THE FORBIDDEN YEARS by WADSWORTH CAMP CHAPTER X Barbara’s mind remaincc. painfully clear, but the choked concentration of her regard exhausted all her strength, and she fell back in her chair, •taring at the vision that had never dimmed In her memory. Rulon's alarmed voice seemed very far away, of no possible Importance. “Don’t get hysterical with me. Don’t make a show of yourself here.” In his egoism he imagined he was the cause of her emo tion. But was sim making a show rt herself? With her odd, tense clarity of mind she saw a waiter hurrying toward her, and she noticed people moving about the room, or toward the entrance, among them Steve and Esther Then they were leaving, and must pass close to her. She didn’t want to make a show of herself before Esther; but she was held by (the white-and-go!d vl3lon against a saffron background •wiftly approaching. “Here, Louis! This girl’s tainted. Get her to the dress ing room." The voice was harsher than when It said, “I’m sorry she (wakened,” but the remembered jbeauty survived rather more than sketchily in the golden hair of the wig Essie had put #n, and in the aging face, now painstakingly made up. "WHO s WIUi ilCi r Barbara didn't see Rulon because of her absorption in the white-and-gold woman Who stared down at her with out a trace of recognition. Perhaps Rulon had gone. She Imped he had. The grasp of ithe maitre d’ hotel’s hand was somewhat restorative. She stirred and took a deep breath. “Leave me alone. I’m all tight." ESsie straightened. “That’s a good girl. Give Jier a hand to a cab, Louis.” Barbara heard Steve’s voice. “I know her. I’ll take her bomc.” The sneering quality she bad displayed at the table came back to Essie. “Steve! You always were a most convenient knight. I don’t care who takes care of tier as long as she gets out of bere.” Barbara shivered. Her moth er had said that to her! Shak ily she got up, and Steve grasped her arm. and led her out of the room and down the ctalrs. She was aware of Esther gloating after, and yet, she thought, driving her. Steve cent for his automobile and helped her and Esther in. Bar bara drew back in her corner, and Steve sat between them. “What was it, Barbara? You looked as if you'd seen a gbest." Barbara muttered: “Worse than a ghost, I’m afraid, «teve.” Esther’s flat laugh was like • discordant bell, and the last pretense between them echoed away. “So that was what you found •ut!” Esther nodded. “Pleasant spectacle, wasn’t it?” Barbara answered hotly: “I don’t see why It was any pleas anter for you.” Esther’s laugh rang mean ingless, and Steve commenced lapping nervously with his cane. -What are you two talking about?” Barbara put her hand on his arm. “I’ve got to tell you, Steve, but not here, not with her.” tl Esther lifted her shoulders slightly. “I know when I'm a crowd. Will you drop me, Steve?” He nodded. "But you both mystify me. Need I warn you that your father and mother will scarcely be agreeable company tomorrow?” Esther yawned. “You need not. I shall avoid them all I can until they get over the worst of it.” He looked at her curiously. “I’ve never had the temerity to try to analyze you, little Esther, but what has happened must carry some unpleasant implications even to you.” This time her laugh was contented. “At moments the most un pleasant facts of life have their uses.” Barbara remembered with a sinking heart that Gray had urged her to leave the Bars and Stripes, and now she thought she knew why. She wouldn’t say anything else, nor did Esther speak again until she left the automobile at her home. Then she called brightly: “Have a good cry, dears.” When the driver had closed the door and returned to his place Barbara leaned closer to Steve. “She knew all along. She took Gray there deliberately, [ and now he’s gone. I hate her, [ sieve. He spoke softly. “I’m afraid it rather jea lousy than hatred, my dear. Jealousy’s dangerous business. You’ve learned what it got Bob Helder, and Essie, and quite a lot of other people.” “Oh. yes. I’ve learned.” “Barbara! You’re not cry ing?” She could think perfectly clear, but her voice was ! choked. “It's taken me a good many years to find out why I have a right to cry. I wish I’d never found out.” Steve