| Show F THE tl ELM hwe DIM IM LANI 1091 I 1 M 0 PENN publishing COMPANY by TEMPLE BAILEY SERVICE CHAPTER VITI VIII continued 13 nothing is too good for you jane I 1 cant say it as I 1 want to say it but never know what you seemed to me on sunday as you came through the mist E evans vans s voice shook a little but he vered himself in a moment bere iere e ere come the townes he rose as edith entered with young baldwin after that evans followed baldys lead as a dispenser of hospitality the two of them passed cups passed thin bread and butter passed passed little cakes passed lemon and cream and sugar flung conversational balls as light as feathers into the air were as baldy would have expressed it it the life of the party something must have gone to Casa blancas head frederick towne remarked to jane have you ever seen him like this years ago he was tremendously attractive do you find him attractive now with a touch of annoyance fl I find him wonderful her tone 1 ts s defiant and ive known him all my life it if you had known me all your life would you call me wonderful she looked at him from behind her battlements of silver how do I 1 know people have to prove themselves dr hallam had driven mrs follette over he rarely did social stunts but he liked jane and he had been interested enough in evans to want to glimpse him in his new role strolling up to the tea table he was aware at once of a situation which might make for comedy or indeed tor for tragedy it was evident that towne was much attracted to little jane barnes it if jane reciprocated what of young follette 1 I saw mrs laramore yesterday he said abruptly lovely as ever yes of course towne wished that hallam talk about adelaide he wished that all of the others would go away and leave him alone with jane mrs laramore said jane unexpectedly makes me think of the lady of sharllott Sh allott I 1 dont know why but I 1 do I 1 have really never seen such a beautiful woman but she seem real I 1 have a feeling that if anything hit her shed break like china they laughed at her and edith said adelaide will never break shell melt ashes as soft as wax then pigeonholing mrs laramore for more vital matters uncle fred I 1 am going out to baldys studio hes painting jane frederick was at once interested her portrait no A sketch for a magazine competition baldy explained may I 1 see it baldy yearning for solitude and idith 1 adith gave reluctant consent come on everybody so everybody including dr hallam and mrs follette made their way to the garage edith and young baldwin arrived first and this is where you work she said softly yes look here will you sit here so that I 1 can feast my eyes on you ive dreamed of you in that chair in classic costume do you know that you were made for a goddess 1 I know that you are a romantic boy how old are you she asked him twenty five 1 I dont believe it im twenty two and I 1 feel a thousand years older than you you will always be ageless S she he I 1 laughed aug bed how old is jane twenty yet people take us for wins twins t she look it and neither do you the others came in and edith went back to her thoughts he too young she was glad of that the sketch of jane was on an easel there she stood a slender figure in her lilac frock bobbed black hair lighted up eyes the lifted basket with its burden of gold and purple and greenl towne stood back and lo 10 looked aked at it jane at his side said some of the fruit you sent really frederick had no eyes for anything but jane in her lilac frock jove but the boy had caught the spirit of herl her he turned to baldy it Is most unusual and I 1 want it sorry said baldy crisply 1 I am sending it off tomorrow how much Is the prize two thousand dollars 1 I will write a check for that amount if you will let me have this 1 I am afraid I 1 cant mr towne why not well I 1 feel this way about it it worth two thousand dollars but if I 1 win the prize it may be worth that to the magazine the advertising ver and all that that splitting hairs perhaps but its the way I 1 feel but if you dont win the prize you wont have anything no and be out two thousand dollars the lion in the zoo was snarling and above him breathing an upper air was this young eagle ill be glad to give the sketch to you if it comes back said baldy coolly but I 1 rather think it will stick it was in a way a dreadful moment tor for towne there was young baldwin sitting on the edge of the t table able swinging k a leg debonair defiant and edith laughing in her sleeve frederick knew that she was laughing he was as red as a turkey cock it was jane who saved him from apoplexy she was really inordinately proud of baldy but she knew the dangers of his mood and she had her duties as hostess baldy wants to see himself on the news stands she said soothingly dont deprive him of that pleasure mr towne nothing of the kind jane exclaimed her brother baldy I 1 wont quarrel with you before people we must reserve that pleasure until we are alone im not quarrelling jane held up a protesting hand oh lets run away from him mr towne when he begins like that mat theres no end to it she carried frederick back to the house and evans looking after them said vindictively to hallam old midas got his that time dr hallam chuckled you dont nate him do you evans dont let him have jane he worth it neither am I 1 said evans but bul I 1 would know better how to make her happy back once more in the ahe bright little living room towne said to jane may I 1 have another cup ol of tea lea its ills cold 1 I 1 dont care I 1 like to see you pour it with your lovely bands she spread her hands out on the shining mahogany of the tea lea table are they lovely nobody ever told me his hand went over ners aers the rhe loveliest in the world she sat there in a moment s breathless silence dhen she drew her hands away touched a little bell ill have sophy bring us some hot water sophy came and went jane poured hot tea with flushed cheeks he took the cup when she handed it to him dear child youre not offended im not a child mr towne her lashes were lowered her cheeks flushed he put his bis cup dowland dow nand leaned towards her you are more than a child to me a beloved woman jane you be afraid ot of me I 1 want you for my wifel wife her astonished eyes met his but we known each other a week 1 I love you more il if I 1 had known you a thousand years mr