Show I 1 A 13 L 0 R 0 LIPS m in ALE L ad nu E 1 D by alma martin estabrook author of my afy cousin patricia PIC PICTURES URES BY A WEIL copyright by J B lippincott boj co SYNOPSIS the story opens with a scene at a bo box X party miss aliss henrietta sister of bishop overheard banker ankony propose to barbara I hemingray whose brother dan was in his em employ P loy dan was one of the towns pop ua ular r young men ile he showed some nervousness when attorney tom twining told him barbara refused ankony ankony the following lay day summoning twining accused dan ot of looting the bank twining refused to prosecute barbara persuaded ankony to postpone starting pro prosecution cution se twining learned of tho the engagement ga gement of ankony and barbara he congratulated both he visited miss hemingray and found her almost in tears ito he I to told her he had loved her but feared prematurely announcing his affection fec tion by actions alone she told him she bho reciprocated mrs anson dines wealthy widow proposed a marriage by proxy with bishop tho the latter consulted with twining tho the bishop had been paying attentions to miss streeter reefer St pan dan consulted twining saying hla his bistor was determined to marry ankony deci declaring aring sho she actually loved the banker though he be could not help bellev ing she was making a flats to save him bim from jail 1 CHAPTER VI continued 41 then I 1 dont see anything g for it but for you to leave things as they S a are re I 1 admitted 15 he was not satish satisfied ed however to do that on his own judgment if I 1 could only be sure she playing a part he mused then youre not sure one minute I 1 think I 1 am and the next I 1 think im in not if there so BO much st rt stake id risk my own opinion more rea readily dlly As it is pm im I 1 afraid to do it he looked at me with a sudden wistfulness twining aon do 0 you you do care a little for her I 1 dont you he asked frankly not a little said I 1 grimly then will you help hell me to make sure eure how to go to td her and find out I 1 took a turn or t two wo up and down the room 1 ill go 1 I 1 said maybe be able to make her out better than 1 I 1 dont deny it seem sto me ine she loves him but pin her down dont lot her wriggle away s whatever you do you know shell try to and see here twining I 1 dont want her to know that you know about about the money she thinks nobody knows but ankony and kill her to find out that hed told it ib even to you or rather to you of all others remember you must keep that from her if you can trust me I 1 said as I 1 took up my hat oh youre not going now are you ou ive just jus come from her you know and shell be suspicious why not i give her time to forget a little it easy to wait but I 1 believe its better mrs ankony gives her dinner tonight to night have a chance to talk with her there you youre right fight I 1 said ill wait waft mrs ankony was in high and becoming feather that evening she managed to veil her complacency un til it missed being objectionable this however was one of the few occasions which had come her way upon which she could distinctly congratulate herself a dinner in to my dear barbrra barbara a perfectly appointed dinner too and one I 1 think most of her guests enjoyed for my self I 1 thought it would never end most of barbaras friends were there and but few of An konys the forlorn hope was there to a man seeking to present an front I 1 had a kindred feeling for them dan was not there ho he simply would not go bishop Win stahley sat safa on the left of the hostess beside miss streeter he was delightfully fluent and she sympathetically attendant the soft light of the candles fell on her hair oh her pure contour on her ivory skin and her pale shimmering gown she ate as the rest of us but to me it was exactly as if a correggio or a Bottle botticelli elli had leaned from her frame to nibble a sweetwater sweet wafer or trifle with a salad occasionally she spoke but I 1 did not hear what she said I 1 seem never somehow to hear her say anything but bu t when one looks as she does what one says is immaterial barbara was with all her old charm illuminated as it were by something now new and vivifying vilifying vivify ing within I 1 watched her with a sinking heart surely she cared for ankony anhony or she could not look like this I 1 told t 0 I 1 there must be Sory something ething else what Is it myself so half a hundred times through dinner and after finding her be with only three men dancing attendance upon her I 1 promptly put them all to rout that I 1 might carry her off and have it over come out and see the roses I 1 said mr ankony showed me them before dinner they are beautiful but he show you the moon I 1 smiled trying to keep to the old way of chaffing and laughter and so not frighten her into being guarded there is a very benign lady smiling out of it tonight to night ariste instead ad of our fat friend with the round face and the wide grin do come yuu you really must see bee she arose with a laugh 1 I suppose I 1 may as well or be peopling it with all sorts of impossible creatures just to tempt me we went through the french windows together and I 1 found her a chair at the corner of the long porch I 1 turned it about for her but its directly in the light she objected exactly I 1 like you in th the light I 1 can see you better you could have seen me much hot better indoors if that is all you want it all I 1 want I 1 am not so modest my wants are large tonight to night were they ever otherwise she smilingly inquired you ought to know my illy prayers have all been made to you oh absurd you dont expect me to believe that mr twining those of them that have amounted to anything I 1 modi modified fled that is better but what is it you to kluht you make me curious unable to keep up the bantering tone longer and fearing a sudden interruption ter I 1 leaned to hot her quickly 1 I want you tell roe me the truth about sor something barbara will you she moved a little so that her eyes were in the shadow 1 I dont quite ilk like e thet sound of your voice she confessed still lightly it makes me a little apprehensive wont you be serious and honest I 1 begged dear me am I 1 everl over arching anything else