COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES ICRIBIERT SOMS
H +>
AUNT ALICE.
Synopsis.—Richard Sedrles, suc-
cessful American playwright, con-
fides to his friend, Bob Singleton,
the fact that, inspired by the
genius of a young actress whom
he had seen in London, he has
written a play, “Lady Larkspur,”
solely with the thought that she
should interpret the leading char-
acter, This girl, Violet Dewing,
has disappeared. Singleton, an
aviator, has just returned (in-
valided) from France. His uncle,
Raymond Bashford, a wealthy man,
had contracted a marriage a short
time before his death, while on a
visit to Japan. He left Bingleton
& comparatively small amount of
money and the privilege of resi-
dence in the “garage” of his sum-
mer home, Barton-on-the-Sound,
Connecticut. Mrs. Bashford Is be-
lieved to be traveling in the Orient
The household at Barton is made
up of broken down employees of
a New York hotel, where Bashford
made his home. Singleton goes to
Barton, taking with him the manu-
script of “Lady Larkspur.” There
he finds the household strangely
upset, some of its members being
suspected by their comrades of pro-
Germanism. Antoine, head of the
establishment, Informs him that he
has been perplexed by the some-
what mysterious visits of a
stranger, apparently a foreigner,
seeking Mrs. Bashford. Antoine
has formed the male members of
the househéld into a guard for pro-
tection. Torrence, Bashford's law-
ver, Informs Singleton that Mrs
Bashford is in America and may
be expected at Barton at any time
Singleton reads Searles’ play and
thinks highly of it
CHAPTER IL
sels
The Amazing Widow,
I returned
to the garage, feeling that with Mrs.
3ashford on American my
the residence even loafing-place
was was
As soon as Torrence left
soil use
#8 a
Mrs
not only in America, but with a motor
at her command might
Barton at any hour. And the vigor
ous, dominating woman who had cap-
tured Bash. buried him In
a far country, and then effected a hop,
skip, from Jangkok
Seattle, wa to be a prodigal
spender Her
for weouraged hope
that she would quickly weary of Barton
and pine for lands where the elephant
nd jinrickisha flourish,
1 had brought with the many-
geript of Searles’ play, and I fell upon
it irritably and began reading the first
act. The dialogue moved briskly, and
I read on as though in the
alr of a crisp spring morning. My
grouch over the upsetting of my plans
yielded under the spell of his humor,
“Lady Larkspur” the name
assumed by the danghter of a recluse
naturalist in the valley of Virginia.
She had known no life but that of
the open country, where she ran wild
all summer, alding her father in col
lecting plants and butterflies,
had educated the girl In such a man
ner that only the cheer and joy of
life were known to her. Hating man-
kind, he had encouraged her in na-
ture-worship. She knew no literature
except the classies; all history, even
the history of the storied valley In
which she lived, was a sealed book
to her.
The girl's curlosity is roused by the
sudden appearance of strangers from
the unknown world beyond, whom
she mystifies by her quaint old-world-
{shness. Searles had taken an old
theme and given a novel twist to It,
The solution of the mystery of the
father's exile and an amusing com-
plication of lovers afforded a sus-
pensive interest well sustained to the
end. In the last act the girl appears
at a ball at a country house in sophis-
ticated raiment, and the story ends in
the key of mirth In which it began.
It was a delightful blending and
modernization of Diana, Atalanta,
Cinderella, and Rosalind; but even in
the typewritten page it was ama
ingly alive and well ealculated to
evoke tears and laughter, That a
play so enthralling should be buried
tn a safety-vault was not to be
thought of, ond I sat down and wrote
Searles a long letter demanding that
he at once forget the lost star for
whom he had written the piece, sug-
gesting the names of several well
known actresses | thought worth eon-
sidering for the difficult leading role,
Not satisfied with this, 1 telephoned
a telegram to the agent at Barton
for transmission to Searles at the Ohio
address he had given me,
The next day passed without Inel-
dent, and oh the second, hearing
nothing from Torrence, 1 began to
doubt Mrs. Bashford's proximity.
On the third, still hearing nothing, I
harkened to an Invitation from friends
at New London aud drove In the
sunabout for dinner, It was midnight
"when I got back, and when I reached
“ the gates several men dashed out of
the lodge and halted me,
“She's come, sir,” announced
unbecoming. 3ashford
she rench
my uncle
to
and
of propen
the
travell
me
enfolded
was
Antoine. emerging from the darkness,
and speaking under stress of deep
emotion: “madame the widow has
arrived, sir!”
