Show the me SILVER FLUTE bv by lida larrimore 1 l A h macrae smith company y sen ice lc SYNOPSIS on her 1 eighteenth birthday barbara motherless daughter dau ehtor of 0 christopher 0 thorne artist awakes alth anticipation ion of the joys joya of the day she receives a birthday ring from rom bruce itice ain young artist friend of 0 the family but more than friend to barbara barbara and bruce go eo ing ine on the sands at Province provincetown town lie tells her a story of a gypsy boy a little littie gypsy edisy girl whom he loes and the song sone of 0 a silver hute flute she knows it Is her own love tale ner her happiness turns urns to sorrow w when she returns homo home hero to learn her father has been drowned relatives arrive and take charge of 0 things having been almost a mother to the others barbara cannot think of their bep separation kits sensitive nature bruised in uncle Ifer herberts barts household by his roukh rough and ready cousins and gay cay spoiled by her association with silly aunt lola bruce urges immediate marriage but that would mean be separation pa ration desperate the four children plot to run away to barbaras godfather uncle stephen drake whom they have never seen been CHAPTER V continued henry stood beside stephen holding his dinner coat with the sleeves arranged just so mister blister stephen was taking great pains with the tie he thought doing it over and oer which his usual way think he be was going courting perhaps sarah was nas right perhaps mister stephen was going to marry that pale miss bliss emily trent looked like it inviting her and her father for dinner tonight and t tang ing ills his tie five times well he wished them joy now how does it look stephen asked patting the neat silk bow splendid sir no hint of 0 what lie he was thinking appeared in henrys parchment face ill take your word for it henry stephen smiled and slipped his arms into the coat have you everything sit sir henry felt responsible mister blister stephen himself tonight when a man was vas thinking of marriage he was apt to be absentminded absent minded everything Every Evers things thing s shipshape ship shape then ill be getting downstairs henry spare and neat and elderly moved with measured trend tread toward the door I 1 A in n the room stephen was conw selo 0 irritation was lie he in loe with lly trent ile he considered the question Iu estion gravely lie admired her very much enjoyed being with her there was in emily a quality of serenity as tare rare as it was charming lie he saw her moving through his house always serene and gracious her head with its braids of light brown halt hair lifted la ID the gently dignified way he admired the picture pleased him but he in love with her not love as the poets described it a sweet insanity a madness of the senses it was not youthful ardor which had caused aused his difficulty with the tie nor was it the fear of being refused ile he was confident that emily would accept his offer of marriage why not she was well over thirty and lhing hi ins alone with her father was certainly not too pleasant professor trent a former instructor at the un hersity was an eccentric old chap who devoted his time to translating the more obscure greek and latin poets iier her path through life had not been strewn with roses she and her father lived a pinched sort of existence in a small apartment on the outer fringe frine e of rittenhouse square ne ile could cout do a great deal for emily and he knew that she admired him even loved him perhaps in her gentle dignified way emily would accept him lie ile was quite certain of that no it was not cot youthful ardor or fear of being refused which caused his present uneasiness it was he admitted it reluctantly a fantastic dread of changes ills his life was well ordered and satisfying ile he enjoyed his work in the law firm of van wyck penrose te nrose and drake an old established firm in which his grandfather had been the original drake aunt edith his fathers widowed sister capably managed his house lie he had his books his friendships an occasional concert or play golf or riding when lie felt the bead of exe exercising rIsIng out of doors ue ile was content with things as they were but would mould he be continue to be content lie was getting on forty his last birthday an elderly ell erly bachelor ho he had observed was a pathetic sort of figure aunt edith was sixty eight ills his sister bister natalie twelve yeats years younger than he was married ile he want to be left alone in the house 1 which had sheltered three generations of drakes nor did he be want things thau ell ch ged emily wa was tie the one woman 1 f 1 acquaintance who lie he felt would M may yi attempt to reorganize his life D lathas this dread of change mean he was vas getting old stephen crossed to the wardrobe mirror anil and gravely inspected himself lie ile was not unattractive he decided it was strange that he had never known a real romance lie ile had a greater capacity for it than even his most intimate friends suspected but only once in his bis life had he had a glimpse of romance ills his eyes turned to the painting above the fireplace she had never known how ardently lie he loved her A drake Is always a gentleman and her husband had been his friend she perhaps was the brur reason why he had never known a beai romance ile he had bad looked for her and never found her in the women hi bo had known stephen walked to the fireplace nrc place and crossing his arms on the mantel boz looked up at the girl with the wind blowing her skirt against her bare brown bronn leggs lees how flow joely she find been that was a 11 long time since almost eighteen years lie ile had not seen her since ne ile knew that she was dead he had never forgotten her vivid face her soft broi brown in halt hair the dimple that woke when she smiled A knock at the door brought him back from the past come in lie he called the intruder was aunt edith she was a large handsome woman who had been known in her youth as beautiful edith drake but that too was a long time ago aunt edith now was comfortably stout with waved white halt hair the handsome drake nose and a fair smooth complexion she was a drake by birth and a van wyck by marriage that fortunate combination assured her of a prominent place on patroness lists and the boards ot of charitable organizations her customary manner of assurance was somewhat shaken tonight you arent III are you stephen she asked when she had closed the door of course not why stephen again was conscious of irritation you were so ions iong coming down natalie and robert are here 1 I supposed they were I 1 heard the piano aunt edith was uneasy too he thought As always he found it dim 1 91 1 4 zi f ra 11 1101 I 1 perhaps mister stephen was wa going to marry that pale miss emily trent cult to discuss intimate matters with aunt edith the drakes were not demonstrative they lived within themselves are you going to marry emily trent she asked after a moment of silence 1 I asked ached her but you mean to before dinner tonight stephen knew a moment of panic ne ile wished that he might recall the words too late lie ile had committed himself emily Is a sweet unselfish girl she will make you a suitable wife it change things he said wanting to reassure her wanting desperately pera tely to reassure himself this will always be your home thank you my dear aunt edith drew his head bead down to the level of her lips and lightly kissed his brow 1 I hope you will be happy the kiss embarrassed them both they heard with mutual relief the sound of a car in the drive theres thomas aunt edith turned toward the door we ve must go down at once stephen followed her slowly the feeling of panic returned that was absurd he be told himself ile he been forced into this situation it was wag something he wanted to do but the panic persisted in spite of clear think ing reason lie ile felt like a sailor embarking upon a uncharted sea 0 this Is a cli charming arming room emily said in her gentle voice A bit old fashioned im afraid stephen Ste ihen felt the panic recede ne ile was soothed by emiles serenity she wits was almost pretty tonight he thought in the cream colored lace he particularly only ornament a coral rose on a slender golden chain its perfect emily continued 1 I should hate you she smiled to let him know that she could never under any circumstances hate him bim lif 1 you should change it in any way A perfect setting for you stephen said softly that at least was true the drawing room with its paneled walls its rosewood and sliver silver green brocade was a perfect setting for emily put nut lie he ask her to marry him here lie ile would take her into the conservatory that would please her he thought Fir smiling rilling with masculine tolerance for it womans comans romantic whims the orange trees were in bloom that would be an excuse thank you stephen A taint faint flush crept into her cheeks checks you say nice things so nicely did lie he mean anything by that she wondered frantic with hope and fear it stephen asked lier her to marry him it would mke make up tor for everything the girlhood she had missed the pinching and contriving being patient with father when she wanted to scream and fly into millions of 0 pieces but she must be calm she knew that her tranquility KM her greatest cli charm irm for stephen she spoke of the concert they were to attend this evening after dinner TO BE CONTIN CONTI UBELl |