towne ale please ase he was very close to her kiss me jane ty she held her slender figure away from him you must not 1 I must no really please she was breathing quickly please she was on her feet the tea table between them he saw his mistake forgive me her candid eyes met his mr towne would you have acted like this with editha friends editha friends the childs innocence cencel adelaidel Adel aides kisses went tor for a P all I 1 C A she saw him presently standing beside baldy on the station platform song eloise frankly offered hers edith was saved by only some inner grace jane they are not worth your little finger I 1 put you above all on a pedestal honestly and I 1 want you to marry me but I 1 dont love you ill make you I 1 have everything to give you had he what of robin hood and galahad what of youth and youths audacity high resolves flaming dreams she fell something ot of this sub consciously but she would not have been a feminine creature had she not felt the flattery of his pursuit jane ill make life a fairy tale well travel everywhere sail sad strange seas you love it il all those countries you have never seen and just the two of us and all the places you have read about and when we come home ill build you a house wherever you say with a great garden he was eloquent and the things he promised were woven into the woof of all her girlish imaginings 1 I ought not to listen she said tremulously but he knew that she had listened he was wise enough to leave it there he rose as ne he heard the others coming back will you ride with me tomorrow afternoon dont be afraid of me ill promise to be good sorry im to have tea in town low with evans cant you break breah the engage ment 1 I dont break engagements th cock of her head was ue like baldys llull aa janey 1 1 yes baldy jane sat up in bed dr dreams e ams still in ii her eyes she had been late in getting to sleep there had been so much to think of frederick townes proposal the startling change in evans its a telegram open the door dear she caught up her dressing gown and wrapped it around her A telegram she was with him now in in the hall baldy is it judy yes ashes ill asks if you can come on and look after the kiddies of course she swayed a littie little hold on to me a minute baldy it takes my breath away you be scared old girl ill be au all right in a minute his arms were tight about her it seems as if I 1 should go too janey but you cant ill get things ready and ride in with you in the morning ill pack my trunk if bring it down from the attic I 1 can sleep on the train tomorrow the next morning baldy went to bring his car around and evans stood with his hand on the back of janes chair looking down at her write to me jane oh of course he shifted his hand from the chair back to her shoulder dear little girl if my blundering prayers will help you any have them she turned in her chair and looked up at him she could not speak their eyes met and once more jane had that breathless sense of fluttering wings within her that lifted to the sun then baldy was back and the bags were ready and there was just that last handclasp hand clasp god bless you jane frederick towne was at the train he had been dismayed at the news of janes departure do you mean that you are going to stay indefinitely he had asked over the wire 1 I shall stay as long as judy needs me frederick had flowers for her books and a big box of sweets people in the pullman stared at jane in the midst of all her magnificence they stared too at towne and at briggs who rushed in at the last moment with more books from brentano edith and baldy were on the platform edith had come down with towne so frederick alone with jane said 1 I want you to think of the things we talked about yesterday please not now oh im afraid of me you be not of you of everything life he took her hand and held it Is there anything else I 1 can do for you everything I 1 have is yours you know if you want it he had to leave her then with a final close clasp of the hand she saw him presently standing beside baldy on the station platform the center of the eyes of everybody the great frederick towne As the city slipped away and she leaned her head against the cushions a and nd looked out at the flying fields it seemed a stupendous thing that a man like towne should have laid his fortune at her feet yet she had no sense of exhilaration she liked the things he had to offer yearned yearn ed for them but she did not want him at her side in her sorrow her heart turned to the boy who had stumbled over the words if my blundering prayers will help you she found herself sobbing the first tears she had shed since the arrival of the telegram when she reached chicago her brother in law bob heming met her audys holding her own he said as he kissed her it was no end good of you to come janey have you a nurse two day nurse and night nurse and a maid judy is nearly frantic about the expense it good for her either to worry hall half the trouble I 1 tried to make her get help but she but I 1 blame myself that I 1 insist dont blame yourself bob judy would nL she told me she could get along and when judy decides a thing no one can change her well times have been hard and business bad and judy knew it it ashes such a good sport they were in a taxi so when tears came into hemings eyes he made no effort to conceal them im just about all in you cant understand how much it means to me to have you here and now that I 1 am here said jane with a gallantry born of hit his need of her things are going to be better the apartment was simply furnished and bore the stamp of audys good taste A friend had taken the children out to r ride ide so the rooms were very quiet as jane went through them good taste judy in bed was white and thin and jane wanted to weep over her but she you blessed old girl she said youre going to get well right away the doctor thinks I 1 may have to have an operation why I 1 felt I 1 must wire you judy was anxious 1 I leave the babies with strangers and it was so important that bob should be at his work of course said jane do you think anything would have made me stay away judy gave a quick sigh of relief how heavenly to have janey and what a dear she was with her air of conquering the world jane had always been like that with that conquering air it cheered one just to look at her TO RF br CONTINUED D |
