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Show a THE STORY Rnewlnff a childhood attach- ment, Krnestine Br Iceland, of a wealthy family, la attracted by Will Todd, newspaper artist. Her sister. Lillian, urges her to break off the affair, but Ernestine refuses. re-fuses. The love-making progresses prog-resses rapidly and Ernestine con- senta to marry Will. CHAPTER II Continued "They'll think I've persuaded you. They'll think I want the money, that I'm seeking for myself," he protested. "If I thought you could live on what 1 make but you don't know anything about money. You don't know how hard It Is for two people living on twenty-five dollars a week. I don't know what to do, but I want to do what's right." He looked most forlorn sitting there, thinking, pondering, trying to contemplate con-template a future without her, trying to reconcile his own pride and self-esteem self-esteem with the position her family put him Into. "I should never have kissed you," he exclaimed. "I should never have loved you." "Will," said Ernestine tenderly, "you couldn't help that." For now his sad confusion had if caught her In the grip of her first "passion. Now she lived In terrible fullfilment the promise her throbbing heart had made weeks ago, when she had talked to Lillian about marriage. Her heart leaped In her like a thing threatened with mortal danger. She flung herself upon him precipitously, her arms strained round his neck. He caught her and held her close. All his being flared up In answer to her own emotion, and his lips sprang to hers In a kiss that was as new to tem as though fhey had never jftuched each other before. It was a promise. "Take me today, Will," she cried, and tears streamed down her face. "Now, quickly, before anybody can say a word to us, before- they can be reasonable and reassuring and competent com-petent about us. Take me and hold me, now, quickly and secretly. I promise you I'll live on what you earn. I promise I'll take my chance with you completely. I'll never let them have reason to say that you wanted anything but me. Whatever you have Is all I'll have, Will. I promise " She was crying wildly. He was shaking, as she was, but he laughed a little, and wiped her cheeks with bis own clean handkerchief. "The lady promises, Judge," he said, and kissed her and laughed at her and teased her. "The lady promises never to sue me for more than a million a year alimony. The lady promises " He picked her up and set her on her feet. "Come on, then let's do It now," he cried, and seized ber wrist and ran, pulling her along. It was almost evening when Will and Ernestine came to the Brlceland house. In the downstairs drawing room the lamps glowed softly. She had telephoned mamma that she was In town for lunch and would come out . -ywlth Will at five. Beyond Lillian, Ernestine could see Lorlng's square shoulders. They run up the steps, hand In hand, and at the door Will gave her a reassuring re-assuring hug and kissed her cheek. "Let me do the talking," he whispered, whis-pered, and they went on Into the hall and ran Into" the drawing and living room. Ernestine was aware at once that the swift kiss Will had Imprinted on her cheek had been seen, for papa was flustered and hostile, and maumuv looked at her In pale reproach. "Mamma," said Ernestine, "do you remember Will Todd?" Mamma gave Will her hand, and he moved awkwardly forward, looking shabby and III at ease beside the magnificence mag-nificence and self-possession of papa and Lorlug. "We've just been talking about you," mamma said to Will. "I didn't know until yesterday that you wer; such friends with my little girl. I'm sorry you haven't been here sooner." " Will murmured something, and Ernestine Introduced him to her grandmother, grand-mother, who looked at him severely and gave n slight snort of recognition, and then Lillian came and offered him her hand and said she remembered him. The two men straddling the hearth acknowledged the Introduction with silent handshakes. Mamma asked Will to sit down and rang for tea. Ernestine, full of guilt, sat down close beside him and turned to speak to mamma. The conversation moved hu:tlngly as they waited for tea. Papa, somewhat maliciously, asked Will about his father. "He's well," Will answered In a calm natural voice. "But my mother has been almost an invalid foi a year now. We feel very auxlous about her." "We are sorry to learn that," said mamma, and then went on quickly: "What have you two children been doing all day?" There was a dramatic pause, but Ernestine took It up quickly. "Mamma, you forget that I am twenty now." They laughed politely. The tea-Wagon tea-Wagon came, mamma poured tea for them all, and they talked of things about which Will knew nothing. Ernestine could see how they were making him feel like an outsider. Slt- Kargaret WeyiKoath Jackson WNU Service Copyright by Bobbs-Merrl Co. ting In the deep chair, his long legs, drawn up before him, Will was not so disturbing. Her heart was full of tender loyalty. ."You have changed a great deal," mamma said to Wi'l. "You used to be a shy Utile boy." "I don't feel very shy today," he told her, and smiled at Ernestine. His bright black eyes, like shiny bits of anthracite, under his white, domelike forehead, were beautiful, but Ernestine knew that the others could see nothing but his queer clothes. "Tell them, Will," she said at last, putting