Show LADY LA 17 BLANCHE LA ia AJL I 1 M V y I 1 JL NU FARM FAR M A romance of the commonplace by FRANCES PARKINSON KEYES copyright by france parkinson kerf ilyes corvi CHAPTER XI continued 11 slip was dressed in tho the dull blue color that she had always loved a soft flowing gown a largo large droop ing hat fiat these were not the kind paul instinctively knew that were hurriedly stitched after the children were in bed lit at night or painfully created by aless slats alms the village dressmaker from a paper pattern put hut the change in tier her was far greater than in apparel atone alone lie could see that now even more clearly than at the theater the evening before slie she was rested she wits was happy all of tier her gravity seemed to have left tier her paul had fiat never seen ft n woman so beautiful so vital so full of promise nil till when did you come im ever so BO glad to see yuu you 1 just yesterday im staying with blanche now flow nicol her apartment pretty and philip well just almost too good to be truo true yes I 1 guess he Is true though fUnn clie is 13 lucky hicky 11 mitry alary ant down pulled off her white gloves and took off her fiat Is in everything all right at lady blanche nian clie farm of course or you yon he be herel here I 1 are you going to stay long only n few days we must try and make them pleasant for you yon hannah Is giving ft a dinner for me tomorrow im I 1 m sure shell want you to come and there are aie several good plays in town its awful kind of you dut but id honestly hone itly rattier rather not be asked to din tier ner 1 I 1 I came just for for rather a special reason yes silt sald mary still lightly im going to enlist mary pouring iring ten did not an ewer aw or 1 I ive had it a devil of a row with mother stany many handed him film the cup you would of course she said quietly 1110 do you think I 1 did wrong no I 1 dont think so tell me more abovitz it sties ashes all right physically though she insists sties a nervous inva if lid ali and sties alios all light financially too if site eliell only ti be careful we ve were in debt rather after blanches wedding but ive paid that tant nil all up ive I 1 ve use used sonic some capital of my own nw now slie she can an keep hod and myra to work vork for tier and have plenty of money loft left over for rooi food and cloth I 1 ing ng and taxes tases and everything that I 1 can call think of ive heen over it nil all pretty carefully ive told tier her slip could my share shaie of out our income too as aa lung long ns as I 1 wits was gone 1 hats fair isn t it mary 1 I should think it wits waa perfectly fair what giai branch of the service do 10 xou iou want to enter tho marines it if they cant get into it a scrap on sen perhaps they will on lano land 1 I Y yes es 1 suppose cousin vialet when she saw site she stop your lour going coin advised the quarter inns department or something like that how lid did you iou guess I 1 felt there were lots of other nien men who could go nto into I 1 that nien men with fa families milles I 1 mean or who till nil right physically 1 theres heres nothing the matter with tay my heart I 1 found taint out from david noble before he left it was wa david who first put tile lilea idea of going to war into my licad head ive I 1 ve had plenty of time to think it over 01 er since and im sure ini ill the best thins thing hut but im sorry to liae have quarreled with moth er cr Coll cousin sill lane tool took her side little too and your our father no one lie eem etril to know there Is a war in hardly I 1 tried to make them see how flow I 1 felt I 1 could nL id made up my mind to go anyhow but I 1 hated batet going like that yes said paid milry mar it roust must have been hard and aiu im sorry paul sorry im going oli oh no im in glad youre going im only sorry they t see tant you iu were tight right to go and that it made your our going harder I 1 sup pose 11 II li is enrigh anyway paul put flown ills cup and ennie cime and sat town beside her hen 0 on n the sofa mari alary he said his fits voice trembling a little 1 I 1 any right to nik ask of course but would you tell mr me are you going to marry sir mr In nitin no im going home very cry soon now ill try to make them see your our side in linni strad I 1 dont know whether I 1 can but ill try and flint there Is a war and that they must wake up tip and help to win it if they dont want ft ant to perish in it would would you marry me for it a minute the girl did not on an ewer she wit sat looking into the llop anti and in spite of its bright reflection paul pant that some of the love ly color find suddenly left hei bet fare face 1 I 1 1 11 thought he went on ink ing cour courage at not being instantly repulsed that hit it if you would we could have just a week or so to gether before I 1 enlist we could go to sonie quiet little place by the sea aea neither of us ua has ever done that and while I 1 am gone I 1 could I 1 could remember it and look forward to corning coming back to you that way again suddenly he fie knelt down and half burled his face in the soft fols folds of her dress mary ive been so BO lonely without you all winter ive wanted to talk to you nebout new york find and the farm and the war about everything I 1 was interested in an thinking over myself ive canted to try to make some