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'WwiirW i.iUMiMilinri,AiiM-HU. SATURDAY4, AUGUST 18, 1917
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Germany at uar is an, octopus that has its poisoned tintacles of intrigue in
every part of any land likely to be drann into flic conflict against her. For three
years the Kaiser and his aids hate had ample opportunity to complete their uork of
organization in the United States In a great effoit to paralyze thi country and
render it negligible as a or. The experiences uhlch tare Ungland's during that
country's early days of the, tear arc now ours.
"The White Feather," based on actual facts, has been developed in fiction form
to protect those noble men and uomen uho made it possible for Great Itritain to
smoke cjjt the nests of German spies nhich infested that empire in the first two
years of the uar. Innocent fireplaces hid guilty uireless outfit and bland smilrs
covered black hearts. The enemy was cicryuhere.
The history of the first etc months of the United Stales in the Grrat War h
replete uith proof that this country is not ct auake to the danger of the web of
German spies tihich is uoven throughout the nhole social, political and domestic
life of the nation. Ambassador Gerard in his book sa)s, "I tins so fearful in report,
ing the dangerous part of this intertiew, on at taunt of the many spies, not only in
my own embassy, but in the State Department." "The While Feather" exposes hou
the Teuton agents work, and uherc.
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ABI.Uli ami golden day In .September, n
day when the tiitllovvness of llic sun
Ahlnc. tlio rliythmlc.il hut even murmur of
the sea anil tho Ir.tniiull stillness of the lr
alt seemed to naor of peace ; and nuahcri
wns thin calm of ntmosphere something
deener than ativ mero quietness of the
actual nlr more lo he felt than In the town
of Kastormoulh. It lies In the crescent
made hy a curvo of sandy cliffs and it too
his to ho cnlted u fishing village, too un
apollt for a wittering place untl tliu Mirlcyis
people who tome there for their holiday
each j car all speak of It as If they hart
dlscoercd It and hold some ested rlsht
In the place.
At tht Wave Crest Private Hotel, for In
stance, there was. almost too much of this
feeling, uhlch. though grntlfjlng to the pro
prletrcss, Mrs. .Sanderson, jet rometlmes
caused thv resul.tr visitors to he a little
stand-offish toward newcomers.
"Wo art- liko a hit? famll. I am sine,
and Mrs Sanderson mothers us nil." Sims
Myrtle, tin- Inevitable fadeil spinster who
van almost too elderly to he u daughter to
any one', win wont to observe
However, when she and Mr Pollock, the
J. 1'.. ittid Mrs. Sanderson herself did melt
toward nny one then you could he quite
sure that he was ".ill right."
I'cacn therefore usually held sway nt
Wa e Crest, except for the bickerings which
would occur hetween Miss Myrtle and Mi
Pollock and, after all, these wordy Hares
only Increased the likeness lo n family
On this Keptembr morning a sense of
afler-bieakf.ist repletion brooded within the
house as ncarl tangibly as Hie sense of
peace without: Vet to any observer of acute
feelings both would nave neiu u miKm
ominous undercurrent, for on the horizon
slipping quickly along the rim of the world
went grnv shape after gray shape mere
little fcerraled ridges to the careless, but to
the understanding ee something of far
deeper significance. The were destrojers,
mothered hy a cruiser, and high above them,
bo high that It looked less th'ui one of tin
gulls wheeling oor tho repeating tide on
the shore, hung u biplane That strip of
water known as the North Sea and those
gray shapes together made the reason why
the semblance of pemc was still able to
brood ocr Kngland eten when she had
bein a month at war.
However, there apparently was no acute,
observer In the grounds of Vae Crest
that morning, only a girl; and with her a
slim, rather fatuous hut handsome joung
man In tunnels, with an eyeglass, it trim
little mustache, and a general air of con
tentment with himself ami the rest of tho
world He was taking homu boss shots
at nn old archery target with an air gun.
and seemed too lazy and too Ineffectual
to mind whether ho hit It or not. Ho had
hardly glanced at the portents on tho blue
horizon.
He was the embodiment of casual con
tent, and as for the girl with him, though
to a friend's eyo she would hate seemed
mote subdued .than was her wont, yet sho
appaicntly was content enough, too. Hut,
had ho known It. tho young man and his
behavior were coming In for severe criticism
on the other side of the bright brick house
wall. In Mrs. Sanderson's own pritato
sitting room some of her guests were as.
sembled and they were there owing to tho
fact that ho nf the eyeglass, Mr. Christo
pher .Brent, had. only tho morning before,
allowed his bath to otcrllow, thus drenching
the walls and telling of tho lounge.