“Why not Cleopatra or the Queen
of Sheba?’ I exclaimed testily to
cover my annoyance that my aunt had
effected her descent In my ahsence,
“Well. she was expected; the house is
hers ; what do you want me to do about
it?" I ended with affected jocularity.
“We received her the best we could ;
but it was most unfortunate, your not
being here, sir”
“Ig that your idea, Antoine, or do
me just what she sald.”
“Well, sir, she just langhed when I
took the liberty of apologizing.”
“The sneering laughter of outraged
dignity! Go ahead and give me
Yest of it.”
guard held her up, not recognizing
her, here at the gate, and when the
ear wouldn't stop the boys chased her
it was very dreadful, sir,
the door, sir—the
harsh her,
at
very
house
with sir, most
regrettable”
“You certainly made a mess of It
I ejaculated. “But you did let her
in—into her own house, we
remember—you did grant her the
tesy of a lodging for the night?”
1 inquired Ironleally.
“She's retired, sir.
Cot
There was a lady
Her: pied 1 can't
say: and we did everything,
her comfortable, She
what you might
human-like. 1
sir, which
with maybe a n
to make
was not say
you'll
to not
quite hope
wis due
being warned.”
“Oh,
the
it's but in
morning
Drove Past the House, #
whole lot of us. An old lady fatigued
from a journey cross country and
shot at on her own premises --its a
very pretty story.”
Antoine was swallowing hard In his
effort to continue the recital,
“You say an old lady, sir; the mis.
tress is not really what you would
call so old--not exactly, sir”
“Really a youngish party, 1 should
say.” volunteered Graves, the gardener,
Just what these veterans would eall
old was a matter of conjecture,
“Young or old, she would hardly
relish her reception. There was a
maid, and they came in a machine?
Did you put up the chauffeur or did
you shoot him on the spot?”
“It was a hired machine, sir; and
madame sent it away. The driver
was a good deal upset over the shoot:
ing. One of the rear tires was quite
blown away.”
“You're In luck If he doesn't have
you all arrested tomorrow,” I remark-
ed consolingly.
“Mrs. Bashford seemed quite amused
by the occurrence,” Antoine continued.
“ “Wonderful America!’ she kept say-
ing after we'd got her inside. We
gave her ten, which was all she asked
for. We did our best to make her
comfortable. And there was a dog,
sir, I recall that the master was not
fond of doge”
Antoine spoke truly; If there was
anything my uncle Bash detested It
was a dog, but I reflected that a
world-skipping widow who could
corral so difficult a subject as my
uncle would be quite capable of Inspir-
ing him with delight In the canine
species, My respect for the woman's
powers of persuasion was intensified
by this disclosure,
To make sure nothing was required’
of me until morning, I drove past the
house with the army hanging to the
footboard. The lower rooms were
¥
dark, but lights twipkled through the
second-story shutters, My aunt was
established on the premises, and her
coming and the elrcumstances of her
ndvent constituted a Joke of
which I and not she was the vietim.
When 1 reached my quarters in the
garage 1 sat down and lnughed until
Flynn appeared, frightened: by my
noisy mirth that had penetrated to his
quarters,
I wankened early, rang a bell
necting my rooms with the
feur's end of the garage as a
ing to the Fiynns to pfepare break-
fast, and was dressed when the Irish-
man came in with the tray. In the
absence of a morning paper 1 clung
to him for company.
“I trust you will not be leaving,
sore,” he remarked, eyeing my half-
packed trunk.
“Very soon, Flynn"
“Then Elsie and 1
ton, sorr, it's most
they're making us—Dutch and the
rest, That Antoine and his army
keep pesterin’ us and callin’ us Huns
“It's most disagreeable we find it,
the wife and me”
“Suffer and be strong--that's
watchword! We will hope that
Bashford is a woman of sound sense
and tact who will exert
restore peace on her properiy.
1 call to pay my and
good
con
chanf-
WiIrn-
will be going
uncomfortable
herself
respects mnke
she's probably sleeping late”
the contrary, sorr.
and around for an hour an’
She's been all over the place
yet-
“Quite
heen up
the
been
garage?” 1
her and
“She
pup.”
here, inspecting
at
i eine
glancing
yet eight
asked,
was not
had been my duty to be on hand to
pilot her over the estate, or at least
to her the garage.
what was the lady's frame of mind—
things generally. was
: last night?
quite
receive at
as to Peoved,
“Oh, no,
friendly.
