Show I Lady BI Blanche cLe Farm Fan I i t k A Romance or of 0 T ie to Commonplace By y Frances Parkinson Keyes Service by br r Trances Irone Kr I SY SYNOPSIS Motoring through Vermont Philip Bo Boston ton architect meets Starr Young Manning seventeen with whom Blanche Bunche Shorn be is II immediately enamored It Star t to Burlington being a I long distance nc if Blanch tarr cot boasting the h. h e village of not the note hotel that be h. become becom for tor th the night a guest rues of her tier cousin liar Mary Manning tanning a tary receives receive Philip with true Ver Ver- Mary wont arr hospitality and he h. makes makei the th of her cou cousin ln Paul rec rec- a I her nance liance Starr Inform Er herlof lIer of hi his bl to win Blanch for his hi wife Sh tell tells him of an old family lion concerning the Blanches Blanche of th the Manning family Paul Manning planning l is I. Inclined to be dl disel gated Mary Mar reproaches for hi his bl con are badly received by bl Paul Gale Gal Hamlin long a suitor for story Mary hand baud lilt Hamstead but makes make no progress In his bill lovemaking Philip from records record of or the Manning family learns larn the sorrowful tory story of the Countess Blanche French wife of or a Revolutionary hero Moses Moes Manning and aud of or the peculiar curse curie ah she eh has hal transmitted to her descendants descendant and the th women of Hamstead The evening of Philip Philips marriage to Blanche DIMche Paul under un sin der the th Influence of liquor bitterly affronts af af- fronts front Mary and tell tells her their engagement engagement en U le ended Mary at first t acutely conscious of her position as a la is greatly grull comforted by per bIt lifelong friend Sylvia Gray dray and nd th the theIon love Ion OT of her two small mall brothers Paul really loving Mary l though with a self lib ish attachment finds lind life Ufa a good deal Of or a blank with bar hr out of or the picture CHAPTER VIII VIII-Continued VIII Continued 9 C- C Driven at last lut to desperation by loneliness and boredom he decided togo to toro go ro to Mary Marl and ask to be reinstated In her favor This seemed easy enough when he be first thought of It but bat the more he reflected the mo more e he lie saw that It might be rather difficult He De had bad treated Mar Mary somewhat shabbily he admitted She was WIS having a very good rood time without him hIm hIm-he he was forced to admit that too too and and there was as really really real real- ly 11 no special reason why she should ever crave his society lIe He started on his errand of reconciliation several times only to turn back feeling that his stomach was caving In uncomfortably ably for some reason and that It might be better to watt walt a few days cars longer At last having spent a Saturday evening at home when every one else under thirty In 10 town had bad gone off oft on a picnic returnIng returning return return- ing lag In the highest spirits at midnight Mary Mary was with tho Grays and laughIng laugh laugh- Ing lag and singing when they dropped her ber at the front door door he he took his courage what ba there was of It In his bands hands and sought her out lie De found her ber late that Sunday Sunda afternoon In Indian summer sitting silting In the fragrant orchard reading a book a a rather solid looking book She was Paul thought looking unusually fresh and contented and attractive Rullo he said advancing towards I I her ler firm firmly I thou though h Inwardly quaking Hullo Dull 0 said Iary dary quietly without looking up op Pauls Paul's heart gave a ft queer exhibition of cf acrobatic powers as If It It t were turnIng turnIng turning turn- turn I Ing all aU the way from his bit throat to his stomach and then began to thump thump to to to thump so vigorously that he feared It might be audible lItas lIt He was as pleased and he was beyond all reasonable measure excited Have Rave a good time last night r he Inquired ca carelessly Yes Tea Did you Paul Taul choked and fumbled with his tie Be lie could not understand why Mary should ask such a tactless question question ques ques- tion when she knew perfectly well well- He lie decided to be magnanimous and Ignore It that at ale be he you aie-you you reading asked The Life of Charles Francis Frands Adams AdamI Do you II like k e I It U Very ery much Haven't you rend read It Y Another tactless I question I Marys Mary's olce expressed only polite surprise m yet she was aware that he never beer read things of that sort The top of ot Pauls Paul's collar wilar was ass sinking to the level ot of his hta collar button Mary went on re reading I n l I th Id I'd como come over for tor a little While he murmured desperately liar Nary Mary tu turned a page Ice Nice day Isn't It Lovely Lovely too Warm for the time of the year And likely to grow warmer any minute replied Mary lary her eyes still on her book Paul raul could feel even the buck bark of his hll neck aeck growing crowing red rei Still he Persisted Mother Chad ls Is la back In ln Brookline had 1 a letter from b her last t tight She's thinking K of ot leaving me aw tad na going down to pa pay her a little lIlt I should thInk It t would be a very pleasant change for her hot SomethIng 1 In Marys Mary's tone made Paul raul at her ern more re carefully The ful paInful pain