Show I I The he Fourth I Lady By TH- TH D e a Th Th M Bobbs-M Company v CHAPTER VI Continued VI-Continued Continued S 8 So you OU Joined up up remarked more interested in fn this fact than In 10 HIM Mercedes In 14 Stone nodded I went o er at once The only time I ever left lert Virginia for tor more than thao a week or orIn ort t two n o. o Id I'd been educated In England remember and knew a lot of at fellows I IIII Ivas Iwas vas was useful as a liaison officer I was In Into to transfer to our own forces when 1 w wo we came In In Somehow I didn't Afraid they'd think I was Will pushing my 10 myself self forward you OU know You Vou were wounded Stone flone wriggled Oh slightly Just Justa a scratch cratch Nothing worth mention mention- In hit 1 c. c You Von might as well tell me me how it happened pressed him Mm ally bly Im noted for tor my 10 tactless per per- ler Oh well well there there was Will a little chap chapI I was fond of we ot-we wo all an were Irish tout not too young hed he'd been bern a Jockey In 11 Party life and we all an thought hed he'd dyed his hll hair and lied about his n age e to get taken on at all Very sporting what Well Wen some men came come In after a raid Said they'd left him In a shell shell hole hole wounded Hed He'd begged em cm to go on It Jt was useless to try to carry him In Things had quieted down there wasn't any danger so being fond of ot him Trim as u I I said I 1 just wandered over overto overto to see lee what could be done for him That's ats at's all there was 1181 to it Except that you ou effected a liaison selth a German bullet or two sad ald aid dryly I see ee Absolutely no danger danger dan dan- ger ler of ot course Then with a flash nash of ot Intuition I suppose he gave you the emerald horseshoe you to so often otten wear I always wear It It Stone corrected her lIer throwing his Ms coat back to display it ft Dennis was killed tilled the first day after arter that that he was back buck at ot the front Hed He'd left lert the pin with the priest with orders to turn it over to tome tome me rue It if he went west It had bad been pred pre pre- to him Mm after arter he won on a great grent race b by great riding and he prized It above everything A silence tell fell between them each ach traveling tar far on trains of ot thought aroused by what had transpired You have friends over there said ald aid at last lias Iles It never occurred to you to go back to them Stone set his Jaw stubbornly Im Pm Imn n an n American I made up m my mind all Virginia couldn't freeze me out and b by 0 G dI I d dont don't let them I There was passion In the statement and nd nd sensing censing the spirit that had carried carried car car- ried him Mm through years of ot ostracism Emit recognized It as final At once one she he dropped the su subject and r reverted to the topic of ot Miss Mercedes Did Mercy nurse you Im I'm alive was Stones Stone's laconic an an- lr 11 Then after atter a minute he took th the matter up again She wasn't a full fledged nurse a tact fact which doubtless saved some more or less valuable lives I 1 only saw he her r occasionally in the South She had bad a flirtation at every cot and wheel chair After the armistice In to Paris Parts she began brgan n ns to cling a little but hut her Intentions s weren't rent really serious until she ahe grew grel v tat fat A fat man Is the most hot hor- sight light In the world but to m my y mind a fat tat woman runs him pretty prett y close So Im I'm counting on you to save lave e me from her And she Is counting on me to rave pale e you for tor her pointed out May fa j jask y I ask how I am to reconcile my duty duly dut dutto y to both bolh clients After all all Ive I've token taken n her bet money and Ive I've not taken yours Perhaps the be best t t ay ny ay out of ot the difficulty culty would bo be to throw you over Too la late tp Stone asserted Its Impossible Im In possible now to forget torget Im I'm your cousinIn cousin In V Virginia blood counts you know You Ton cant can't throw over oler a relative Ii He- He e- e sides Ides as a problem Im I'm much more Interesting interesting In than Ihan she can possibly hi he She's Bhe's only fat tat Im I'm morbid And find Introspective Intro Intro- o and obstinate and a lot o of ot t other things Ill I'll tell you about later inter Not much later Infer If It Im I'm to preserve e the Lovely ly name sal saM I her eyes eys stealing to the clock dock but shouldn't I add a bit of ot a humbug g to the list youve you've given then me Im I'm no not t sure lure you ou dont don't like Miss Mercedes Mercede s more than you'd have me think you do Stone Slone made a wry face tace and shook shoo k his bis head Not while she's so fat he said sold d de e Good night Good flood night echoed but already already al ready ff the door was shut between then them t. t She resented reseated herself herselt to smoke a fine final l cigarette turning the pages of ot a magazine maga a sine zine In and trying to tear her mind away awn y from Stone Nesbit and the position a be had maintained so 10 stubbornly to for tor r years Jurs It was a useless attempt So far as the situation In n Virginia a went she was sure she could clear It t tip up If It she were on the spot She pro promised prom m lied bed herself she would make short work vork of It once she was at As