It was the hour sacred to the morning
poiier, and, like many people whose habit
of mind Is In it narrow groove, these In
mates of Wave Crest were unable to realbt
turning the general Into tho particular and
personal. Sir Pollock, according to mas
culino usage from time Immemorial, stood
In front of the grate, although no (Ire
burned there. He was a florid, portly per
sonage, with nn expanse of head that
caught tho morning miu almost as brightly
as did the plncencz tilted forward on Ills
Komewhat Welllngtonlan nose. This nose
and his upward mustache gave Mr. Pollock
nn uir as of n retired major, a fact of
which he was.pleasurably aware. Ho was
booming forth remarks like a machine gun
from behind the shelter of tho Times, and
Jllss Myrtle, who was wrestling with tho
complications of purl and plain on the
sofa, allowed a nervous shudder to run
through her frame at each explosion.
If there be any truth In the theory that
opposltea make a good pair, the fates should
certainly have Joined Miss Myrtle and Mr.
Pollock In closer union. For she was small,
thin and desiccated-looking, with gray hair,
which still retained an underglow of Its
original sandy hue, a hue now to be moro
clearly seen in lier complexion and eyo
lashes. She was attired, over her sandy
cdlored cashmere dress, In one of those
peculiarly repellent garments falsely known
as a fatclnutor. For she was nursing a
grievance at having "come over" chilly the
evening before, and she was still nursing
her chilliness In spite of the glory of the
morning,
"Ha I" boomed Sir. Pollock, with satisfac
tion over his Times. "Those beastly ner
mann are beginning to get what they de
serve at last. Those who don't get killed
In the war ought to ho chloroformed off tho
face of tho earth, by gad they ought."
SIl3i Myrtle, who. prided herself on having
a true lady's consideration for the feelings
of others, cast a. deprecating glance at the
only other occupant of the room, Frauleln
Schroeder, whose, face, however, above her
Dally Mirror, remained quite unperturbed.
No one had ever Been her out of temper:
she seemed to have all the placid good
nature and quietude of spirit of the best of
her race. Her small, kindly brown tyea
beamed un now through her spectacles, and
In responso to Miss Myrtle's indignant, "Mr.
Pollock, remember our friend the enemy!"
aho only remarked mildly:
"But you forget, both of jou, I have been
naturalized for twenty years. There Is such
a thing as a gratitude, an affection of the
soul, which outweighs even the ties of
blood,"
"Very right sentiments, madam," declared
Mr. Pollock, "and I beg to state, Miss
Myrtle, that I consider myself at liberty to
make whatever remarks I like" In an English
boarding house.1'
, Miss Myrtle, raising her sandy pompa
dour, dropped a purl or a plain and pro
tested anew', f,Mjr Pdllock, please! Not a
boarding house', private hotel,"
"I ama iilaln Englishman," answered
Mr. Pollock ''and I call a spade a spade."
f.''l "Indead, yea." .retorted Mlsa Myrtle, on a
l.- ;'j,fellne flash, "ana o table napkin a servl-
u hb i oho unuwcu u luiecr n, uver man
:, .f'unual to course through her person.
'. ,1 ,rOM, madam 7 Feel a draught, madam t"
awmi,.wr, j-pnuun, crcjug me rascinator
wHh'.dlafavor.
f 9fcatalc vau. not mor than tinna, (...
wiuj my emu, jreaterdajr ev-
quest for a lire here last night I was so
i old by the time I went up to bed that I
.could not get warm all night in spile nf
my bed socks. Betides, my bedroom Is
bv the biitliioom, and I declare the damp
came right tlnough Into me."
"Beautiful day." said Mr Pollock hastily
"soon put you right." He was in inouvcring
to try to get the French windows open
there having already been unpleasantness
on tho subject between him and Miss
.Mjrtle
"If onlj one tould have a flit' In the
evening." continued that Intlv 'but Mrs
Sandeisoii was so prriilliu about It ono
m gill havn thought then- via somo law
against II '
'But. dear Mlxs M.vitle" put In Frauleln
Schrodlei, pacific as usual, "ou forget
that .Mis. Sandorson offtrtd to light jou
a lire In your hrdrnom "
"Indeed." said Miss M.vrlle Ktrrastlrnll)
"and am I to ictlre to m.v room evert tfmo
1 wish to get warm?"
.Mr Pollock, who liked nobody to get
quarieNniiip but himself, here broke In
with "All that Idiot Brent's fault . fanc.v
letting his h.itli in n over! Never hcaid of
such n thing! t'jion my soul, I think .Mr
Sanilttson'H been most patient, couldetlng
toe condition or the lounge "
'That Is very true," said Frauleln "Have
)nu f-een tho telling. Mr. Pollock?'
