LADY BLANCHE FARM A Romance of the Commonplace by Frances Parkinson Keyes WNU Service Copyright by Frances Parkinson Keyes CHAPTER XIII—Continued w—] Be “I don’t understand that either, of course. But I do know that some of the things we've always spoken of as ‘supernatural’ seem to occur much more frequently since the war, or else people are not so ashamed or so afraid to speak about them as they used to be. I believe the body and the spirit are In some way much more closely interwoven than we've realized. That's one reason why we must try so hard to make the one worthy of the other.” “I've always known they were close ly interwoven In Phillip. Oh, Mary, will—will he be much changed, do you think? He was not. He looked, indeed, so serene, so supremely happy, that Blanche, kneeling beside him, burst, for the first time, Into healing tears. And the nurse who had taken care of him told her that he had suffered very little. “It was all so quick,” she said. “He simply wouldn't let us send for you, and we really didn’t think it was nec essary—until it was too late. He said you must he saved all the grief and care you could. He'd just had a let ter—" “Ha got it In time so that he could read It?" asked Blanche, with such a sudden leap of joy in her volce that Mary wondered instantly what had been In that special letter, “Oh yes. He was awfully happy over it, that was plain to see, and now that I've met you, Mrs. Starr, | don't wonder he wanted to save a lovely child like you from all the anxiety he could. He didn't suffer much, honestly. And just before he died—but I don't know as 1 ought to tell you—" “You must-—" “Something strange happened.” “Yes.” said Blanche breathlessly, fooking $fom the nurse to Mary. “He had been having some tfouble with his breathing. He was uncon scious for a little while, I thought, and delirious, off and on. Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked toward the foot of the bed, smiling as if he saw something there that pleased him, Then he turned to me and said, ‘Yon did send for my wife, after all, didn't you? 1 told him no, that we'd done Just as he wanted about everything. " arms stretched out, dressed all in white. She looks exactly as did the last night we had together—the first night I really found her.” llanche laid her cheek against quiet hand lying on the spread. “Go on,” she said, after a moment. “l was stupid enough to look there myself, for he kind of startled me. jut of course there was nothing. So 1 shook my head, and sald not to worry, that everything was all right. The puzzled expression faded, gradual iy, and he smiled again. And then he spoke just as If he was talking to someone.” “What did he say?” “'So you've come, little countess, But you mustn't ever come to anyone again. This must be the last time, And I'm not sorry. It's all been so perfect—so perfect, while it lasted. — Do you know what flashed into my mind, 1 don't know why? There wasn't any real connection!—That line about a ‘full, perfect, and suffi cient sacrifice—"" That was, blessedly, what it seemed to Blanche. Even in her first grief, she found, after all, the compensa. tion, the “glory of achievement” that she thought she had been denied. She did not ask, she did not need, any longer, to understand. She needed only to feel, and as soon as her mental and physical exhaustion left Ler. to work. She worked all the rest of the win. ter, and the next summer, and avery woman in Hamstead worked with her. France, with its thousands of widows. was three thousand miles away, but Blanche was in their midst. Through her they reached out and found those others When fall came, she was not work ing any longer, but the rest of Ham- stead, thinking of her, worked harder than ever, For she was lying, very still and happy, in the big four-poster bed In the soft-colored chamber of Carte Blanche, with the golden, downy head of Philip Starr's son against her breast, she —— CHAPTER X1V Moses and Algy Manning were com ing home from school together. They bad, in three years, grown noticeably taller and thinner, Their faces, as usual, would have been improved by the ministrations of a handkeréhief and a wash-cloth., But Gale Hamlin, who had been riding for some hours over rounds that not infrequently caused him to strike the top of the car or skid irto a ditch, leaned out of the window and halled them with delight as he caught sight of them, “Stop a minute, Morrison Hello, you kids! Climb in here, Going home from school?” “Yes,” replied the two small boys together, accepting his Ievitation with alacrity, and seating themselves be. side - him without further waste of words, “Getting along pretty well? “Fine,” answered Moges. “Algy's