Now
ng up
cheerful
big
York and told me it would
and to
ROT;
She's ordered & cnr
¢ ¥
irom
he
place for it"
news Indeed,
comi mae a
tony
Here was destroving
a brief of a
machine
The purchase
that
sojourn.
meant she
for the
of coffee, swa
I poured a second cup
Howed | rabbed my hat
stick, and asked enlightenment
sy
course taken by Mrs
left p
and
as to the
ford wh
“She
% a
thie garage
1
i
» brisk-1)
the
It was
fans
hostile
conservatories |
the
throwing na
f woman on
agile
amusement
woman,
havi
laughed joy
her hands
were
She
fell
no end
Feo tl
into
chance fo red
Antoine's equivocal
Mrs. Bashford's
of
age wa
the middle-age
wns prepared to
beyond
healthy
question a
being whose every movement
life
It might, after all, be the
whom Antoine had spoken.
a low stone wall that separated the
lawn from the just as she
effected a running pick-up of the ball,
She turned swiftly and flung it straight
at my head. Involuntarily 1 put
my hand and caught it just
saw me and eried outa cry of wart
ing and contrition. 1 tossed the ball
to the dog.
“What must you thirk of me!” she
exclaimed. “1 was blinded by the
sunlight and 1 didn't see you—really
I did not!"
“1 had
way,” 1
beach
business being in the
laughed, noting first .her
glowing color, her violet eyes—
amazingly fine eyes they were—her
fair hair with its golden glint, her
plain black gown with lawn collar
and wristbands. It was her age, how
ever, that roused me to instant spec
ulation, Twenty-five, 1 decided, was a
maximum; more likely she was not
more than twenty-two, and If I had
been told that eighteen was the total
of her years 1 shouldn't have had the
heart to dispute it.
“Bob Singleton,” 1 said and stupidly
added, “and you are Mrs, Bashford?”
unable for the life of me to avoid
turning the statement into an inquiry.
“lI am your aunt Alice,” she said
with a smile, putting out her hand,
“Down, Rex!" she commanded the
dancing terrier; “He down; school's
over now” ; whereupon Rex obediently
sprawled in the sand and began try-
ing to swallow the ball,
“Wasn't that silly of me to try to
kill you the first time we met?" Her
eyes danced with merriment. “I didn't
know of course that any one was about,
But you made a very nice catch of
ft! I had expected to receive you
mot formally in the drawing-room,
but this really serves very well, That
tree down yonder Is inviting ; suppose
we stay out here and talk a bit.”
no
“Can't we make it Alice |
THEIR HOME.
sald the diamond back, “I've
heard thut we're wanted up In the |
zoos away from here, where we're |
lcoked after and where folks come
and gaze upon us. Some of the crea
tures around have been trying to
catch us for that purpose, It's so
thrilling to think how dangerous it is
for them to get us, That's most thrill.
ing. They're running great risks, great
risks, oh, very great risks,
“It shows how anxious people must
be to see us, Well if they are so
anxious to see us, risks must be taken
in order to get us, That's right. We
deserve and expect that”
“You speak truly,” said a moccasin
snake, and a coach-whip snake hissed.
“1 agree with what you say.”
“So do 1" said the rattlesnake.
you say, 1 agree with
but—" he ended off abruptly, for he
saw a rabbit he thought he would like |
to have.
“Now,” sald the diamond back, “1
will do the same thing myself. I will
HAR"
ily
ner, But oh, some folks I suppose
I mean folks who don't know. For |
I've heard them speak of us as crawl
“Dear me, if they could but see the
Above are beauti-
of rare colors. Of course |
wouldn't be here if they weren't !
And the gave a great |
laugh made the birds |
ful birds
they
snake
which
igher,
“Then there are lovely cypress trees |
cruel
Old Soft-Shell Turtle |
here and so do the |
How they enjoy be |
ing lazy and lying where it Is warm |
and sunny or else when they get too |
home
alligators,
“All there
loveliness and
The very
about is beauty and |
warmth and laziness. |
air feel lazy. The old |
{tself. That's why #t |
It never had |
be a clear lnke |
1%
is ianzy
swamp, I sieve,
up and
WINE river.
iz a
the energy
or a fl
“It
and
sleep i
io
wanted to lle down and doze |
i
¢ In dreamy |
without any |
snooze away its tim
moving or
“Yes, 1 bel
Are swamps
mt Is why swamps |
they are. |
. i
Fm not getting my |
¥'re jazy
He Saw a Rabbit
prey. 1 can sleep; yes, I'm a good |
sleeper, and how 1 1}
can dream of what I am going to eat
when I wake up and I can dream
ahead of another sleed,
“That is being pretty smart when
love to sleep.
yond the sleep one is having.”
“That sounds rather mixed up,” said
an rattlesnake, “I believe youn
don't half know what you are talk
ing about.”