things easier and plen santer for you I 1 never knew before that home to tile me meant just you mary I 1 want you so go 1 I know she said slowly ive known that of course sInce christinas why I 1 went away de be cause you dont love me die she drew away fro from in him a little you think love Is just that wanting 1 I sho sat said wanting something you cant get and throwing it away as aa worthless as soon as youve kt got I 1 it it if I 1 married you you woula be happy that week but the alist little french peasant you met alary V 1 well youa or abany nt any rate have I 1 any reason to suppose to know that you you dont know what it menns means to love 1 I 1 thought I 1 did nut but perhaps I 1 dont will you tell me she turnoff turner tier her head away for n minute and then faced him film 1 I 1 cant pretend I 1 like to live like this always 11 she said 1 I 1 love the country but I 1 any billu about it I 1 know that lady blanche farm or tiny any farm means lots of hard work lots or of loneliness lots lota of deprivation id like to have a big beautiful house in the city and tile the constant association with delightful people and nil all the rest of it and when it man whom you like very much offers them all to you and you realize that you could cc 11 d not only have everything you want yourself but give your father rest ant and comfort in his of old age and your brothers a good education and find you hesitate you cant help it it la Is an awful temptation of course gale dale liam hamlan lina la too tactful ancl aar too too square to try to bribe tile me but it amounts to a bribe just the same game so ive tried to love him so that 1 I 1 could have nil all this I 1 thought I 1 could perhaps hut but I 1 cant mary glanced down at paul tier her lips quivering a little lie ile was still on his knees before her tits his eyes looking up tip into hers more steadily title tills time than she could goolt nt him film because she went on and her voice was very low yo you u icel feel when you love a man that it matter if he Is so poor he fie a shirt to tits hla buck back of so bad that y youve auve bot to drag him out it f the gutter glitter isyou if you can only belong to him that rather bilke bake tits his broad bread and sweep tits hla ro room 0 in and wash his clothes than sit on a throne of gold beside anyone else vint that you want to share his poverty and ills fits troubles find make them easier if you can that you want to turn to hinn him in your own sorrow and in your own joy that yon want to marry him to go to sleep every night in ills his arms and the first thing when you wake every morning to feel his I 1 0 4 0 0 mary glanced down at paul her lips quivering a little lips on yours kissing you before you begin your days together tog ellier that you hope in time hell he be your childrens father rose from his knees and walked fi blindly lindly over toward the bay window when lie he finally canic buck back his fresh young face lo ollied w white hite and old yon toll care for gale cale ilam ham fin att ithe e that he said bald as it 1 he were scourging himself with evry every word he spoke so you marry him you want a man just because he was rich and fa inous and good and you want just the easy plessant plen sant things like blanche you wanted the hard part too That the way you yon cared for me yes said alary unsteadily and you dont any more it was not a question nevertheless mary alary answered it with one do you think it like likely lyl t she asked paul bowed his head no lie he said 1 I 1 dont think its likely of course I 1 know its impossible it was ns insane of me to think tor for one minute that hat you could marry me now after what I 1 did to you when you cared like that I 1 ask your f forgiveness from the bottom of f my 0 0 heart but I 1 know I 1 dont deserve it and I 1 dont expect to get it goodby good by later in the spring just before she went back to flam hamstead stend mary received a imp square letter on coarse tan colored paper with a red tran triangle agle in the corner dear hinry it said 1 I wont bother you by writing you again but I 1 cant start across without doing it this once 1 I do di love you I 1 know you dont believe me and if you iou decide to marry mr air after all ill try to be glad because I 1 know lie he deserves you us much as any man can deserve you sou and I 1 dont but ill make you believe roe me anyway when I 1 get home it would be silly of rue roe to say ill be more worthy of you then for of course ill never be worthy of you sou dut but ill make you believe me anyway and if I 1 dont ever get home please try hard to bellere believe me without any anore telling than just this for I 1 do I 1 do with nil all my heart and soul perhaps I 1 before but 1 I do 10 now god bless you yours always paul CHAPTER XII IT WAS snowing knowing hard but sirs mrs hallott ni Hi llott bundling herself up well closed the door of her spotless kitchen behind her and set out to ki go and pass the afternoon with tier her friend mrs airs gray As long as the war had been a tar far distant thing another crazy quarrel I 1 among them throat cuttin foreigners it ft had stirred feeble interest and still feebler sympathy lit in most of tile the hearts in the connecticut I 1 valley and ns as it dawned gradually it upon pon Hams tends reluctant mind that the