Show the SILVER FLUTE by lida larrimore at A macrae selth Compi company tay service 1 SYNOPSIS on her birthday barbare motherless daughter of christopher thorne artist receives a birthday ting ring from bruce maclalan azacl MacL tin aln young artist friend of the daml family b but t more than friend to barbara aya barbara abura and bruce go fro picnicking lie tells her a story ot of a gypsy boy a little gypsy girl whom he be iones and the sons song of a silver lute flute she knows it Is her own love tale iter her father la is killed in an accident relatives arrive and take charge of things barbara fears the childrens separation and its effects desperate the she plans to take her two brothers and sister and run away to her godfather father uncle stephen drake lie a bachelor forty years old still has vivid recollections of barbaras mother whom he had loved eighteen years before ne ile had made up his mind to propose that sight light to emily trent so that his well ordered household might have a permanent head but the arrival of the children interrupts the proposal barbara tells him why they ran away and he feels its his heart warm to the brave braie daughter of his early love but he tells her he must send them all back kit Is taken ill CHAPTER VII continued 12 yes sir air what had happened miss fincha tidy brown head was filled with puzzled conjectures theres a telegram she said stephen read it leaving immell immediately it said keep children should reach philadelphia tomorrow much annoyed it was signed IL G fales that stephen thought was uncle herbert lie ile had used exactly ten words make that appointment for monday he said to miss finch who sat with the telephone in her hand ill be rather busy tomorrow miss finch had read the telegram she wondered about the children and hoped mr drake would explain but he explain ills manner was preoccupied and in the middle of the afternoon he said call my home miss finch and tell IVI thomas homas T not to drive in for toe me today 1 have some important errands ill go 90 out on the train and then although it was only three and there were urgent matters demanding his attention stephen walked out of the office miss finch was astonished her pad told her that he had a conference with mr van wyck at four and there was the arnold case all at sixes and sevens her astonishment would have been greater if her thoughts could have followed stephen the important errands had bad to do with the toy department at wanamakers Wana makers it had occurred to him that kit might find it dull being ill with nothing to amu amuse se him A picture puzzle lie he thou thought bl ile he had bad liked them immensely when he was about kits age there wen puzzles in great variety stephen selected two the young lady clerk was vias amiable and anxious to please how old Is your little boy she asked stephen felt embarrassed but pleased as well pretending to have a family gave him a certain sense of importance theres one eleven or twelve he said thinking at once of jamie the young clerk smiled fathers never remember exactly she said it gave him a lightheaded light headed feeling to be thought the father of barbaras children the barbara he had loved ile he thought of asking her just how old Is jamie now the lightheaded light headed feeling increased ile he suffered himself to be led to the section devoted to trains which ran on tracks with bridges and tunnels and tiny painted stations shall I 1 send them asked the young lady clerk ill take them stephen answered ile he forgot for the moment his aversion to lumpy bundles the trains lie he thought would keep jamie out of mischief they would set them up in the schoolroom out of aunt editha way stephen thought as ar the elevator plunged downward that lie he take home presents for the boys without remembering the girls ile he found without much a shell bracelet for gay barbaras gift required more time stephen selected a carnellar carn ellan pendant I 1 t in filigreed gold on a slender 4 elten chain As he waited for the package a woman paused at the counter she smelled faintly of lilacs stephen remembered emily ile he glanced at his watch good lord loidl I 1 ue he a minute to lose the florist had no white lilacs there time to try at another shop eliop the pale yellow roses would have to do lie ile added the florists box to his accumulation of bundles plunged out of the shop with undignified haste baste and hailed a passing taxi tail A family Is distracting he thought again as he relaxed against the upholstery hols tery and lit a soothing cigarette well it 11 for long the childrens re lathes were viere coming tomorrow kit bo be moved just yet of courso hut but bronchitis serious in a beek eek or two emily rose from a chair beside the fire as the maid crisply apro ned led stephen into the living room I 1 she said brightly you look like santa claus stephen some