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Show H IlTf f T t A The Story of a Sacrifice K WllP S llPnt That Counted IUt Duraird left the hotel and sauntered through the blazing garden gar-den toward a clumi) of palms that overlooked Uio sea,. Fresh from the hands of her maid, she was invftnigly cool and altogether charming In. a gown of filmy white. Her abundant hair, prematurely white, was wound In a coronet tiboulr her shapely head and 'her golden brown eyes looked the darker by contrast. There was a faint touch of pink in her satiny cheeks and her mouth was like a soft red rose. She was still young and very lovely. A scarlet hammock swung under I the palmsand there were some scat tered wicker chairs and a table. Up here on the knoll one felt the fresh breeze from the water, and Mrs. Durand tossed aside her parasol and sank Into a low chair. IIr wistful eyes overleaped the rnowy expanse of curving beach dotted dot-ted with people, the gaily painted' casino where the band was plnying, the fishermen on the long pier, the puffy little motorboats and the graceful, grace-ful, white hulled yachts, and caught the far horizon, where dreamy clouds were piling up. There came a quick step on the grass and a girl's voice in mingled vexation and mirth. "Do:Vt come another step, Bobby there's a dear. I've simply got to be alone for a while yes, I hue got a ripping headache." "A ul you're coming to the hop sun-' ' sounded the boy's eagei oke "If I can get rid of this headache, " said the girl significantly, and- she laughed in a low, throaty chuckle as her escort departed with exaggerated haste. She came flashing around among the chairs and discovered Mrs. Durand. "oh"' she cried In a disappointed tone, and then, with pretty confusion, confu-sion, "I beg your pardon I thought the place was deserted. I hope you won't mind if I take the hammock?" "Certainly not," returned Mrs. Durand, bringing her sad eyes reluc-thtly reluc-thtly away from the clouds. When she snw the girl's face Bhe suppressed a little cry of surprise and clung tightly to the arms of her chair. The girl looked at her curiously, admiringly. "I'm afraid I startled you," she apologized. Sara Durand smiled negatively, but 9 still there remained an alarmed ex- H pression in her lovely eyes. The girl dropped Into the han-H han-H meek and stretched herself luxurl- ously, crossing her little feet so that H she lay long and slim and white H against the scarlet netting. H Black and white and scarlet. S Mrs. Durand stared at the girl as H the white lids trembled down over the S glowing gray-green eyes. B Where had she seen that lovely W heart-shaped face framed In soft, S black hair the grpy-green eyes with1 III curling, jetty lashes? Now the -lashes lay llko shadows on the croamy , cheeks, and tft& deTIcafoly &fohod, dark brows were finely penciled against tho pure forehead. Where- where libid she seen tho face? Why, she had been watching it out there In tho dream clouds on tho horizon! Stronger und-moro- mnscu-l'ne mnscu-l'ne ,it would be the face of Noale 'Grayson, and now the stern realisation realisa-tion that some other woman had been Neale'e wife and the mother of his daughter smote her swiftly so that she almost cried aloud for 'the pain tugging at her heart. KIgldly she sat there, staring at the clouds, as white as marble from the crown of her head to the solo of her dainty shoe. "You you look like a beautiful statue!" came the girl's' voice adoringly. ador-ingly. Sara turned in her slow, graceful way "I though you were asleep," she murmured. "I can't sleep I'e got to decide a very important matter and there's so little time." A rose flush stained the young face and then slowly faded. She clasped her arms under her pretty pret-ty head and regarded Mrs, Durand rather speculatively. Sara smiled imderstandingly. When she had been this girl's age twenty years ago she, too, had had many Important matters to consider. The sudden remembrance of how disastrously disas-trously she had decided froze the smile on her lins "1 suppose you'e had lots of experience," ex-perience," burst forth the girl in a confidential tone. "I hope you don't mind you do look so sweet and there's no one else I can ask. You look so motherly with that lovely white hair and I never knew mv mother; she died when I was born," went on the girl's inexorable voice. Motherly! This tribute to her white hair might have amused Sarah Durand if the girl had ben any other than Neale Grayson's' daughter. Coming from that source, it smote