In kindergarten, I'm In the sécond grade,” “Good for you! name yet?" “Write my name I” exclaimed Moses, with (Injured pride. “I kin write poems!" sale Hamlin coughed. “No, really?” he asked politely. “If you can, fame and fortune await you, Unfortunate ly, there are so many young gentlemen who only think they can. They can't, really” “I'll show you," sald Moses, who did not understand the greater part of this speech but felt it, on the whole, unimportant whether he did or not. Removing the cover from his dinner. pall, and depositing on the seat beside him two apple cores, half a doughnut, a package of gum, a yard or so of twine, a jackknife and a Second Read- er, he finally pulled out a plece of blue paper on the outside of which was written in large letters, “Two Poimes. By M. Manning,” and handed them to the doubting Thomas in tri- umph. Can you write your “Ther was a bee and" read Gale, *He sat on a tree and He herd a sound And he made a bownd At the sound, So that's all so call” “Go on” sald Moses, without false modesty. “There was a workman Who carried a can And his name was Smiiler And he went to the miller And sat on a piller And thats all ther was herd Of Mr. Smiller.” “You should try the Atlantic Month. ly." said Gale, folding and returning the paper. “But If that isn't apprecia- tive, there are several other maga- zines. 1 will give you a list, If you like, or 1 will undertake to place these for you myself, for a small commis- sion.” “I guess so,” said Moses, feeling again that he was missing the point somewhere. “1 showed ‘em to Mary and she laughed and told me to take ‘em to school and let my teacher see ‘em. “How Is Mary?" Gale asked. “Well, she looks kinder peaked. Was you thinkin' of comin’ to say good-by to her?” “Something of that sort “Because,” replied wouldn't, If | was you. Thomas Gray tried it, and he wasn't suited at all With the way she sald good-by, 1 mean.” “Moses and | were under the sofa, playing lion, only Mary and Thomas didn't know it” said Algy, in an i} luminating aside. “She shook hands, nice and polite, like she's taught us to do con tinued Moses. *“] don't know what more was wanted. But there was something. He said so.” volunteered Why?" TE it, “Twice,” Algy any chance for me at ally and she said, ‘No, I'm sorry, but there isn't." " “And Thomas” continued the faith. ful chorus, “said, ‘Wasn't there ever and Mary stiffened up and said, ‘Paul threw his chance away." “What happened next? asked Gale, feeling very much as If he had been eavesdropping himself, “Thomas spoke right ap as If he was kinder mad. ‘Well! he sald, ‘are you goin' on rememberin’ that all the rest of your life, ‘stead of that he tried good and hard and plenty to find It again?" “Ah!” remarked Gale “And then Mary told him she couldn't discuss it with him. He was home just for a few hours, before he went to France. That was most a year ago. No one's tried it on her since.” “Suppose,” said Gale, producing a erisp dollar bill, “that you boys go to Wallacetown with Morrison and have a spree? You might enjoy it and I-— er—-wouldn't run the risk of having any lions under the sofa while 1 was there I" Mary was very glad to see Gale Hamlin, and she did not attempt to disguise the fact. He told her a good deal of Boston news that pleased and Interested her, while he drank the tea and ate the cookies that she brought him, before he asked her any questions. “How is Mrs. Starr? 1 want to see her, too!” “Oh, she's wonderful! So well, and #0 busy, and so bappy with the baby! He's the loveliest little creature! Cousin Jane worships him, too. You must see him before you go, He isn't like a Manning at all—he's the image of his father.” “1 am very glad she has him. Does she have good news of her brother, too?” “She doesn't have any.” Gale did not answer Immediately. “I'm sorry if I've made a stupid mistake,” he sald at last. “You didn't mention any bad news, the last time you were in Boston” “No—1 don't often talk about Paul” “80 1 have observed,” remarked Gale dryly. ey Mary flared Instantly. “Men are not fair to women,” she sald bitterly, “I'm sorry to say that's often true But it's no reason why women shouldn't be fair to men. Two wrongs never made a right, you know." “Are you trying to tell me what is right for me to do?” what Is if you “I'm trying to tell wrong. It would be never married.” “Wicked !" “For you-not for every woman" “Why for me especially?" “You ought to guess. you with men-- charm you have, no matter how you try to hide it and how much power, you wicked dréen-—your patience and your wisdom and your loving kindness. Starr has done wonderful the place—and the woman—he loved ~by his death, to what you can do for