Show J WWI N S gw so I 1 oil 77 7 7 ea ayel yei ye i by by of brics 1 I henry kitchell webster web ster L ld byak bobbs amil company PRECEDING EVENTS in ai n effort tort to aid a neighbor nuth ruth ingraham in ft a business war adward patterson lat teron cashier of the chicago agency of a life insurance company Is wrongly wrongly suspected by his wife julia julla 0 of infidelity her iler accusation units him for or business buil ness and he take takes a e short vacation on jn bli his turn his daughter adith tella tells him his personal per tonal belongings are in the spate room having b been e an removed from the room which ch had been boen his and his cifes bedroom patterson PAt ratter terion ion ace accepts s the situation aa pil proof of hta his w wife fe a e b belief ellet in n his il t seventeen years old fall Is w or ri ed over the estrangement ot of her parents parenti her mother only part ly succeeds succeed 3 in her efforts to comfort her the son on edward junior Is at college A business matter brings an inventor I 1 jame james mariner mari iner into rat batterson terson a life mariner needs erfa 16 0 0 0 with w which aich to push his inao invention nt 1 0 n an in a ia choke and patterson after a brief 1 1 ration gatlon decides to go in with him without informing his family he resigns his position devot laic his big whole time to the pushing of the invention A few day days later ha he tells his wife of the change he be has made though surprised she accepts the situation Is mace aware of the alteration in th the 0 fortune fortunes b by lier her mother t telling i ling her she the has decata decided ed ti to part with the th c cook ehe she and I 1 adith to do the housew housework ork I 1 dward cornel comes from college tor for the holidays with him Is can gan whom had known as a ch child ild CHAPTER IV 8 it was fun and for a n title it really seemed like old times there was a difference though think of something to fay say and then realize it would mould tale so much explaining that it hardly seemed worth the trouble by and by edith found herself wondering whether bether agatha had bad something else to do she said tentatively I 1 I 1 suppose rd id better be running along agatha remonstrated oh dont go 90 yet e even begun but somehow the words rung quite right there were little gaps when neither of them could think of anything to say they heard feard the telephone boue ring and agatha sprang up rather quickly to answer it IL it was for her all right and it was sort of a tunny funny comers conversation atlon edith help hearing because it was right in the next room agatha said no and then after listening a minute 1 I I don dont t inow the other person said quite a lot then but all agatha answered aits nits ft as ill ell I 1 cant help that thal she give him time to say much after that fr fir she cut in with the clear effect of an interruption 6 no ot of course I 1 wont dont don t be silly I 1 good by and hung up NIt without hout another nord she cooled a little flushed when she came back into the room but not quite so crohe ns her voice had bounded sounded she said without giving edith time to say a word you an thing else to do have you lets go up to ray MY room I 1 half unpacked and I 1 ve got lota lots of new things to show you edith mid 1 ire I ve really got to go 90 im helping mother now you know with the hoise work vork and find I 1 done a thing toda good by I 1 she was trembling the tears would show in her eyes la in another minute ale got out of that bouse house as fast as she could it must have been ed who telephoned if it had been anyone else agath agathi i would hav liar told her who it was she must have told him he had to go right after lualdi th thit it was why she been sur surprised prIEd when lie rushed off 01 like that but shed told him he lie could come balk bal after his sister had gone sue she was mrs pro probable babli to hai haie e telephoned him but he salted lied said sold has illas she gone yet that v mas as when agatha b hid bid id said 0 boll o lied fled ailed how bow much long cr er she was going to stay and aga tha had said she didn dian it kow know and then he had d abken agatha agetha he must have bave t 11 tell edith she bad another nt and agatha had said of course bhe wouldn t and told him hint not to be silly but she cared really she was telephoning to him now that the coast wis clear and that he could come adith linew it as moll ft ell as if shed heard the whole thing 0 0 4 0 she dian didn ant t quarrel openly either with agatha or with ed she een eien forbore to inquire ul whether lether she had bad grounds for a quarrel and so kept alive the possibility that shed misinterpreted tint thit telephone call alth ith each of them separately she had some really good timea it was only as a couple that ed and aga tha made I 1 cr or un unhappy hoPPY she puzzled a good deal over her feelings about bis tills phenomenon enon As suming that rd had to get silly about a girl and agatha about a boy shed have thought tt ft better that they turn toward each other than then that they should drag drug in a pair patr of outsiders but she t bellee now that shed hare have minded the latter alternative to 0 o much there was something subtly infuriating elout a relation between those two which irit her out it seemed like a