"Ves, anil the carpet." said .Mr Pollock,
"that's past prating for ;?all.v. Iiiespon
s bio idiots like Brent should not be al
lowed loose; tlu.y j,r0 ,,,t,K(.r t tle
publli Should have thought invself that
he could have found fomething better to
do than mooning about at the reasldc nt a
time like this." He folded the Times afresh
and pounced on a new paingiaph like a dog
on .t bone tj gad. have you t.een this,
MKi .Myrtle?" b. demanded. "Another spy
caught hanging around some waterworks
tr.vlng to put germs In the reservoir. Ill
bet m.v hut, and thev haven't shot him'
Haven't even Imprisoned Inn! Discharged
him with it caution' .lust like us Hngllsh,
a sentimental set of Idiots' If 1 were head
of tho war office "
But what .Mr. Pollock would have done to
set the nation and the army to rights had
he been in a position to do so was not to
be unveiled Just then. fr , was Interiupted
by tho qu'ck ilng tif footsteps on the paved
veranda, as a personable nung man came
briskly to tho window and rapped upon It
He was somewlnt sketchlly attired In put
tees and khaki riding breeches and an
old Norfolk coat. He was reddened hy miu
and wind and aggressively healthy of as
pect, and. abovo all. he looked cxacllv what
Vn 'llsil ""'"'" "C "'J " ma" lH ",nor"ouSl'
Frauleln came out or the feullleton In
naze nt this apparition Mis Myrtle seem
cd to have fresh life blown Into her as she
sat. and tho Irascible .1. P. dropping his
paper bounded forward to unlatch the win.
dovv. the window which had already been
lse " fr'ct'n and which he now
artfully negketed to close.
iJll!" ',',- com" '"' J'ennlculk. my hoy,"
ho crlertT He was the kind of , ,, i. f.
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H ;,.... ," "" c"n8 my hoy" or "old
chap "Como In and show yourself So
ou have placed your services at tho dh
posal or your enuntpv i,n... ,...o ;.,..".
'u . i-ijau to
hear It. my boy. gladVo li,ir It
or. .cicivai Pennlculk. a deeper reil
than usual suffusing his nice. bolsl, face
tamo In half laughing, half Bliy.
i.'V'm M,rt.1? If'ne a llule shlve'' "'hlcli
had the double erfect of being a slight re
proach to Mr. Pollock about the window
and of diawlng attention to herself ."lie
slmpeied Mr Pollock, rightly guessing
wii.it slio wanted. Introduced the new
comer. "Let me Introduce ou Mr. Pennlculk
an ,l frlori.1 of mlno and .Molly's. .Miss
Mjrtle. Miss er Smith "
..,;?"!!"';." "Verl" '"'""eln. with a cer
tain dignity that lecame her hklmpy llttlo
pcrhon not badly; "you mistake, Mr. Pol
leek my name Is Schroeder."
Mr. Pollock's face rivaled tho Ingenious
Mr. Pennlculk's In hue. "Oh, ah, or course.
If jou prefer It," he commented. "I only
thought that ou, being naturalized, mlglit
prefer
"I am not ashamed of my ancestry," re
plied tho little woman, still unappeased.
,, ,' "?', ,of oourse ,,ot'" nuttered Mr,
Pollock "Shouldn't blame you if you were
though, upon my soul I Miouldn't. Pennl
culk. this Is Frauleln Schroeder."
"How do ou do?" said Frauleln, look
Ing at the visitor, who had stood rather
awkwardly during this altercation. "So
jou have turned soldier? That is good
nut why do you not wear uniform? if n,o
(iermans come over hero and capture you
..w mii niiuui .VUU-
"Tliero was such a rush of fellows to
enlist they simply couldn't keep paco with
them.' said Pennlculk cheerily. His bo
setting sin was n tendency toward breez
Iness. "I say. Mr Pollock, when Molly
wrote me that you nnd she were down
here she said Brent was here, too."
All the nnswer vouchsafed to this by Mr
Pollock was a groan.
"But Isn't he doing anything?" asked
Pennlculk with Incredulity in his pleasant'
young voice.
"He certainly Isn't doing nnythlng at
present and I haven't heard if he thinks
of it." snapped Mr. Pollock.
evidently the eyeclassed ur,...
amusing himself in the garden with the air
bun ,n iiu lilVOritU Ol niS.
Thcro was a second of silence, then Pen
nlculk, with a loyalty that n nnM vi.
simple, eminently "nice" nature, said: "Oh
well, I'm sure he must have a reason for
Whatever ho docs or doesn't do about It. or
fnlla, .nnM ..n. 111.- ,. I ...
