Alabaster Lamps
CHAPTER IX
15
Not for long now could Tolly count
on blind obedience. It was not In the
nature of tilings, nor the nature of
grown-up daughter, Polly decided the
time had come for a frank confession.
W hile Mnry brushed her hair, Polly
announced that ahe meant to go to
Venice and look about for a place to
spend eererat months, cheaply and
comfortably.
, Mary said It sounded Interesting,
but did not commit herself further.
She was tired and hurt by these half
confidences. Frankness was Impossible. antll her
mother was frank with her. She
would not degrade her mother's Intel
ligence, or her own. by playing the
hypocrite. Mnry said she wus sleepy
and went to bed. Put not to sleep,
Mrs. Johnston stayed In her own
room, the door slightly open bet-een
them. She disrobed and stood In her
dressing gown before the long mirror,
i wonderful color etudy In soft,
clinging chiffon robe of blue, with her
red hair flaming against white shoul
ders. Polly did not take her usual
nightly delight In the spectacle. She
braided her hair with no eyes for the
vision In the mirror.
"Got to do It, Polly. Come," she
said to herself and put down the
comb. She went to the door and
softly opened 1L
Mary, want to aleepf
Mary shook her head, turned on
the reading light, threw a rose-colored
dressing gown over her shoulders and
patted the bed beside her. She rec
ognized from her mother's face that
the time had come.
"I'd like Immensely to have yon
come and talk yourself out to me. It's
been quite while," she announced
with sly look up at her mother.
Mrs. Johnston sighed. There was
co doubt she was In for It She sat
down, looked at Mary, shut her eyes
and took the plunge.
"Mary, I'd like to talk about yonr
father."
Mary sat up. Of all the unlikely
things. Talk about her father I Blue
beard's door was about to be opened.
From her earliest youth she could re
member her mother saying: "Mustn't
ask mother questions stxnit father,
Mary. It onlr makes Mumsy un
happy and miserable," What could
It meanT
Mrs. Johnston settled herself back
' on Mary's bed.
"How much do yon know about me,
Maryr
"Only thst you're the nicest mother
rer Invented." Mary told her. hon
estly. "The best looking and the best
friend girl ever had."
Sirs. Johnston leaned over Im
pulsively and kissed the gtrL
"I only hope youll think exactly
- the same when I get through."
"Hurry up, Mother, and tell. Ton
sound like "best seller.'"
"I have known some less Interest
ing plots. Well, well begin with the
fact that I was born of poor people.
In Limekilns, N. J. My mother and
father both died when I was t lit
tle thing, about twelre, snd kind
woman brought me up. She took me
to New Brunswick, and sent me to
school. I helped snout the house
after school hours. She kept a board
ing house. I had only one relative In
the whole world, my Uncle Michael,
my mother's brother, snd he was as
crabbed an old bachelor as ever drew
breath. He was supposed to be Id
Pennsylvania somewhere, working In
the Iron mines, when my people died.
But nobody could find him, so Mrs.
Bradley took me In.
"Mrs. Bradley died, and her sister
came and took the house and ran It
as students' boarding house. I was
Inherited with the house, and kept
right on working there. Mrs. Thomas,
the slater, took no Interest whatever
In me. All she cared about was keep
ing the house clean and getting the
work dune. She didn't keep enough
servants to do that comfortably, so I
had to work from morning to night.
It was ghastly."
She paused, looked at Mary shyly
and began to describe the men at the
hoarding house. Mary listened, fas
cinated. To think that her mother
was capable of keeping this odd past
to herself all these years. It was
most romantic. She waited eagerly
for the first mention of her father.
Her mother hadn't mentioned any
Johnston yet, most of her talk was
shout some man named Dalibs. Her
mind wandered off, thinking about
the nam and the man It suggested
to her.
"It must be painful to have a name
like that"
"Io you think sot" asked her moth
er, little uncertainly. "Well, any
way, this young man lived In the
house, but he never looked at me "
"Mother!" scoffed Mary. "A lovely
red headed girl like you I I don't be
lieve It"
"Hut you must, darling. There's
lot of difference between red headed
Mrs. Johnston, with lots of money
and pretty clothes to set off her locks
and hair, and a big, overworked, red
headed chambermaid In boarding
house,
"I hated nearly all men. I hnd
mind and hojies ubove my station. I
was paid so little that I could only
save money slowly. I wanted to get
enough to nerve myself to leave that
house. My ambition at that time was
to be a school teacher."