snapped off the light and drew her head down on his shoulder. “You mustn’t cry, child. Tell me what upset you so in Essie's devilish hole. What could you have found out there?” She ceased crying; she an swered quietly. “I found out that I ought to cry for my father, I found out that I ought to hang my head ' in shame for my mother.” He didn’t seem to compre hend. He patted her shoulder. “What have your father and mother to wo with it?” Tensly she tried to force the truth on him. “There’s no doubt. That’s the horror of it. I’m as sure as that I'm with you, Steve, that that woman who's come out of prison to get herself, and the rest of us talked about, and stared at, and laughed at is my mother; and I thought of her to-night as something venemous. That’s a nice thing to think of one’s mother, isn’t it? All my life I’ve longed to know who she was. Now that I know I'd give my life not to have found out.” That made him sufficiently alert. “Go easy. Barbara. What can possibly make you suspect you're Essie Holder's daugh ter?” “It’s more than suspicion, Steve, because I saw my moth er a little while ago precisely as I remember her last when I was a child.” “Barbara, you must be im agining. How did you see her last?” j Barbara shivered. 'Standing all golden and white in front of yellow and blue and white hangings just after I heard ?. pistol shot. You can understand it’s one pic ture I’d never forget. You saw her, too, to-night, precise^ like that, only older.” She read Steve's wonder in his quick stiffening, his ex plosive question. "You’re sure you heard a shot when you were a child, and saw a woman, white and gold, against yellow hang ings?” "Yes. There’s no way around it. I’m sure.” He lay back again, and mused. "She wore white that night, and there were yellow hang ings.” Then he seemed to remem ber the vital effect on herself ! of what she had said. "How long ago was this? Think. Tell me everything you can.” Dreamily she led him through the fcg which she had to so frequently attempted unsuccessfully to explore; but now for the first time she had an apprehension of the fog’s thinning, and of the drifting of various shapes through it. Steve noddem "With her obsession she would logically have used those clothes and colors to night.” "Yes, it fits, Slev( You’ll come up for a minute, won’t you? I don't know what to do. I’ve no idea what I ought to do.” “Certainly I II come up. l ve ; got to get this straight. We must be sure before vve take any steps.” She shrank from the pros pect of taking steps. She didn’t see what steps could very well be taken. In her apartment he limped up and down, tapping his cane, computing. “You’re the right age, and there was a child in that house although she made no im pression on me, although I’m not even certain I ever saw her; but I do remember a nurse distinctly, a lank, severe-looking woman.” Barbara sat on the sofa, her hands clasped, mechanically moving her head up and down. “You see.” “I see.” Steve said, “that after the tragedy the natural destination of Robert’s child would have been Lyon and Martha. Instead you went to Elmford. There’s something out of the picture there.” She didn’t see why. “You know Mrs. Helder. You can imagine her state of mind. She wanted to forget as soon as possible. I can understand her not caring to have me around, a perpetual reminder of the family's disgrace. As far as that’s concerned they may have sent me away for my own sake, so that I needn’t grow up in New York with that stain; for it is a stain, Steve, an ugly stain to have one’s mother convicted of the murder of one’s father. You 1 can’t gloss that over, and what she’s doing now makes it just so much worse. I don’t wonder Gray said he’d made a donkey of himself, and ran away from me.” Steve paused and faced her. “I saw him dashing off in one of his tempers.” Barbara nodded. “And he was so happy when he first came in and saw me. Then when my mother was at your table Esther whispered to him, and probably told him who I was, and he changed, and warned me to get out. and said he was leaving town him self. and practically told me ■ the bargain was done.” She stared straight at Steve. “That's ended, and no mat ter what you think