the place and -if you only will” Gale crossed to her his hand on her away from him, quickly, and put shoulder. *So you refused Thomas Gray? he asked quietly, “Yes. There was tion of Thomas" “Or of me? “Yes, there was some question of you. 1 thought you knew that" “Will—could you answer It any dif. ferently now?" “No. “Or ever, do you think ™ “No. I—I'm sure 1 never could” “Then how are you going to answer Paul when he “Paul isn't ever coming home,” sald Mary steadlly—so steadily, In facet, that a man who knew her less well than Gale Hamlin did would have been completely deceived by her tone, “What gently. “He was wounded last May" said In a hard voice. "Not seriously, Cousin Violet had a letter, written by Paul himself In the hospital, saying the wound was just a scratch—that he'd be for next ‘big scrap.'” “Yes ™ “He was, He was at and Chateau-Thierry, listed as ‘Prisoner or heard since, " ago, never any ques comes home?” happened, Mary?" he askpd “Please tell me” she out again the Belleau Wood Then he was Missing! We That was nine months “yog “There were very few marines taken prisoner. We thought, after the armistice was signed, we'd have some word.” “And you haven't? “No-—not a syllable, We hope—Il hope, anyway~that he was ed. It would be much less horrible-~than the other.” Then with a swift change of tone, imed, “Don’t you read the Casualty lists yourself? Oh, I believe you knew all the time!” “Yes—] did. But 1 wanted you to tell me yoursell. [I've ever since last summer wouldn't. [ wanted to know Just how you felt about It “Do you know now? “1 think 1 do~Mary, don't you ever bend ™ “Bend? “Yes—because if yon fm afraid some day you're going to break Yon did, very nearly know, once before You remember the old fable could” . she excl ever been wailing, tn see if you don’t you what | Mary did not an ur cousin ever since “I have been doing Gale went on, as swWer, 1 found out the situation. But ! haven't however “to locate yo . $0 far, Now, discovered anyth I'm starting self-—almost Immediate it has seemed as If | could here, | am glad that at there appear to be ways in which can help over investigation—] you-- There, my dear, He waited patiently for the to pass, stroking very gently the soft hair about the hidden face. He walt. ed, It seemed to him, For Mary was weeping with the abandon. ment, the utter hopelessness, that marks the ultimate despair of those strong souls whose fortitude enables them to restrain their grief anti! #t reaches its culmination, and the shat- tering of whose spirit is all the more tragic because it Is so sudden. Gale Hamlin's heart twisted in his breast at the sight of her unrestraint and the thought of her agony fle knew he was powerless to help her except by surrounding her with the sense of his Infinite compassion. It was a long nr ly usefnl there—preconsiruct don't nes to tell there” storm endlessly as she did so, still far from composed, the door was flung unceremoniously open and Algy and Moses entered noisily. “The dollar's all spent,” announced Moses, “Well,” sald Gale, with a slight sigh, “it lasted just about long enough. 1 rather wish, though, | had given you a dollar and a half! Will you take little cousin?’ - - . * » St * Mrs. Elliott, who was “passing the afternoon” with Violet, saw him walk down the cobblestone path with a small boy on either side of him, from lor window. Violet Gray. Bhe did not consider it “select” to do so, “Look _ here, Violet,” ealled Mrs, Elliott excitedly, “if there ain't Mr. Hamlin comin’ down Seth's front walk! He don't take ‘no’ for an an. swer very ousy, does he? “No,” sald Violet, “and Mary doesn't say ‘yes’ very easily, either. | ean't think what that girl's made of, She used to be always laughing and sing ing, but now-a-days she's so glume except with the children-—that you can hardly get a word out of her, and you can't ask her the mest trivial question that she doesn’t lose her tem: per. And she's never shown the slightest feeling about Paul!" (TO BE CONTINUND.) . HEER cottons are triumph- ‘J ant in the mode. Of all the fluttery-ruffiy seasons the coming summer promises to be the flutteriest-ruffliest one we have known for years. With all the dainty crisp or- gandies, filmy mousselines, dotted nets, swisses and simi. lar airy-fairy cottons which the vogue calls for, it Is in- evitable that our summer ral- ment will go alluringly feminine, which it does to the point of enchantment. frocks especially yield to feminine persuasion this sea- son. They are all that any fair one might dream of in the way of begulil- ng effects which myriads of little ruf. les and “oodles” of tiny lace edgings unfailingly bespeak. The prettiness of these frocks, made