"u'j -ui inn ime nun so mucn.
"I do not think Mr. Brent Is a person who
troubles himself with reasons good or hud "
remarked Miss Myrtle. "Ho Is quite con
tent to drift on."
"Brent certainly Is not overburdened with
brains." iigreed Mr. Pollock, "but, their
what have brains got to do with being n'
soldier?" K
"Ves, you can blot out Germans Just nn
well without them." said Pennlc'ulk simply,
"I don't understand Brent, I must saj"
There certainly was a strong feeling
against Mr. Brent In the sitting room that
morning. If it be true that a thought wave
has a definite effect on the subject thought
about, a perfect flood tide was gathering
Itself together to expend Itself In the direc
tion of Mr. Brent.
Of all the people In that house each one
had had his or her thoughts turned toward
him by his misadventure with tho bath
water. No landlady could, of course, con
front auch a catastrophe Unmoved, Mr. Pol
lock and Miss Myrtle were both In spite of
their different natures, of ths order of peo
ple, who crltlclie as., they breathe. Even
MM, wun tier tapaency to look for the
'Wti niln.aet dty llui nr"
i- L-Ti-irSTb?"
9. V-VrL.
v..-
"1 am only iloinR my duty," Daphne continued. "Here jou are, Mr. Brent. It is only n feather, but please notice the color."
a mt'ie casual visitor enteilng into the lists
of I'rltlclsm.
There were probably rinl.v two people In
the house vtho fell klndlj disposed towaid
the attractive If liif rfeitlv'e young man. and
thej- were both women Ouo of them, of
coun.e was Mr Pollock's daughter, Molly;
the othei and hen- was one new cause of
grievance against Brent was a charming
widow who had .iriived onlj tho evening
before t
-Mis I.ee had not of course, had time t
develop n utiong liking or partisanship on
behalf of Brent, but she had played
"snooker" with him most of the ovenlng
and been amiable over the, marmalade
during bieakfast. What more Is needed to
c.iurc comment In it boarding house? It
had cau.s.'d comment already, and the sub
ject now tame up again.
"If jou ask inc." said Miss Myrtle, "I
think Mr. limit is too fond of playing about
with the ladles in undertake nn) thing that
would Intel fere with that. Mrs. I.ee comes
fitini heaven only knows whcie. and 1 con
Hlder she Is overdressed or should 1 say,
perhaps iinrteidre.sed?"
"Oh. Miss Myrtle, jou are ctuel," expos
tulated Fi.iuleln Schroeder
"I havo ('ailed attention to no more than
we could all see for ourselves, anil Mr Brent
certaliiiy hung ainund her very obviously,"
"Brent monopolized her," said Mr. Pol
lock. "Very had form. I call It. Thero she
goe't across the garden now. Very smart
while bult sho has on, Miss Myrtle, what
ever ou may saj ' He strode to the win
dow and stood looking out. "Oh, my good
ness," ho added, "hero conies that chatter
ing Kldllngton girl. She'll come In at the
front door; we may just escape her if wc
clear out this way. Hver meet her, Pennl
culk?" ' Good Lord ' yes," said Pennlculk "When
tho First Manchesters vveie down here the
and her sister were known us the "Man
chehter Harriers." Here, let's do a hunk,
I'm rather keen to meet jour widow."
The two men pabsed out through tho
French window, leaving a sudden silence
and emptiness behind them. Miss Myrtle,
gathering up her knitting nnd apparently
forgetting her chilliness, arose and made to
ward the window also. Sho was one of
those numerous people who, having no par
ticular object In life, spend themselves In
futile but persistent hitting nt any one much
discussed, much as a wasp knocks Itself
again and again against tho larder window.
The kindly disposed widow was already
making toward Christopher llrent, nnd, n
little In her rtar, tho ar)lng degrees of
nntlpathlea to him In tho persons of Pollock,
Pennlculk nnd Miss Mjrtle were nlsn con
verging toward him In the bright sunlight.
Tliero lemalued In tho sitting room only.
i-rauiein .senroeuer, and sue was too color
less and Insignificant a personality for her
actions to matter either way.
Frauleln Schroeder was t,til sitting In
the room, a black blot In tho midst of Its
bright chintzes, when n young lady burst
In from the passage She was a pretty girl
In tho dark, eager, lntenso stylo with rather
too much color and a mouth that would
become thin and hard with years. On her
arm bho carried u large basket full of a
soft, drifted whiteness. Sho paused abrupt
ly on seeing only Frauleln.
"Oh, good morning," sho began, speaking
In a high, rapid voice. "Can you tell me
where every one Is?"
