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