CHAPTER I
w——]—
Mary looked about the living room
with mingled emotions of affection
and despair. Phrony had just com-
pleted the first thorough cleaning it
had undergone in two months, and
the place did not seem quite as clut-
tered as usual. The woodwork and
furniture had been polished with
something Aunt Mamie had bought
from a door-to-door salesman; the
windows shone from yesterday's
washing; the nap of the Axminster
“‘nine-by-twelve’’ positively stood up
as a result of Phrony’'s vigorous
sweeping with the ancient, but still
active, vacuum cleaner. Holly
wreaths, tied with rather too narrow
red ribbon, hung at each window,
while Aunt Mamie now labored
over the arrangement of a bunch of
the same leaves for a vase on the
mantel.
“The house looks more festive
than it has for years,” Mary re-
marked happily. ‘Christmas dec-
orations certainly help.”
Aunt Mamie compressed her thin
lips. *‘‘Not half as much as a good,
first class cleaning,” she replied.
“Why your mother puts up, year
after year, with incompetent help
is beyond my understanding. Of
«course, this isn’t my house, and it's
not up to me to interfere.”
Mary's young shoulders straight-
ened defiantly. “You know why
Mother puts up with incompetent
help, as you call it, Aunt Mamie.
Phrony’s the only maid we can get
in Hawkinsville who'll cook for this
big family, and clean, and wash,
for five dollars a week.”
Aunt Mamie, her father’s maiden
sister, was getting more and more
on Mary's nerves as the years
went on. She had been dependent
on Mother and Daddy's hospitality
for two decades now, yet she eter-
nally found fault with Mrs. Lor-
ing’s housekeeping, criticized the
conduct of Mary, her eighteen-year-
old sister Ellen, and their harum-
scarum and adorable little brother,
Peter; complained constantly about
her health, which, as far as the
Lorings could determine, was about
on a par with that of a truck horse;
continually referred to the purely
imaginary men she might have
married. In fact, as time had worn
on, Mamie's illusory suitors had be-
<ome more and more real in Ma-
mie’'s mind, increasingly ardent in
their affection for her; their words,
never actually spoken, their deeds
never actually committed, more and
more colorful and graphic in her
frequent recitals of them.
Mrs. Loring, always eager to
avert unpleasant feeling, eternally
seeking peace at the cost of any con-
cession she might make, forced a
smile to her lips. “How charming
everything looks!” she exclaimed
brightly. “I know Linnie and Lelia
will think the house is sweet. It's
been years since they've seen it,
you know.”
Mamie turned about, and gazed
dolefully at her sister-in-law. “Too
many years, I'd say,” she re-
marked. “Seems to me a woman
that was born and raised in
Hawkinsville would see fit to return
to her home town a little oftener;
but, of course, Linnie always was a
gadder.”
Mrs. Loring flushed to the roots
of her dark hair. “Well, why
shouldn't she be a gadder, Mamie?
She has no ties, whatsoever; she
loves to travel, and she has a very
nice income.”
Mary hadn't seen her mother’s
sister, Linnie Cotswell, for ten
years, but she was quite willing to
fly to her defense. ‘‘I think she's a
darned good sport,” she said defi-
antly, “and if I were in her shoes,
I'd live just the sort of life she's
chosen to live—Europe in the sum-
mer, New York in the autumn, Flor-
ida for the winter.”
“And dashing about, spending oth-
er people’s money, like a drunken
sailor!” Mamie persisted, the tip of
her long thin nose twitching con-
vulsively.
Mrs. Loring seated herself in one
of the armchairs by the round cen-
ter table, and with apparent calm,
picked up the Hawkinsville Journal,
fluttered it open, and pretended to
read the headlines. ‘‘The money
Linnie spends is her own,” she said,
her eyes fixed unseeingly on the
print. “It was bequeathed to her—
by several different people.”
Intrigued by this revelation, Mary
asked, “How come, Mother?”
“Stop saying ‘how come,” Mary!
I've told you again and again that
I hate that expression. Well, when
your Grandfather Cotswell died, Lin-
nie was the only one of us who
had not married, and he naturally
go to her. He thought—that since
provided for.”
“Dirty trick, I'd say!” sniffed Ma-
mie. “I can’t see why one daugh-
ter should have been singled out.
How did he know Linnie wouldn't
later marry some man that'd out-
shine the husbands of all the oth-
ers? Too bad he didn’t set aside a
tidy sum for you, Janet.”
Mrs. Loring’s eyes clouded. “Jim
was a very promising young lawyer
at the time, Mamie. My father had
no reason to believe that—that we
would later have to struggle—as we
have had to do.”
