| San —
A Romance of the
Commonplace
By Frances
Parkinson Keyes
WNU Bervice
Copyright by Frances Parkinson Keyes
SYNOPSIS
Motoring through Vermont, Philip
Starr, young joston architect, meets
Blanche Manning, seventeen, with
whom he is immediately enamored, It
being a long distance to Burlington,
Starr's destination, Blanche Suggests,
the village of Hamstead not boasting
a hotel, that he become, for the night,
a guest of her cousin, Mary Manning.
Mary receives Philip with true Ver-
mont hospitality, and he makes the
acquaintance of her cousin Paul, rec-
ognized as her flance. Starr informs
her of his desire to win Blanche for
his wife. She tells him of an old
family superstition concerning the
“Blanches” of the Manning familly.
Paul Manning is inclined to be dissi-
pated. Mary's reproaches for his “con-
viviality” are badly received by Paul.
(Gale Hamlin, long a sultor for Mary's
hand, visits Hamstead but makes no
progress in his lovemaking. Philip,
from records of the Manning family,
learns the sorrowful story of the
“Countess Blanche,” French wife of a
Revolutionary hero,, Moses Manning,
and of the peculiar “curse” she has
transmitted to her descendants and
the women of Hamstead. The evening
of Philip's marriage to Blanche, Paul,
under the influence of liquor, bitterly
affronts Mary, and tells her their en-
gagement Is ended Mary, at first
acutely conscious of her position as a
“jilted” woman, is greatly comforted
by her lifelong friend, Sylvia Gray,
CHAPTER VII—Continued
smn
Mary brought the little
cup painted with blue-
He drained it at a
Silently
white china
birds to the child.
gulp.
“More,” he announced
handing it back to her.
Mary filled the mug a second time,
and as she did so, she could see the
rest of the family, in the new automo
bile, starting for the performance of
“The Merchant of Venice” at the an-
nual Chautauqua entertainment at
Wallacetown. She knew the play al-
most by heart, loved every word of it,
and even the
company that
her own
given her a
iryland if could
have heard it. And none of the others
cared for Shakespeare, or were In the
least familiar with him. They were
simply going because it was “part of
this year's program,” because every-
one else was going, because Paul wel
comed any excuse to drive the car and
Violet any to seen in it,
and Jane and Seth any excuse to go
to a play which could not, of course,
be wicked since it was “classic” No
one had even suggested staying home
with the children so that she could go.
“Can't 1 have a piece of candy?
was Algy's next question, as she
reached the erib which stood by her
bed. “I ben a boy all day,
haven't I, Mary?
“Yes, dear, pretty
your bag of lemon drops?
“In my top bureau drawer.
here, 80's 1 can choose.”
The bag
ment carefully sel
“I wish you'd stay
while, Mary. 1
my leg.”
“A sharp pain, or an ache?”
“No-0, just a regular pain,
maybe it would feel better
rubbed it for a while.”
Mary uncovered the plump, brown
legs and rubbed them briskly, “I've
got to go now and hear Moses’
prayers,” she said at last, thinking
that signs of drowsiness were finally
beginning to be evident.
But Moses was not feeling devo
tional. He was constitutionally irre
ligioug, and now that he attended kin.
dergarten, the morning exercises at
school seemed to him more than suf.
ficient for his spiritual neads,
“l ain't a-goin' to
prayer tonight” he
“1 sald it
cheerfully,
had never seen |
little mediocre traveling
was to play it,
knowledge
glimpse into fa
given,
could,
Ol have
she
excuse be
good
Where Is
good,
Bring it
was brought and a frag
ected
with me for a
got a sorter pain In
I think
it you
say the Lord's
announced with
decision. this mornin’ at
school.”
“Yery well, say ‘Now 1 lay me'"”
“Now 1 lay mea,” began Moses with-
out much fervor, “down to sleep , ,
when a loud crash and a wail of dis
tress from the room.
“Oh, Mary, I've dropped my
bird cup! It's broo-ken , , »
Mary rushed to Algy's side and
gathered him, dripping wet, into her
arms, On the floor, In & pool of water,
lay the beloved mug broken into frag
ments, while the erib, as well as Algy
himself, was deluged by its contents.
