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S BRISTOW _ MOTUM^ )
THE STORY THUS FAR: Spratt Her
long, motion picture producer, met and
married Elizabeth, whose first husband,
Arthur Klttredge, was reported killed In
World War I, but who later, unrecog
nized, went to work for Spratt under the
name of Kessler. Dick Herlong enlisted
In the Marines to do his part In finishing
the mess for all time. Elizabeth finally
recognized Kessler. She told him that
she knew him to be her former husband.
He denied the (act. spent considerable
time In explaining that she was living In
the past—that she should forget the
dreams of her youth and live only for
her husband and children. He said un
less she could believe him, he must go
away.
CHAPTER XXII
In looking for that dream of secur
ity, you have been looking for Ar
thur.” He added, firmly and incis
ively, "if I were your first husband,
Mrs. Herlong, I would tell you ex
actly what I am telling you now. You
* don’t want him back.”
Elizabeth passed her hand over
(her forehead, pushing back her hair.
The gesture seemed to clear her
eyes and her mind with them. She
■aid, "You are not Arthur, then?”
"No. Your first husband is dead.
You can’t have him back, and I re
peat, you don’t want him back.”
He paused to be sure she was
listening. She nodded to assure him
that she was.
Elizabeth thought of the time
when Cherry, as a baby, had been
■o ill they had feared they might
lose her. She remembered when
Spratt had lost his job, hit from be
hind by a friend he had trusted.
She thought of the night when she
had sobbed secretly on his shoulder
at Dick's joining the Marines, and
he had said, "What do you suppose
I’m here for?”
"Yes!” she exclaimed. Oh yes.”
"I can be a friend of you both,"
said Kessler, "a dear friend per
haps, but I’m outside your essential
life because I did not help you build
It. Don’t let me threaten it now,
Mrs. Herlong! You can keep it—
that depends on your self-command,
not on mine. No human being can
destroy the structure of a marriage
except the two who made it. It is
the one human edifice that is im
pregnable except from within. Keep
it. You need it.”
Elizabeth smiled, without realiz
ing that she was doing so. "Yes,”
she said to him, "I need it.”
Elizabeth had a sense of freedom
like nothing she had ever felt be
fore. She drew a long breath. Her
mind flashed back to that bright
. year with Arthur, and then lingered
» on her twenty years with Spratt.
The two periods were as different
in meaning as they were in length.
She had known all along that the
second had a value greater than the
first. But she had never placed
them side by side, as Kessler had
made her do today, to see with
vehement clarity how her love for
Spratt overpowered anything she
had ever shared with Arthur.
"Thank you, Mr. Kessler,” she
said in a low voice. "You don’t
know what you’ve done for me.”
But she remembered that there
was something else she could do for
him. He had told her so last night.
She roused herself to speak.
She said, “Mr. Kessler, last night
you suggested you had a favor to
ask of me. I hope that’s still true."
Kessler looked up, with a slight
start as though her voice had re
called him from a great distance.
For a moment he seemed to be
getting his thoughts in order. Then
he answered, "Yes, it’s still true.”
“I told you last night,” said Eliz
abeth, "I’d be happy to do anything
in my power for you. After what
you have done for me today, I’d
like to repeat that in capitals.”
Kessler smiled at her. She had
been right; he did believe that she
was fully persuaded, and that was
what he wanted. “Thank you, Mrs.
Herlong. I want to put, shall we
say, a part of tomorrow in your
hands. Margaret.”
She was astonished. "You mean
you want me to take her?”
He nodded.
“But don’t you want her? I
thought you loved her so much.”
“I do love her. But I shan’t be
here always.”
Elizabeth sat up straight, holdirig
the arms of her chair. “What do
you mean?”
“Look at me, Mrs. Herlong,” he
said quietly. "Haven't you ever
wondered how I have lived as long
as this?”
“No, 1 haven’t. Your life has
hardly seemed to depend on phys
ical strength—Mr. Kessler, forgive
us! What a strain we have put on
you! Dick, myself, all of us—we
never stopped to realize you were
ill.”
“That doesn’t rrjatter," he an
swered, so quickly that it was like
an interruption. “Please don’t think
it matters. If you let this trouble
you I’ll be sorry I spoke. Please!”
he exclaimed insistently, for she had
risen to her feet, ready to go before
he wore hirnself out with any more
talking.
Elizabeth sat down again. “Mr,
Kessler, of course I’ll take Mar
garet. I’ll take'her now if you’ll let
me. But don’t you want to come
with her? \Vhy don’t you let me
take care of you, instead of stay
ing here with nobody but a hired
housekeeper? If you only knew how
much I should like to do it!”
"No, no, that’s not what I want.
Thank you, but I only wanted to tell
you that it's very unlikely I'll live
as long as Margaret will need pro
tection. When I can no longer be
her father, will you be her mother?”