She smiled at the girl and Mary
smiled hack.
"Mother, bow bwive yoo were. My
Jieart Just aches to think of you, Willi
By
Margaret TitrnbuII
Copyright, tttl, tT Mrtrrt TiiraboU.
WNU Srvlc
"Mother, How Brave You Ware."
all your brilliant Ideas, tied down that
way."
"Bless yon. Baby!" her mother ex
claimed. "My lost uncle turned up
Just about then, and found me out.
He was a terrible creature; six feet
tall, very dry and brittle and had
bad cough, and a vile temper. What
was left of his carroty hair had
turned yellow-gray. The poor thing
hadn't long to live,
"He had worked too hard, and lived
too roughly, to know hpw to take care
of himself. He had plenty of money,
I discovered, and while he knew how
to take enre of It he didn't know how
to spend It He dldnt want to lenvs
It to any one, especially to a girl. But
I was all he had poor soul." For a
moment Mary's mother caressed the
toe of her slipper In silence.
"But Mother, please," urged Mary,
"how can I wnlt until you get to mel"
Her mother came back from some
long unlit cavern of her mind.
"Of course." she admitted, "thnt
would naturally Interest you most
Though t'nele found me and told me
of his money, he swore me to secrecy
as far as Mrs. Thomas' boarding house
was concerned. He was like a lot of
unmarried people, tremendously keen
about marrying off the rest of the
world. Mrs. Thomas had had bad
first and a wretched second husband,
and hated men even worse than I did.
She assured Cncle that I wae good
girl and kept myself to myself anil
was perfectly safe.
Tncle went away without commit
ting himself In any way, hut two dnys
later letter came, saying I was to
come to a certain addresa to see him.
I went It was a private sanitarium,
and Cncle was very 111 Indeed.
"He bad his lawyer with hi in, and
then and there I waa ordered to get
married. Cncle wanted to know that
his money was going to some proper
ly married woman with a man to look
after her. I think some woman hnd
treated him badly when he was young
and poor. He wanted me to get mar
ried before any one knew I had any
chance of getting money. He wanted
me tied up to a hard-working lad who
would expect to work for me, and
would start honest, ss he said, and
have a family at once, and as large
a family as possible.
"I was shocked and angry, furious
ly angry. But oh, how I wanted that
money! There It was, dangling In
front of me, a chance to learn all the
things I longed to know, a chance to
travel, to have pretty clothes, all the
things I'd sworn to have. My dearest
day dreams could be realities now,
hut would be lost to me unless I hnd
a man to hang them on. I, who hated
men, who hadn't wanted, and never
bad hud a young man."
"Oh Mother, what did you dor
"I didn't know what to do. I
came home simply beside myself. I
couldn't confide In the cook or Mrs.
Thomas. I knew whut would happen.
They would laugh at me and despise
me. It's odd, Isn't It? It's always
the women who've made the worst
matrimonial blunders who laugh the
hardest
"I found Mrs. Thomas In fins
rage. I'd forgotten to do the third
floor before I went out That was
the floor young be Harms, Woods and
Dnhhs occupied. I went up there as
quickly as I could get my things off
and began slopping things together.
Young Hubbs room I left to the lust,
because well, because hs was a de
cent young follow and wasn't so fault
finding as the others."
"I thought you hated all men,"
commented Mnry, slyly.
Her mother Ignored her. "I went
to his room. There he was, slttlnf
all huddled up by the window. I
asked him If he minded my doing up
the room while he was there, and hs
said he didn't lie had telegram
clutched In his hand. I could see thnt
he was troubled. By and by I couldn't
stand It any lunger. 1 forgot my own
troubles. I'd never been so sorry for
anyone In my life. I went up to him,
and quite forgetting I was servant
said :
"Mr. Pnbbs Claude what's
wrong?"
"Claude!" Mnry exclaimed. "Clauds
Dahbs? What a funny name I Why,
It's the same as "
Her mother stopped her with
quick: "It was funnier than that. I
discovered afterward It waa Claude
Melnotte Pnbba."
Mary's soft langh rang out, and
then she checked It
"Oh Mother, Fin sorry. Fin so In
terested. Hurry and tell."
Her daughter's mirth was not the
pleasantest sound In Mrs. Johnston's
ears Just then. "I discovered that
this young man, with the ninny name,
was In great trouble. Ills father wus
dying and the boy had no money to
go home with, and his mother wss
quite too poor to send him any."
"Oh, pof thing Of course yoq
loaned him your savings."
