| Show The DIM LANTERN By TEMPLE BAILEY O 0 PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY COMPANY SERVICE CHAPTER PTER X Continued X 15 IS Adelaide sat motionless eyes on her ler plate When she spoke again it was of other things Did you hear bear that Delafield is coming back Who told you asked Frederick Eloise Harper Benny Benny's sister lister saw law Del at Miami She is sure lure he heIs het hei i Is t expecting to marry the other girL Bad taste I 1 call it it ft Everybody is crazy to know who she is Have Ilave they any idea No Bennys Benny's sister lISter said laid he talked quite frankly about getting married But he wouldn't say a word about the he woman I hardly think he will find Edith heart Towne glanced across the table Edith was not wearing the willow No shadow marred her lovely countenance Her lIer eyes were clear and shining pools of sweet content Her uncle was proud of that high high- held head He and Edith might not always alway hit it ft off otT But by Jove he be was proud of herNo her No she's ahe's not heart broken Adelaide's Ad cool tone disturbed his reflections re- re she Is getting her heart mended What do you mean They are an attractive pair little lit lit- tie tle Jane and her brother And the boy has hu lost his head Over Edith Oh Oh well she plays play around with him theres there's I nothing serious serious serious se se- rious In it it Dont be too sure She's She inter inter- ested What makes you insist on that thaU irritably I know the signs dear man the cat seemed to purr but she had claws claw And It was Adelaide who was right Edith had come to the knowledge knowledge knowl edge that night of what Baldy meant to her As AI she he had entered the ballroom men had crowded around her Why they demanded do you wear mistletoe if H you dont don't want to pay the forfeit Backed up against one of the marble marble mar mar- ble pillars she held them off I Ido Ido Ido do want to pay It It but not to any of you Her lIer frankness diverted them Who is the lucky man He is here But he doesn't know he is lucky They thought she was joking But she was not And on the other side of the marble pillar a page in scarlet scarlet scar scar- let listened with joy and fear in his heart How fast we are going How flow fast There was dancing until midnight then the curtains at the end of the room were drawn back and the tree was revealed It towered to the ceiling a glittering gorgeous thing It was weighted with gifts for everybody fantastic toys most of them expensive meaningless Evans standing back of the crowd was aware of the emptiness of it alL Oh Oh what had there been throughout the evening to make men think of the Babe who had been bornat born bornat at Bethlehem The gifts of the Wise Men Per Per- haps Gold and frankincense and myrrh One must not judge too narrowly It was wal hard to keep aims simplicities simplicities sim sim- I In these opulent days Yet he was heavy hearted and when Eloise Harper charged up to him dressed somewhat scantily as asa asa asa a dryad and handed him a foolish monkey on a stick she seemed to suggest a heathen saturnalia rather than anything Christian and A monkey for a monk said Eloise Mr Follette your cassock is frightfully becoming But you know you are a whited sepulchre Am I Of course Ill I'll bet your you never ever say your prayers She danced away unconscious that her words had pierced him What reason had she to think that any of this meant more to him than it did to her Had he borne witness to the faith that was within him And was it within him bim And if not why He III stood there with his foolish monkey on his stick while aroundhim aroundhim around aroundhim him whirled a laughing shrieking crowd Why the thing was a carni carni- carnival carnival val not a sacred celebration Was there no way in which he might bear witness Edith had asked him to sing theold the theold theold old ballads Dame get up and bake your pies and I saw three ships a Evans was was was' in no mood for the dame who baked her pies on Christmas day in the morning morning morn mom ing mg or the pretty girls who whistled whittled and sang sang sang-on on Christmas day in the morning When all the gifts guts had been dis atty distributed the lights In the room were turned out The only Illumination was the golden effulgence nce which en en- the tree In his monks monk's robe within that ircle e of light Evans seemed a mys ical teal figure He lie seemed too appropriately ascetic with his gray hair tie no weary lines line of hit his young old ace But Dut ais lIS voice wa wai wat fresn ar and d clear A And nd the song he sang hushed thereat the great reat room Into silence O 0 little town of Bethlehem How still we see lee thee the lie lie Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by Yet Vet in thy dark streets The everlasting light The hopes and fears feats of ot all the t tAre years Are met in thee tonight He sang as al If H he were alone in some vast arched space pace beneath spires that reached towards Heaven behind some grille that separated him from the world And now It seemed to him that he be sang aang not to that crowd of upturned faces not to those men and women