regards Miss Mercedes Merdes she had stated the case quite frankly to Stone and after all wouldn't such a marriage marriage mar mar- be the best thing for tor all concerned con conS corned Mercy It rIY had bed struck her as silly Illy and sentimental qualities which might appeal appal to some men as liS feminine and affectionate Plainly no woman was fitted to Judge what n a man elan looked for tor In a wife witt Probably all nil that Stone Slone wanted was that thai she chA should bring pressure oo on M Mercy ercy to Induce her to reduce until she was Will a more normal size stze That much she was pretty certain Ih she could manage to accomplish giving no nolor guarantee guar lor antee anise however that Mercy would continue con cou- sylphlike alter after marriage After Atter one has haa won a race plainly there is II no keep on running running run run- ni ning ng remarked to herself as she ahe switched off oft the lights and end with a wide yawn went hungry to bed Foreseeing that she would be continually con con- continually subject to interruption from M Miss MI iss Mercedes Mercedea unless measures were taken to prove to her that she had not bought all Madame time to her great disgust promptly charged that lad lady for tor a visit she made maden In n the forenoon to Inquire the result c of ot the call at Doctor Blantons Blanton's office While she was lingering an answered an ered the telephone to hear Stones Stone's voice lIe He had It developed receive received a message from I Voltaire was III It was necessary for tor him film to take the first train No telling when he would be bo back lie Ite had to rush lie Ile hung hunK tip up and so did Involuntarily her eyes ees sought Miss Mercedes Mercedes' face who being shrewd In her own way Interpreted the glance rightly tI That was Johnn Johnny talking to you Dont Don't bother to lib fib to me I know It w was as I could see lice you making up your mind whether to tell me or not sot laughed attempting no denial dental dentalI I was doing exactly that thaI that site she ac ac- j knowledge knowledge-I I confess contess Id I'd like tike nothIng nothIng nothing noth noth- ing better than to have you go home to V Virginia irginia until Im I'm through with this banting bunting I fancy Its It's going to be ver very hard on my disposition And also you will be bl better ter able to estimate what the treatment Is s accomplishing otter after a lapse apse of ot a s couple of ot weeks Y Yet et I confess contess I do not think your best beat i Interest will be served seised if It you go down downto to Virginia now Mercy lumbered to her feet teet That means that Johnny Is going back Probably I can catch the II sumo same me train Sit down again You cant can't catch his fits train because its it's gone Now pray pay attention to what Im I'm telling you Its It's for tor your own good Interrupted I her sternly I l absolutely cannot guarantee results to any client who refuses to be guided b by me Mr Nesbit Is fa distinctly Irritated by your pursuit of ot him I assure you It t would be much better policy on your part to stay away from Virginia for tor a time Give him film a chance chonce to miss you yowl you Do no you think he would The wistfulness ulness f In Mercy's voice was cans unaffected ed Id and moving I dont don't see lee why not Indeed a little show of or indifference on your our part might prove very vry salutary Absence Ab s sence ence makes the heart grow fonder she he murmured Its an old saw aw and anda a true one Ill not deny that that Is an Idea Miss 1 Mercedes l remarked thought thoughtfully tully Ill think It over oer What was cans It that took him back to In such a hurry 7 Who Is Voltaire asked She Sho was Willi curious on the point having been given no opportunity to ask Stone Those d n d-n n dogs Miss Mercedes exclaimed When Im I'm Mrs Nesbit I declare Ill I'll poison them vi who ho was teas fond of ot dogs began begane to repent of ot the decision to forward her marriage French brench bulldogs bulldog Miss Mercedes went on with ugly crumpled up up faces So Ro clever you hardly dare talk before them for tor fear they'll repeat what you say I certainly hate em pm And Voltaire Vol taire Is the worst When Johnn Johnny goes gol away he can scarcely he be persuaded to tn eat at Besides ll's which the beast can cnn count Johnny tells him how many days hell he'll be he gone and If It he overstays the creature actually seems to go Into a sort of ot decline Miss Mercedes heaved her fat torso In what was evidently Intended to be bea bee a shrug Oh Oil well he wont won't last long after arter were we're married You dont don't suppose I mean to be called railed down to Virginia because because be be- cause a dogs dog's In the dumps And what about Europe Let Iet me tell you Johnny knows a lot of at very wry ery Important people in I There was wall a Lovely girl married 1 a title this past autumn and he let out to me accidentally that he knew some of ot the men In the bridal lal party I tried to get him to Invite them to Virginia but he wouldn't It will be good for tor him to go KO over there now note and then Just to keep up with his old friends This thought had bad occurred to the night before Coming from Mercy she found herself herselt revolting against It white she mentally noted that Stone Slone had not mentioned