Frauleln Schroeder put down the Mirror
nnd took up her singularly plain and useful
looking knitting before replying:
"Mrs. Sanderson Is Interviewing tho cook
and Mr. Sanderson Is not down from the
admiralty yet. The others are, I believe,
somewhere In the garden."
Daphne Kldllngton thanlfld her and ran
on through tho open window. The wind of
her going made one or two particles of the
drifted whiteness In her basket float out,
nnd, weaving n gentle zigzag course through
the air, they showed themselves to be feath
ers. They sett ed In delicate crescents on
tho carpet, uptlltcd nt either end like un
substantial fairy craft. Frauleln Schroeder
looked at them for a moment through her
gold-rlmmed spectacles with tho ghost of a
plncld smllo tbout her dry, tucked-ln little
mouth.
Daphne, he'dless, ran across the lawn
and Jolrd the little group sho saw there
Sho knew them all with the exception of
Mrs. I,ee, and'she stared with frank curios
ity at the tall, handsome woman, mentally
dubbing her passee. '
Mrs. Leo was, as a matter of fact &
good-looking woman of about thlrty-flvr
who gave the Impression of being at onm
too proud and too occupied with otw
mattera to have troubled to sriurv, ..
IIUBlOrt of youth". Thla la, a'SKg
U Jw jJwn, ,m it smwi
"WW f jf,'
misplaced From her swathed auburn hair
to her white shoes she was the typu of an
attractive, well-poised woman of tho world
She made Molly Pollock, who vvrfa standing
beside her, stem obvious In her Hngllsh
piettlness And yet Molly Pollock was
cvcesslvely pretty It was at present her
outstanding characteristic It might bo
wondered what Christopher Brent, who for
all his fntuousness had tuivelcd widely nd
Peen a lot of the world, found to hold
him in her
It w.ih cvtutly the f.iet that Molly at
piesent was nothing but the traditional
llngllsh gill which cnthi .tiled him. She
was cream and roses, bhe vviib a summer's
d,i) bhe was the scent of clover, she was
all the things that come to n man's mind
nt night when he Is lying out under the
African stars or beside his fire In the
wilds of Canada She was, In short, all
that most men consciously or unconsciously
wish for In a wife all heart and aii
unawakened brain, all sentiment and no
paslon.
The Interesting thing to any one who
could get past her triumphant pnttlness
enough to consider the matter would havo
been to wonder exactly how far it would
Improve Molly If a character were avvak
ened In her. At present every ono was
content with the roundness of her chin,
tho slight upward tilt of her nose, the
Hwectncs-s of her full hut flexible mouth,
and the clearness of her wide hazel eyes.
What need to look further when a young
creature adds to all this an unaffectedly
sweet disposition?
Nobody did look further, least of all
Molly hcibclf nobody, that Is to saj-, ex
cept Christopher Brent, and it was just
this conformity to typo In Mnllj-, a typo of
which sho was the supremo cxprobsion, that
ho loved her for. In charm, In intelligence
in poise, Molly could ho no rival to Mrs'
I.ee. but It was on Molly that Christopher's
eyes and his heart rested
Ho was standing a little behind her now
where ho could see tho golden down on
her nape, blurred by the sun, and could
bee, too, the curve of her delicately rosy
cheek. He saw an added flush deepen on
einploj such foi big results nnd so It was
to be with hei that morning
She fitted on to the scene and off it like
a g.ulll), but bet vvh te fcatheis might havo
been poison In the f.ir-t caching effects
which thej left behind them
"Why, Daphne '" cried ilollj In n star
tled note of Incredulity "what havo jou
got In that basket?"
"Featheis" said Daphne, adding with In
creased emphasis, "vvh" to featheis."
Miss Myitle, bending foiwaid so that
her pince-nez threatened to take .1 header
off her attenuated nose, stirred an Inquisi
tive finger round In the basket
"So they are," she ejaculated "Featheis.
What aie you going to do with them, Mlsu
Kldllngton? Stuff cushions?"
"No. I am going to present one to every
.viung man 1 meet who has not enlisted
That's what I came about, to sec whether
.Molly would come down to the beach with
me We girls should do our little share just
as much as the men, shouldn't we, Mr. Pol
lock?" ".Molly ceitalnly shan't go making a fool
of herself on the front." replied that gentle
man emphatically, "and If )ou wish to knot?
what I think. Miss K'dllngton I think you
aro talking a pack of nonsense What good
do you suppose jou are going to do by bet
ting tho men's backs up, ch?"
"I think it's perfectly lion Id of you," said
.noil)-, coming lorvvarcl and Menu nc. an
parently by accident, in front of Brent as
sue niu so.