down her cup and taking his from him. They all stopped, and turned startled faces toward the two. Will squared himself and lurned first to mamma. "We've gone and done It," he said, smiling. "Gone and done what?" asked mamma sharply, and her pallor startled them ail. "We've gone and got married today." to-day." "Married! Who?" It was papa's voice, harsh, protesting. protest-ing. "Ernestine and I," answered Will steadily, and Loring said, "Married!" In a hoarse, incredulous tone, and Ernestine, looking up, saw his face, as pale as mamma's, and as startled, with deep chagrin and consternation written writ-ten on it. But none of the others noticed no-ticed him. "You see," said Ernestine gently, "we were engaged anyhow, and when mamma invited Will to tea, today, I thought we might Just as well make It an announcement party." "You thought !" "Certainly, papa. It was my Idea." "Not at all," said Will quickly. "But anyhow, we are married. I know this strikes you suddenly, sir, but we Just decided in haste, and as we want nothing but your blessing " "Be still !" exclaimed papa passionately, passion-ately, and he turned to Ernestine. "Where were you married? By whom?" Will took the conversation Into his own hands with deliberation. "We went to town about noon, went to the courthouse and got our license, then to a jeweler and bought the ring and waited while it was engraved." Ernestine held up her slim hand, and showed the astonishing gold band on her third finger. "TJien we took a taxi out to my mother's house, got her and went to the church I was reared in, In Avondale, and were married." "But why this mad haste?" spluttered splut-tered papa, who was almost Incoherent. Inco-herent. "Ernestine," turning to his daughter, In renewed determination to have nothing to do with Will, "what's got Into you? I am sure you have been under some dreadful Influence. Influ-ence. I can't understand how you could act this way. I can't believe be-lieve It." He was furious, he was undone, but he still had a note of command In his voice. Ernestine felt his strength with terror. "I'apa " she began, but Will cut In resolutely, so that in spite of papa's determination to talk to Ernestine the situation narrowed Itself constantly to papa and Will. "Ernestine was afraid, sir, that you might try to separate us. My own Instinct In-stinct in the matter was that we should talk this over with you, but I see, now, that she was right. You must understand, sir, that we are married, mar-ried, and vour nbiectlnns nre fuMlo" "Ernestine had reason to fear me," papa said In a voice none of them had ever heard from him before. Ernestine Ernes-tine felt herself shrivel under it. Papa had no Intention of considering himself him-self futile. "She had reason to fear me, and so had you. I suspect your fear was more Important than her own. Even If she were a fool, you might have been decent about It. I have no intention in-tention whatever of letting her go away from here with you. You'll learn, sir, that there are such things as annulments, even ns divorce. Just because she has made one foolish mistake, mis-take, Is no reason why I should let her ruin her whole life. You have behaved be-haved very badly, but your behavior ends here ana now. Ernestine stays here. You may go, and I will deal with you outside the house." Ernestine felt that everything was lost, but Will only laughed. It papa were new and strange, so was her young husband, for he seemed to glow, to fill out, to be bigger and stronger. "Ion't be silly," he said. "Ernestine "Ernes-tine Is of age. She married me of her own free will, and if you tried any such stunts, she would say so. Our marriage Is entirely legal. It stands before everything else. She Is now my wife, and my home Is her home, and you can't detain her." "We'll see," said papa grimly, and then mamma broke lu. "Y'ou shouldn't have, Ernestine. Your shouldn't have run off and got married, without telling mamma. It's the biggest, the most Important thing In your life and to take such a step without your people knowing It! I can't bear to think you'd go off and be married and not tell me." "I'm sorry, mamma," said Ernestine in distress, and papa took things up again, lie had made a decision. "Co to your room, Ernestine," he said In a voice of stern command, "and stay there uutll I can talk to t you. If you ladles will excuse us, we will settle this among ourselves. Do you hear me?" he said sharply, turning turn-ing bis furious eyes upon Ernestine. Sue faltered, half turned to go In automatic command, for papa hud always al-ways ruled his home, without much effort, but Will put his hand on her arm. "Stay here, Ernestine," he said In a low voice, and she paused, undecided, unde-cided, while mamma and Lillian seemed to be grouped together on the other side of the room. "I can understand your distress, sir," said Will. "I can see Just how you feel about this, not knowing me at all and not understanding my motives. mo-tives. But you exceed your authority. If you should detain Ernestine here by force, I have only to go out and get the nearest policeman and come back for her. You can't do it." There was a moment of incredulous silence, and papa half turned to Loring, Lor-ing, in appeal, and Loring said in a low tone, "He's right." Will followed this advantage swiftly. "After all, what have you against me. except you think I may want Ernestine's