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C HA PTER X I.— Continued.
arm to the shoulder, and the car had
idled to a standstill. “1 have fought
as long as I can. Dave. 1—1 always
wanted to—to lose, you know; uud
now—I surrender."
Elden lost no time in facing the un
pleasant task of an Interview with
Mrs. Hardy. It was even less pleas
ant than he expected.
“Irene Is of age," said Mrs. Hardy,
bluntly. “If she will, she will. But I
must tell you plainly that I will do all
I can to dissuade her. Ungrateful
childI" she exclaimed. In an outburst
of temper, “after all these yei^rs to
throw herself away in an infatuation
for a cow puncher when there are men
like Mr. Conward—”
“Conwnrd I" Interrupted Dave.
“He has the manners of a gentle
man,” she said, in a tone Intended to
be crushing.
“And the morals of a coyote,“ Dave
returned hotly.
“O-o-o-h!" said Mrs. Hardy, In a low,
shocked cry. That Elden should speak
o f Conward wirh such disdain seemed
to her little less than sacrilege. Then,
gathering herself together with some
dignity; “If you cannot speak re
spectfully of Mr. Conward you will
please leave the house. I shall not
forbid you to see Irene; I know that
would be useless. But please do not
trouble me with your presence.”
When Dave had gone Mrs. nardy
rang up Conward’s number.
“Oh, Mr. Conward!" she said. “You
know who is speaking? . . . Yes.
You must come up tonight. I do want
to talk with you. I—I’ve been insult
ed—in my own house. By that—that
Elden. It’s ail very terrible. I can’t
tell you over the telephone.”
Conward called early in the evening.
Mrs. Hardy had heard the bell and
bustled into the room. She had not
yet recovered from her agitation, and
made no effort to conceul it.
“Come into my sitting room, Mr.
Conward. I am so glad you have come.
Really, I am so upset. It is such a
comfort to have some one you can de
pend on—some one whose advice one
can seek, on occasions like this. I
never thought—■"
“There, there,” he said. “You must
control yourself. Tell me. It will re
lieve you, and perhaps I can help.”
“Oh, I’m sure you can,” she re
turned. “It’s all over Irene and that—
that—I will say It—that cow puncher.
—17—
Bert Morrison's confession had. how
ever, set up another very Insistent
train of thought in Irene's mind. She
readied that Bert, with all her show
« f cynicism and masculinity, was
really a very womanly young woman,
with just the training and the insight
into life that would make her almost
Irresistible should she enter the mat
rimonial market. And Bert and Dave
were already good friends; very good
friends indeed, as Irene suspected
from fragments of conversation which
either of them dropped from time to
time. Although she never doubted
the singleness of Dave’s devotion, she
sometimes suspected that in Bert Mor
rison's presence he felt a more frank
comradeship than In hers. And it was
preposterous that he should not know
that Bert might be won for the win
ning. And meantime . . .
Another winter wore aw ay; another
spring came rushing from the moun
tain passes; another summer was
upon them, and still Irene Hardy had
not surrendered. A thousand times
she told herself it was impossible, with
her mother to think of—and always
she ended in indignation over her
treatment of Date. It was outrageous
to keep him waiting . . . and some
where back of her self-indignation flit
ted the form—the now seductive form
—of Bert Morrison.
Irene Hardy chose to be frank with
herself over the situation. She had
not doubted the sincerity of her at
tachment for Dave Elden; but, had
she experienced such a doubt, the en
try of Bert Morrison into the drama
would have forever removed it. In
fairness she admitted that things
could not continue as they were. If she
continued to trifle with Dave Elden—
Yes, trifle. She would be frank.
She would not spare herself. She had
been trifling with him. . . . She would
lay her false pride aside. In the purity
o f her womanhood, which he could not
misunderstand, she >vou1d divest her
self of all convention and tell him
frankly that—that—
She was not sure what she would
tell or how she would tell IL She was
sure only that she would make him
know. At the very next opportunity.
• • •
It came on a flne summer’s evening
In late July, while Dave and Irene
drifted in his car over the rich ripen
ing prairies.
Everywhere were fields of dark-
green wheat, already beginning to
glimmer with the gold of harvest; ev
erywhere were herds of sleek cattle
sighing and blowing contentedly in
the cool evening air. Away to the west
lay the mountains, blue and soft as a
pillow of velvet for the head of the
dying day; overhead. Inverted islands
•of brass and copper floated lazily in
an Inverted sea of azure and opal; up
from the southwest came the breath
of the far Pacific, mild and soft and
gentle.
“We started at the wrong end in our
nation building,” Dave was saying.