"My dear Molly." replied Daphne, some-
vvnai caiuiy. -tnose whom the cap fits may
wear it. What about Mrs. Sanderson's
son? Has ho enlisted?"
"My dear Miss Daphne." s.ilrt Mr un
lock, "don't you make a bloomer over )oung
Unmlnrenn Tin1. I.. ,l. ...,......... ..
" .....i. ,iun iii me iuimiraity.
"Of course, how stupid of me," replied
w.iiiiiuc, wiiu wun perieciiy well awaro of
inu i.tci. mm hum oniy leading up to what
sho had to say, "and what about you. Mr
Brent? But I suppose you havo-mado all"
your arrangements to Join something already?"
V',, ' 0ms ML f"
vwmmX& ," . ','J. ' lit j '?iky
mmra'( " t& ?". ' fiv, "?
&&
"!
"MOLLY"
It as she stepped forward to moet young
Pennlculk with a friendly. VIIullo. Percy!
This Is Jolly!" The greetings were hardly
over before Daphne Kldllngton, breathless,
came up.
"Good morning, everybody," said Daphne
brightly.
Various good mornings In different tonea
of flatness answered her.
Daphne's Intense enthusiasms were apt
to be a strain on other people, and this
morning It waa obylous by tho Increased
rmnrfiM aaiaM' !! ir .anaam
aggression of her aspect that rnore was n
"It's really no business of your. Danhn.
ald Molly resentfully. ' Phne'
"JJact Is Brent has not decided yet what
he shall j5ln," chimed in Mr. Pollock ,u
f criticisms had to be made, ,?rererJ!rh.0
keepethem ,n the family and 'SeThem
h.sBrdnVioms,var8kr'llbkut
hardening.,, There .wrb a.Mtpfui 7ll2o.fl
lVtv-"
yard and circled round the heads of the
little group cm tho lawn
Miss Myrtle, priding herself on her tact,
seized verbally on this diversion
"Talking of fentherr," sho said bright!,
"thoso pigeons would certain! j' be confis
cated, I suppose, if Mrs. Sanderson weren't
Kngllsh."
"Oh, why?" drawled Brent, speaking for
tho first time and fixing his ej-cglasa more
(Irmly to gaze nt tho bhdj In question.
"Oh, spies uso pigeons and things," said
Miss Mjrtle vaguely. "Anil Mrs. Sanderson
is bo devoted to them, makes quite pets of
them. I often wonder how she can bring
herself to have them cooked."
"I am glad sho does," declared Mr. Pol
lock, for onco following Mi3 Myrtle's lead.
"Very good pies they make."
But Daphne waH not to be so lightly di
verted from her purpose.
'.So jou are going to join .omethlng, Mr,
Brent?" she Insisted.
"Wh), no, don't know that I am," said
Brent
"Daphne," said Molly In a low voice,
"plejbo don't."
' Oh, don't stop her. please," said Brent,
taking out his pipe "It's awfully becom
ing to .MUs Daphne to look so berious " Ho
blew down his pipe us ho bpoke, then squint
ed at it doubtfully.
"I urn mil) doing my duty," Daphne con
tinued, uimiiiaglng In her basket and ex
tracting the largest feather bho could find.
"Heio j-ou nre, Mr, Bient. It Is only a
feather, but please notlco the color."
Blent took It for a moment in his lean
blown palm Then he began qulto gayly to
stuff It down lh stem of his pipe
"It Is very nice of j-ou to glvo mo such
a smalt one," ho said genially, "but I can't
bay the color or my plpo cleaners worries
me very much. Thanks, awfully, ull the
same I suppose you saw I was In dllll
cultlei with my plpo. H'h jolly hard to get
a tlccont pipe cleaner down here, as Mrs.
Sanderson won't let us pluck the pigeons
and I can't shoot so much as a 'sitting gull
Tell you what I'll do. I'll glvo you a sov
erolgn for )our llttlo lot and you can pass
It on to tho Prince of Wales' fund. Done'"
"Mr. Brent," replied Daphne, drawing
herself up, "jou llttlo know mo"
"My dear girl," replied the young man
dropping his poso and turning slightly
away with a shrug of his shoulders, "If you
w ', nJ''"Crm 0U" nnd ' nobody
Molly btamped her foot on the soft turf
Now you havo sufficiently Insulted Mr
Brent, and made us all uncomfortable tier
haps you will go. Daphne," sho "aid
ui course, ir I'm not wanted
,reXw-;ttncsydirr
melons Shnlfrt In !,.. .... vv U U BUS
" "1 " 'C1 VOICO,
DflDhna tnnk hA tiin - . . .
ket on arm. As in (i, i..i" lo "". bas-
whlto feathers floated ou LlSn?' t,"18 Eoft
marked her way. SheTao'ne Z
less easily brushed aside d '' a mark
Nobody qulto liked to look at eiM, ...
for a moment aft,.- hi- ., r" at ca9h other
gan to fill his ppe SS,y asl(, ai" be-
oyS" Heach are
"Horrid llttlo pig r Tald ,,'mi
"Jolly .bad form!" added v y' ,
uneasily. " "uucu jIr. Pennlculk
"All tho same," wn nr- r, ..