"I didn't I told him my troubles,
and offered htm five hundred dollars
If he would marry me."
"Mother! Ton didn't!"
"Sorry dear, but I can't atop to
make .this romantic. Tin telling you
the plain, unvarnished truth, I
thought hla troubles and mine showed
me a way out I said If he would
marry me and show himself, to my
uncle, I would give him five hundred
dollars. He waa to promise to go
away and never try to see me again.
He was to leave me to go my way
alone, while he went his."
"But Mother! What coldblooded
thing to do!"
"Wasn't ItT agreed Sirs. Johnston,
much embarrassed. "But yoq see It
didn't seem like that to me, Mary.
Please remember that he waa only
my door of escape and It was abso
lutely a business proposition."
"Oh Mother!"
"I can t help It, Mary. That's what
t offered him, and after the first mo
ment of astonishment and when he
was convinced that I was not fooling
h.'ft. snd would actually have the
mou.-y I had two hundred and fifty
dollars of my own savings to show
him he agreed."
"Oh dear," groaned Mary, "then hs
waa Just as bad !"
"I don't know." Mrs. Johnston said
thoughtfully. "I've often wondered.
Ton see, his father waa dying."
"That'a so, Fd forgotten."
Mrs. Johnston looked ss thongh she
was about to aay something In her
own defense, thought better of It snd
went on, doggedly : "Cncle wasn't told
anything about the agreement Both
my uncle and hla lawyer were favorably-
Impressed with Claude.
"Cncle Insisted that we have the
ceremony performed at once, and that
suited both of us. -Claude looked sick
with snxlety, and was eager to get It
over and start home. We were mar
ried before Justice of the peace, wh
knew neither of us. Illght after the
ceremony Claude went home with half
of the Ova hundred In hla pocket The
other half was to be his when he
signed the papers agreeing to leave
me alone, and not to block any peti
tion I might make for divorce, on the
grounds of desertion. Inter, The law
yer had to have time to draw the
documents Up."
"Mother, I simply can't recognise
you as the calculating girl who mar
ried that way I"
"Tou'll have to, Mary. I did It.
Just In time, too, for my uncle died
that night I was free and the money
was mine. I left the boarding bouse
snd went to quiet little hotel. I
never told the people st the boarding
house anything about the money, or
the marriage.
"The lawyer was kind. He made
arrangements for me to go to France
and live with some friends of his sis
ter who would finish my education. I
was supposed to be a young widow."
(TO BB CONTINUED.)
H-I'IIIII-IIIH'IIXXIIX'IXXXIXII
Occasions Which 'Make Silence a Sacrament
There was a whole world of wisdom
In the words wise man of old. In the
ages of fultb ascribed to his Creator:
"Be still then and know that I au
Ood!" A luter philosopher has re
marked that no two men can be said
to be truly friends unless they are con
tent to bask In each other s company
without expression of words. Titers
are occasions when silence Is the sac
rament of fuith and reverent Joy, the
seal and sign of a living union with
the Infinite and confident fellowship
with our fellow man. It Is In the
practice of this silence Unit we learn
how to discipline life, and recognise
the profanity of the glib common
places of mere passing companionship,
of formul religion and the useless vol
ubility of controversy. We refrain
from words because they are Iniide-
quuts to express our experience, and
the certitude of faith and confidence
surpasses the powers of speech. "The
truth Is best spoken not by us, but
through us," says philosopher writ
ing to another big Journal. "The wit
ness of true dlsclpluahlp has Its own
silent testimony to the truth."
Suggeat New Town$
British housing experts, sensing
danger In Indiscriminate building and
the enlargement of towns, suggest that
new towns be built snd that additions
to the centers of population should
cease.
Good and Evil
He who Irr.ltntes what Is evil always
goes beyond the example that ,1s set;
on the contrary, he who imitates what
la good always fulls short Oulo
ctardlnl
OUR COMIC SECTION
0
Along the Concrete
Stmif WCLL.I RECKON C
iSSS4 Ht'5 LOST Hli TAIL LIGHT
I 3s$
I prVVE USED TO USE SOME L V $Ss7lW "i
U HORSE SENSE IN OUR DRIVING Wy If
, H BUT BY-GUM THEM fEULRS MM HVlA
THE FEATHERHEADS
And So, "On the Third or Fourth-"
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. MfrEiNS " t7 A ""-aIi" ' SILENCE r- iWw ei V
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FINNEY OF THE FORCE
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