than honest often but come t why what can you be about to ask me only jonly if you yoh are happy dont start and dont be angry with me and dont answer hastily nor with evasion I 1 am not to beeva be evaded ged you understand der stand how serious I 1 am to have put such a quest question ibn to you it is certainly the most extraordinary behavior she remarked coldly she was looking at me with widely questioning eyes and she had grown suddenly white did I 1 know what dan had done that was what she was asking herself I 1 am sure 1 I am entirely at a loss to explain why you should have dared to ask me this to 1 I owe it to myself to make sure barbara I 1 told her will you answer me this is not the real reason for your most unheard of behavior she said in a tense voice there must become be something else what is icv it I 1 shall I 1 tell you you must ankony ankeny is not the man you could have been expected to love I 1 blundered not knowing chowing how to find my way beneath her eyes do you lo 10 love ve you tell me that you do I 1 will not distress you further are you intimating with other kind friends that I 1 am marrying him for reasons other than those of affection fec tion that oh ob it is unthinkable and from you barbara listen to me I 1 cried no not a word you have said too much now cant you see that it makes me i rise in a kind of vicious protest to have hae my happiness in s acted on every side as it if it were some wr wretched etched vagrant seeking shelter where nobody had any faith in it I 1 have you faith lu iu it yourself i asked she lifted her head and faced me all the faith in the world she d declared e blared and then she saw ankony who had come at the moment searching for her and held out her hand to him As lie he approached and took it she I 1 leaned for an instant against his arm with an indescribable movement that had nothing of de defiance flance in it it seemed to me but only affection 1 I have been telling mr twining how happy I 1 am she said to him in a soft voice that tha t must have moved a wooden man to adoration T P hope you dont mind my being so foolish do you Still holding her hand ankony bent and touched her hair with his lips 1 I should mind if you were cunha unha unhappy and told frold him that lie he with a laugh they want you in there will you come I 1 promised to bring you she stood up and laid her fingers on his arm will you come along mr twining she asked thank you not now I 1 replied I 1 watched them as they moved away at the window ho he stood aside for her to enter and I 1 saw her smile into his face in the way women have ve with the men they love As soon as I 1 could find mrs ankony anhony I 1 said goodnight good night dar dan was waiting for me well weil he questioned eagerly as ident I 1 went in you were right I 1 said dully she lovea ives him ile he looked at me pityingly and said nothing after a while ho he calne over and stood by the mantel staring down at the hearth 1 I suppose I 1 might as well get back to jack ankony he said he needs me if im going to stay with them I 1 and there seem to bo be anything else for it just now I 1 nodded absently theres nothing I 1 can do I 1 guess gueso I 1 lie he muttered hopelessly no theres nothing aits its a confounded shame tom he declared and I 1 read the sympathy in his eyes we wont talk about it said 1 I 1 I know Tal kings no good 1 lit a cigar and he found one ond to suit him in the box on the table sit down I 1 said he threw himself Aown down opposite me and we finished two cigars in silence lie he on his side of the hearth von ion mine all be off in the morning haneld he said Neld at the end of his second I 1 CHAPTER VI VII 1 I 1 it was a wretched night two wee aweeka iks later gloomy and winterish although spring was old enough to have bave dono done much in uch better I 1 was dining alone and rather forlornly when I 1 heard kimi kim mens open the outer door of my apartment and admit some one there was the click of brisk heels along the hall and miss Win beckoning me through the glass doors of the dining room to go on with my dinner dont got get up slie she cried as kirn kim mens threw open the doors and I 1 UP hur ried to meet her do let me be un ceremonious wont youa you go on with y your 0 ur dann dinner r ill sit by you till youve fin finished hed ive dined 1 I have just finished I 1 insisted then come into your sitting siding room ive a great deal to say welcome home said I 1 warmly as aa I 1 closed the sitting room door be hind us it S bufi time I 1 got here pm im sure such S uch things as have b neen een doing while I 1 was away what do you suppose J I 1 found ifould in a memoranda book on my dressing table my brother had be been en using my rooms you know A pressed I 1 rose i the scorn in her voice made me ma laugh heartily im glad you find it amusing I 1 she declared but the right sort of a memoranda me morand i book always has a rose in it I 1 con li tended nonsense has yours 1 I think it probable I 1 admitted 4 without humility j 1 what foolishness I 1 idan can tell you that mine has not your heart holds your roses dear deaf f r lady she unfastened her fluffy black boa and smiled at me with a twinkle la 13 her eyes the twinkle that I 1 like so 1 much your pretty speeches wont throw me off the scent mr twining I 1 am 1 going to find out whose rose that is in charles book think of it at his hia age at any age a man is sure to havo hav something wronie with him if he clevea T purloins a rose I 1 insisted I 1 ho he la Is lacking in something as certainly as the fellow who never sees a rose on 9 bush A there are plenty of them thein who dont know they grow on bushes she said quickly they think the they grow only on pretty girls corsages I 1 placed her a c hair chair and she sa aana into it but slipped I 1 quickly out to its edge and sat perched there looking at me with her keen eager old eyes eyes 1 I came to talk to you about barbara hemingray she said at once this engagement of her to ankony is in monstrous there can bo be but ono ona reason for it and that is that dan daa has been getting himself into some sor of trouble that she has to get him ou out of and could find no other way isn tt that it you know of course TO BE CONTINUED |