“Of course I will. No, please don’t
start to thank me. Spratt and I
both love children; now that ours
are growing up we've often said w»e
wished we had another younger than
Brian. So don't start being grate
ful."
“You may get a great reward for
it,” said Kessler. "I told you how
brilliant her parents were."
“Oh, that. I hope she's all you
think her, but if she isn’t, it makes
no difference. She’s a dear child.
With all my heart I hope she won’t
need us, but if she does, we’ll be
very happy to have her. Don’t fear
for Margaret’s future." She spoke
quickly and sincerely.
“I won’t," he promised her smil
ing. “Not for hers, nor for yours."
“Thank you. Now I’m going. You
are very tired.”
Kessler, who had risen when she
did, had sat down as though too tired
to keep standing. He had sat hold
ing his cane rigidly, looking at it
instead of at her while she talked.
But he had listened, with a faint
smile of gratitude, as though what
she was saying brought him a great
sense of peace. Now, still without
looking up, he said, very low,
“Thank you, Mrs. Herlong. I hope
you will never be so lonely that what
anyone will say to you can mean
“Poor kid, of course we’ll take her.”
as much as that means to me.” He
was silent a moment. Then, “Good
by,” he said.
“Goodby,” said Elizabeth She
went over to him. He was still look
ing down. She bent and kissed his
forehead quickly. Before he could
say anything else she went out.
Kessler leaned his arm on the
table by him and bent his head to
rest on it. She was gone and she
seemed to have taken all his
strength with her. He thought of
Elizabeth, leaving him for years of
vigorous living. He was so tired
that he could hardly imagine what
it was like to be vigorous.
But he had given her those years
to come. She had told him so, not
dreaming how much her words
meant to him. He was convinced
now that she did not know who he
was. But he knew, and that was
enough. When she told him what
Arthur had done for her, it was as
though she was telling him that at
last he had finished what he had set
out to do that day in the German
hospital. He thought of what he had
said to Jacoby that day. “You nev
er loved a woman enough to die
for her.” It had been hard enough
to die for her once. But in retro
spect that seemed almost easy com
pared to what it had cost him today
to kill his image in her soul.
When Spratt came home that eve
ning she only told him Kessler was
ill and had asked if they would take
care of Margaret. Spratt agreed
without hesitation.
“Poor kid, of course we’ll take
her. You won’t mind if she’s a bit
of trouble?”
“Of course not,” said Elizabeth.
She nearly added, "Even if she
were, I'd do anything on earth for
him,” but checked herself. That
would require explaining, and she
did not yet feel ready to explain.
Spratt was talking.
"Look here, Elizabeth, maybe
that guy is too sick to work and is
just keeping it up because he can’t
afford to stop. Do you suppose we
could persuade him to take a rest?”
"Oh Spratt, please try! Make him
let us pay for it. And please—”
"Yes, what?"
“Tell him it was your idea. I don't
think he'd take it from me.”
"What an intense sort of person
you are,” Spratt observed with a
grin. "You feel things all the way
through. All right. I’ll give him a
ring in the morning. Rather late
for it tonight.”
The next morning she was up,
having coffee, when Spratt came
into her room.
“Thought I’d call Kessler now,”
he said. “If he feels like seeing
me I can go by on the way to the
studio." He gave her a sidelong
glance. “Now that you’ve slept on
it, do you still feel like having Mar
garet here?"
“Yes, if you do.”
“It’s all right with me.”
“You’re a prince, Spratt.”
He chuckled. “Not me. You’re
the one who’ll have to bother about
her clothes and lessons and teeth
and disposition. It won't be as
easy as looking out for your own
children, either.”
“Who said they were ever easy?”
"Your mind’s made up, then?”
She nodded.
"Okay,” said Spratt. He sat down
on her chaise-longue and picked up
the phone.
"This is Spratt Herlong. Can I
speak to Mr. Kessler? . . . What?
. . . Yes . . . Yes ... I understand.
. . . I’ll be right over.”
He set down the phone, and turned
to Elizabeth, who had been listening
in alarm. “What is it, Spratt?” she
asked.
Spratt wet his lips, and shook his
head slowly, as though trying to
get used to what it was he had just
heard. He answered,
“Kessler died this morning at six
o’clock.”
For a moment he and Elizabeth
sat staring at each other. They
were speechless with the curious
shocked feeling of trying to get their
minds adjusted to a sudden an
nouncement of death. Spratt spoke
first, saying something about hav
ing to call the studio. For a mo
ment he was silent again, then he
stood up.
“This is strange," he said slowly.
"Like being hit on the head. He
never said anything about being
that sick. I’d better get over there
right away."