“We're having a very nice din-
ner,”” Mrs. Loring went on, trying
valiantly to avert a clash. “I bought
a lovely roast beef at Haubert's,
and Phrony’s going to try Mrs. Up-
ham's recipe for French-frying
those little hearts of cauliflower.”
Mamie's eyes glittered with antic-
ipation. She was inordinately fond
of food, although she was constant
ly telling how little she ate. Even
hearing about a meal was a pieas-
ure, and now being informed that
beef and cauliflower were in store
for her, her attention was diverted
from the topic of the inconvenience
caused by Linnie Cotswell's and Le-
lia Ormsby’s visit.
‘““Mother, are you going to the
station with Dad, or shall I?”
“You go, darling. 1 know you
can hardly wait to see Aunt Lin-
nie.”
Five minutes later, Mary was
speeding through the wintry dusk,
“And I can manage the other
six,” said Christopher Cragg.
up Concert street to Seventh, down
Seventh to Main, and up the rather
dirty brown steps that led to her
father's dingy law offices in the Cac-
tus building. A light snow had be-
gun to drift earthwards, and to cov-
er the little town with a magic car-
pet of white,
James Loring was seated at his
desk when Mary, without knocking,
opened the door of his office. He
was alone, his one office assistant
being Ellen, who had left an hour
before to do some last-minute
Christmas shopping. A green-shad-
ed electric bulb shone down upon
his thinning hair and the well-
thumbed law book over which he
was poring. “Poor Daddy,” Mary
thought, a quick hard lump filling
her throat, “‘sitting here in this
dreary old office the afternoon be-
fore Christmas, and reading up on a
case that was probably tried some-
where fifty years ago! Well, it's a
good thing the railroad keeps him on
as their local attorney. Heaven
knows, his cases of any other sort
are few and far between.
He glanced up as she entered, his
face lighting with a smile as he saw
how smart she looked in the new fur
coat she had bought from her own
savings, and the little hat that
dipped rakishly over one eye. “How
pretty you look, my dear!” he ex-
claimed, rising from his chair with
that old-world courtliness which he
extended even to his female chil-
dren. “It must be getting colder.
Your cheeks are almost crimson,
and your eyes positively sparkle.”
Mary put her gloved hand on his
arm, “If my eyes are sparkling,
Daddy, it's because of Aunt Lin-
nie's coming—and not the weather
conditions, although it is getting
snappier every minute outdoors.
Hurry, Dad, and close up shop. The
train’s due now in ten minutes. Good
heavens, I don’t believe you're at
all excited over the arrival of our
prodigal relatives!”
Mary linked one arm through her
father's as the train blustered in.
They were coming! They were com-
ing! Those creatures from another
warld! Suddenly, she caught sight
of them through the snow-splattered
windows of the Pullman.
Mary pressed forward, reaching
Linnie!” she ex-
Li
ground. “Aunt
claimed. ‘Aunt Linnie
Linnie Cotswell caught her in a
swift, fragrant embrace, kissed her
lightly, then wheeled about to the
porter. ‘‘Are you sure all my bags
are here?’ And, being assured that
her six, and Lelia's three pieces, of
pigskin luggage were duly piled to-
gether, she returned her attention
to Mary. “My dear!” she ex-
claimed. “What a
Mary, isn't it? Darling, you were
terrible in glasses and dental braces
the last time I saw you! And Jim!
Dear old Jim, how nice it is to see
you! And, of course, you know this
is Lelial”
Lelia, one lovely blue eye almost
obscured from view by the dipping
fur of the Cossack hat, extended a
hand, first to Mary, and then to
James Loring.
The train began chug-chugging its
way from the station, and Linnie,
glancing at her brother-in-law,
sensed his dismay. “Poor Jim," she
laughed, ‘are you wondering why in
the world we brought so many bags?
Well, six of them are mine. When a
woman reaches my age, you know,
she simply has to carry about a lot
of clothes, and astringents and cold
creams in order to be constantly
warding off the ravages of time.
Isn't there a redcap in the place?”
Mary laughed. ‘Not one in a
carload, Aunt Linnie, but I can man-
age at least three of those gor-
geous bags. I'm young and strong
and willing, as they always say in
advertisements.”
“And 1 can manage the other
six,” said Christopher Cragg, ap-
pearing suddenly from behind a
baggage truck. “Why not let me
take all of them in my car?”
“And why not?” retorted Mary,
although her heart skipped a beat
as it always so foolishly did when
she came upon the young doctor un-
expectedly. ‘“‘Aunt Linnie, this is
Christopher Cragg. Mrs. Ormsby,
Doctor Cragg.”