“We started to build cities, leaving '
the country to take care of itself. We '
are finding out how wrong we were. !
Depend upon IL where there Is a pros
perous country the cities will take
care of themselves. We have been
putting the cart before the horse—” Flatterers Are 8eldom Proof Against
Their Own Poison.
But Irene’s eyes were on the sunset;
on the slowly fading colors of the To think it should have come to this!
cloudlands overhead. Something of Mr. Conward, you are not a mother, so
that color played across her fine face, you can’t understand. Ungrateful girl!
mellowing, softening, drawing as It But I blame him. And the doctor. I
seemed, the very soul to cheeks and never wanted him to come WesL It
lips and eyes. Dave paused in his was that fool trip, in that fool mo
speech to regard her, and her beauty tor—”
rushed upon him, engulfed him, over
Conward smiled to himself over her
whelmed him in such a poignancy of unaccustomed violence. Mrs. Hardy
tenderness that it seemed for a mo must be deeply moved when she for
ment all his resolves must be swept got to be correcL He had readily sur
away and he must storm the citadel mised the occasion of her distress. It
that would not surrender to siege. . . . needed no words from Mrs. Hardy to
Only action could hold him resolute; tell him that Irene and Dave were en
he pressed down the accelerator until gaged. He had expected it for some
the steel lungs of his molor were time, and the Information was not al
drinking power to their utmost capac together distasteful to him. He had
ity and the car roared furiously down come somewhat under the spell of
the stretches of the country road.
Irene’s attractiveness, but he had no
It was dusk when he had burnt out deep attachment for her. He was not
his violence, and, chastened and aware that he had ever had an abid
spent, he turned the machine to hum ing attachment for any woman. At
back gently to the forgotten city. tachments were things which he put
Irene, by some fine telepathy, had fol on and off as readily as a change of
lowed vaguely the course of his emo clothes. He planned to hit Dave
tions; had followed them in delicious through Irene, but he planned that
excitement and fear and hope. She when he struck it should be a death
sensed in some subtle feminine way blow. Their engagement would lend
the impulse that had sent him roaring a sharper edge to his shaft.
into the distances; she watched his
It may as well he set down that for
powerful hand on Hie wheel; his clear, Mrs. Hardy Conward had no regard
steady eye; the minute accuracy with whatever. Even while he shaped soft
which he controlled his flying motor; words for her ear he held her in con
and she prayed—and did not know tempt. To him she was merely a silly
what or why she prayed. But a color old woman.
not all of the dying sunlight’ lit her
From the day he had first seen Mrs.
cheek as site guessed—she feared— Hardy his altitude toward her nad
she hoped—that she had prayed that been one of subtle flattery, partly be
he might forget his fine resolves— cause It pleased his whim and partly
that his heart might at last outrule on that same day he had seen Irene,
his head. . . .
and he was shrewd enough to know
in the deepening darkness her fin that his approach to the girl’s affec
gers found his arm. The motion of the tions must lie made by way of the ac
car masked the violence of her trem quaintanceship which he would estab
bling. but for a time the pounding of lish under the guise of friendship for
her heart would not «'low her speech. her mother. Since his trouble with
“Dave," she said, at length, “I want Dave Conward had a double purpose
to tell you that I think you—that we— in developing that acquaintanceship.
that I—Oh, I've been very selfish and He had no compunctions as to his
proud—” Her fingers had followed his method of attack. While Dave was
WRIGLEYS
munfully laying siege to the front
gate Conward proposed to burglarise
the home through the hack door of
family intimacy. And now that Dave
seemed to have won the prise Con-
warti realised that his own position
was more swurv than ever. Had he
not been called In consultation by the
girl’s motiier? Were not the Inner af
fairs of the family now laid open be
fore hlui? Dill not his position as
her mother’s adviser permit him to
assume toward Irene an attitude
which, in a sense, was more Intimate
than even Dave’s could be? He turned
these mutters over quickly in his mind
and congratulated himself upon the
wisdom of his tactics.
“It's very dreadful,” Mrs. Hardy was
saying, between dubbings of her per
fumed handkerchief on eyes that bore
witness to the genuineness of her dis
tress. “Irene Is not an ordinary girl.
She has In her qualities that Justified
me in hoping thut—that she would do
—very different from this. Need I
conceal from you, Mr. Conward—from
you, of all men—what have been my
hopes for Irene?"