“1 know
and that lots
prised if they
old
this is a beautiful place
of folks would be sur
saw #0 much beauty
about us” said the Diamond back
“But we didn't make the beanty™
sald the moceasin snake, "We didn't
do anything but come here to live be
enuse it was so comfortable and warns
and damp and swampy and we could
be lazy and yet find food”
“Maybe we didn’t make its beanty.”
said the diamond back, “But we liked
coming where there was beauty.”
“Oh, all right,” said the moccasin
“Ah, yes, 1 believe in being danger
ous reptiles. It makes us more inter
esting that way.
“l agree with the diamond back
That's the way it should be. If folks
want to see us risks should be taken
to get us, they must come with fear
and trembling and terribly afraid we
may poison them. Ha, ha" and the
moccasin snake laughed,
“Of course.” said the diamond back,
“I've no idea which snakes they're
wanting for the zoo, but I know they
like to get as many kinds as possible.
{ feel sure I will be chosen, but
I'l make them work hard to get me.”
he ended with a terrifying hiss,
“if Only | Had”
It is not worth while to spend 8s
great deal of strength regretting that
you have not done this or that. The girl
who sighs, “If only 1 had been kinder,”
or “If only 1 had studied harder” can
not alter her past record by a single
line, Instead of saying, “If only 1
had,” eay with all your heart, “1 will
do differently in the future” All, the
help regret can give 18 in the way of
changing our future course. ~Girls’
Companion,
*
“The only reason a road is good, as
every traveler knows,
Is just because of the homes, the
homes, the homes to which it goes.”
HOT BREADS.
Hot breads are always liked
with such a variety one may
something different
every meal,
Good Muffins.~—Cream
two tablespoonfuls of
butter with two table.
spoonfuls of sugar, add
two eggs, two cupfuls of
flour sifted with two tea-
spoonfuls of baking pow-
der and add one cupful of
well and bake In muffin
and
have
for
milk,
rings,
Sally Lunn—Beat two eggs, whites
and yolks separately, add one cupful
of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of soft-
Beat
one cupful of milk, two and one-half
spoonfuls of baking powder,
a sheet or cut into biscuits,
The Biscuit.—Take a pint of bread
gponge which has been mixed
warm milk, a and
spoonfuls of soft butter.
fet rise, roll out,
in a baking pan and put to rise,
very light, bake in a hot oven,
Spider Cake.—Take and
beaten egg
cut into biscuit,
place
one
corn meal,
of a cupful of flour, on¢
galt, three
gift together: add
ene cupful of sweet
ful of sour milk,
of soda added.
well
Bake
oven.
Spoon Corn Bread.
ful of balled rice, .
meal. Seald the meal wi
of
two beaten eggs,
will
mils
Pour into a very hot,
frying pan.
in 8
greased spider or
nearly an hour
Take on
o
a
bne cupful of corn
tl
boiling water, add tw
sweet rill tWo ergs,
galt, f
spoonful af two te
powder, one teaspoonful of
gugar.
dish from which it Is to be served.
Steamed Oatmeal Brown
K one cupful . of graham
fourths of a cupful
f
one-half or one
and one
and one
all the
fourth
half teas
ingredients
half hours
HOUSEHOLD HINTS,
Do not throw away the vinegar from
It may
1 salad dressing
be used in
of other vinegar,
desirable
in place
giving a most
flavor and color.
When we pay 20 cents
a bunch for celery it is
needful that every scrap
The tender
may
3 11
utilized
stalks
is
inner
the coarser
served with cheese in an escalloped
dish, making & most appetizing and
not common combination. Then the
leaves may be dried and used as fla
vor for soups and sauces.
Add a few tablespoonfuls of salt
pork cut in small cubes and
brown to any vegetable soup, and a
very little sugar. A pinch of sugar
added to a roast of any kind adds to
its flavor.
When making gravies, sauces, or
mushes that are apt to lump, stir and
beat well with an egg whisk. This will
gave much time and many
water to become heated or place in
the oven to become hot, They will then
give up every drop of juice
An old toothbrush will be found use.
ful In cleaning out small corners and
is small enough to get into the fine
crevices where dust collects,
When you have rough, chapped hands
use fresh lard mixed with sugar, using
enough lard to moisten the sugar; rub
it in well and wear gloves to bed; in
the morning the hands will be healed
and softened.
Old felt hats make the best kind of
wicks for lanterns or lamps, Cut In
strips sulted for the burners,
In frying mush, roll each slice in dry
corn meal and a little sugar. This
makes the slices erisp and brown in
color when fried.