her strangely ITer heart beat wildly and her hands shook as she lifted them to her throat. "But you must have someone ' some adviser other than a stranger," reminded Sara gently. "I have no one Lut father, and he H painting in California this winter. There's Aunt Jane she's my chaperon chap-eron but she fairly blushes to death If anyone mentions love to her. You ate so lovely and you look so ex-perlence'd!" ex-perlence'd!" Oh, the cruelty of youth! "Thank you," said Sara dryly. "It's about a man," began the girl 'dreamily. "I know you are going to be terirbly shocked at my confession but I simply must tell somebody Just to know how It looks to anyone else. I met him on the steamer coming home 1 last October, andwe have correspond ed since then. Ilia's handsome and clover and a power In tho financial-world," financial-world," she ended proudly. The smile left Mrs. Durand's face. "And ho is madly In lovo with me," sighed the girl, blushing idivlnoly. "Is there any reason why he should not woo you openly?" asked Sara quietly. The glrl'r eyes flashed wide open and the blutih deepened. "Yes, there is a reason but It can be overcome," she said reluctantly, and then with sudden defiance she added: "He's married so there!" She turned away her head. There was a long silence. "I know you think I'm horrid," quavered the girl's voice at last. "I think you are extremely foolish," admitted Mrs. Durand. "More than that, you aro wronging that man's wife." The girl sat up and swung her little, lit-tle, white-shod feet to the ground. "Ah but they hate each other'" she cried vehemently. "And he is so unhappy." "Hate each other? He told you that?" Sara's lip curled ever so slightly. "Yes. Ho says she only married him for his money and that she Is cold like ice or marble-r-oaid that alio Is mot young and glowing as I am I believe she Is quite old, and if she doesn't make him happy, why cannot can-not she allow him to get a divorce and then he would be free to marry me?" She burled her hot face In her slim palms. Sara was stunned into silence H Whfcrwa Noale Grayson thinking of to go wandering about tho world and H leave his. motherless daughter to the 1 mercies of men? Ho might hne H known that his girl was too much 11 like himself to escape the tempta- BH tions of modern society and what H sort of a chaperon was a stern New H England spinster? M For the sake of the wrong Sai i H Durand. had once done to Neale Gra- H son It became her duty nay, her H privilege to save his daughter from B lifelong misery; and .irrarrtage under H the circumstances the girl had out- lined meant nothing else. Pleading would not avail she would try the M bitter truth. H "Perhaps if his wife this terrible M old womanknew the circumstances H knew about you she could get a H divorce 'from him and then then he M would be free to mnr'-y you," said M Sara evenly. M "Knew about me? You mean M that I my namo would be dragged M why no!" The- young face was M like snow and all the soft features H were sharpened with anguish and ter- H "Perhaps she does not know th,if m he wants his freedom so that he (in H marry a beautiful young girl." The M scorn In Sara's voice whipped the gnl M to instant defense of her lover. M "Ah old people never can under- H stand," she complained hotly. "That's H why I dare not write to father nor fl speak, to Aunt Jane they would put M me into a convent at once. Surely IH surely Ged created every human be In-,- M for happiness, and how can we attain M happiness without love? And win - M why, out of all the millions of m u in H the world, snould I hae to fall in jB K love with him?" Her voice broke H tragically. H "I am sorry so sorry, dear, but H tthat seems to bo' the way of the world H but you are so young1 If I wore as K young as you are, and with my life to H live over again ah!" Sara whitened H at her own passionate self-betrayal. H "I suppose you mntle mistakes, too," B 33 Id the girl drearily. H Sara nodded. "Of course. I made H the grand mistake." H "What was that if you don't mind H H "I married for money when I could H li.ive had love." Her voice shook. H "Oh, how could you?" reproached H Neale Grayson's daughter. j "As easily as you can overstep the H houivds of honor now," retorted Sara M md again the girl hid her shamed " M "But they don't love each other H he says she never loved him and they H have discussed tile matter of per- B manent separation," argued the girl H ifter a while. H Sara sat in troubled thought. In H ome aspects the case paralleled her B