Show so 1 irl i lly ea 93 is a I 1 TOFT novel b ly y erio henry hairy kitchell webster by baff aa boch meard PRECEDING EVENTS acting in rood faith in an effort to aid id a nuth ruth ingraham Ine raham in a business buel bus iners ners way rdward I 1 latterson atterson cannier ot of the chicago agency ot or ft a life lite insurance company li Is wrongly suspected by his ha w wife ife aulls of or infidelity her iler practical tica lic accusation cusa tion him tor for business bue lne and he takes ft a short vacation on his return his daughter edith telli tells him 11 1 his 1 ver ional belongings are in the pare spare room having been re ro moved from the room which had bad been his and hia his wifel wife a bedroom patterson accept accepts the situation ai as proof of his belief in his guilt edith seventeen yean years old li is worried over the estrangement of her parent parents her mother only partly succeeds in hr her effort efforts to comfort her the son on edward junior ie Is at college A business buil matter brinne briars an inventor I 1 james mariner irto patterson Pat tenon a e ufa fe mariner 6 with which to push his in ven bention vent lon tion an automobile choke ind patterson rat tereon after a brief invests ration a decides to go in with efm allm without informing hie his family be here re signs from his position with the in aurance company devoting his whole time to the pushing of the invention an old friend albert willard Is frankly skeptical of the value of the choke patterson tells his wife of tie change be he has madli she accepts the situation edith I 1 made mado snare asare of the change in the family fortunes by her mother tell her she has decided to part the cook she ard edith to do the housework CHAPTER IV continued 7 1 I 11 dont know he said absently 1 I guess not I 1 haven t been think ing about he I 1 got a rather new line on him tonight he ile face facts unless they agree with his its hopes but bul 1 of course tints wits to be expected from a man of his tern pe and I 1 suppose its natural that he t be very ecru bulous about beeping leeping his word or fulfilling his promises he ile likes to be allowed to forget that hes made them but he talked tonight for the first time to me about changing his design I 1 hope I 1 succeeded in persuading him film out of it tonight but I 1 dont don t know if it the things right as it stands he t any argument the question everything comes down to it if the thing things s right well we II 11 put it over mariner or no mariner he ile rose stiffly from his easy chair and tossed the end of bis his cigar into the grate there was another silence after that thal edith found it appalling she say anything she t believe fe le could coull move and she olen that mother whose hand was cl clapped aped in hers felt the same way he ile looked around at them at last and almost started as if hed forgotten they were there dont you worry you ton two he said 1 I III not really worried myself ive been seen nothing yet to make me think we aren arent t right we were re going to make our fortunes yet 0 4 4 christinas christmas was coming and heart sank whenever she thought of it IL in former years the weeks before the holidays had been a time of rapturous anticipation the other girls at school were like that now they talked endlessly about the letting out of school the round of parties partle S things they want cd ed for christmas and had hinted for and hoped they were going to get they made edith so bluew blue when ben they talked that way nay that she could hardly stand it it certainly there gasn wasn t going to be any money to spare this year she elie could tell by the way dad looked when nhe be came home night ho f donne on 1 1 f getting even to pretend to listen while she and her mother talked tolled about things that had happened during the day the only reference he ever made to christmas was to figure out once in a while how many days it be defoe ed got homo home fron college ed hij bid been told she knew a little about the new business and that dad had resigned bis his position in the insurance com piny burbon cut how well he under understood what the change meant to them slip had no idea hed ned hardly mentioned men toned it in his letters agatha would be coming home too in jest jast a few days now agatha gatha and find ed were the only two people in the world besides father and mother whom she really loved yet 1 the she found she dreaded their coming at least she dreamed the occasion of their coming it was all a pirt of her passionate wish ish that christmas this year with all its hollow ga galetes lettes might simply be wiped out ont for forgotten gotte n by everybody so that they could go on from day to day just as they were without having to pretend she kept these dark thoughts to herself as long as she could but finally she burst and confided them to mother it was one afternoon when hen they were working up in her bedroom upon charles surfaces costume Mot hershe managed to make her voice 1 bound sound casual enough 1 I dont want any tiny christmas present this year I 1 cant of a thing after a silence the she added still pretty shakily 1 I really mean that mother mother got up and came and pot put a pair of comforting arms about her it so bad as that ducky she said we can cant t do much this year 