Show i forsaking all others by AMELIA CHAPTER H continued he came into eight at last as fine a specimen of young manhood as one would wish to s S with his tall erect figure and hair and eyes as dark as helens own As he lifted his cap and waved it in greeting helen neld the baby high alae her head that papa might see him and stood smil angly at her post until harvey had en the room and enfolded mother and child in his embrace the little scene was enacted every day but to neither bad it lost its charm they wery ardent lovyrs still run up and ge tInto my flan nels nell and we 11 take a walk through the grounds said harvey when the usual small questions had been asked and answered saunders told me this morning he dian didn t like the app tearance of the plum trees and I 1 promised to go and look at them shall I 1 send mary for the boya no thank you take him to the I 1 must change my dress it we are to have a tramp said helen with a glance at her trailing tea gown she enjoyed walking through the grounds with harvey and took an ac alve interest in stock and crops be fore his marriage glaays always ac compan led him in these expeditions but she never d d so now helen claimed every moment 0 her bus band s leisure sue considered him hers and hers alone not even his mother had a claim upon him and her open demonstration of the almost fierce love that found outlet in con stant caresses even in the presence of a third party made the better bred gladys eel so decidedly in the nay that behe soon ceased tu intrude upon the pair to helen s satisfaction and harvey s secret for few men care to have a witness to their main love making particularly it that witness bs a mother or a sister strolling leisurely homeward the wedded couple encountered gladys just returning from her ride she smiling ly raised her whip to her hat in sa lute and rode smartly toward the bouse harvey looked after her ad by jove I 1 believe the mater grows lovelier every day he ex claimed and ho A superbly she sits her horan helen frowned a little mrs ather ton s beauty was not a congenial gneme with her that reminds me harvey I 1 spoke to your mother today about the bills as you suggested and she refused to look at them she is satisfied with things aa they are oh very well in that case we 11 let the matter drop said harvey easily and allow the tradesmen to go on cheating ns UBI convinced ahey do my conscience would not permit me to remain inactive under such cir cum stances no dearest you must see her yourself and bring her to our way of thinking the only right way you have great influence with her yes I 1 fancy I 1 have said harvey complacently but you see I 1 ve never meddled with her business affairs and I 1 hardly like to begin now why nota it Is your duty to protect her interests and your own the property wll all be ours some day god forbid broke in harvey I 1 can t imagine life w without the dear little mater beside she is young yet she may outlive us both helen was a good woman but she did not look overjoyed at this alon even then there is baby to con elder she said smoothly we all owe a certain duty to him if you and I 1 can redeem money that is being ab sol thrown away we ought to do it however we may dislike to appear officious well sweetheart see what I 1 can do said harvey rather reluctant ly As you say it is my duty to look alter things for the place is clr dually mine as much as it is the mater s I 1 don t know the terms 0 my father s will but ot course he pro tided suitably for his son it seems very strange to me that there was no division of the property when you came at age replied helen for the firs time expressing a thought which had tor weeks vexed her you ought to open the subject with our mother she is like and may not realize that the time has come for a settlement she can t treat fou as a dependent always you are a married man now with a married man s responsibilities harvey s face had grown very grave helen saw that she had said enough for this time ani changed the sub eject III atay I 1 come in mamma gladysa asked harvey entering his mother s private parlor as he apol e ne 1 1 busy with the youngster and I 1 thought id smoke my after dinner cigar here it you don t object gladys had been sitting at the piano evoking minor chords in unison with her mood she felt sad and lone ly like one cut off from the les of life some mothers gain a daugh ter when their ons marry but the majority lose a son gladys bad long realized that she belonged to the ma she sprang up on ha i ey s entrance her face al abt with p aas ire I 1 am only too happy to have you dear I 1 see little of yo i nowadays yes I 1 m an old married man now said harvey laughing comfortably and my family absorbs most of my leisure he threw himself into the chair she lolled forwald and lighted a cigar with the taper he gave him now push that ottoman over here lattif woman and s t beside me while we talk she obeyed and nestled close to him look ng with pride into abe boyish face which was the dearest in the world to her harvey puffed with evident for a t mo ting of trifles then he said quite easily by the wy what is this little misunderstanding between you and nell she Is m ich d stubbed by it though I 1 assured her she Is over ens five the smile left gladys face oh then you camo here b cans helen sent youa she asked well not exactly I 1 knew a worl from me would set matters straight so I 1 thought I 1 d better come W here are you goings only to an easy chair this otto man isn t there were tears in her eyes but harvey did not see them we are to have a con sult atlon I 1 may as well sit at my ease she saad no more and after waiting a minute be asked well aren t you go ng to tell me all about if helen already told youa yes but I 1 prefer to hear your own version of the matter there really Is no need of it I 1 am sure your wife la truthful what she said no doubt did occur then I 1 can t understand why you refuse to accept her sensible alon and look into things a little with her aid nells a first