either Leister or his friends to her I cant can't encourage you to go Into this marriage If It that Is fa your our spirit she Bhe said laid her voice as 81 cold as Ice Mr Mt Nesbit Is la a mature man and has a s aright aright right to make his own decisions Moreover Moreover More More- o over ver his fits home borne Is la In a Virginia isn't his Itle home honey M Mercy ercy Interjected In explanatory tones tone No lie Me only rents i It t. t lie He cant can't love It the wa way I love Rock moss for tor Instance Ills his place belongs be be- l longs l to the old LOvel Lovely family Didn't you OU know that khaki And I dont don't think Its It's reasonable to expect me to be pulled back to Virginia as If It I wore a collar and leash After Arter all a mans man's wife's wires h happiness Is II more Important than his fits dogs dog's however pampered Isn't It 7 Certainly conceded but his his his' own happiness deserves some consideration consideration consider consider- atlon too doesn't It Hell lIelI be happy Miss Mercedes was wasat wasat wasat at length ready to I leave a VI lIe He ought to be anyway I dont don't think Im I'm flattering flattering flat flat- myself when I say lay Ill I'll be more mort to him film than an any dog and wont won't he have me It was not an argument eos easy to refute refute re reo fute fule while maintaining the customary c civilities and was not given to altern attempting the Impossible yet before she sto summoned her ler next client she phe was forced again to remind herself of the s y ii I Something Seems Seem Suddenly to H Have Stiffened Your Backbone Something Something Some Som I thing His Has Stone Averred fact that because Miss 1 Mercedes did not lIot strike her as tt the Ideal companion It did not necessarily follow that Stone Nesbit would agree with her CHAPTER VII For some orne time heard no more of ot her new and disturbing consultant and her business settled back Into aroutine a aroutine aroutine routine that if It It ft did dlf not Interest her deeply taxed her still 1111 less which was wasas wasas as os well In view of ot the tact fact that she was losing weight steadily and had not reached the point where she had rea ceased sed to find dieting Irksome Moreover her vanity was not yet appealed appealed appealed ap ap- pealed to since there thre was no appreciable appreciable oppre- oppre change In her appearance Her lIer scales told a different story and Doctor Doctor Doctor Doc Doc- tor manlon Blanton was entirely satisfied first news from Virginia reached tier her In letters from Mercy two In III one mall liberally underlined salted with dashes and exclamation marks marka and written In the vein eln of ot mystery mystery mys mys- tery that Is generous In you OU know who while sedulously omitting names smiled and felt about fourteen again as she replied with a short note In the same schoolgirl style From rom Stone she received no word a 11 fact tact that perhaps kept him more In the forefront of ot her mind than If It he had bombarded her with letters One afternoon her days day's engagements engagements engage engage- ments over she Bhe had hall seated slated herself herselt for fora a moment mOD to ret review lew the work of the da day preparatory to changing her dress 1 and starting starling for tor the BadmInton when she heard the quick scamper of or little feet fet and two dogs burst Into the Ihl room and circled It with alert curlo curiosity lIy here herl and sniffing there and making themselves entirely at home There was no doubt In her mind whose dogs these were wre and sh she e watched them with Interest while whit e awaiting the advent of ot their master which she felt certain would be Yet he did not come and it at t last one one- of at the solid substantial little creatures never neer unconscious of ot he her presence advanced to her side and pu put t one paw on her knee as If It to beg permission per permission mission for some further favor falor Sh She leaned Iland over to t make out his name o ohis on n his silver collar Beaucaire Sh She twisted 1 It around Johnstone Nesbit I Perk Park Park avenue Manhattan she rea read d and now she confessed her surprise t to o herself When had he taken up his s habitat In Park avenue All right Beau Deau Beau she said laid softly patting her knee and at once the dog sprang into her ber lap and proceeded tomake tomake to tomake make himself comfortable as if u be he had known her all his short life The Theother Theother other dog It still held aloof aloot and this for tor some reason renson dl displeased leased her ber The disdainful disdainful dis dis- one was 1181 undoubtedly Voltaire and It was his hie favor tavor she wished to win She was not a Martha Washington Washing Washing- ton Mercedes to be scorned by Stones Stone's pet Of ot a sudden she became aware that Voltaire was 1181 growling She turned and looked at him In amazement and the low rumbling In his hll throat fell lower and died out She devoted her attention to Beau Bean care caire and at once the growling began again was accustomed to dogs and an thought she knew all their ways but bulldogs were a new breed In her experience experience expo expo- and all she had heard beard of ot them was the legend of ot their fierceness The noise this beast was 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