(rlbutlon. "some of Ter fe,tn"0Ck's con'
deserved. though she goes ti" may be
to work." BOes lX wrong way
"Quito bo," agreed mi . .
Brent, painful a L" '" "Mr.
ncss yourordenl. I hOp0 that ,1 T to wit"
of It will make you think 'l1,0 'enlflcance
evading a replyf she cl"s'art fa her wlsel'
sitting room again trv". Var1 the
needles as the went & wIeld her
trembled slightly vvlt h her own r nn8ers
"Upon my boul !" ' expfodeT Vem.or,,y'
"I don't often agree wlih 1 M.r 1,0ock.
maid, but I mussay I th nl08' ' " oFd
this time." He too turnRH 's r'Bht
ihough In tho oddc5u,M...b"1 we"t'
taken hy Miss Myrtle" "vv-"" to that
placidly ..hi III hVpp.mUrmure1 Brent
"Oh. Chris," said Molly "h, -take.
It lying down? Who cw, "n. ?.4
tnem mat iyou are a-olnr Vn' uu ,e
that Is beneath contempt One d '
iiiuu iu uuswer lit tm
"Oh, I know," said Molly,, struttIJ
keep hack tears of mortification, DV
Porcy," turning swiftly to your. p
culk, "Isn't It time you took me a0,
see that camp you promised?" A.
"Right, oh," replied Mr. Pennies?
tones of undisguised relief. "v r, i
do It If wo hurry, Oood-by, Mrs. ul
you later. Brent," and he took hlniuif "'
with Molly. "J
Brent stooped and picked up the tjt
ho had thrown away, twirling it btt
his fingers.
"All the same, Miriam," said he eUS
cally, "It is hard, It Is damned hariJ?
,
Down In tho town Percy and M jS
Inquiries as to a territorial camp wkj
was situated a mile or two out of It
tho further side. '
With the peculiar apathy of the denli
of seaside places, no one seemed to ku
much about It or to take any interest!
It. But Pennlculk assured Molly that lta
were allowed to see at least part of It
would find It most Interesting, ana acca
lngly they set off along the white count
road, which, curved gently up to the don
land where the camp lay. Jt
Molly felt her spirits reviving !n
bright, soft air with the faint but eihllut'
Ing tang of autumn In It. That airily
little scene on the lawn fell toward a. bii
placo In her mind, which by habit I'vedi
the present moment Nevetheless, th'. f
Ing of unrest nnd the racking doubt tttfi
had begun to beset her refused to be m
stilled. She glanced up at Percy aa tin
walked along, nt his sunburned opn cm
tenanco with Its rather obvious oom(ll
and conscious of her gaze he looked in
at her. Ills eyes were his best feature ta
bluo and clear, and Molly could not 14
noticing how fresh and revealing the
presslon of them was Pcnnlculk's ejw
that up till now he had nothing In hlill
to conceal. Molly suddenly realized that il
was always aware of secrets behind Brett
look, of things which he did not choose a)
should know. Already a little sore tt tl
attention he paid Mrs i.ee, more punli
than she would ovvi at Ills refusal to 1
anything" for his country she'now felt
sudden revulsion against all ways thatw
not simple nnd straight and plain. Hi
heart warmed to Percy with a sudden in
ing mat restiuiness anil strength werel
do louna in simple unlntellectual bona
sucn as nis.
For the moment the glamour that (
had over her wavered and grew unewt
The camp proved a dlsappolnynent I
mai .in me men nau ten ior a aestlnaui
unknown the night before Only afexi
going on active Fervlce remained behind t
tidy things up Still, to Moll)', new to
things, even tho traces of the camo
Interest and a certain magic. Here
black scars made of charred soil and i
where the (Ires had been. Across the del
khaki. clad figures wero bringing In m
loads of fodder Hound a gypsy pot il
over Komo embers a group of men sat I
tiouscrs and shirts, one or two uereclM
Ing their rifles, a. sight which thrilled Mo!
