|KA Inc KATHLEEN*^ NORRIS'jsj |COPYRIGHT, KATHLEEN NORRIS VY.N.U. SERVICE! CHAPTER XXII—Continued —19 ■ "And you for me,” she said, In a voice she tried to hold steady. "I’ll always be glad we had this much, Larry. This is something— this is more than I ever thought I’d have.” “It doesn’t seem possible to say good-by,” Larry presently said very simply. Tony stirred herself against his arm, drew away. “Let me look at you, Larry.” They looked gravely at each oth er: the tall, lean brown-skinned man, with the high-bridged nose and the deepset eyes, and the girl In her white frock and brown coat, with her dark hair disheveled and her blue eyes set In delicate cir cles of umber, and fringed with dark lashes that were frankly wet. “It’s good-by, my dear,” said He put his arms about her, and for a long minute she lay against him, and felt his kisses on her lips. “you’ll forgive me, Tony, forever letting this happen?” “Ah, If you’ll forgive me I I let it happen. You didn’t.” “Sly wife!” Larry whispered. And straightening herself in her seat beside him again, the girl repeat ed it with her wet eyes shining. “Yes—nothing will ever make me anything but that, Larry. The wom an that was meant for you.” He touched the starter, turned the car on the short brown grass. They drove back into the city, and at the door of the newspaper office Tony said only another half-audi ble “good-by.” She went up to her desk, stop ping to hang up her hat and coat, straighten her hair. Her face looked odd to her; it was white. The newspaper office was very quiet at twelve o'clock. Larry was meeting Caroline and Ruth for lunch and to do some last shop ping. A truck would call for the trunks at five o’clock; they would put their nightwear and their books and hairbrushes into their hand bags tomorrow morning, and the apartment they were abandoning would be full of cheerful conversa tion. 1 And so down to the big white ship, and through the pleasant flnrry of passports and finding their staterooms with the clutter and confusion of the waterfront all about them; with the bay steamers pouring soft whistles into the noon air, and the salt water slapping idly against the piers— She seemed to be hearing his voice again, feeling the tightening of that big arm about her shoul ders; she seemed again to see the brown face and the high-bridged noee, and the movement of bis brown lean band when he took olT his glasses to look at her— Tony crossed her arms on her desk and put her bead down upon them. Waves of bitterness and longing broke over her, and reced ed, and strengthened to break over her again. Yawning, a call boy came In to arch himself like a snake over a telephone. No, the managing edi tor wasn't there yet—the city edi tor wasn't there yet Ring back, please. He dawdled away, and Tony flat tened the curiously assorted notes on her desk; brought her heavy eyes to them. She picked up a pen. ” ‘Mrs. Batnbrldge Foster’s an nouncement of the engagement of her daughter, Uary Barbara, was one of the surprises of an unusual ly gay season. Hiss Foster, a debu tante of last winter— CHAPTER XXIII <«|T WAS a nice tblpg for them A to ask us, and I don’t aee bow we could have gotten out of It," said Aunt Meg In an undertone. "But, gosh. It’s more fun at borne, Christina* Eve," Bruce ob “gh-h-hr Brenda muttered in horror. “Tour voice Is absolutely penetrating r They were all In the Bly library, guests at the great Christmas party that ClIITs par enta-tn-lsw had been planning for weeks. For the moment only the Tafts were In the room: Aunt Meg rustling in silk; Bruce handsome sulky; Brenda In rapt attend t- little Anthony; CHIT proud of them all Al vin had Just arrived; Tony had had to do the Christmas tree at but of course she the Presidio slopes, and the GoldeD Gata “Oh, glorious 1" said all the guests as they arrived to Bud the big back drawing room deliciously warm, and a great wood fire roar ing and snapping in the enormous fireplace. Like all the bouses along Pacific Avenue on the north, the living rooms, with their windows for commanding, the wide pano rama, were at the back; the en trance hall was a Jumble of wraps and of attentive maids today, but there was plenty of holly and mis tletoe there too. Christmas trees stood in all the corners and up on the great angle of the stairs, and scented the air with pine. There were relatives asked in for Christmas: faded gentle elderly men and women basking in the family glory; there were nice boy cousins, all penniless, evidently, rather variously dressed, but bash fully amusing and talkative, and being very much encouraged by Un cle Rick and Aunt Tina. There was one spectacled nice girl cousin with her young man, and there were meaningless young men for Geraldine and Pauline, and of course Martin Gossing and Helo ise. For Heloise was going to be married too, only two years after Mary Rose, and Mamma positively said this time that she didn't want to hear another word of engage ments for years! over tms nererogeneous party Or. and Mrs. Bly reigned in happy excitement The doctor told Annt Meg at every opportunity that that was what the house was for: to give the young people a good time. He reiterated in great satisfaction the statement that it was bis idea to have Clifford’s people—have ev eryone. CiifTs aunt, and his sis ters and brothers—why not? It was Christmas. Evidently the big table—forty-one would sit down at It—bad been in the process of getting set and deco rated for the better part of the day; as for the tree, concealed downstairs In the billiard room, its completion had occupied the family for weeks. The atmosphere of the big house was one of innocent laughter and cheer; the Blys, the Tafts, the cousins might all have been children again, gathering at the piano to sing the carols Pau line played so nicely, bending over the great jig-saw puzzle that was spread on the library table, run ning up and down stairs. Brenda and Alvin, with the pre cious woolly armful that was An thony, had arrived at the Taft apartment that morning before Tony was out of bed, and Brenda and Aupt: Meg bad spent a happy day managing the good, sweet, con tented baby. Tony had rushed off to work, Bruce had come home, and in the old wny had kept the place in an uproar while he man aged a bath; Cliff had come at about three o’clock to gather up presents for the Bly tree. “Gosh, the Bly library looks like the Emporium packing room now!” Cliff had exulted, as they had filled his arms with the very creditable Taft collection. Everyone had been dressing then, for tt was to be an early dinner; Aunt Meggy, crimped and rustling; Brenda, quite undls gulsedly changed In figure again, matronly In spreading silk; the baby In his fur-trimmed cap and caped coat. Just as they started Bruce bad come In to escort them, and a mo ment later Tony, who had to chaoge, and to rush off to cover one more Christmas tree before joining them at the Blys'. It was this circumstance that gave them a chance. Cliff and Brenda and Aunt Meg, to discuss her, when they found themselves for a moment quiet, out of the noisy current, in the big leather chairs of the Bly library. xony ought to De nere." “She'll be here any minute now.” •’Doesn’t she look well. Bendy T “Beautiful. She looked badly for a while; Just at first,” Brenda said, lowering ber voice. “But lately— oh, well, there's no one like Tony.” “Mary Bose Is crazy about her,” Cliff said. “You know how Tony can get people when she goes after them.” "1 believe she's over It,” Aunt Meg odd decidedly. She looked hopefully at Brenda and then at Cilir. “She’ll never be over It,” Brenda said, shaking her bead. She brushed ber Ups across the soft fluff of Anthony’s hair. “Think not, hey?” CIM asked, with a shrewd look. Brenda shook her bead again. ' -H. r *«« ejaculate, d,a couimcu. * “Mo, but Sai' v, ' Brenda began slowly. “I think she was horribly ashamed of herself.” “I don’t see exactly why she should have been ashamed »f her self,” Cliff protested. “Because Larry was married.” “She couldn’t help that” “Just the same, a girl does feel ashamed when she falls la lore with a married man. Alvin thinks she was too,” Brenda said, clinch ing the matter with the unanswer able argument “It seems to me it’s more bad luck than anything to be ashamed of,” Cliff persisted. “A girl doesn’t feel so. And Tony was bitterly ashamed. She knew that If Ruth hadn’t stood by her when that horrible Donny thing happened—” “Don’t speak of it,” pleaded Aunt Meggy faintly, her little chin gripped In her hand, her eyes anx iously looking from one to the other. “And I think," Brenda pursued, after a sympathetic nod and glance In her aunt’s direction, “I think that Tony just—Just woke up. I think she grew three years In three weeks after the Bellamys went away. It was as if a part of her, the hot old Impatient selfish part—” “She was never selfish," said Aunt Meg, ready to weep. “No, she never was. But she was quick-tempered and stubborn—yes, she was, Aunt Meg." "As a mule!” said Cliff, and both women laughed. “She changed," said Brenda. "It was as If she thought: ‘I’ll die— Tony Taft I’ll live for all the rest of them, Brenda and the baby, and Cliff and Mary Rose, and Aunt Meg and Aunt Sally—I’ll be gentler, I’ll read and I’ll study—I’ll make myself the wisest woman, the fin est, the most cultured—I’ll not be wild, gay, reckless Tony Taft any more—’ ” “It was something like that,” Cliff said, as Brenda paused, with tears In her eyes. “I think it was,” Brenda said. “But then what’s the child go Ing to get out of It herself?” Aunt Meg asked. “She’s nearly twenty eight — she doesn’t want to marry—” ‘7 wish she’d marry Joe Van derwall 1” Brenda exclaimed. In the pause. “He doesn’t cUck,” CUff said, shaking his head. “He’s a prince; They Cook and They Tramp Around. she’s devoted to him. She goes down to his place, and they cook and they tramp around; she ad mires him. But somehow It doesn't dick." : "Where are the Bellamys now, Bendy?” “In Nice. Larry came back to New York once; now I believe he’s gone over again. The old mother had a stroke, you know, and they’ve just been hanging on, waiting. They've taken a place there, and Larry’s writing a book.” j.uey went away—wneni “A year and a bait ago. It was just before Uary Hose and I were married." "What do yon suppose Larry does with himself all day?" "Ob, writes. And swims. And plays bridge. Tbe cousin Is n. Try it for constipation.' achea, dizzy aprlla.cnlria.See bow refreshed you feel. At ail druggists—25c, 55*21*5 BALD! He ma Glower's Manor Uadlrin* 4 GLOVERS MANGE MEDICINE