“Don’t cry, darling! It's a shame,
but Mary will buy you another just
like it, only prettier, maybe, the next
time she goes to Wallacetown, Hush,
honey. Let Mary put you in bed
with Moses while she gets you dry
pajamas and changes your sheets and
wipes up all the pieces so you won't
cut your dear little feet”
Comfort, fresh linen and more wa.
ter all having been provided, Moses
was urged to continue his devotions.
“I don't see why 1 should say, ‘If 1
should die before | wake. [I've sald it
and said it, and 1 ain't never died
at all.” ‘
“Well, say just ‘God bless’ tonight,
then.”
“(God bless Daddy and Mary and
Algy.” mumbled Moses glibly, “and all
my dear friends, and make ine a good
boy, and bless Cousin Jane and Cousin
Violet and Blanche. You needn't bother
about Paul, he snitched my wood:
chuck trap. Amen. , . , Now sing
me ‘The Sugar Plum Tree,” he com-
next
blue
Wii
&
manded, climbing into bed and settling
himself on his pillow,
Mary began it bravely enough. But
the reference to Paul was too much
for her. Before she reached the Choco-
late Cat she found she could not
gO on,
“I'm afraid I can't finish “The Sugar
Plum Tree' tonight, darling,” she said
abruptly, bending over to kiss him;
and in spite of her, some hot tears fell
down on his face. Then she fled from
the room.
Moses lay for a long time wide:
eyed and pondering. He loved Mary
as he loved no one else in the world,
and Mary, plainly, was very unhappy.
He tried to think of recent misdeeds
that he himself had committed, but
his slate was fairly clean. Then he
remembered that once before, early
in the summer, he had caught her cry-
ing, and when he had pressed her, she
had sald she was worried over Paul
Mary never mentioned Paul now—still
that might be the trouble, just the
same. It was too bad that Mary
should cry over him, particularly when
he deserved it so little, but if no one
else would comfort her Moses would.
He sought about in his mind for the
quickest and best means to this end.
Moses always slept with a small
Canton-flannel named Spotty, to
which he had devoted from In-
fancy. It had gone through numerous
vicissitudes. More than once it had
fallen in the brook, but Mary had al
ways fished it out, and dried it in the
oven, And one night he had ripped it
open and devoured most of its lining—
an experiment which had proved very
disastrous to both, But Spotty still
survived. Moses made a sudden re
solve.
He hugged Spotty and kissed what
remained of his nose. He gulped as
he did it. Never, since he could re.
dog
been
ho -
“But He's White Clean Through, for
All That, Believe Me!”
nember, had he gone to sleep without
first laying his head on the cherished
t Then he picked It up and
tered into Mary's room.
It was as he had expected.
was lying on her bed, weeping
ut his hand.
“Don’t cry any more, ple
he said “I've
to sleep with you”
pat
Mary
Moses
Mary”
Spotty
It was then that Mary realized that
she had found a second source of com-
fort in Moses. Most of her unhappi-
ness had been caused by selfishness
Moses was willing to make, for her,
what was to him a tremendous sacri
fice. She drew the child, with his
litte, Canton-flanne! dog still In his
hand, into bed with her and cried
without restraint, holding him in her
arms, Moses lay solemn and silent,
asking no questions, making no over
tures. But she could feel his sympa.
thy in every curve of his warm little
body. Gradually she relaxed, a sense
of peace, of compensation, of content
ment, stole over her, She fell asleep
her cheek against her little brother's
Th never seemed half so hard
again,
CHAPTER VIII
Meanwhile, Paul, instead of rejole-
ing in his longed-for liberty, was find
ing it utterly “dull, flat, stale and un
profitable.”
In the first place, living at close
quarters with his mother's “nerves”
unrelieved by Blanche's sunny pres
ence or the ready escape to Mary's
house which had always been open
to him, was not a pleasant experience,
as has already been hinted, But this
was by no means all. For a day or
two after his sister's wedding he was
really ill. As soon as he was sufi
ciently recovered, however, he made
his way, feeling very blithe and un
shackled, to call on Rosalie.