Conward’s heart leaped at the con
fession. He had secretly entertained
some doubt as to Mrs. Hardy's pur
pose in opening her home to him as
she had dune; absurd as the hypothe
sis seemed, still there was the hy
pothesis that Mrs. Hardy saw in Con
ward a possible comfort to her declin
ing days. He had no doubt that her
vanity was equal to that supposition,
but he had done her less than justice
in supposing that she had any directly
personal ambitions. Her ambitions
were for Irene. She had hoped that,
by bringing Conward into the house,
by bringing Irene under the Influence
of a close family acquaintanceship
with him, that young lady might be
led to see the folly of the road she was
choosing. She had hoped that he
would be the successful suitor for
Irene. And Conwurd's heart leaped
at the confession.
“I suppose I need not conceal from
you," he answered, “what my hopes
have been. It is reasonably safe to
Judge a daughter by her mother, and
by that standard Irene is one of the
most adorable of young women."
“I have been called attractive in my
day,” confessed Mrs. Hardy, warm
ing at once to his flattery.
“Have been?" said Conward. “Say
rather you are. If I had not been ren
dered, perhaps, a little partial by my
admiration of Irene, I—well, one can
scarcely give his heart In two places,
you know. And my deep regard for
you, Mrs. Hardy—my desire thut you
shall be spared this—ah—threatened
humiliation, will justify me In using
heroic measures to bring this un
fortunate affair to a close. You may
trust me, Mrs. Hardy. Irene is—you
will forgive me, Mrs. Hardy, but Irene
Is, if I may say It, somewhat head
strong. She Is—”
"She is her father over again,” Mrs.
Hardy Interrupted. “I told him he
should not attempt that crazy trip of
his without me aloug, but he would go.
And this is what he has brought upon
me, and he not here to share it."
Mrs. Hardy’s tone conveyed very
plainly her grievance over the doctor's
behavior in evading the consequences
of the situation which his headstrong
folly had created.
“She is set in her own mind,” Con
ward continued. “We must not openly
opi<ose her. We must adopt other tac
tics.”
“You are very clever,” said Mrs.
Hardy. "You have been a student of
human nature.”
Conward smiled pleasurably. Little
as he valued Mrs. Hardy’s opinion, her
words of praise fell very gratefully
upon him. Flatterers are seldom proof
against their own poison.
“Yes, I have studied human nature,”
he admitted. “The most Interesting—
and the most profitable—of all studies.
And 1 know that young couples In love
ure not governed by the ordinary laws
of reason. Thnt is why It Is useless
to argue with Irene—sensible girl
though she is—on a subject like this.
We must reach her some other way.
“The way that occurs to me Is to
create distrust. Love Is either ab
surdly trustful or absurdly suspicious.
There is no middle course, no bal
anced judgment. In the trustfulness
of love little virtues are magnified to
angelic qualities, and vices are quite
unseen. But change that trust to sus
picion, and a hidden, sinister meaning
Is found behind the simplest word or
act. We must plan two campaigns;
One, which I have already suggested,
and one, if that should fall, to cause
Elden to distrust Irene. No, no,” he
said, raising his hand toward Mrs.
Hardy, who had started from her seat,
"there must be no vestige of reason,
except that the end Justifies the means.
It Is a case of saving Irene, even If we
must pain her—and you—in the sav
ing.”
“It's very dreadful," Mrs. Hardy re
peated. “But you ore very thorough;
you leave nothing to chance. I sup
pose that Is the way with all big busi
ness men.”
"You can trust me,” Conward assured
her, “There is no time to be lost, and
I must plan my campaigns at once."
(TO BB CONTINUED.!
Bright eves,
ro s y c h e e k s
an d r e d U p s
come from good
digestion.
▼
k
Writfley’s Is a delicious
aid to the teeth, breath,
appetite and digestion.
It will be surprising new* to thou
sand* of admirer* of Bessie Love, the
popular movie star, to learn that eh*
only recently graduated from the Lot
Angeles high school. Not that Miss
Love is backward In her studies— far
bo it from that, as she graduated with
honors, but she really is young and
completed her education on schedule
time.
«
-------- O--------
[ N O T E .—In th ia a rtic le P ie tro h a * ob
viously fa ile d to distin guish betw een a
" s till” w ith w hich w h isky Is m ade and
the “ s t ill” th a t m eans "keeping th e m outh
sh u t.” ]
EENCE da prohlhlsh go to work
everybody wunta maka somathiug
wot gotta da keek. Da beer no show
up any more and da wheesky costa
too mooch from du bootaleg. So only
way can getta da dreenk now ees maka
yourself.
I wanta maka some dreenk lass
week 1 am leetle frald getta trouble
weeth da cop. I reada bouta one guy
wot maka wheesky een du pa|»er and
he gotta plentu trouble. Du paper
»ay dnt guy keepa still and when da
cop raldu bees house he go een du
jail.
Before dnt guy getta peenched I
maka da mind up I keepa still, too.