it breaks my heart.” “If,” Steve said. “Esther did tell him and it sickened him of you. you’re in luck to be rid of such a man. What I want to know is how you got to Elm ford. What's the connection with the Gardners?" Always while Barbara tried to grope with him she saw ‘ Gray running away iron, la | after Esther had whisper., “There mayn’t be any real 1 fomily connection. I can’t } even be sure Mrs. Gardner is my aunt. The Helders may have given me the name of Norcross, and farmed me out to the Gardners. They'd have chosen Elmford on account of the Manvels.” Steve was doubtful. “Think, Barbara. The Gard ners must have told you some thing about your parents.” “Never a word.” “But hadn’t you any curio sity?” She smiled drearily. “Loads, but Aunt Barbara taught me to keep it to my self. She flew into a rage whenever I mentioned the subject. That’s why I’ve al ways been afraid my father and mother were involved in some scandal too bad to be talked about.” Steve frowned. “Odd! But it’s all odd. In Justice to Lyon I'm going to assume that he didn’t know where you were.” Barbara shrugged her shoul ders. “Maybe he and Mrs. Helder were glad to forget where I was.” Steve closely regarded her. “Then we’ll remind them all about you, for there’s no doubt left in my mind. When I first saw you in Elmford you had a vaguely reminiscent quality for both Jacob and me, but we couldn’t give it a name. Now I know what it was: your resemblance ( in a feminine fashion to dashing Bob Hel deiv He laughed sardonically. “Have you realized, my deal, that you and your very dear friend, Esther, are first cousins?” Barbara clasped her hands. “I do hate her, Steve. I don’t want that. You know perfectly v/ell the Helders won’t thank you for digging me out of the past. I’ll go on as Barbara Norcross. No one need know who Ireally am.” Steve shook his head. “Esther knows.” “She’s not likely to spread it,” Barbara said, “now that the ugly truth has driven Gray away from me.” Steve’s voice was firm. “Then I’ll spread it. In the first place I don’t think it could be kept dark, and it oughtn't to be. There’s some thing owing you, Barbara, and the Helders are going to give it whether they like to or not.” “Steve, I d rather not after the spectacle my mother made of herself to-night, and means to go on making as long as she can. I don’t see how she could have done that if she actually killed my father.” Steve frowned. “Does seem inhuman she should have, and you know I got a thought for a moment that she’d staged the whole disgusting show in the hope of startling someone into q revealing gesture.” Barbara nodded. “I thought of that too. Steve, what did she mean by saying she’d give a lot to know if all these years she'd been serving time for you? A quick flash of pain crossed Steve’s face. “Possibly because I hap pened to be in the house a little while before Helder was shot." Barbara pressed her point, i “Doesn’t the very fact that | she could say such a thing point to her innocence?” Steve smiled cynically. “The evidence was as water proof as circumstantial evi dence can ever be.” “Then tell me all about it, what you saw that night.” His cane resumed its ner vous tapping. TO BE CONTINUED •• ANOTHER FOR WAR Gemiany is S3id to b' developing a new mysterious d ath "lone'* ma chine- This mazhlnr. It Is raid, may be able to destroy battleships and airplanes through inaudible sound wavei It will tend cut. DRUG VICTIMS AROUSE POLICE London — CUP' — Attacks on wunen and girl* by men who sur reptitiously drug them aid carry 11,rui away have reached such atrrmtng propci'Ion* that Scotland Yard plana to send out a squad of plain-clothes women detective*. Hundreds of women have been dntCgrd by the slight prick of a needle In the last rew months. The attacks sre often made on them In the most public places, while riding on a bus, or shopping tn a crowded store, Sometimes they sre unaware at the needle. They grow faint j nud sis assisted sway by the at* tacker. Purse snatching thieves, who knock women to the pavement, have long been cne or London * most troublesome crtmtn.il typsa. but the drtigger Is even more dangerous and harder to catch. One even decoyed a woman to a church on the pretex' that she