of plain or embroidered organdies or sheer mousselines and the like, is sim- ply devastating. Their full long skirts {usually ending above the ankle) have : grace them as they fairly revel in a frou frou of ruf- fles and ruchings and such. If not ruffles and frills and decorative treat. ments, then adroitly cut ample flares and circular movements, such as dis tinguish the winsome frocks pictured, accomplish the coveted fullness for the new skirts Let no one assume, however, that the presence of wide hemlines means that slender slihouettes are to be sac riffced. Not for one moment! The new call for hips, and not until a is reached between hipline and knees Is the skirt allowed into whirling, swirling little ruffles or develop flares. Commencement about “lines’ slim fitted point fo sputter out masses of widening The feml- sleeves of these prettily nine frocks are as whimsical a8 » passing summer breeze. They are, al- most without exception, short and they are either puffed or Fuifled or lace adorned or stiffened to stand out as sprightly as a ballet dancer's skirt. Sometimes the cunning puffs are en snared by a peat them demure. Neckilnes, contribute in no small way to the prettiness and becom- ingness of these fascinating summer frocks, The gay and debonair gown posed to the right In the illustration, has a neckline, The material for this winsome model is a durened starched cotton. The embBrol- dered green, The belt Is green The white organdie flowers which outline the neckline In lel fashion are repeated on the skirt, for the newest gesture among design. ers is to feature attractive back views The keynote of the frock on the sented figure Is Its simplicity —sophis- if you for the durene embroidered white organ- die which fashions it is a last word in fabric lore. Nothing could be pret. tier for graduate wear. Later this same frock could be posed over a pas. tel taffeta when it goes to parties and band ook 100, lovely sheer are velvet, dots ticated simplicity, please, to dances, ©. 1913 Western Newspaper Union, GOWNS BEING MADE FOR SUNDAY NIGHT The Importance of “Sunday night” is stressed by one Paris house, for it has designed probably the majority of its spring and summer costumes with this particular evening in mind. When you think of it, it is quite an inspiration, for Sunday night is a time for relaxation, informality and congenial intimacy. Hence ensembles that fit in with these feelings must be very lovely and restful, provocative of delightful conversation, restful to the eye and refreshing in every de tail. - And that is just what they are The black crepe frocks have grace ful sleeves with much fullness about the elbow, often of white diamante tulle or In a heavier blistered crepe. Lacquered lace makes possible many stiff, standupish frills for the outlin ing of decolletages which gives them a crispness that is almost fragile. Or gandie is used In the same manner, More and Better Blouses Fashion Slogan of Spring You may wear the frilliest of Vie torian creations—or you may go in for a simple Fasciztl shirt. But blouses you must have, for this is pre-eminent. iy a suit season. For informal wear, candy-striped style with a collar which may be worn Gay made up In youthful overblouses, belt: and huge scarf bows tied under the chin. Linen, with drawnwork of stripes ple blouses for wear with tailored There is practically no limit to the variety in more dressed-up blouses, for town wear, and for bridge, luncheon or tea, Stripes Woven in Just as You Want Them to Appear You will like the new use for old stripes. Instead of turning and twist. ing the material to make the stripes run like you want them to, there Is forthcoming a new material with the stripes already woven Into it just the way you want them to go. And In the grandest sssortment of colors! You're asking if they would make your mouth water? Walt till you see ‘em! CHIC LINEN SUIT By CHERIE NICHOLAS é % IH : 7 ASA ASAS AR AR ARAB AR AB ARIAS BY Those who know fashions are all enthusiasm over the idea of linen as a medinm for the new Jacket suits, The new tweed weave linens are as soft as fine woolen and the beauty of them is that they crush little, if at all, Smart Parisiennes have started the vogue of the dark blouse with the natural colored linen suit, brown or navy organdie being especially spon. sored for these blouses. The young woman in the picture has chosen to wear a navy and white striped blouse with a soft-tied navy scarf with her attractive noocrushable tweed linen suit, Novelty Organdies Very springlike are the flowers of the new gay crisp organdie blouses. Some of the very newest ones are of crinkly organdie with stripes like seer sucker. Others