your seediest clothes and get her up at six o'clock to the morning. Tell Mamie to churn all the cream, and we'll live on country victuals turnips will be ady soon, I looked at them today. I can be plenty tiresome, too, if I put roy mind on it. Any old man gets 10 he windy. I'll talk her to death." A Phone Call From Richard 'John I., you're priceless!" Julia miled again, reached for his hand, i Jill came pelting down the stairs. "Ready?" Julia said. "I still don't approve of this, remember, JUL" 'It's my responsibility, Dooley. sign my own name to the wire." "''11 get the keys." Julia got up ''owly. And just then the telephone rag sharply and long. "I'll get it" Jill sprang to the receiver. Then she turned back ith an odd look. "It's long distancecalling dis-tancecalling you, Dooley. Maybe he Isn't coming after all." "It could be Ric, JUL I can't say ttuel things to Ric I can't!" She t down at the instrument. She aid, "Hello, yes, this is Mrs. Richard Rich-ard McFarlane," and Instantly all we color drained out of her face, and the receiver trembled in her hand. The voice that came over the wire aid, "Dooley, is that you?" Richard! Richard was calling. she could not let Jill know. ,7 a'd. "Yes, this Is Mrs. Mc-'Wlans" Mc-'Wlans" stiffly, formally. going to be like his father. He'll outgrow this foolishness." "Oh, I hope so!" She said, "Good-by," "Good-by," almost in a gasp, and hung up. She turned to the others. "There's no use sending any message, Jill. She's already on her way. That was one of the captains at Ridley Field. He said he tried to have Ric transferred in time to prevent this, but he was too late." "So, that's that! The next move then," Jill set her chin, "is to convince con-vince this Sandra person that Buzzard's Buz-zard's Hill isn't the place she wants to live." "But surely we can meet this situation with some grace? After all," Julia protested, "we're still McFarlanes." "What is it worth to be a McFarlane?" McFar-lane?" Jill cried. "Ric's a McFar-lanel McFar-lanel She'll be a McFarlane, too. Dooley if you 8 soft on u5 now' 1 swear I'll tell her that you're a mental case! I'll tell her that we're too tenderhearted to put you in a sanitarium!" Julia began to laugh hysterically, tears running down her face. Her throat convulsed, her teeth chattered chat-tered she shuddered and pressed her hands to her face letting tears pour out between her fingers. Making Plans For Sandra Jill looked frightened. "Dooley-Dooley, "Dooley-Dooley, don't! Stop it this minute! I didn't mean a word of it. Dooley. I'm going to put you to bed right now You've had enough for one woman to bear in a day. Grandfather Grand-father and I will take care of everything. every-thing. Dooley, if you don't stop crying cry-ing I'm going tn begin screaming. |