iwn. She and Ford Durand had H tgreed to disagree after twenty years H of artificial felicity. Ford was even H now wandering around the 'orld to H Kive her the coveted excuse on the B grounds of desertion. Then then H sho would be free free frool M She clenched hor hands and M breathed sharply as she thought of B 'ho blossod relief of freedom from H t"ord Da rural his handsome, Inane H face his decadent mind IiIb money H his cheap cynicism this latter H might l.e the result of his unroqultted H loe for her. Eon now she could H tiring him buck to her side with a H mil, a kind word but the very H (.bought sent her weak and shudder- H ing into the depths of her chair. H A servant approached with a yel- H low envelope. B "A telegram for Miss June Grny- H ion," ho said. H The girl looked up and extended H in eager hand. IJer whole face was H illumined -with some great joy. She H .-lapsed the missive to her heart and H looked bewitchlngly at Airs. Durand. M "It is from him I shall know when H he is coming," shd murmured. H Sho had forgotten--everything'. M Sara watched her with a strange B light In her lovely eyes. Like a H molten flood the past poured over her H quivering soul. H How she hud loved Neale Grayson H but how much more she had B ihought she loved Pond Durand's H money and position! Well, sho had K sent Neale away broken-heai ted and IH .she had not made Ford happy their H fashionable world advertised that and H ihey both admitted it. Now she was m waiting here in Florida while her hus- B hand was no one knew where, and H Neale Grayson's daughter sat there H bent on ruining her bautlful young B life and Sara had no right to speak. M If she betrayed the girl to Aunt Jane B it would precipitate disaster there H was not time to notify Neale Grayson. H Ah, if she hud been June's mother! H "He is coming today any minute j now," came the girl's voice, so tender- Sara Durand rocovorod herself with a little shock. Something practical must be done to SavoNealo!s. daughter daugh-ter from disaster Sara owed that much tor Noale it would help to pay off the debt. Sho turned her beautiful, troubled eyes toward tho girl and took the .sweet faco botwoon her cool palms. "Oh, my dear, my doarl" she pleaded, plead-ed, "don't see him now wait until ho Is actually free, and do consult your father you will be so sorry If y decide now nivd you cannot " Juno wrenched horse'f free. "Plonso stop," she said firmly. "I know that I am quito right we love each other and we are entitled to happiness. hap-piness. When ho is free I shall marry him in spite of everybody in the world!" "But, my dear, wait until he is free before you seo him again." Juno laughed recklessly, Joyously. "I can't I can't! I idim pee him today. I shall send r .n away nt once but it is ages t .nco we wild good-bye! Why 1 .ere he comes now!" She leaned forwu d with shining eyes and softly parted rose-leaf lips and watched a man's white-clad form coming from the hotel. Sara turned and looked down the slope. The .rr-.:i was tall nad slender and erect and his yachting clothes were vastly becoming to him. Ho was hat-less hat-less and one could see that his hair was dar' and sleek and that there was a ue of black mustcho. Ho came hurriedly, looking from side to side as though ho expected to find someone waiting for him among the shrubby borders. He was whistling cheerily. Sarah Durand's face grew like death iself and she clutched tho table for support. Her wide eyes , stared and stared at the approaching man. June Grayson looked from the white-lipped woman to tho debonair figure coming up tho slope toward their retreat. "I don't suppose you would go " suggested Juno timidly Sho was sorry sho had confided in this strange woman. Sara turned fiercely upon hor. "Go? Why should I go?" she demanded de-manded haughtily. "Oh well I thought perhaps you would understand." The girl shrugged her shoulders impatiently and started forward Sara's hand gripped hor arm. "My husband is coming, Miss Graj'son; I want to meet him," she said in u stifled tone. "Your husband? Why," she leaned forward with straining eyes, "I see only one man ond it is my friend." "There is only one man and It is my husband. I am Mrs. Durand," sold Sara steadily. (Ford Durand was coming coming and she sho must bo reconciled to him and spend the hidoous future years with hm. Because she owotd a debt to Noale Grayson and sho must pay It by saving Noale's girl.) "What did you say?" asked Jane witli chattering lips. "I said that my husband is coming now." |