united states was likely to be drawn into the horrid thing it comforted itself with many good reasons why its own sons should not go farmers were of course needed in tile the fields ns as much as sol diers in the trenches nien men with families had their own 11 atles to think of first an amazing number of cases of flat feet and weal weak eyes and impaired general health were discovered but grad dually almost imperceptibly putt pub lie sentiment changed for the first time lit in the history of the village methodists and congregation allots and persons who professed no faith nt at all the old families who belonged to the D A rt and those from out back who ho belonged to nothing more exclusive than the F foreign missionary society began to work together with a common interest oil nil petty differences for gotten have you iou heard that old t mis Is hunter up to white water Is married again 1 mr air taylor tried to reason with her heeln hes burled buried four of her husbands already ali eady but she said bald as long as the lord took em she would shockan Shock ln aint it lows tile the baby I 1 have thought thou glit that austin could have hae borne 0 o 9 go oft and leave that little helpless creature but it seems to be th therivin rivIn dont it I 1 dont spose you have the least notion hed want to marry again not for a while yes I 1 knew tie he was reni real fond of sylvia but men are human writes you rent real regular does docs he an and d tit thomas 0 too im always real pleased to hear about your boys but I 1 declare I 1 steer clear of violet alancin these days you know how set slie site was against paul goin to war but now ashes got the biggest service lag flag in jovn and we fire are per cent subscribed on her liberty loan card ell rd I 1 bet all she bought wits was 50 ia bonds dont youl yon be that ns its it may moraln noon and night she open her head except to talk about her hero goes around with n letter of pauls in her hands and does he write her regular seems to I 1 cant make out that hes been in tiny any great flanger danger yet and ive questioned her close rn en joyin himself considerable I 1 should say them alancin children it al I 1 ways just itched ditched and hankered to set get out of and I 1 be a mite mile surprised it if that itchon aar and hanker tn have to 10 with ath pauls patriotism and rb inches romance and that brings me to my main piece of news philip starrs nu numbers tubers been called and hes gain to devens this week blanches home for or the pros pre ent and I 1 hear bear ashes mad clear through oh the poor child poor child bothin 1 I dont deny blanche la Is pretty and pleasant but there aint bothin very deep about her I 1 bet ashes cookin forward to comin here with lots of good clothes and new ideas and putten on airs nars with her old neighbors marys got her faults but ill say this for or her she aint near so high and mighty as the test rest ot of the family well I 1 must start along home clearen Cl earin aint it well make nice and one thing to be thankful for its luck lucky y we got a few comforts left philip had longed to volunteer in ln the first days of the war and blanche had been so bitterly 0 op P posed to it that he had given I 1 in n to tier her wishes trying not to let her see the bitter spiritual struggle and loss of self esteem which it find cost him INV but after the last quest guest had departed he lighted a fire and unfastened blanches party dress to do this but when the drutt draft came there could cou ld be no question of evasion or hesitation III bis little income would keep her comfor comfortable tab ae an and d there was no child th this I 1 s blanche knew had been a source of disappointment find and grief to philip while she secretly rejoiced at not being tied lied down right away now the fact that a baby might have kept him nt at home made her resentful that she did not have one it was out of the question fo for r her to stay on in the little brookline apartment alone and there was no nothing thing for tier her to do but to return re rebelliously to II Il amstead philip with never falling understanding a and 1 d gentleness saw how h hard ard it was for her to do this and insisting that it should hereafter be called carte blanche to perpetuate hla his joke urged her again to amuse herself by envin the little law office renovated to suit the plans which he had made so long ions before this time the suggestion was a godsend gocsei I 1 d blanche became genuinely interested c d find and worked harder and more happily lhnn she ever had done before in order to have the tiny home in order tor for the first furlough was a merry little haise warming when philip appeared W wearing 0 11 edg his sergeants uniform for a nl 11 IIams Ilam tend stend wanted to see him but after the last guest had tie de parted he lighted a fire in the wide s shallow hallow fireplace of the big soft col ored bedroom and unfastened blanches party dress diess by candle light as they stood before it it had grown very cold outside and the many paned windows were frosting over with delicate sh shapes the man looking towards them from the ore fire suddenly su shivered a little they were so ley icy and sparkling reflect reflecting Ina the frozen moonlight out there that there was something of almost tin earthly loveliness loell |