Five minutes later, James Lor-
ing’s car, carrying the three wom-
en, was crawling discreetly up John-
son Street hill, while Christopher
Cragg’'s sedan, filled to the roof
with luggage, followed sedately.
“Where in the world did that
young giant come from?’ Linnie
Cotswell demanded. “If only I were
thirty years younger, I'd fall in love
with him. He's not a Hawkinsville
man, is he, Jim?"
“He's not from a Hawkinsville
family,” Mr. Loring returned, his
eyes ahead of him as he piloted his
he’s chosen to live here. Old Doc-
tor Ehinger died a year ago, you
know, and this chap happened to
finish his interneship at the Henrotin
Hospital in Chicago just at that
time. Well, he had gone to Har-
vard with one of the Johnstone boys,
so Johnstone, knowing Doctor Cragg
was looking for an opening in a
small town, wrote him about the
practice and the office and the lit-
tle house Doctor Ehinger had left
without a head. Cragg dashed right
down to Hawkinsville and bought
out the whole works from Jessie.”
“But, Jim," asked Linnie, "wasn’t
Doctor Ehinger's equipment terri-
bly antiquated? I can’t see how a
doctor just starting off in life could
put up with it.”
“It wgs simply incredible,” inter-
polated™ Mary. ‘Chris has thrown
most of it out, and bought beauti-
ful new stuff. Everything is white
tile and glistening metal now. It
seems he went through the deal
with Miss Jessie just as a matter
of good will, and really he's profit.
ing by it. All the younger people
in town are taking their children
to him."
“Even so,” Linnie Cotswell said
meditatively, “he can't expect to
make a fortune in a town of this
size. After all, a city's the place
for a modern young doctor.”
“Most people think he's just a
little too modern for their tastes,”
returned Jim Loring. “After all, the
old ways are the best.”
“Oh, fiddlesticks,” Linnie Cots.
well chortled. “Why, isn’t this your
house?’
Mrs. Loring had lighted the place
from top to bottom, and the freshly
washed windows cast shafts of
brightness into the night. It was
| evident she had been watching for
the car to turn the corner, for she
stood waiting in the doorway.
“What will Lelia Ormsby think of
our home?’ Mary asked herself.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Kruger National Park
Modeled After
but Kruger National park is per-
haps the world's greatest play-
ground of deer, antelope and all the
astonishing variety of Africa's wild
life.
Roughly as large as the state of
Massachusetts and more than twice
the size of Yellowstone National
park, after which it was modeled,
Kruger National park contains with-
in its bounds probably a greater di-
versity of wild life than can be found
in any like area the world over, ac-
cording to a correspondent,
Noah himself would be surprised
at the variety of wild life the park
boasts. Elephants, rhinoceroses, hip-
popotamuses, giraffes, warthogs, ze-
bras, bushpigs, buffalos, wildebeests,
impalas, judus, antelopes, tsesse-
bes, elands, reedbucks, lions, chee-
tahs, baboons, not to mention scores
of kinds of wild birds, inhabit it.
Lions are always numerous and
signs gravely warn travelers
against teasing them. Good-natured
lazy when not frightened or
| hungry, lions often lie in the middle
{of the park's roads, refusing to
i budge until automobiles are almost
upon them. They do not associate
man with the automobile and trav-
elers are perfectly safe from them
while driving through the park.
Cheetahs are often seen, as are
packs of wild dogs. Zebras are nu-
merous. So are blue wildebeests,
which are found in great herds and
are comparatively tame. Hippopota-
muses may be seen in the rivers,
and crocodiles inhabit even the
small pools, so that swimming in the
| park is unsafe.
Tsessebes, cousins of the harte-
beest, are plentiful, but hartebeests
themselves are becoming rare in
Africa. While they are protected
by law in the park, the natives be-
yond its boundaries have discovered
that the animal's tail makes a fine
fly swatter, and they have killed
many hartebeests off, peddling the
tails.
OFFERING THE PROOF
The Woodhull Dispatch tells of a
along, but most of the windows are
broken. How does that happen?”’
you see, my partner is very enthusi-
astic, and every time he shows a
customer he insists on proving to
him that it is only a stone's throw
from the railroad station.”
Very Good
A lady entered a trolley, and a
gentleman promptly got up and of-
fered her his seat.
“You're a jewel,” said the lady,
gratefully.
“Nc, miss,” replied the gentle-
man, gallantly, “I'm a jeweler; for
haven't I just set the jewel?”
The Choice Is Yours
Bill—-A man can always console
himself for most anything but get-
ting somebody's old hat after a big
dinner.
Gus—How about a top-coat, an
umbrella, or maybe a wife.—Florida
Times-Union.
COURT PROCEDURE
=
Loon o®
“There isn't
room."