I feegure eef I no say somnthlng da
cop no findn my place.
I aska one my frlen wot's besta way
for ninkn da wheesky. He say I am
craze eend da bend for do dot. He
tella me wot for I no maka da beer for
stead da other? lie say 1 gotta keepa
still for maka da wheesky and eef
I keepa still I go een da Jull longa
time eef da cop know.
My frlen say eef 1 no keepa still
I no taka moocha reesk. He say eef
I keepa still now ees breaks tin law
and I gottn pay da flne. I say I tlnk
ees rotten deal eef I gotta pay da flne
for keepa still. One other frlen 1
gotta go een da Jail one lime for inaku
too moocha noise. And nojv deesa
other frlen suy I go een da Jail fur
keepa still.
So I decide changa dn system. Eef
you keepa still you getta peench. And
eef you no keepa still you no go een
da J h II. S o when I maka dn wheesky
I am gonna tella everybody. Wottel’s
da good keepa da month shut and losa
da leeberly? Mehee Uncle Sam feeg
ure eef you keepa still you’re crooked
and eef you maka heeg noise yon
aaka du wheesky square deal, I
dunno.
Wot you tlnk?
S
CROSBY’S KIDS
.
Shave With Cutlcura Soap
And double your rusor efllclcncy aa
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fort and akin health. No mug. no
Women! Don't Buy a Poor Dy* That allmy soap, no germs, no waste, no
Irritation even when shaved twice
Fadea, Streaks, or Rune.
dally. One ttonp for all uses—ahavlng,
buthlng and shampooing.—Adv.
Each package of "Diamond Dyea"
•
contains directions so simple that any
Nutmeg Once a Perfume.
woman can diamond-dye a new, rich,
In olden timet tho ladles In England
fadeless color into worn, shabby gar
used
nutmegs as a perfume. The nut
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megs
were set in silver and ornament
wool, silk, linen, cotton or mixed
ed
with
pearl and proclous stones, and
goods.
Buy "Diamond Dyes”—no other kind hung from a lady’s belt like a modern
—then perfect results are guaranteed ' scent-hottie.
even if you have never dyed before.
Indian Silk.
Druggist has color card.
There are 1,000,000 persons in India
engaged in the production of ailk.
Vaccination's Power.
According to a recent report vac Caterpillars and inotha of the mul
cination is rapidly dying out. Yet berry silk Industry of India are entire
there is nothing like vaccination to ly domesticated creatures.
bring a fellow up to the scratch —
A 8 *c r*L
Exchange.
"Why, yes,” »aid Miss Pertle Oood-
wln to her intimate friend. “Harry
Mending China.
and
I are going to have a secret wed
Broken china after mending should
be allowed to “set” In a box of saw- ding. Not a soul la going to know of
dusL Place in any desired position It till it’s over. Haven't you heard?”
and its own weight will hold the piece
Never Fined for Speeding.
steady until the cement hardens.
“Humbleness may drive unto a fine,”
Insect Mother’s Sacrifice.
says Shakespeare In "The Merchant of
The last act in the life of the female Venice.” Must mean for obstructing
cochineal Insect is to lay a large num the traffic.—Boston Transcript.
ber of eggs, upon which her dead body
And Not Be Blue.
rests, protecting them from the burn
ing rays of the sun until the little ones
When you know a man to bn yellow
emerge.
It Is just an well to draw the color
line.—Cartoons Magazine.
“ DIAMOND DYES" DON T
RUIN YOUR MATERIAL
4.
The Human Touch Lacking.
A way is said to have been found
for washing linen by electricity. In
future patrons will have to tear the
buttonholes themselves.—Punch, Lon
don.
Lift off Corns!
Doesn’t hurt a bit and Freezona
costs only a few cents.
ASPIRIN
Name “Bayer” on Genuine
ÄN’TMY MOTHER PCCCS NEÖN
»UNO 0UNS *
NY DON’T YEP TELI HER TO
CCD YER OH LÛN6 VUflS*
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ty years. Accept only an unbroken
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Colds and Pain. Handy tin boxes of
12 tablets cost few cents. Druggists
also sell larger "Bayer packages." As
pirin is trade mark Bayer Manufacture
Monoaceticacldester of Sallcyllcacid.—
Adv.
4
With your fingers! You can lift off
any hard com, soft corn, or corn be
tween the tons, and the hard skin
calluses from bottom of feet.
A tiny bottle of "Freezono”' costs
little at any drug store; apply a few
drops upon the corn or callus. In
stantly It stops hurting, then shortly
you lift that bothersome corn or callus
right off, root and all, without one bit
of pain or soreness. Truly! No hum
bug I
4
A