in shining silks Illk and satins not to Jane who was far away but to those others who pressed close his close his comrades com corn rades rases across the Great Divide So he had sung lung to them In the hospital sitting up In n his hIl narrow u 9 Sit tiff r J u And I And I told him he be most must Dot not Miss Towne bed bed and and most of the men who had hat d l listened were were gone gone As the last words rang rang out hl his s audience seemed to wake with a S s sigh Then the lights went up But tit the e monk had vanished I IEvans Evans left word with Baldy that tha t he would go home on the trolley I Iam Iam I am not quite up to the supper an andall and andall d all that Will you look after Mother Moth Moth- er Of course Say Evans that son song g was top notch Edith wants you t tsing to o sing another Will you tell her I 1 cant can't I Im I'm m sorry But the last time I 1 aan sang ling g that was for the fellows fellows In in France Franc o And It got t-got got me me- me It got me too Baldy confided made all this seem seem silly It was just before New Years Year's B that Lucy Logan brought a letter lette r for Frederick Towne to sign an and d when he had finished she said M Mr r Towne Im I'm sorry but Im I'm not going goin g to work any more So will wIB you yo U please accept my resignation He showed his surprise What e the matter Arent Aren't we good enough for you It isn't that She stopped an and d went on on Im going to be ma mar mar- i isled r ried sled Mr Towne Married He was at once co con n gratulatory That a pleasant pleasa at thing for you and I mustn't spoil it by telling you how hard it is goin going g to be to find someone to take your you r place I think If It you will have Miss Dale She's really very good Frederick was curious What kind of lover had won this quiet Lucy Probably some clerk or salesman What about the man Nice fellow I hope hope- Very nice Mr Towne she flushed and her manner seemed to forbid further questioning She went away aWRY and he gave orders to the cashier to see that she had an increase in in- increase crease in the amount of her final check She will need some lome pretty things And when we learn the date we can give her a present So on Saturday night Lucy left I and on the follow following Monday a card was brought up to Edith Towne She read It Lucy Logan I dont don't believe I know her she said I Ito to the maid She says she is from Mr Townes Towne's office orate and that it is la im m Miss bliss Towne Lucy said as 81 Edith approached her I have resigned from your uncles uncle's office Did he tell you No Uncle Fred rarely speaks about business With characteristic straightforwardness Lucy came at once to the point I have something I J must talk over with you I dont don't know whether I am doing the wise thing But lIt it is the only honest thing thine I I cant can't Imagine what you can I have to say ay No you ou cant can't It Its It's this this this- she abe hesitated then spoke with an n effort ef et fort I am the girl Mr Simms Is in love with He lie wants wanta to comeback come comeback comeback back and marl marry me meo Edith's Edith fingers caught at the arm of the chair Do you mean that it was because of ot you you that that he be didn't I marry me met Yes He used to come to the office of of- flee Ace when he was In Washington and dictate letters And we got in La the way of ot talking to each other He lie seemed to enjoy it it and he wasn't like some men who men who are just just silly silly And I 1 began to think about him a alot alot lot But I 1 didn't let him see ee It And And And- he told me afterward he was always al ways way thinking of at me And the mornIng morn morn- Ing lag of your wedding day he came down to the to office office to say lay Good Good by by lie He said he just he-just just had to And well And well he let It out that he loved me me and didn't want to marry you But he said he would have to go on with it And And And-and and I 1 told him hEm he must not Miss Towne Edith stared at her Do you mean that what he be did was your fault Yes Lucys Lucy's face was white if you want to put It that way I 1 told him ilm he hadn't any right to marl marry you if H he loved me She hesitated then lifted her eyes to Edith Edith's with witha a glance of appeal Miss Towne I 1 wonder If you ou are big enough to believe that It was just because I 1 cared so 0 much much and and not because of his hip money You think you love him she demanded I know I 1 do And you dont You never have And he didn't love you Why Why-if Why if he be should lose every cent cen t te tomorrow and I had to tramp th the e road with him him Id I'd do It gladly And you ou wouldn't You wouldn't wouldn t want him unless lie tie could give yo you u everything you have now would woul ud d you Would you Miss Towne Edith's Edithl sense ense of justice dictated dictate d her answer No she found herself her het self unexpectedly admitting If It I had to tramp the roads with him Id I'd be bored to death de-ath I think he be knew that Miss Mis I Towne He told me that if 11 he didn't didn t marry you your heart wouldn't b be e broken That it w would uld just hurt hurl t your pride