rate business woman and 1 don t believe you realize how is spent in the house you have your full share of all that comes into it harvey why of course he responded with a halt wondering look as it sur at the what is yours Is also mine in a ensa we elloy a common inheritance is because our interests are identical that helen and I 1 viah to p them you surely see that little woman 9 it would please the dear girl very much if you d take her into bour confidence treat her more e a daughter in truth as she is in spirit gladys did not answer for a few mo ments he moved her chair so that her face was partly in shadow while she could note every expression of his before we talk any further she presently said bould like to know just it Is helen desires I 1 corn that she wishes to reduce the general expenses of the establishment but howa does she want to take phebe s placed hardly that returned harvey flushing she thinks however now she Is here you no longer need the services of a housekeeper and do you think I 1 ought to turn out an old and faithful servant after a lifetime of devotion to me and minea certainly not she would remain as your maid so that is it exclaimed gladys with a halt laugh I 1 thought some great idea was agitating helen s mind dear clumsy my maid and I 1 suppose there are other servants she thinks might be dispensed with well perhaps they could but I 1 like to have plenty of people about the place her vo ce grew firmer here and I 1 intend to have them you need no assurance that I 1 am glad to share my house and its luxuries with you and your wife but you must accept things as they are I 1 will brook no further interference interference surely you cannot regard my dear wite s suggestion interference what else is ita I 1 have never corn to you of helen but from the day she entered the house she has shown a disposition to take control of it I 1 have submitted patiently to one small encroachment after another hoping to content her but her de mands increase instead of lessen sj seems to forget that the estate Is mine not hers harvey arose and walked across the room several times at ast coming to a standstill before her chair no little woman he said in a kind yet cold tone we do not forget we merely question it how that we stung gladys only a woman in her position can understand but it hardened her too she did not answer waiting tor his next words legally the estate Is yours I 1 ad mit but as my father s son I 1 am sure ly entitled to my share of h s prop erty money you have never grudged me you were always hobt generous nevertheless I 1 am only a sort of hanger on a dependent on your bounty this doean doesn t seem fair now that I 1 am of age and with a married man s responsibilities we should come to some regular business under standing god forbid that I 1 should in herit your money yet in common justice I 1 hughit to share it are you not sharing it now 9 yes in a sense but can t you un der stand that I 1 am a boy no longer and want my legal or rather your wife let us keep her name out of the discuss on I 1 will nut hear another woid against her even from you said harvey Laugh gladys lips quivered yo i mat admit that she is your adviser a wise one perhaps from her point of view she said gently but yoi are both reasoning in the dark harvey you have no legal claim on my property no claim on my own fathers money it was not his money he was a poor man my father was very angry when he married one of his daugh G dys spoke in short sentences carefully a if fearing she m say too much it was a match and papa would not forgive it why did you never tell me this be torea asked harvey I 1 wished to spare you pain dear what need for you to know since all I 1 had was practically I 1 speak now because I 1 must I 1 sou had only been content with things as they were it was to keep you out of your father s way that I 1 came heie where no one knew me after papa died for he was a bad man a drunkard gambler and criminal he carrid 5 our poor little mother he was very handsome and she a romantic boarding school girl for her money and when it was gone left her and her baby to starve as they might have done but for phebe tom lanson gladys was very pale and once or twice as she talked but har vey feu no compassion tor her hla i apathy was for himself he kemem berca that airs atherton had never talked of his father and answered hla childish inquiries concerning him i diverting his though s to subjects but he had not dremea 0 this and the knowlens know was bitter lasa this man 0 o is he no ho d ed in prison a car iso in prison harvey a sob bing bre uh my goj what an end to my boych dreams but I 1 don t ua der even yet it he spent a 1 your money how do it happen that you are still richa when papa cued I 1 had ny full shara ot the estate sie s ie answered after a scarcely pe cep tible paus it was then phebe and I 1 came here and my grandfather left mo noth inga nothing he hated you poor little orphan that you were because you were your father s child that la why I 1 devoted my life to you dear there was infinite tenderness in gladys tone but harvey hurt and hu mil by what he had learned was not moved by it that was tl e least you could dp he said coldly since it is to you I 1 am indebted for my heritage of shame we little know what people really are do wea all my life you have seemed to me the one perfect woman and now harvey the startled cry brought the young man to his senses he 1001 ed at her almost wildly I 1 am a brute madam gladys but remember I 1 am hard hit there dear bont cry he said kindly bending over the cowering figure and stroking the soft hair I 1 shall get over this in time with my help harvey you surely will not tell helen the secret I 1 have given years 0 my life to nidea cried gladys it is not wholly your own helen Is my wife have you forgot tena she has my complete confidence and it hlll be necessary to explain to her why our reasoning was at fault he coldly returned and as it to avoid discussion he left the room to be continued |