In the preparation of a meal use
care that the amounts are neither too
lavish nor lacking: one is equally as
bad as the other, If not worse, as the
frishman says
Keeping all food in closed cans orf
boxes to keep from drying is a most
important economy. A cut loaf of
bread left in the alr for a few hoyrs Is
dry and unpalatable. All dry bread
should be saved for the hundred and
one ways for using it. Toast points,
cubes for soup, croutons, stuffings,
puddings, dn meat loaves, in scalloped
dishes ore a few of the ways of dis
posing of stale bread
All the past things are gone and overy
The tasks are done and the tears
are shed.
Yesterday's
cover;
Yesterday's wounds which
and bled
Are healed with a
night hath shed,
OUT OF A CAN OF CORN.
wounds let yesterday
smaoarted
healing which
Corn is one of the vegetables like
potatoes that nearly everybody likes.
There are any number of
ways In which to serve
it: as a vegetable, =a
soup, a& chowder, scal
loped and in salad are a
few of its accomplish.
ments,
Corn Soup.—Chop
ean of corn, add one pint
of boiling water and sim-
mer 20 minutes; rub through a sieve.
| Scald one pint of milk with a slice of
| onion and remove the onion and add
the milk to the corn. Bind the soup
{ with two tablespoonfuls each of but
| ter and flour together. Add
| salt and pepper to taste.
Plain Corn Salad. —Drain a can of
and season with mustard and
juice. Marinate with French
and let stand one hour, then
drain and arrange on a bed of lettuce
{Or Ci
| Corn Chowder.
{ Corn,
one
cooked
| corn
onion
dressing
iicory.
Take
cupfuls of
one-half inch
cupfuls of
crackers,
butter,
can of
potatoes,
of salt
scalded milk,
three tablespoon.
and
the pork in small
Add the onion and
five minutes, stirring often. Par-
drain
id two cup
the
one
four diced
a one
| pork,
and cube
four
| eight mii
| fuls of one sliced onjon
salt and pepper. Cut
pieces and try out.
COOK
{ boll t potatoes five utes,
to the fat
boiling
potatoes are ts
then heat to the bo
i with salt and
{ and ther
| fuls of water;
Reason
butter
in hot milk to
on
quantity
pepper,
| and the crackers sonked
i. Segve with + erackers
top of th chowder. * This
will serve six people,
Mock Crab.—Melt fou
Is of butter, add one-ha
ir. Mix or
1 three-four
ipful of
ul of salt
poonful of
Stir
grad.
In: iis of milk.
Bring 1« hia n add
can of corn
| and
e-}
y
ome
beaten
three Coster
uttered
. a knife
$ Use well baked,
and shapely,
smooth - skinned
make two
at right
angles on the top
or side of eack
potato. Press tc
jet out the steam, fold back the cor
| ners and send to the table with a bit
of butter and a dash of paprika and
| salt on each,
| Raisin Pie~Take one cupful of
| chopped raisins, bolling water to cover
them, two tablesgoonfuls of cracker
| crumbs, the yolks of two eggs well
! beaten, one-half cupful of sugar, the
| juice and rind of one lemon, one
| fourth of a teaspoonful of salt. Bake
| the mixture in one crust and cover
| with a meringue, using the whites of
ithe eggs and two tablespoonfuls of
sugar. Return to the oven and brown,
Graham Pudding~Take one and
{ one-half cupfuls of graham flour, one
{ half cupful of molasses, one-fonrth of
| a eupful of shortening, one egy, half a
! cupful of sour milk, one-half teaspoon.
| ful of soda and one cupful of raisins,
Add spices to taste and steam four
hours, .
Sponge Drops—Beat five eggs very
light and add one cupful of sugar. Add
a teaspoonful of lemon extract and fold
in one cupful of flour. Drop In tins
and bake in a moderate oven,
Cabbage Salad—To one quart of
chopped cabbage add one-half cupful
of vinegar, two beaten eggs, one tea
spoonful of prepared mustard, one tea.
spoonful of sugar, salt, pepper and a
littl¢ butter. % the dressing until
thick, pour hot over the cabbage and
cook five minutes. Serve at once.
Pieplant Pie.~Take one cupful of
raising, two cupfals of pleplant,
chopped ; half a cupful of water and
one cupful of sugar, Place In a cow
ered ple and bake as usual
One Egg Cake—~Cream together
one cupful of sugar, half a cupfal of
sour cream and one egg. Add a pinch
of salt, a half teaspoonful of soda and
two-thirds of a cupful of milk: flavor
with vanilla, Add two cupfuls of sify.
ed flour and a teaspoonful of cream of
tartar. Bake in layers or in loaf or
gem pans. |
Ones ;
gashes