Edith had a moment of hysterics hysterical 1 mirth How flow they had talked he her r over Her lIer lover lover and and her uncle uncles s I stenographer I What a tragedy 1 t thad It 1 had been And what a comedy I She leaned forward a little lockIng lock I Ing lag her lingers fingers about her knees J 1 wish you'd tell me all about It it t So Lucy told the simple story And in telling it showed herself a so o naive Halve so steadfast that Edith wa was s aware of an Increasing respect fo for fort forthe r t the woman woman who had taken her plato plat place e in the heart of her lover She perceived per that Lucy had come to this S Interview In no spirit of at triumph She had dreaded it it but had felt i l it ither t her duty I thought it ft would b bi be e easier for you if you knew it ft before be fore tore other people did Edith's forehead was knitted inslight in a slight frown The whole thing ha has s been most unpleasant she said When are you going gain to mars marry y him I 1 told him on St. St Valentine Valentines s day It seemed seemed romantic romantic Romance and Dell Edith had i a sudden illumination Why this wa was s what he had wanted and she had hac l d given him none of It ill She ha bad d laughed at him him been been his good com corn rade rode Little Lucy adored him him and an I I had set St. St Valentines Valentine's day for tit the e i wedding There was nothing small about abou ul Edith Towne She knew 5 when she saw It it and she had a feeling feel ing lag of humility In the presence o of 01 little Lucy I think it it was m my I I fault ault II as s much as Dels Del's the she stated elated I I 1 should never have said IBid Yes Yee People eople haven't any right tight to marl marry who feel as ea we did Oh Lucy said rapturously how dear of you to say that Miss bliss Towne owne I 1 always knew you were were- b big Ig But 1 I didn't dream you were so o beautiful Tears wet her cheeks cheek Youre just marvellous marvellous she saId aid wiping them away No Im I'm not Edith's Edith eyes were o on n the tire fire Normally I am rather rath rath- er T proud and hateful and hateful If H you had come ome come a week ago ago ago- list Her voice fell feU away Into silence as u she still Ita stared red reda at a t the fire tire Lucy looked at al her curiously A week ago I Edith nodded Do you like fair fairy fairytales tales ales Well once there was a prin prine I cess teas And a page rAte came and sang sang ung- under her window The fire lire purred and crackled And Mat the princess princess- liked l the song long long- Oh said IBid Lucy under her breath She stood up I cant can't tell you how thankful I l am that I 1 came Youre not going to run nm away yet Edith told her I want you to o have lunch with me Upstairs You must tell me all aU your plans plane I haven't many And I 1 really oughtn't to stay Why not I 1 want you Please dont don't say lay no So up the they went with the perturbed perturbed perturbed per per- parlor maid speaking through the tube to to the pantry Miss Towne wants want luncheon for two Mr Waldron In her room Something nice she says and plea plen plenty ty of ot it it Little Lucy had never seen een such luch sucha lucha a room as 81 the one to which Edith led her The whole house was Indeed indeed In in- deed a dream palace Yet It was I the atmosphere with which her lover lov by er would soon surround her She had a feeling almost of panic What would she do with a maid meld like Alice who was helping Josephine set up the folding table folding spread the snowy cloth bring In to the hot silver dishes As If H Edith divined her thought she said laid when the maids maid had left Lucy will you let me advise Of course Miss Towne Dont try to be like be-like like the rest rat of us Like Dels Del's own crowd I l mean He fell in love with you because you were different lIe He will want you to st stay stay different y different But Dut I shall have so much to learn Edith was impatient What must you learn learnt Externals Let them alone Be yourself You have dig and and strength It was the strength In you that won Del You and he can have bave a life together that will mean a B great deal if t you will make him go your way But you must not go his his his- Lucy considered that You mean that the crowd he Is fa with weakens him I mean Just that They're sophisticated so so- beyond words Youre You're what they would call call provincial Oh be provincial Lucy Dont Don't be afraid But dont don't adopt their ways You go to church dont don't you Say your prayers Believe that Gods God's in tits Ills world Lucys Lucy's fair tali cheeks were flushed Why of course I 1 do Well we don't dont not dont not many of us us said Edith The thing you have got to do Is to interest Del in some some- thing Dont Don't just go sailing aIlIng away with him in his yacht Buy a farm over in Virginia and help him make male e a success of It it t Dui But he lives In New York Of course he does put But he can live anywhere lies lie so as rich that he doesn't have to earn anything and his office is II just a fiction Action You mus must t make him work Go in for a fad blooded horses cows black Berk Berk- shires fro TO BE Dr |