pain- at the bock back of ot h b h- h neck the cm all over ver him lie could feel e cold perspiration on dropping down his I n 4 of OM There was no P possible Paul L Mar It-Mar Mary ary was a laughing S I turned his back on her and strode ode awa away Though the It unfamiliar with I qUotation he hat hat haj In ln substance Mar Mary r a sitting like patience o on A Apparently monument smiling down at grief the e she ahe was doln doing nothing of ot sort was She missed 1 hIm 80 so little and that getting along so well without bo him when h he went wont to hr her and tried to make up she felt she could afford afford af af- ford tord to laugh at him I 1 Well he wasn't to be trifled with like that I Hed He'd show her Angrily he brushed brushe away two big tears of resentment and hurt pride that were trickling down his flushed cheeks In the seclusion of his bedroom he brushed his rumpled hair and changed his collar then sat lIat down to cool off and think things over Hed He'd show Mar Mary He lie dwelt for tor a few minutes min- min utes on this agreeable thought But show her what halt What was there to show her And supposing he could think up something would she consent to be shown Ills His recent Interview with her the mere thought of ot which caused him to grow hot again did not furnish material for tor much hope hOlle of exhibition Mary after otter all all held all the high cards Ills His only chance soto soto so to toto to speak was to lead lend through weakness weak ness up to strength Ills his pride If nothing else told him that It would be better than leaving the game unfinished even If It he lost Ills His common commonsense sense ense told him that If he did not Dot finish It he would have smaller hope than ever of another game with Mary And he wanted to play with her H Having HarIng reached this conclusion of which there was no possible doubt neither comfortably nor rapidly he decided to act upon It at once lIe He fairly rushed to the orchard Mary was still sUII reading rending Look here Mor Mary he burst out Im sorry Im Im I'm sorry I I-I I I acted as I did the night of Blanches Blanche's wedding In fact Im I'm Im I'm-I'm Im I'm Just as ashamed of It as I can con be Td Id give anything If It you'd overlook It It Overlook It I flamed Mary Iary That was the wrong word floundered floundered floun noun dered Paul I meant of course 1 want to ask you to forgive to-forgive forgive me To Toto Toto Toto To- To to be friends with me If It you wont won't be anything else else else- Anything else I Oh of ot course I 1 knew you wouldn't be anything again after after after-after after that than I But Dut I l cant can't seem to say what Im I'm tryIng try try- Ing lag to You know what I mean though Please Mary Mary Mary- and he be held out his hand The girl closed her book rose and came toward him looking at him with that clear and direct gaze that was wasso wasso wasso so hard to meet But nut though he be flinched he looked at her squarely Please he said again I never would have done it If It I hadn't been drunk She drew back a little tittle You speak I as If that were an excuse she said evenly Why of course Its It's an excuse I 1 Of course It Isn't It was was was- was was-dis- dis disgraceful ls- ls graceful to do what you did but It was even more disgraceful to get Into Inton a n condition that would allow you to todo todo todo do It It Paul had honestly not considered the matter motter In this light before Well I guess It was he said flushing Ill try not to get Into get Into such a condition again I am sorry Honestly I am Wont Won't you shake hands bands with me and forgive e me I wouldn't touch you with a ten- ten foot pole I certainly wont won't forgive you I believe youre you're sorry now because because be be- cause youre you're having a horrid time But Dut If It I forgave you and you began to have bave a good time again you would forget all about being sorry and do dothe dothe the same thing right over o-er again I wouldn't wouldn't-I I swear I Youre not going to have e the chance I 1 must go In now v and get supper wont Well WelI wont won't you at least speak to tome tome tome me when you see me and and and so on onas onas on- on as ns long as I 1 do behave Yes said Mary over her shoulder Ill IU do that If It you Just happen to see me I wont won't If tf you tr try to like Uke this again And with this small concession Paul was obliged to be satisfied Or rather he strove to be satisfied and was not Mary Uary was amazingly pretty prett prettier than Blanche far and away prettier than Rosalie King or an any of ot the girls who worked In the mill at White Water Why hadn't he noticed that before And she had pep pel pep oceans of It I How could he be possibly have Ilae thought that she was tame lame He lIe hind had not only acted like a fool but like a blackguard lIe He deserved deserted his fate That was the last conclusion that Paul laul reached and the effect that It had upon him was more sobering than anything that had bad happened to him in all his life He lIe bowed under It It hurt and cowed and a little frightened Then he pul pulled d I himself together still wincing and began to try to build together again a stone at a time the foundation for tor that happiness which he be had bad de do I CHAPTER IX Paul was wise enough to guess that