0 of course bot but well manage to make it feel like christmas anyhow we must do that you know for eds sake take the thing your father Is worried about ile lies a afraid if ed finds out bow low things look just now hell bell want to stay right here and go to work instead of 0 going back to college and that bould be terrible ed must b have te a it college education you know it would make a difference to bis his whole alfo if it he do that thal 1 I wish he wasat coming home edith cald said passionate I 1 or agatha either elther agatha got home two days before the performance of the play but edith hardly had time to see her at all she almost felt hurt though perceptibly let down doun anyhow to too find that agathas time was pretty uell filled too she tried not to feel that way ivy about it it it was silly lu too wish that her best friend was dangling around forlornly with nothing to do but wait walt for her it have amounted to anything it she and agatha boea been such awfully good friends once tt it made her pretty melancholy when she had tae line to think about it it ed they learned at last was getting getling home on the very day of tin thi performance and not until dinner time just before or just after they tell for his telegram tele eram as obscure they hid md an early dinner which edith was too excited to eat and then she dressed at home la in her charles surface costume father was to drive her to the school and then come back for mother and ed if he came she keit kelt kei t hoping of course up to the ver very last min ale that hed arrive before sie left but it came time to start bea re any thing was heard from him she felt awfully hollow as she put on an old quilted black silk cloak of mothers which shed bor rowed toned because it came way down to her ankles and went out to get into the car another car a great big one which she immediately recognize pulled dp up at the tile curb right behind theirs just as she opened the front door A man with a suitcase was getting out why my it v vi as ed I 1 she cried out the fact to her tier mother and lew flew down the walk to meet him naturally she forgot all about charles surface for a e moment and she had something better to do with her hands than to keep that silk cloak huddled about her legs she he dida t at first see why ed sheild stop to stare at her in that b h it i ired way then she rema h red and ex im dressed fir the play its tonight at that he came to and hugged her enthusiastically sly but it t was good to have him back I 1 W what at an idiot shed been becil to wish he aan t coming comin dad got out of their car of coune and mother eime e ime hurrying down min the walk ram the other car started to back away but a voice voice inside stopped it it and another man got out ll I Iello ello edith he said 11 1 I haven I 1 seen you in years it until he spoke th thit it she knew vb v in be he was it was roger she hardly knew him at all though the If morgans organs lived in the nest next street he lie was a grown up man three years tears older than ed and a it talor wilts 1 the recognition abe he heinem bared how she was dressed and felt horribly young and foolish the play he asked 19 Is it tonight she nodded it its a its just a sort of foolish play were having at school the school for scandal I 1 m I 1 in supposed to be a man it was impossible to disguise that act fact as with the handshake the cloak bad had got away fron from her again what m ith the cold and her embar ras her teeth were chattering so she was sure he could lic hear arthem them what a perfect bol hol she must look to him I 1 dad rescued her by turning to thank roger for having brought ed home from town but she real rent iced as she bolted into her car that mr morgan had been in the act of saying something else when dad in to him something about coming himself to see the play ile meant it of course but what an idiot ho he must think her to hare have dashed arlly an ay like lite hint that a word it was as too late to do about jt it no cow lie ile vai nas en a arg good night la in a very self pos hessed eort sort of my ay to mother and dad and f citing getting back into his on onn ca car r she waa nas warm worm enough now burning she threw throw back tier cloak and let down the window he ile could rit possibly hare have meant that ho he really wanted to come and see the play could he be oh tell he certainly wouldn t now ede ed a booling loot ing well be bel dad sa bald id as they drove off together and it fine to bare have him back 1 I she was guiltily aware that shed forgotten all about ed shed even forgotten for a few seconds about the play and hero here she site was actually on tha way to the performance I 1 suppose she was to forget her part athen dad pulled up at the entrance with a it veil good luck my dearl well nee you after the show eho she was fo so paralyzed with misery that the she could hardly get got out of tho the car and though she have bell believed eved it possible she went on feeling worse and worse she dischi discovered ered she t speak in anything above a whisper her iler voice was gone altogether her liter feet and hands were i ere numb she im supposed to be a man it was impossible to disguise that fact ae as with the handshake the cloak had got away from her again thought and passionately hoped she was going to be frightfully III find her unconscious there in bf orne thit would stop the play better that than disgrace she really believed something ille tile that was going to happen P perhaps shed better tell hiss bliss dennett bennett but miss bennett tool her plight calmly she an utterly unbelievable lie vable thing stage fright anell flats a good sign the greatest actors they say always have haie it noral fie heard it said sold that john barrymore Bairy more lie opens a new play feels just as bad as y you 0 u do now she knew that possible et there was a flavor of comfort in it IL the miracle happen until she had been some minutes on the stage she heard herself saying the first few lines but she was sure that nobody in the audience could hear her cut but when they brought uncle oliver onto the stage and moses introduced him something queer happened to her she forgot that she had forgotten that speech she heard herself saying it in a new voice that wan t hers at nil all it was charles sur faces light clear vibrant she m nude mide ide of wood any more she was made of air she felt rather than heard a sort of electrical crackle of amusement it came from the audience she bad made them do it she could male them do it whenever ahe he shohe it was the irot wonderful thing that ever happened in the world she went on feeling queerly remote almost disembodied aft after erthe the thin thing was over triumphantly over an acl n claimed success and people people came aud and hug hugged ed her or kissed her through the makeup and told her how perfectly splendid shed been it was delicious but it possible to realize that it was ever that she would probably beier be charles surface again it would have made her blue it she he ne could have realized that but she the one thing that really broke through vas ras v r as nhat that bliss bennett loure lou re a reni real actress edith and I 1 m proud of you ym 4 4 4 the house was still rather queer that was it couldn coulden t be so awfully early 11 since there was daylight in the room but it couldn coulden t possibly be late cither either shed lain awake most of the night and what sleep shed had had been a mere succession of naps disturbed by dream was ed awake yet she called to him blin not loudly enough to waken walen him it he were as asleep 1 ee p but so that he could hear bear in the adjoining room if he w wore ro adale it would be awful nice to have him come in in his pajamas and sit down on the edge of the bed and have a good long talk before it us tag time to get up and dress shed carried a morn ings rest mother had said fald and to bother about helping with the breakfast ed answer he must have coine come ciomo late for eho the heard film come in she cot got up anil and shut the tile window and then tapped on ills his door no answer bho opened it and looked in to ills his bed as empty empt bhe bho padded out to the head ot 0 the stain stairs for a look at die ito hall clock half put past ten ton it bel be the clock must have stopped last light night hut but it vas uns ticking ana abny with nith an air of self roll conscious rectitude as it it knew lamy it as right she heard her motter coining up the I 1 silo asked oli oh he out about a halt hour ago mother he ile say here glad youie youe had such a fine sleep go to back end and dress and get you some breakfast men she site camo came down doin to breakfast the mother if agatha had telephoned but it seemed she hadel L she was probably spending the whole hole morning in bed agatha liked to do that obe kemem bared ellby dont you rin over and find see her lierl I 1 mother suggested oh I 1 don t believe I 1 win will edith said bald she mean mena very much by it n hen the spoke but it came over her st stronger rorer and stronger as the moraine morning advanced that she somehow rachow Eo want to run after agatha after last bight ight n it was agathas place to come and see her or call her up agatha had lots of new friends now she had changed a lot since a year ago ed was dir different terent too last christmas ste pulled herself up short if she got to thinking about that shed cry mother seemed tort sort of worried about her low spirits and tried to cheer her up 1 I guess I 1 feel feet sort of let joan jon after lost last night she e ild I 1 isn t it funny mother all the time you are in school yu keep wishing it was vacation time thile and then alien a hen vacation comes you sort of wish you were nere back in school tints the nay I 1 feil fai this morning anyway mother acted sort of 0 queer about that she tried to change the subject and then after a minute she got up and went away anay about noon agatha did telephone and in the of pleasure at the mere sound of her tier voice adith forgot her doleful imaginings 1 I thought yon yoi were probably 01 sleeping off oft last end and I 1 didn dian t want to disturb you agatha explained pla ined but come over now cant can t you and stay to lunch edith started to say gay she would and then thought of something 1 I dont believe id better she said ed went out somewhere before I 1 got up and I 1 really seen him at all hell be back pretty soon I 1 guess IN hy don t you come here there was wits a perceptible besita tion over the telephone then agatha said hy ards here ile lies 8 going to say to lunch too so better come along |