money? We have decided JLJ m Of Course Papa Was Helpless, and He Said So With a Shrug. to do without that. I'm not a stranger stran-ger to you. You've known my father for thirty years. You know my people, that they are honorable and decent. There's no reason at all why I shouldn't make any marriage I choose, even with Ernestine. I'm working. I can take care of her." Tapa raised his clenched fist above his head, as though he would strike Will, and Ernestine made a little moan and mamma screamed. But Loring put his hand on papa's arm, and drew him back. And In that moment Lillian Lil-lian went to Ernestine and put her arms around her and kissed her. "Oh, Lill !" Ernestine cried, and burst into terrible tears. "Papa, papa," she cried, turning from Lillian to her father, and holding out her hands, "don't quarrel with us. I can't bear it. I love Will. I wanted to . marry him. Let us go ahead with our owu married life, now, but don't quarrel with us." "It's you who have broken faith," said papa. "Not your mother and I. You've put this stranger before us. You can't have both." Ernestine was appalled. "You mean that I can't come home?" Papa attained a grim smile. "That's what I mean," he said, but now mamma broke in hysterically. "I won't be separated from Ernestine. Ernes-tine. I won't permit it," she cried, and went to her younger daughter and took her in her arms. "Darling, you can come home as long as mamma lives here. I will see you every day. It's dreadful. It's hard on all of us, and it will be terrible for you. But mamma will not let her little girl go away like this." "Elaine!" said papa, but she turned to him, as full of anger as he. "The child is married," she exclaimed. ex-claimed. "She may have made a mistake, mis-take, but If she has, it Is only a reason rea-son for standing by her. This Is my home, as well as yours. I won't be Instructed to let my little girl go-out friendless. Y'ou may do what you like with me, and send me away, too. If you can, but I am going to see Ernestine. Ernes-tine. I am going to have her here." Of course papa was helpless, and he said so with a shrug. "Mamma," said Ernestine. "I am willing to take the responsibility for my marriage. After all, It's I who married Will." "Not you alone," said mamma vigorously. vig-orously. "The whole family has married mar-ried him, and we may as well realize it. For nobody marries just one of the hrlcelanrts. We are all going to stand together, always. Papa, we will have to make the best of it. The marriage mar-riage will have to stand." I'apa would not look at her, nor answer. "We'll have to go." said Will. "Goodhy, darliiii;." said mamma, and embraced her. "I'll see you soon." "Goodhy, papa," Ernestine faltered but papa held his stubborn attitude. 'I'll have to go upstairs and go; some things." murr.mied Ernestine, as they went into (lie ball. Lillian went upti'.irs v,i;h Ernes-line. Ernes-line. Mamma ra;:ie oui and put her hand on Will's uriri. "Be good to ;;cr." t.Le im;!ored. "If you can't lake care of her. If she's not. happy, let her come back." "I will, Mrs. Briceland," he said soberly. "I appreciate what you have done." Mamma wept afresh. "It is hard for her father. He worships wor-ships her. You must understand him. It is a terrible blow to him. He will come around." The girls came down the stairs, and after a moment Ernestine and Will were out in the dark street again, with her small dressing case in Will's hands. The family stood about In the living room in stricken silence. The silence lasted for some moments, mo-ments, then Mrs. Briceland turned to her husband. "Y'ou should never have let her go off like that," she said reproachfully. "What will she do?" "I had no intention of letting her go, If you hadn't Interfered," be exclaimed. ex-claimed. "I was only threatening her with the loss of the family, in order to get her to stay here to gain a little time." "She wouldn't have done it," said Lillian. "She's too crazy about him. It probably was her Idea that they get married first. She meant it. You couldn't have kept her." "How much do you suppose he earns, on the Sun?" asked mamma, and Loring answered : "Probably anywhere from twenty-five twenty-five to forty dollars a week." At that papa threw up his hands In a gesture of despair and turned to leave the room, but he looked back at his wife darkly. "If you had stood by me," he said to her, "if we had all stood together, we could have held her here. You went back on me, both you and Lillian. Lil-lian. It gave them courage. Now, you can think of her, God knows where, with that upstart." He went Into the hall, and mamma followed him, her bright persistent voice coming down the si air: "You shouldn't have let them go. We might have kept them both here, and taken care of them. Lewis, you'll have to make up your mind to give In, and get him a better job " The voices trailed off, and an upstairs up-stairs door closed upon them. Grandmother Grand-mother went stiffly out of the room. Lillian began to move about the room, satisfying her need for order by pushing push-ing the chairs In place, straightening the pillows and moving the things on the table. Loring stood by the fire, staring into it, his face flushed, one hand opening and closing nervously. Lillian came and spoke to him in a voice which was already like mamma's. "I'm sorry you got into this," she said. "It's terrible. How