“I'm right in the midst of packing”
she announced, “1 haven't much time
to spare. I'm going back to New York
on the midnight,”
Paul strove to express his regret.
“Don't you go getting fresh with
me!” sald Miss King, erisply. “I'm
not that kind and you needn't forget
it, little one. . . , Why didn't you tell
me you was engaged to that good.
looking cousin of yours? My, but
she's a looker!”
“I'm not engaged to her,” said Paul
shortly,
“Oh, she's thrown you over, has
she?” jeered Rosalie, “Well, I should
think she would. She can do a lot
better than you, Little Boy Blue, even
it you behaved yourself Instead of
hitting it up all summer like you've
bgen doling. That Mr. Hamlin from
Boston is sweet en her all right, and
he's some swell, belleve me!”
“It was me that broke the engage
ment,” said Paul, stiffly and ungram
matically,
Rosalie stared at him speechlessly
for a moment, jut only for a mo-
ment,
“So that's the kind of a bird you are,
is It?” inquired with immeasur
able scorn. “Well, I've heard a lot
about ‘ancestors’ since I struck this
burg, and I don't deny that you've got
something to be proud of along that
line, The men that came up here—to
say nothing of the women that came
with 'em-—and just got settled when
the Revolutionary war broke out, and
were willing and glad to strike out
agnin and fight for thelr country, were
sure all wool and a yard wide and
then some. But I guess if they could
look up or down now, a8 the case may
be, and see their descendants wearing
out the seats of their trousers sitting
on the post office steps and saying
what they'd do if they was President,
or standing on the curbstone in Wal-
lacetown thinking they're having the
h~—1 of a time because they've got a
couple too many drinks Inside of them
and are talking to some skirt they
wouldn't introduce to their mother—
I guess them old captains and judges
and governors would think the good
old stock had run down to a pretty
poor line of goods! I got a felluh In
New York-—floor walker on the eighth
—who doesn't know his father
let alone any great-grands! But
he's white clean through for all that,
belleve ! If he could have your
chance, my! what he'd done
with it! A good home and money for
an education and a lady for a sweet
heart! And you've turned up your
ugly nose at all of them—while he's
had to climb out of the gutter on his
way to decency without a soul to help
him. But he's got there, all right. I've
written Steve that if he still wants a
girl who's enough to play
round summer with a stupid rube
that another girl's beau, he
have an he's telegraphed
prepaid that he'd walting In
Grand Central right by the gate
Thursday.”
she
who
was,
me
have
been fool
all
was can
back
the
on
her
be
Rosalie having departed without fur-
ther ¥ to smooth things out with
dela
Steve, that
episod to be
closed, and Paul f
to that
time bef
s0n hope
thoroughls
he was mistaken. ' NeXt pers {
treat him Doctor Noble,
Mesting the boy one day on the road,
down w £ some
what ) 3 his mo-
tor to a stop and
“Just the
" ha
wanted to
hoping
wy
your
her I
all well™
“If you mean my cousin, Mary Man
ning.” sald Paul with ty.
“she isn't my
“Oh." said
*Well—of cot
digsappoir
it's all for
tastes
I've wn
remirked ple
speak to you
I'm
she's looking at
person
to soe, asantly
about
worried
flancee about
don't think
forced dizgn
fiancee”
David
irse that mu
to
the best
tment
ist pass along
ns Gray the next time I see
hasn't heard it already 1
he thought, with considerable
regret,
in that
war i=n't in
went
news very g sod.
David with an abrupt
“Ever thought of
the Foreign legion?”
in" on
change of
wilatine §
enlisting in
subject
“Lord, no Paul exclaimed.
should I?"
“Why, you're
chap for it!
dependent income, fine constitution
“Farmers can't be spared,” quoted
Paul hurriedly. recalling statistics he
had happened to read In some news.
paper. “It takes five men In the field
to keep one at the front, And I've
heart tro he went on, grow.
very writhing more and
“Why
exactly the sort of
No ties of any kind, in-
ed
got
ing red and
more at David's
*Hard Inek!
een examined lately?
3
pleasant voice,
are you sure?