was wantsd to help wp>< the cleaning operation* ins.tie I itete the was drugged and attacked. A girl helping an older woman cross a busy street was pricked In the arm and another was drug-red as she was alighting from a bus at Victoria station. One wrs found weeping outside a public house and charged with drunkenness. In court she said she had been drugged. - - • ♦ TMK OBKEEV\NT « \DDY Front Answer*. IxMtdon A woman whose goir anntion wss in esc** of Iter performance wilh tiie glube played a aei es of rounds wun a view 10 iruucmg nrr Handi cap. One day. having completed a round in well over a century, ahe turned to her disillusioned caddie w^h the question: "What did I go round in yester dav. Tamaon?” • In a red ‘at. I think, mlaa," h« ventured at length • * — Progrc**. From the Vancouver Province. Mattel H >w t» vour husband g t tine cn wllh golf? Ahc* O. verv well Indeed The children aie allowed to watch now. rilK MANET ART OF DISHWASHING v’roni Christian Scieiicc Uomtor Statistics resulting from a recent survey of domestic life in metro politan New York invite attention .0 the helpfulness of husbands in :he daily recurrent task of washing the dishes. It appears that 39’i per cent of the husbands help their wives with the dishes. What pro portion wipes and what proportion washes is not stated, and it may well be that husband and wife sometimes change places for sake of variety. It seems reasonable to assume that approximately the same SS1.* per cent would hold good in other American cities. Such investigation may seem to some an invasion of the home; where, as Goldsmith once wrote, With secret course which no loud storms annoy. Glides the smooth current of domestic joy. The domestic joy of sharing this task has hitherto been kept inti mate. But ever since dishes were invented and the prac tice of washing them at intervals gained general ac ceptance, some husbands, though probably not always 39 'j per cent, undoubtedly have helped their wives at this task. In our own period, as compared with immediate predecessors, it is widely observed that homes and families are smaller, with less cook ing done in them and proportion ately fewer dishes to wash. A do mestic employe, such as used to be called "the girl,” is more expen sive. And then, conversation, which in other days would have continued pleasantly at the table while the girl was doing the dishes, can go forward as happily in the kitchen or kitchenette while a wife and husband do the dishes together. One may reasonably assume that the statistics were concerned only with the dinner dishes. The inex orable routine of commerce and the S:10 train certainly would not allow 391s per cent of the husbands to hc’p with the breakfast dishes. As for the GO’- per cent who do not help their wives wit- flic dishes, some, of course, lack the occasion. Their wives “don’t want a man in the way” when they wash the dishes. But many, it may be specu lated, are debarred by an obstinate unwillingness to wear the apron upon which their wives as obstin ately insist. Others very likely re frain in the conviction that, apron or no apron, it is not the manly part to help: If the gathering of these statistics accomplishes no other purpose, tr.ey at least weaken this position and go to show that this idea is an outmoded convention. Council ol War. From the Omaha World-Herald. The republican high command has decided that President Hoover will restrict his campaign for re election to the east, probably mak ing no personal appearances in western states and coniining his ac tivities for the most part to the ra dio. Mr. Fees—Well, all I got to say is it's going to look plenty funny, him not showing up in person. Mr. Watson—Oh. he’s going to show up here in the east some, Fess. That ought to be enough. Mr. Fess—l"m talking about the west! Mr. Hyde—Yes. and I'll tell you about the west! J[ been in the west. I tried to make some speeches in the west. I say to hell with it! Mr. Fess—He showed up in tl.e west last time. Mr. Watson—Last time! Don't be silly, Fess. Mr. Newton—I'm in favor of his sticking to the radio. Mr. Hoover (who up to this time had taken no part in the conversa tion)—I like that idea, Walter. I'm good on the