Thanks to the men having gone, Molly i
allowed to wander where sho would, anil
chatty )oung territorial, a bank clerk f
the town, showed her and Percy the I
there was to see, and Molly could nott
noticing that, though he treated her wittl
certain' patronizing politeness, lie evldi
looked up to Pennlculk Would re hatij
ppccteii Chris, she wondered, If he
lounged over tho camp, e)cglasi In I
Then she told herself that It dldn t I
matter what a young man, who kept oil
ferring to the "ladles." did or did notfcfl
"(Bad j'ou enjoyed It," the youth I
maiked to her as thej' parted. "I 1
the ladles always: like beelng these thhi
They love a uniform, don t they!'
last to Pennlculk, as one male to another!
"Well, that was rather dlsappolnta
I'm afraid," observed Percy as theylefttj
trodden field for tho road once more.
of course, It's "always something for j
as tho fellow said. You haven t seen i
tliloc of soldiering, have vou?" The I
moment he could have shaken himself f
his tactlessness, fearful lest what he I
said mlglit seem a deliberate ellghtj
Brent
Mnllv illil nnt InUo II Hint way. "X
haven't jet," she said. "I say, -Percf, t
do you think of Mrs. Leo?" jn
Molly was still at tho btage wmi
ouestlon of Brent's nredllcctlon for limit
woman was moro Important thanVbea
he was justified In refusing to enlist or i
"Of Mrs. I.ee?" echoed Percy, blsmu
lino mind quite falling to connect Poi
don't know. 1 don't think anymrai w
her. Why?"
"Oh. nothing, onlv she Interests e
very fascinating, I think; don't you, Mflj
i cton i care ior rea nair mj",.
Piled the Philistine : "besides, she's
nnd I like a woman to dress more qv
I must say. Percy came from uw
QllhllrVi naTTia Tnllnnka nnd. while hlS
on 'the way a girl should dress were rW
taken from Mlllv's nrettv but simple fr
l.lc. nnllnn. nt ,..Viaf wn4 bPCOmlng tO
older woman wero unfortunately &M
from long Intercourse with his mouiw.
Curiously enough, Instead oi '"
ltat'A.1 1... Tnn,'a vnr.tfnt MdllV VIS
pressed still further by it, for "h9'01"!
Hint It n.cio nnt InnL' nf nllltrnl Ml OlTl I
part but tho Intelligence to apprecuau
upon Pennlculk's that made nis w"2
"She's very fascinating, just the i saw
persisted Molly, stubbornly. "I th"1 '
anyway, and so UoeB unris. "
t'lila r.mnrli nff rnsll.lllv. aS VfhO "
say. "You see how broad-mlndeTl I J
quite realize that he sees tninssw -:
In nlhAr wnmnn nnil T don't mlnQ It '
"Then he oughtn't to." said Percy, Ji
opinions on the personal equauum
"And you know you don't 1utt "SJ
either." ho went on, "ana you " -t,
splendidly about it and about eerj
else. Molly, you aren't happy. I'
,... -.. - -. T ..,i'l tn vou hoit
It makes me feel. I'd do anythlnr to a
yoSu!lf.PI2r'.yo" i!;oT: . mac. wh
winding path led down the low, M"WJ
.u. u..i. .i uv. in.tinetlvely tw
iu hid ucaui. Uliu uuiti .- -- . ,
their steps toward It. Conversation
not possible while Percy was neipini'
J 1 ..... . 1. TV.O BOft. PO"
uuwn tile Bleep iJutu. -- ' .
sand at tho cliff's foot looked ao una
inai xney sac uuwu uu lv.i
while. Molly's! fingers played njecnw
..... .... - .ii ii..-1F nnd she
wun a luxe oi runtime, """ - , , i,d
out at tho blue but slightly m i f
...lit. ,....t.j ....a ParrV. SlttlHi
her. was acutely conscious of her ne
and of th slender curve of her tm rt
chin and her soft, drooplnS mou
-, . l, , .i- An into the a11
inunKeu 1113 iiuuuo ucci, ....- . . .
cither side of him and stared at d
nis neart in nis iook. .
"Not qulto happy," Molly aJT
"Thero aro things I don't un""rt
seems to be becoming a little flJ! 1 1
anything I expected, Bomenow, ,.. -.
like It. Oh, Percy, wny can i "--
go on being nice?" .
lnn.Au'n nAVAl nll?A &t AU lOf
...,i .j, n . - lutiA iinnteadliy -.
are fellows who never get nytja
after all, Brent la engaged v "t"",ZI
You've never told me , Aj
couldn't help guessing. Can t you
Molly?"
-' -it
it,
CONTINUED
in monda: