V Tenth Installment | Sent in Chican". Oik morning two years Cfer ?ho woke, aiter a fall from her horse, her memory restored, to find herself. a? Fril ? . ? wife of Neil Packard, rich Caliform. fruit t>ack?r. She determined to tell nobody of her predicament but set about Jearninu what she could of her life in the interval. From the conversation of her ft lends am Liters In her desk she gathered thut she been a heartless, pleosure-lovinit younc wo man. One letter that troubled her was from a woman sittnintr herself oojihie, bjamjna Frills for licit sivliiu a home to a baby Sophie was carlnu for, Could it be her baby, hrilU ?ordered t She also found herself involved III an affair with a man named Maitland. In San Francisco, where she went while her husband was away on business, she met Robert Ainsworth. a poet whose work she had always admired. When Joyce returned home, (he decided to be pleasanter to Neil than 'rills had been. lint this line was daiiReroua, too. for .Veil was lutheticallv anxious to win back Frill's luve, MAV (iO ON WITH nit STORY. iin""1?- i ? ? i " ? 1 11 ? ? "Can you stand it to have only me for dinner this once:" asked Joyce. "Whoopee! Just ask me. can I!" he replied. "You know that, Frills, old kid. I'll go up and wash and be right down ?gain." When Packard camc down the stairs Joyce divined his intention to kiss her again, and she moved toward the tim ing room immediately, saying, "Dickie eats with us. At least he sits at table and snaps tip what' favors he can per suade me lo give hint, don't you, dar ling? He his his regular dinner in the kitchen." . "Where do you want Ins chair? in quired Packard politely. "Here you are, boy, get tip and let's sec how good your table manners are." Thi\v sat down opposite each other at the small round table with Dickie be tween them. Joyce was struck by the lingering bewilderment on Packard's facc. There seemed to be something he couldn't quite understand, but he asked for no explanations. H "Gee! it's good to be home again, he began. "I sure do hate Chicago.*' She asked poiilcly, "Was the con ference a success.'" Packard stared. . Joyce flushed. "Oh, is it somcthn* I'm ncyaipposed to ask about: nish inp into uic first remark which occur red to hi r in an iffort t? ? c> < v C!" her embarrassment "Good Lord, no I" he exclaimed | hastily. "Only . . . only . . ." he hesi* ' tated, r I'm sorry, Frills, I can't keep up ] with you. You've jumped nic so hard ] about talking shop and said so often you didn't give a damn about what hap pened so long as you didn't have to near about it that " "Well, I don't want to know every thing that happened. I just wondered if you had a successful trip in general," said Joyce. She began to wonder if Frills had ever had a decent word for anyone. "Oh, sure, we fixed up what 1 went I imr and got the new branch office plan n?d out and ready tor business, lie ?3d. "Sam said there was a fire at the plant here," remarked Joyce casually, Tlbut almost no damage done. Had you heard about it?" "Yes, I called up from the city before I came down. But, tell me what you've been doing with yourself, Frills. How's every one in the gang? Doc been in much?" "Don't know. I just got home today rayielf." replied Joyce. "I haven't seen anybody I know for nearly two weeks. The first two days after you went they wouldn't let me alone, and I wanted to be auiet. so I walked off and went tip to the city alone." There was an uncomfortable silence. Packard ate for a few moments with his eyes fastened on his food. Joyce understood without doubt that he didn't believe she had spent all that time in San Francisco alone. Why should he? Suddenly she knew that she wanted him to believe it. It was perfectly ob vious to her the he loved Frills and that he was a little afraid of her. Joyce wondered with a sudden thump of her heart how he would like a baby ?round the house. If she could only oik him about that baby in New York. "I promised Dickie to throw a stick for htm/' she said as they left the table, "if you care to Join us, come along, and she ran across the terrace and down the wide stone steps to the stretch of lawn at the top of the garden, without waiting for a reply. Packard lighted a cigarette and followed her more slowly. By the time he joined them she was racing around with Dickie, having a oV^ly game and secretly amused to wonder what he thought of the unusual sight of Frills enjoying a childishly simple pleasure of this kind. Sne turned to htm and asked very abruptly. "Are you very tired after your trip?" "Gooa Lord, no!" he answered, evidently startled, "why?" "It's going to be glorious moonlight in a few minutes. Let's go for a horse back ride." His look of blank amaze ment at this suggestion caused her heart to sink for a moment. Suppose he re fused I A gust of angry impatience struck her. If they didrvt hurry, some body would come and spoil her plan ! "What's *the matter? Afraid it'll cause a scandal if any one discovers you've ken out with your own wife?" she demanded. "Hell !" grinned Packard, "I should worry about that. Hut you can't blame me for , . . for wondering if I'd heard you right. You ? we haven't spent many evenings together lately." There was something in his voice which hurt Joyce a little. She had nut found him exactly interesting so far, but she already liked him enough to be sorry for the way Frills had been treat self just 4 nee without shrieking over it?" / "Oh, sure, only it's . . . it's not exactly like you." Joyce, torn between impatience and amusement, answered, "Well, whatever - I do is mc isn't it?" Packard made no reply to this, but a little later on he said earnestly, "Look here, sweetheart, I stopped to sec mother today on my way down: She'd i like awfully to ... be friends with you. fii ?is * &4 "Are you afraid it'll c=usc a sc:,nfs?" ?..? iiim. -U'cij. !t> t<\: - -V /j*?.; ..lie 1. "I'm ! ";T- t?* ?< ' } - . " lvr.1t t.. ctOK'. a'l rfehi. ! ,!:vn'c:i oil;: >*. fur the t-rst I ire. \." vl ' U ciu.u;:h i?m *atety? Could she hand.. Ro.U'U? . P.ut Packard acc^tcd with nt further questioning "I H tell Mm to saddle un while wo ret nt-* wir things, he said. "Run on hi. d;ulir,T. j.ct s ?*:?? out lvforc any of the pans stows ?5> ? " I* ke l>i?, :.' v :"t ' 'r IV0 . ,:1 U . :i S im." -..hi Mvc. "iid. luud li..: with excitement. ?to rxred into ths I house and upuairs to her K'! c *i where the !>n,eeedc"i to kick ? it oci st-i- I pers and pull l?cr dress over her hcai j as lapMly as possible. She was j'.i?t ; drawing her -I units on v.u a she heard Packard cross the l'-v>hoo;n and gu through to his dressing room. Scarcely five minutes !;.ter u'.cy were hurrying downstairs and out to tho stable. She noticed as they rode off slowly that Neil kept eyeing her in an ap prehensive fashion. She decided he must be worrying about the accident she had had and probably wondering wliat mad idea tlic moonlight would inspire in her tonight. Well, ii he were looking for trouble of that kind he would be disappointed ! "Want a cigarette, dear?" he asked once, holding out his case toward her as they rode close together on a short level stretch along the hills. Joyce ac~ cepted it but did not dare to try light ing it while they were moving. "You light it, please." She handed it back to hiin. "That gives me permission to kiss you," he remarked, smiling as he handed her back the lighted cigarette. "But who wants to kiss his own wife?" retorted Joyce, urging Rosita into a quick trot. "Here's one man who does," he re plied, easily catching up with her. Rid ing close to her horse he put his arm around her and tried to draw her to ward him. Joyce was alarmed, this time not so much at the prospect of be ing kissed as at the danger of such reckless actions while on horseback. "Oh, please don't!" she exclaimed hastily, you make me " she had been about to say, "you make me nervous," when she was struck by the absurdity of Frills Packard saying any thing like that. Packard looked surprised, but he obediently fell away a little. Joyce was undecided whether to be contemptuous of him for his lack of spirit or to conclude that his experience with Frills/when he crossed her, had prob ably been so unpleasant that he had learned his lesson thoroughly. Try as she would, Joyce could not keep Robert Ainsworth from her thoughts. The beauty of the night brought vividly to mind his delightful personality. It would be so perfcct with the right man ! Joyce wondered most of the way back if her silence puzzled Neil very much. She would have chatted willingly enough, but nothing except dangerous remarks seemed to occur to her. Neil was little help for he too rode in silence. What was he thinking? Look ing at him she thought with amusement "Prunes !" "Don't you feel well, Frills? You . . . you're sort" of quiet tonight," said Packard, in what Joyce< described to herself as a "cautious voice." i "I feel absolutely wonderful!" she retorted with spirit, "can't I enjoy my W'\ !l't yen, pi^nso? I'd Rive any'u.'ig i.i the world nr you'd ro to see her and ju? i he :iite to her a few minutes. Yon needn't fi ' r.ften or spend much lime there, kit if yen . . . she's so anxious !?; have thin?:' friendly. U's tough on her. my being her mil v son and my wife never going tr? sec hvr. She's gettinif old. yru kt'nv. " I'.efi re N'cil stopped Joyce felt a it mp if?*inin-; mtr? her throat. Hi-s ..?ire was s>' pleading .?nd so ?r < i in. S'v timer. ;Kred the sweet , i:\i\ti ....naii .. !:? -sc picture she had I found in !vs tic- k drr.v.ir, and how ii e v.viu.?Te.i ii his mother were st:!1 living. "V\c!i, ail rsuht, I'll make a date with you 1?j t Ul ;ne to see her to morrow. I w ;; i? a Ion?." and was a little phased with herselt for her diplomacy. Her prompt acceptance surprised i.nn, she saw, hut he seized upon it i gtalef::!ly. "Thanks ;? lot. We could I take a run out there before dinner. Ci'tild you he ready at about five? Or would that interfere with any thing you're doing? We don't have to. tr<> tomorrow, you know." "'Wv we'll po at five. If you for get or let any business interfere you'll have hard work making any more dales with me ? for anything," re lu; ted Joyce. , 1 H he there, I'll tell the world. (Ice, Frills, that's sweet of you. You know how much mother means to me." Joyce rode on in silence thinking fast and furiously. If she could do things like this for Packard surely --he needn't feel that all the giving vvas on his side, even though she re fused him herself. She could give him more of her company than Frills had; she could eliminate all cause 'or jealousy with Maitland; she could make his house more of a real home. Or was it too late to do that? And could she follow out such a plan without misleading him as to her feelings? Well, she had made enough con cessions for such a short timel The future must somehow take care of itself. As, on foot once more, they ap proached the house from the terrace side, Joyce heard voices: and when they entered the living room they were immediately surrounded by a welcoming group who had evidently been waiting for their return. "Well, what do you know? Frill's been riding in the moonlight with her husband! Hot stuff! Somebody telephone the scandal to the papers." The company consisted of Doc El lison, Ross and Clarice Emery, Char he Bates, and Art Bclmain. Joyce wondered where the other women were. "Don't suppose you got any golf while you were East, did you, Neil?" asked Art Belmain. "Not a round," replied Packard. \ J he men proceeded to talk coif and business. A?r the party bro're up, Dr. Elli son said in an aside to Joyce, "Say, Frills, you're looking much better than you did two weeks ago. Has ' your head bothered you any lately?" Continued Next Week All Kinds Farm Produce T aken on Subscriptions i ?* . * j ' ? The Jackson County Journal } . ? ? ) \ It takes money and lots of it to keep the wheels of a newspaper plant rolling. Subscription prices of the Journal are remaining the same, regardless of the higher cost of living and production, and al though many papers have raised their subscription prices. We figured that if our sub 4 ' 1 scribers will keep their sub scriptions paid, we can get by without a raise. ' ..v.* Look at the label on your paper. Send or bring in your subscription today. 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