betrayal it wai was perfectly terrible thomay alio way ed engagements kept him running ning around from the time be got up along toward noon until be he came cam e home to bed at some un knoma email small hour in the morning they new neier siw him lim at all except when he dashed bomb homb to change his ills clothes dad she could oce was getting pretty sore about it though it was mas several days before lio lie said anything hut but one night nt at dinner two or three days after christmas lie blew up they expected id to be at home for that meal and had a place set for him but he didel t appear I 1 bont on t know what to make of the boy dad said sold last lost summer I 1 thought he showed signs of being a man lie hard bard ho lie acted like a responsible being now ow he shows no signs of responsibility for anything or consider consideration atlon of anybody lies fleas neglecting idith going off oft to parties that not in eluded in lie ile makes extra work for yon you getting special meals 1 for him and so on and he lie knows that you and edith have to do it all and he doesn doean t even pretend to take an interest li ij my concerns think that ordinary curiosity and self interest even it if he be has no nat not ural affection for me would lead him to come and see what were doing it if this Is what college does tor for him I 1 doubt it its worth the sacrifice I 1 dont feel like sacrificing you and edith for him and that a the truth it was mas funny that mother speak in ed eds s defense after a v while me edith said it if you mean the mal verme verns party I 1 dont think ed neglected me I 1 think it would be silly for him to stay tome just because I 1 wa wat ut aked he ile said it if I 1 wanted to go hed get agitha to ask them to invite me and I 1 told him I 1 want to go so you don dont t hale am e to worry about roe me I 1 dont don it eel feet as if 1 I 11 was as being abeln aced 11 but her defense didat have the result she shed d looked for dads faatu twitched with pain he lie looked as its it he might be going to cry in a pinic she turned from him to moth cr er there were mere tears in mothers eyes edith pushed hick bick her chair gripping the edge of the table with both hands 1 I cant stand it she aie said sold 1 I just cant stand I 1 know some thing perfectly horrible horri bles s coln to happen that I 1 don it know about I 1 want it to happen and get it over r its lvis just rotten like this im sorry mother I 1 don t want any more din ner she managed to bold told back the sob tint that was coming until she had got out into the hall she fled up stairs to her tier room where she could cry as much as she liked and where by iw of that fact li it nas nos much easier not to she turned on cia the light looked at hen herself elf ds passion abely in the mirror and wiping away the amo incipient tears proceeded to pull herself to together 1 ether shed made a good start a at t taij hen nhen n at the sound of her mothers step on the stair her heart turned to lead mother alother hada t fin finished thed dinner either I 1 aed jed never have left dad to come to her unless unless thit random shot about something horri hord ble that was wits about to happen had hit the mark there was something there really ars she cried as her mother ap appeared eared in the doorway loure come up to tell me what it is 1 mother nodded but before she said ana anything thing she came across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed it a ilife orleath or death matter she said it anything that need make any real difference except but it seemed she go ol 01 on with that 1 I suppose dads dad a business has failed edith said dally dully Is that it this seemed to help mother out no it isn t that at all till it isn t nearly as bad as that thal in some ft mays ays the business looks better than it did only it does need more money to apt it started than your father tha th it would he ile thinks he could get gat sue a one else agathas father perhaps to put money in as an investment cut but that would ideall a giving him a share in the bus bust ness just as mr mariner had to gh ghe e dad a share so instead of do ing that be 5 decided to borrow the money himself and put it in and besides that mill che ghe him the con arol instead of mariner but bor rowing me money as hell hol have to do it means that we must help belp him by easing every penny that we poa poo sibly can 1 I bought thought wo no were doing that al at ready edith sold 19 e can sai 0 sei mccral eral hundred dob dol tars lars mother said to in a scared tort ort of voice I 1 by changing your lour school sending you to high chool school for the last list bait balf year where there any tuition to pay lour tuition Is paid tor for the first up to february uret first it if you were mere going on so you ice see vo ve must decide now ai As tar far as education coca goes the high school Is as good as the oilier other lou oi know wo we sent kd ed there for the whole four years iti its only oh ob I 1 know it will ie to bard hard I 1 dad knowl knows too he ile dida t see it at tit first but since the ploy play and all it makes him almost fick sick to ask it of yon you iio ile do it now it if it that I 1 insisted dut but the three hundred dollars will make such a difference to him just at this tills timeto all of us I 1 want