can Ernestine Ernes-tine act that way? She's the most haphazard thing. But this is the worst yet. I feel as though she had ruined herself. But you aren't going to be angry with her, are you, Loring?" "No," he said. "No, I won't be angry an-gry with her. Your mother's right. The family must stand by her." Lillian shuddered a little. "It seems dreadful to me," she said. "Ernestine out somewhere In Chicago, with that man. I don't see how she can be crazy about him in the first place, and how she could have married mar-ried him In the second." Loring reached out his hand and ran his fingers down the crepe sleeve of her dress, caught her fingers and held them In his own. "Would you do that much," he asked wistfully, "if you cared for a man? Would you defy everything for him?" "I don't know," said Lillian honestly. hon-estly. "I don't know. I want things nice. I want some plan and arrangement arrange-ment to my life." "But If. the man you cared for was not eligible," he persisted, "would you marry him anyhow?" "It's not a fair question," protested Lillian, and then added softly: "I don't know what I would do. Because Be-cause I've cared for only one man, and he has been eligible in every way. So I can't imagine how I would act under other circumstances." There was a little silence, and then he said, In a stilled voice: "Is it I, Lillian?" She looked up at him, and his face was full of suffering. Her own was compassionate. "Did you care for Ernestine, Lor- Ing?" she asked him, but he shook himself quickly. "No, no!" he exclaimed. "Not that way. I'm fond of her. She's been like a little sister to me, always. But it's you I care for. It's you I want for my wife. Is It possible that you care for me. Lillian?" "I always have," she answered simply, sim-ply, and he stared down at her, and again his voice was queer and strained. "I'm like Ernestine," he said, "what I want Is love." She put up her fair sweet face, and he kissed her placid Hps. "I love you, Loring," she assured him, and he took her roughly into his arms. "Y'ou hurt me," she complained In a moment, and he released her and stood I holding her hand geutly. "I want love," he said again with poignancy, and Lillian assured him in her quick bright voice that she loved him. CHAPTER III Strange Country-It Country-It seemed a natural thing to Ernestine, Ernes-tine, however it seemed to the others, to waken on her marriage morning, in the little back bedroom of the tiny house where the Todds had lived all their married life. She was Instantly wide awake and oriented. Terhaps it was the close tangle of Will's arms about her that made everything normal. nor-mal. Perhaps the delicious consciousness conscious-ness of new happiness had never entirely en-tirely been lost in sleep. It did not matter at all about the family now. Thinking of everything, Ernestine felt in her heart something new about Will. Added to her romantic love for him was something really more wonderful won-derful : a sound thing respect. He had behaved admirably. She was rilled with a transport of tenderness, a strong conviction of hav-In? hav-In? done well. Now. at last, life had begun for her. The chrysalis of girlhood girl-hood was broken, and she was emerged Into womanhood. She had become real. Always now, Will would be here beside her at the beginning of every day. Gravely she considered this, and sent up a wordless prayer that she might be a good wife. Some one was moving about in the kitchen, and she heard the rattle of coals In the kitchen grate. How close and small the house was. Each sound came through the thin walls distinctly. Ernestine realized that she would have to close the window, and she essayed es-sayed to rise. But at the first movement move-ment Will's arms tightened about her, though he did not waken. Ernestine extricated herself and got up with a swift strong movement. "You have to work today, Will," she said in such a wifely tone that he laughed and looked up at her adoringly. ador-ingly. "I suppose now I've got somebody even worse than my mother about making me get up," he said, and then added, "Hey, wait, I'll get you soma warm water," for Ernestine was wash. Ing her fp.ee In the basin that stood on a small washstand near the door. But the water out of the pitcher, which had stood all night with the cold wind blowing through the open window upon it, was cold and Invigorating. Invigor-ating. Will shaved In the kitchen, and Ernestine could hear his voice, in an affectionate murmur, talking to some one. Before the small wavy mirror, she applied her make-up, looking at herself sharply. She arranged her sleek soft hair, proud of Its thickness and texture. What was there in her face? Was she different this morning? She must not be different. She powdered pow-dered again, and rubbed some of the scarlet off her lips, which were as red as cherries under the lip salve. She made the bed neatly and set the room in order, packed up her belongings. be-longings. The smell of coffee and the sound of the percolator made her feel faint. She had eaten nothing the evening eve-ning before. In the kitchen, Will's face turned on her, as bright as a triangular mirror with the sun on It. His mother was sitting by the kitchen table, with a warm shawl over her heavy dress. She could be up at times, and this morning morn-ing she had made the effort. 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