“Just before you came in the
judge said that on account of the
nature of the case, all women under
twenty-five would have to retire.”
a woman
Till We Meet Again
The Irishman had been having
great argument, and meant to finish
off his opponent once and for all
*“The sooner I never see your face
again,” he said, “the better it will
be for both of us when we meet," —
Houston Post.
Might Have Been Worse
Father—Aren’'t you glad now that
you prayed for a baby sister?
Small Son (after viewing his twin
sisters)—Yes, Pop, and aren't you
glad I quit when I did?
The Little Fixer
Warren—Did you sew a button on
my coat, Jennie May?
Jennie May—No, honey bunch. 1
couldn't find the button and so I
sewed up the buttonhole.
The Right Road
School Teacher—Where do all bad
ittle boys go who do not put their
pennies in the missionary box?
Small Boy—Please, Miss, to the
pictures.
Not Bad Now
Angry Dad-—-Why, hang it, girl,
that fellow earns only $20 a week.
Pleading Daughter — Yes, but,
Dad, the weeks will pass so quickly
because we're fond of one another.
Too Much Education
Waitress Lulu — Don’t you like" |
i
Kickbush — No, I'm afraid not. |
There seeras to be an egg in it that |
Strife Ended |
“lI hear that the ten-year fight |
between Kelly and Murphy is ended. |
Did they bury the hatchet?” |
“No. They buried Murphy.” ~Tel- |
ephone Topics.
Smart Girl
Bobby-—Notice how Jane's voice
Betty—Yes. Let's go now and
WHY NOT?
“When he was asked all those
questions his manner suddenly grew
flat.”
“Well, wasn’t he being pressed
for a reply?”
Good Strategy
Mr. Smith—Daughter, I'm sorry
to tell you that you'll never see
that young man of yours here again.
His daughter—Oh, I shall scream!
Tell me what has happened to him!
Mr. Smith—Nothing. I've just lent
him $10.
An Undertaking
Father to future son-in-law-Are
you prepared to support a family?
Son-in-law-—Yes,
Father—Now, be careful. There's
10 of us.-—-Minneapolis Journal,
CLASSIFIED
I) FB NEA
POULTRY
BRED FOR PRODUCTION:
RAISED FOR PROFIT:
SOLD BY QUALITY;
STARTED CHICKS:
Milford Hatchery
Ducks
Chicks
Turkeys
Pullets
Plkesville P. O,
Rockdale, Md,
Female Help Wanted
120% PROFIT TO YOU
Show beautiful greeting cards, Marvelous
packet 5.000 seeds Send stamp. Free
samples, MARY MERLE, 4 Independence
Square, Philadelphia, Pa,
AUCTION SALES
* Furniture and Household Hffects of every
710 N. Howard St, Baltimore, Md.
Every Wednesdoy—10 A. M.
Attend These Bales and Bove Money,
E 7. NEWELL & CO. Inc., Auctioneers
Established 1907
HOTELS
Come to Baltimore, Maryland |
Stop at
THE MOUNT ROYAL HOTEL |
ML Royal Ave. and Calvert Sts, i
9 stories = Fire-proof
Rates begin at $1.50 per day H
Coffee Shop — Music and Dancing in the
FAMOUS ALGERIAN ROOM |
FORMER U. S, GOV. MATERIAL
500 Glazed Wood Sash
Size S24 in. x 81 in.
Steel Bathing Beach Lockers
NATS SALVAGE COMPANY
208 W. Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland
Bots
3
Pattern No. 1499
lacy
Extra lovely-—this spread
~but yours at no extra cost save
that of this simple pattern and the
string used to crochet it. One 10-
inch filet square, repeated, makes
all this loveliness! In spread or
cloth—use only four for a square
doilie or an inset for a cloth. Pat-
tern 1499 contains directions and
a chart for making the square
shown and jo it to make a
variety of articles; illustrations of
it and of all stitches used; mae
terial requirements.
Send 15 cents in coins for this
pattern to The Sewing Circle, Nee-
dlework Dept., 82 Eighth Avenue,
New York, N. Y.
Please write your name, ad-
dress and pattern number plainly.
EE ———
How Women
in Their 40’s
Can Attract Men
Here's good advice for a woman during her
change (usually from 38 to 62), who fears
she'll lose her appeal to men, who worries
shout hot fashes, loss of ov Apad spells,
upset nerve and moody spells.
Get more fresh air, 8 hrs. sleep and if you
need a good general system tonic take Lydia
E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com nd, made
especially for women. It helps Nature build
up physical resistance, thus helps give more
vivacity to enjoy life and sssist calming
Jittery nerves and disturbing symptoms that
WORTH TRYINGE + © oo To