radio. Mr. Fess—I tell you the people are going to want to see their can didate! Mr. Watson—And I tell you you'll have to prove that to me! Mr. Hoover—I like the radio idea mighty well. J got the voice for that, too. Mr. Fess—It's going to take more than a voice to win this election. Mr. Hoover—Then I wish I knew where to get it! (Sighs.) Mr. Fess—I resent your attitude, Watson! I have faith in my chief. I want to see him go in person be fore the people and tell them to their laces— Mr. Hoover—Still, Fess, Walter'* radio idea is good. Mr. Fess—But. sir, the people :an t see you on the radio! Mr. Hoover—l got a tine radio voice. The announcers all say so. Mr. Fess—Surely, gentlemen, w* aie not afraid to go before the peo ple? Mr. Hyde—Why be foolhardy, Fess? Discretion is the better part of valor. Mr. Watson—Mr. President, fust tell us frankly, what do you think about this whole business? Mr. Hoover—I like Walter's ra dio idea. Mr. Fes'-—Mr. President, can it be pcs iblr that you, too. are— Mr. Hoover—I tell you. I life® Walter’s radio idea! Now quit nag ging at me! - ® ® -- No Bed for Betty. From Answers. Little Betty had been bad and her mother made her sit on a chair in one corner of the room. "And dent you dare get down until you are good." iter .nether told her. After a while the molher said: ■*Eettv, it’s time for you to co to bed." “Oh. no. mummy! I'm not good enough yet." ♦ • Japan's rubber footwear industry, though mainly a post-war develop in nt. has risen fist enough to make t lie empire one of the world's lead ing producers. BOTTLED MILK PLAN OPPOSHD La Cross?. \VU.—(UP»—Consum e s who purchase milk in bulk from the 17 public milk stations here are elmdating petitions In opposi tion to the plan requiring the but tling of all milk Although the sta t on prlc? is 6 cent* a quart, over measure brings the price down to five cents a quart. La Croas* ta , ir.id to b? the only city In the , (Minify in which the station s;i i ifm In use. • • Mra. Ira HonV.brnofc of Aberd-’-n. Wash. totaled M'l pm* for thri*e | laiuea in a oi seller bowllm u,at. h. Made specially for BABIES and CHILDREN Physicians tell us that one condi tion is nearly always present when a child lias a digestive upset, a starting cold or other little ailment. Consti pation. The first step towards relief Is to rid the body of impure wastes. And for this nothing is better than genuine Castoria ! Castoria is a pure vegetable preparation made specially for babies and children. This means it Is mild and gentle; that it contains no harsh drugs, no narcotics. Yet it always gets results! You never have to coax children to take Castoria. Real Castoria always bears the names CASTORIA i jjgggjg ' Gavel Constructed of Wood Oddly Preserved A gavel made from what is be lieved to be the oldest living unpelri fied wood on the American continent lias been sent to Dr. Waller Wil liams, president of the University of Missouri. The history of the gavel goes back to a time some thousands of years ago when a volcano burst forth at a place about 100 miles east of Eugene, Ore., and in the high Cas cades. A lava stream gradually built up a dim at one end of a deep canyon, in the bottom cf which grew tali Douglas firs. As the canyon filled with the cold mountain water a lake was formed, and the trees were sur rounded and covered by this water of unchanging temperature. When tlie wood was cut from one of the trees for the gavel it was found to contain all its natural juices and bad tiie pungent odor of freshly cut tim ber.—Montreal Herald. IPelermio’s Ant Food li oure death to ants. Sprinkle It about the floor, window tills, thrives, etc. Effective 24 hours.* day. Safe. Cheap. Guar anteed. More than 1,000,000 cans aold last year. At your druggist's. fiht Acquainted Mrs. P. went' to call on Gerald's mother and was telling her about a family that had recently moved into the neighborhood. “Have they any children?” asked Gerald’s mother. “Toro little boys,” answered Mrs. B. “I dou't believe (Jerald knows them,” remarked the mother. “Oh, yes 1 do,” Gerald piped up. ‘I know one of ’em well, mother. I knocked out his two front teeth.” Inducements “Oh, mamma,” cried Martha, rustl ing luto tlie house, “Keith's going