Vell, © up
ening and let me
Some evening soon,
I'm going across myself, very shortly,
as a member of one of the Harvard
medical units We'll be
with the British army.
going to take up some branch of Red
work--nursing, probably. It
fis {f-—we hnd any children”
ended David a little wistfully, “I'm
sure Austin Gray would have done
something long ago If It hadn't been
for Sylvia. Naturally any man that's
fortunate enough to get a family like
that makes it his first consideration as
long as he ean, Well, good-by.”
Paul began to feel very sorry for
himself. Pullie opinion, which he had
at first thought to be wholly on his
glide, seemed to be gradually, but none
the less surely, swinging the other
way. If the older women still chat.
tered against Mary, the younger ones
spoke differently, and none of them
would have anything to do with him
He led an unappreciated existence,
after twenty-one pefted years, As for
the men, ho thought they were actual
ly beginning to go out of thelr way
to be disagreeable to him and pleasant
to Mary. He found himself virtually
ostracized In Hamstead, and neither
White Water nor Wallacetown, though
he tried them both, seemed to furnish
either lasting stimulation or lasting
solace. He discovered, ns many an
other man has discovered with resent.
ment, the deadly dullness with which
dissipation is permeated,
(TO BR CONTINUED.)
con
to the house some oy
nok
Tou over
connected
Jacqueline's
Cross
isn't
3
M Easter bride—
L Pretty as a picture,
too, for never has a springtime br
had more
than that
ators are
Now ths the
on you can feel ron in
very air. fou note it | he bil
of tulle
frothy whiteness across the he
ARY, way for the
she comes!
ide
lovely array at her disposal
which present-day style cre
i nand.
rations
the
OwWSY
wer fit
piacing at her
t
wedding
MARSES in
mling
wizon of
igy workrooms,
One problem confronting forth
bride Is her
odern
wy tri a
coming
as
be daringly n
or
conventional,
veil shall
quaintly pict
discreetly
nuptial
or perhaps
just The
trend this spring leans in the direction
For a real thrill we re
fer Miss Bride-to- be, has gone
utterly modern in her to the
picture herewith. The unusuniness of
this headdress stamps it as 8 decided
iy up-to-the-moment These
brim or visor flares of tulle are very
new and
13 80 110
iresque,
of novelty
who
ideas,
creation
chic.
The little wreath of orange blossoms
about the crown-—adorable! The tiny
muff which the bride carries which is
niso fashioned of orange
what more enchanting in the
tiowery adornment could
bride long for! Wondering ab
material for the gown? 1
is white di with peor
lace for thr
Of
maid
totally eclipse he
blossoms.
way
:
8 Dr
a spri
of
ill crepe
bodice and t
course, no self-esteen
is going
honor smilin
picture, bas seer
of
SE A
Bon
Her
het lusterless
gown is of
chalky
ng to the eve, Her
pean is pink malines
i satiny rose petals enwreath-
ny
muff be
pink
finish
satisfy
f-a-cha of
her generously
ides
r
!
spring?
tones
iinbow tints
muffs
of flow
her at
this
i rospective
ght In
connection
irely
11 of work
tiressmaker
he er
1 in han
iy lovely
8 carry the
rye
spec
so, whereas
scheme. And
| days the hurried, flurried bride to be
in con
were planning
weeds spend wenry d
whe
for
Te
ie with those .
her, nowadays
psk to be shown
yd muff acces
which
be @
orked out
os
will
often
ked out
SMART THREE-PIECE
By CHERIE NICHOLAS
Yiraasa cy
og » uy
CARERS ann iri
This stunning three-piece traveling
suit is in green and white. The three
The hat is related
to the costume in that it is created
of novelty straw which is woven in
green and white check to correspond
with the motif of the tweed, Two dis
tinct fashion trends are here empha
sized, that of the color-matched bat
which may, as in this instance, be of a
different medium or as is often the
case the hat is of the same tweed or
weave as the suit, The other style
point accented is the “act of the jacket
and skirt being supplemented with a
cape which may be worn or not at one's
own pleasure, which makes it extreme
ly practical
DRESS PRINTS USE
ANCIENT PATTERNS
Dame
Fashion constantly borrows
the past along with all the rest
world, Now it's the smartest
» new spring fabrics which simu.