you to go ge down domn and tell him that it ft going to make you unhappy III you do that dear to night I 1 mother alother u was as holding out her arms her to come to them and be comforted but the girl ignored the tile gesture and rind went and hat do down n stolidly in a chair zihere her face would be turned away jost just now nom she felt perfectly dumb and elie she wanted to keep on feeling that way as long as cho she could the one thing she bear would mould be to have mother to on talking talLIng to her tier in that encouraging be a good gl girl ra voice 1 e ed d have to say something herself oh its nil all right of 0 course she didn t mean her voice to sound as hateful as that but she it help it 1 I dont mind act not going back to school so much I 1 lou ou can tell him that thal I 1 suppose I 1 could stay st ay iy around howe and help you more or perhaps I 1 could get a job mother I 1 don t have to go to mar thas party tonight do 17 I 1 1 I just couldn t I 1 lou ou can tell fd u lien he lie comes home that I 1 ire re goo gona to bed alth ft ath a it headache he ile wont vont mind going without me a cinch and I 1 III II 11 really go to bed I 1 gues III go now for a minute she was that mother m would try to reason with bar try to talk about unselfishness land and sacrifice flee and things like that but it that had been what she meant to do she changed her mind for she got up and albed to the door from there he she said all right III tell ed A spurt of unpremeditated anger made the girl say 11 1 I suppose that three hundred dollars will mean a A rl r once more she wa was struck speech less I 1 old did did you do it she stammered lot to him lim he ile cin go on thing at Ms his fraternity house and baang nil all the fun there Is slie sho nas as a alast the mor fjords ds as slie heard hear herself saying them but mother dido t give ere her time to try to take tale them back she silo just shut the door belind her quietly and went away edith put out the tile light and undre undressed sed in the dark the headache hea diche wa waa LO mere were pretest pretext it would be a relief to cry but she could lit 0 0 4 0 alother was in her room putting on her naps so it wasn gasn t possible though I 1 adith feel like me peak ing a word to anybody that morn ing to go by down the hill bill without stopping tro im jut off to the guild lunch mother its the last meeting of the year and I 1 cant can t get out of it very well I 1 was nas going to push a note under your door and find then I 1 heird you aming nebout lour your breakfast Is 13 all ready ex copt making the toast a and nd bo boiling 11 ing the coffee 1 I suppose I 1 HI it have to ret get some thing for id when ullen he be comes down I 1 edith remarked but nut mother offered the surprising information that ed had got cp up birly that lorning orning i and gone out she kissed her daughter briefly ul was gone it gasn wasn t more than a minute bufore the front door shut behind her chink goodness she tried 0 talk about last night the tile girl said that iery ery definitely tely to herself and yet she elie wasil t quite sincere about it anyhow she m was as glad ed nas vas out of the way it was a com fort to have he the holice nil all to 10 her hep self she t want any break fast but she mag t as well nell go down and pet got it 01 er nith ith then alie she could settle down and really decide nhat she was mas going to do sir elio t been able to do that last night tile thought of the hunch bunch getting together next week in classes teams committees the whole fabric of a life that had been tier hers going on mill her turn torn out of it hail had hurt tier unbearably the thins thing for her tier to do uns to make up her own mind while solitude still gare gave tier her the chance already it mas half made up she silo knew bullat ale sl aan t going to do she 1 wasa t gong to high school they make her she silo noted with mith reluctant tion that mother had bad cleared and reset the dining room table for her solitary meal ideal the tile electric toaster beside her place ready to do its duty she went nent into the kitchen and lighted the flame under the coffee pot then came back and started the toast iho the derbell rbell rang just ns as shed turned on the current la in the toast cr or it nas lifts rather dark in the hall and han she opened the door the flare glare of the sunlit snow on the aa an halt half blinded her and she blinked be bewildered mildered at the visitor hello edith ho he said cheerfully it was morgan 11 organ she silo said good morning and automatically stepped back from the pitiless betrayal of that glare of light it aas too late to do any good of course one glance would have been elou enough to show him how perfectly horrible she tile looked her ees ell with last nights cry ing her hair a mess and then hat list beastly old serge shirt skirt jill spots all over it vas ms almost too hor to be true and shed only made matters worse by retreating into the tile hall for hed talen that naturally ns no an in imitation ration to come in lie ife had followed follow cil her and shut the door behind mm hin im 1 I m awfully sorry she ste gild but rd id home lie ile got up eairly morning for once and bent out oh I 1 in sorry I 1 missed him roger said but it daem t matter lou can ariy good by to him for roe me |