things for the children oh A little of the brightness slipped from emiles face the children I 1 good afternoon professor trent said feeling rather uneasy emily had told him to excuse himself when stephen came but his hi chair was comfortable for table and he liked the warmth of the fire lie ile would just pretend that he be heard 1 I owe you an apology stephen presented the florists box bos ill let these make it for me love lovely lyl 1 emily breathed lifting from the box bos the tangle of roses and fragile asparagus fern ros rosca she thought feeling her spirits sink she had bad hoped they would be lilacs but he be tnt know she was disappointed A vase agnes she said brightly the crystal one of course we understood she deftly arranged the flowers we missed you but we understood we father darling that the old man looked up owlishly yes yes he said of course we did my dear ile he dipped his chin into his collar find and made himself as small as he could why father excuse himself emily wondered nervously lie ile was wag exasperating at times but she smiled at stephen and led him to a sofa a little removed from the fire tell me about the children she said folding her hands in her lap 1 I must admit im curious who are they stephen lie ile told her making an appealing story of the somewhat distressing facts ile he thought emily would understand she seemed fond of children you mean they actually ran away she asked when lie had finished actually stephen did not look at emily the smile halt half provoked half amused touched the corners of his lips in a truck he be added at five in the morning poor Step stephen henl emily gentle and understanding lightly touched his hand well have to forgive them I 1 suppose children brought up as they they have been i what do you menn mean stephen asked surprised at the note of resentment in his voice well artists P she said vaguely stephen checked the impulse to make a caustic comment ile he had been rude to emily last night he must be gentle with her today but instead of telling her the things he had meant to say in the conservatory he found himself talking about the children it seemed necessary somehow to explain their reasons for running away ile he realized as he talked that he wa was making a heroine of barbara ue he was a bit surprised to find himself telling emily about their talk last night in the library now how old Is she emily asked eighteen why he thought irritably rit ably did every one seem to think her age was so important oh emily said slowly then she a child in some ways she seems younger than any of them stephen remembered bared the soft hair tumbling against her shoulders her frank brown eyes her childish faith in his ability to help her keep the children kit Is as grave as a judge gay Is I 1 rather suspect an artful little minx jamie seems to have a sort of sturdy independence pen dence but barbara this barbara emily thought was the me artful minx and riot not gay girls of eighteen in this modern generation seemed to know liow how to got get what they wanted these children childre nl she wished they had stayed in but she told stephen none of her thoughts poor little darlings she said and then because she felt that she simply must know you arent going to keep thorn them only for a week or two I 1 kit it Is 13 well have to keep him until he has recovered it cant be helped 1 youre very generous emiles lifted eyes shone with flattering admiration mi ration its what I 1 would have expected you to do dear stephen pressed her hand band touched by the expression in her eyes 1 I knew you would understand Ea emiles illys heart leapt and sank again stephen was glancing at his watch 1 I must go he said and rose from the sofa you have dinner with us emily stood beside him wanting to keep him her hand upon his sleeve thank you stephen said absen absently 1 I cant manage it this evening im a bit worried about the boy emiles heart sank lower ue he was thinking of the children and barbara Is there anything I 1 can do she asked annoyed at the flutter in her voice unable to control IL it will you come to see them stephen looked at her so tenderly that her heart leapt again 1 I should like you to know them emily 1 I certainly will poor little darlings she felt quite fond of the children because stephen wanted her to know them she even felt fell fond of barbara she smiled at him gently understanding but her spirits drooped again when he had gone she looked at the yellow roses opening tn in the heat they meant no do more than an apology nad had stephen forgotten those moments in the conservatory atory lie ile had bad said nothing definite but she was sure he be had meant it if the children come when they did suddenly she bear the aching disappointment ncr her lips trembled cd her eyes filled with tears she went into her bedroom and quietly closed the door TO BE CONTINUED |