Icte in the most modern of weaves the
to the hearts of our
priors genera
There's the herringbone
ch looks like to name
of the n spring fancies
irk back to the days of erin.
for inspiration in
dear
nt several
wood,
any
nd hoops
Particularly popular women
these days are the new prints, many
of which employ the small figuring so
popular in our grandmothers’ day.
These vie for favor with the chalky
prints seen frequently in variously
colored plaids combined with white,
with
Egyptian Motif Is Seen
in Latest! Paris Styles
Fashions with an Egyptian leaning
have suddenly appeared in Paris. For
some renson-—-unaccountable to the
stylists—many of the newest spring
modes appearing in the French capi-
tal seem to have come from some
Egyptian origin. Oriental colors and
designs are noticeable in the printed
silks, in handbags, in decorative scarfs
«in any phase of fashion which calls
for patterr or combinations of color.
In jewelry especially is this new ten
dency in evidence,
One of the most frequently seen in:
ications o. the Egyptian is in color
schemes—bright green jade and tar
quoise used against backgrounds of
yellowish gold
Sports Costume
Boldly striped black and white
tweed makes a stunning sport suit,
The skirt is divided, but you never
would guess it because it is all eut
in gores and flares out in just the
right places to make it alluring.
There is a little close fitting jacket
that goes with it.
3
:
Secret of Dress
Most women don’t know how to
dress, they tell us at Teachers’ col-
lege In New York.
“The majority of women
gays Professor Locke of the college
household arts department, not
know how to dress properly or how
to get the greatest value galis
faction from the money they spend
for clothing.” And the nro
‘
today,”
“do
¢ 1341
82140
ceeds to tell us how to do it:
to
Irosse
“T'here are two things
1
gldered when a
she should
woman §
dress to make
her physical apps
ut her best
arance
points,
to
person
wild dress
of her
quite different
to 4 wi
out
ty.
things.
physical
shape of
and
hips, while the second
bring
firs* has th
stics, such as the
the
character]
the
shape of the
has to do with
“In bringing out either the physical
appearance personality, has
several to work with, These
are line, color, size, shape, and pro-
to
tex.
face, nose, lips,
size
charm and grace,
or one
tools
of the which
p the
the 1
portion 1188eS
make u
ture of
go
the
ure cer-
costume, and
mental pring
} fil
ach of these which a
for anyone to know
tively. They are
ly the same rules and
any artist
effect
dress elo
pring
would use In 1
in any mediom.”
id we can
to
is all good advice, a
me
the
the
dressing on the part of many women,
And tha* is Fas}
When style
on.
the
new gleeve
g-up?
u feel
Medical
Wead
ead
Discovery.
Mrs. M.
what M
jicted my nerves, 00
Money for Your Spare Time! N
k form give tested money maki
nd 3 . fo
stamp f
New York.
VW rk at ’
Kar Service,
° i
Camden,
Sells Like Magic: send 10e
5 Ph cans glass, porte
Magic Glass Clean
A. Flushing, N. Y.
A 25¢ Item:
in name Tr elr
er Ca, Dept, 19, Sia
beautiful
free th
‘ i 3 on prinis ; 2 trial
pkg. 25 Marian Douglass, Ft Johnson N.Y,
Tern the Charm of Quilting,
Toe te:
Stop Worrying
farticular
LESPEDEZA-SERICEA «
pou $ yr pound
bout $5.00. AA .. t
C. ¥. Scarborough, Mount Gilead,
imparts Color and
Beauty to Gray and Faded
and He at Drogeists.
ORESTON SHAMPOO = [deal for use
connection with Parker's Hair Balssern. Makes the
bair soft and fluffy, 50 cents by mail or at
gists. Hiscox Chemical Works, Patchogue, NX.
EACH WITH BATH AND SHOWER
Circulating los Voter, .Padis...
Large Closets... Full Length Mires
OTHER UNUSUAL FEATURES
SUNRAY HEALTH LAMPS
Roc! Solarium... AirCocled Restouron
"opus $50 SUIES $00
HEART OF TIMES SQUARE
IN THE