are of blistered organ dies. Still others ure of the shee: starched organdies. OUR CHILDREN 8B By ANGELO PATRI REWARDS ct HIS isn’t a very good report, Rita, 1 see you have a poor mark in spelling and another in arith- metic and grammar isn't very good. | don't believe you are studying. Now U'H tell you what I'll do. If you study hard this month and get a good mark in everything, I'll give you that set of dishes you want.” “The nice blue ones In Daly's win- dow? Oh, good for me. I'll get = hundred in everything. You see” “Well, we will be satisfied with less than that. You do your best and you will get the dishes™ For a few days Ilita works hard an:l the marks rise. Then she yawns a lit- tle and says she Is tired studying She wants to go out to play. Guess she'll rest now, She will do the words in the morning “Don’t forget dishes.” *No. I'm by and by." Less and less enthusiasm for study, more weariness, more need for play, more forgetting until finally ber moth- er loses all patience and says, “Sit right down and study. Now, no more of this. | am not going to let you waste an” more time. How do you think you are going to get the dishes unless you work?” “l don’t care. If 1 don't get them all right for you. | do work. | study hard as anything and the teacher gives me the hardest questions and makes me miss on purpose.” Rita weeps at her The reward, in store, has falled to pull her along the hard road of duty. Rewards held in store for future payment rarely work. iribing a child to work fails oftener than it succeeds. It is right to reward an effort. Re wards encourage childrea to push on when enthusiasms have died down They the child to fresh hope and they renew his energy. But must be immediate It the good deed promptly. live in the present moment. Their fallures and hopes and strug- gles are all of the moment. To make a reward effective it must follow the performance immediately snd be n surprise, When a child finds himself rewarded he has done he is de lighted berund words The feeling is not all caused by the thought of his personal gain. With it, and very is mingled su deep appreci- f your appreciation cf his work and effort. Nothing so pleases us as to find that somebody was rooting hard for us all the time we struggled to win Success, Don’t promise rewards for work far Make them immediate that you want those remembering. [I'l study own grief, sltimuiate the reward follow Children must for something shale strongly, ation of . . * PLEASE THE BABY NoHER had been canning all aft. i ternoon and ber feet were tired carrying her about. She sat in a rock- er on the porch watching Edna May doling her home work in the short time before dinner, The baby had fallen asleep on the couch in the sitting room. Now he wakened and cried “Go in, Edna May, and see what yon can do to please him. I'm so tired I can't move another step.” Edna May cheerfully went to the rescue. In a short time she came back. “He wants my red cap, mother.” “All right. Give it to him. Anything to please him.” Mother rested for a while and rose to prepare for dinner. Crossing the sitting room something caught her eye, The baby sat in the midst of a miscellaneous heap like a pirate among his treasure. “Give me” he commanded, and at once Edna May gave him. “For pity's sake, Edna May, what is the matter with you? Here I am tired te death, 1 ask you to help with the baby for a few minutes and you completely upset the house. Pick every bit of that stuff ep.” Edna May, quite crestfallen, began gathering up the loot. Each time she laid hold of an article the baby screamed and fought to keep it. Moth. er came swiftly, smacked both chil dren and planted them firmly, one in his crib and the other on a chair. “Stay there and keep quiet if you can't do anything else.” Both children were crying earnestly when father walked up the path, it was all very natural Mother was ired beyond words, Edna May was willing but unknowing. The baby had the chance of his life andihe took it The only way out that | can see is to have a couple of things handy for such an occasion. A ball tied to the baby's chair, a favorite Teddy sitting in a little chalr, will serve the purpose Then when baby i& to be diverted for a few minutes the menns are at hand, Crying it ont is not so easy when one’s nerves are raw but it is better than having =» scene, isn’t It? It is chenper ih nervous energy in the long run. It wont do to teach the baby that he Is to be pleased no matter what comes or goes. Sometimes he can't be pleased and the sooner he learns it the better. It does cost a few bowls but most of us can stand that. © Dell Syndicate ~~ WNU Service
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