his cause would be hurt rather than helped If It Immediately after his encounter encounter en en- counter with Mary In the orchard he be happened to see her too often But Dut Buthe Buthe Duthe he nodded to her when he caught sight of ot her at a distance and she Ibe nodded back lIe He did not venture on more than Hullo or Good morning when they met But Dut after a week or orso orso so 10 he lie remarked that there had been beena a hard frost the night before and that the post office was being shingled This daring attempt at conversation having left him un unscathed and even he risked stopping slopping a moment moment moment mo mo- ment the next neit day to warm his chilled fingers over the stove store and get a drink of water at the tile sink And summoning more and more courage with each earh new success he finally nally appeared one evening evenIng evening eve eve- If tf ning after supper sad and asked Mary she abe would lend him something to read He lie felt that the desire to Improve t his mind might be one which would ap ap- I peal to M Mary ry anti ana cause him to some slight favor In la her sight debt Most Mos of all all however he welcomed any ex cx cuss CUlt which could be construed as II sun lOt reasonable to give him a few words word with her She held th the door open half without Inviting him to enter as he made his hi request and the corners of her mouth twitched lIe He had the uncomfortable feeling ling that she saw Ba through him per per reir- Would you yon like the Autobiography of Charles Francis Adams she asked lie He looked at her hu miserably You know I couldn't make head nor tall tail of It If he said In to the voice of a prisoner prisoner pris pris- oner at the bar who pleads for r Justice though he knows he deserves no DO mercy Im not clever like you Youre thorough when you take the trouble to be Thoroughness helps In reading All right give It to me Mary vanished leaving him himon on on the doorstep closing dosing the door behind her When she reappeared she had an un- un formidable looking volume In her hand This Is Rex Hex Reach's Bench's Heart of ot the I Sunset she said Fald demurely It took me a little while to find It but I think you may like It better It If you decide you rou want Charles Francis after all all come back and get It It it Well Veli your cordial invitation In Is a bribe worth considering retorted Paul Then rather frightened at at his daring he blushed scarlet Nevertheless less he looked straight at her smiled and lifted his cap Thanks ver very much for tor this he said Good night Inevitably a few evenings later Inter he hp brought the book book back having to his Intense surprise thoroughly enjoyed It Seth had had gone to prayer meeting and Mary was putting the children to tobed tobed tobed bed upstairs and did not hear his knock After hesitating a minute he went Into the living room put the volume down on the table and began to look 1001 at the others that were lying upon It He lie chanced on a novel of Zane Greys Grey's glanced down the first two or three pages and then genuInely genuinely Interested sat sat down and began to read entirely forgetting his awkward awkward awkward awk awk- ward position as an unwelcome guest When Mary entered halt half an hour later carrying a huge mending basket piled plied high with sewing he started guiltily to his feet and stammered his excuses all right said sold Mary Alary tranquilly tran tron quilly Wh Why dont don't you read aloud to tome tome tome me while I sew Do you rou honestly mean meon that thaU If It you would honestly like to You might poke up the fire a little before you start stan In It was not until the tall clock In tn Inthe inthe the corner struck eleven eleen that Mary Iary spoke or stirred Then she rose gathering gathering gathering gath gath- ering up her ber piles plies of neatly folded and mended clothes You must go home she said Its s getting late That's a good story Isn't It 1 Fine I Could Could Could-could could we have some e more tomorrow night Ive promised to go to White Water Water Water Wa Wa- ter with the Taylors Theres There's going to tobe tobe tobe be a concert Well the next night then Sunday I generally generall go to church Sunday evenings now Father listens for the boys The service is over early Yes but Thomas walks home with me and comes In for a little while You can come too of course If you'd enjoy It but we couldn't read This did not sound Bound especially attractive attractive at at- to Paul Nevertheless with his new-born new caution and in his gratitude gratitude gratl tude for the unexpected favor he had Just received he decided not to say soWell soWell so Well Nell perhaps I will And thanks awfully for letting me stay stoy tonight Ive I've had a fine time May I tate tale the book home with me rue Certainly would Certainly would you like a glass of milk and a doughnut before you go I made fresh ones today Um m I 1 Would I 17 They went Into the kitchen sat down beside the table with the red cloth on It and talked over tho the story as os they ate They did not agree as to the probable outcome A friendly argument argument argument ar ar- ensued When Wilen Paul finally got up and pushed back his chair they were both laughing and Mary with a sudden gesture snatched the book from him You shant shan't find out cut which |