“Yes, go right over,” said Eliza
beth. She felt as if there was a
great deal more she should be say
ing. But she could not get it out
now. She asked, "Why didn’t he
tell us, Spratt?”
“Maybe he didn’t know.”
"I think he did," said Elizabeth.
Spratt went over to the door and
opened it. "I guess we were about
his best friends, too,” he said guilt
ily as he went out.
There was nothing more she could
do now. Nothing but sit here, star
ing at the curtains.
But she suddenly remembered
that this was not true. There was
still something she could do, some
thing she must do at once. She
must get Margaret.
Elizabeth sprang up. At the Idea
of Margaret, alone again in her des
olate little world, she found that she
was not quite as numb as she had
thought. She had to get Margaret
now, before the child began to feel
utterly abandoned. She began to
hurry into her clothes.
When she reached Kessler’s apart
ment she found that Spratt had been
there and gone, to attend to the last
arrangements somebody had to at
tend to. The housekeeper was very
busy, answering the telephone and
carrying out the various instructions
Spratt had given her. Margaret was
curled up in a big chair in the cor
ner where the tree had stood last
Christmas. She had put on her
clothes in a haphazard fashion very
different from her usual neatness—
yesterday’s crumpled dress, one
shoelace untied, the parting between
her pigtails carelessly awry. When
Elizabeth approached her Margaret
looked up, showing a streaky little
face worn out with her having cried
too much.
Elizabeth did not say anything.
She sat down in the big chair, for
Margaret did not take up much
room and there was space for her
at the edge of the seat. She put her
arms around Margaret and drew the
untidy little head to rest against her.
For a moment Margaret clung to
her without speaking, then she gave
another choking little sob.
"He died," she said brokenly.
"Everybody that belongs to me
dies."
Elizabeth felt like sobbing too.
She was not used to hating anybody.
But with Margaret in her arms she
felt that if all the words of hate in
every language could be rolled into
one they could not express how
much she hated fascists and what
they accomplished.
"Not everybody, Margaret," she
said gently. “We belong to you too."
Margaret looked up at her again.
She shook her head slowly.
"No, you don’t belong to me."
“Don’t you want us to belong to
you?”
Margaret was puzzled. “You?”
she asked. "You and who else?”
“My husband, and all our family.
We want you to belong to us. And
we won’t leave you. You'Ll stay
with us always."
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Protecting a Milk
Herd Against Fire
Midwestern Dairyman
Builds Improved Barn
Fireproof “vault" or barn is th<
latest development in farm con
struction and remodeling. Pioneer
Interior construction of fireproof
"vault” on Clarksvn farm at Itasca,
m.
ing the way is Alick Clarkson of
Itasca, 111.
His 45 by 36 foot dairy barn has a
noncombustible floor and is of such
sanitary construction that quality
milk can be produced with little ef
fort. The ground floor is protected
from Are by a mow floor of three
ply. inches thick, laminated
gypsum board and a gypsum wall
board ceiling.
The studs are covered on the out
side with noncombustible gypsum
sheathing and fireproof composition
shingles, and on the inside with fire
proof w allboard.
Clarkson’s use of laminated gyp
sum board for flooring is something
new in barn construction. The pur
pose of the construction is to assure
him that a fire would not quickly
spread to the cattle quarters, and
that ample time would be given to
remove the cows to safety.
Easier Riding Seat
Leather or Canvas Covering for Seat
of Riding Implement
An easy riding seat for any im
plement can be made more com
fortable by cutting a piece of leather
or heavy canvas as shown in the il
lustration. Sew or lace this to the
seat around the outer edge.
Agriculture
In the News
W. J. DRYDEN
Tomatoes of 1946
Tomatoes, already rating high in
vitamin content, being second only
to oranges in vita- _
min C, will be “en- *
riched” with vita- J
min A. following |
work at University f
of Chicago.
Tomato cannery 1
wastes will be put J
to use. Oil being ex- |
tracted from the 'l
seeds, cannery waste
will provide an extracted ether
soluble fraction of 12.4 per cent.
By treating plants with the fumes
of a growth-promoting acid, naph
thoxyacetic, seedless tomatoes may
be produced.
The skins of tomatoes are being
used for the valuable resin they
contain. An improved method of de
hydrating tomatoes promises to
make them of commercial impor
tance.
Creep-Fed Pigs Grow
Bigger in Less Time
When pigs on rye pasture were
creep-fed, 5.6 per cent more of the
pigs survived to weaning age than
when they were forced to eat with
' the sows, experiments at the Uni
versity of Illinois reveal.
The average daily gains of the
pigs are greater under the creep
feeding method. The difference
noted of .06 pound per pig a day
is of doubtful significance, but the
total gain for 100 pigs would amount
to 6 pounds in favor of those fed in
the creep. If fed for 40 days, the
100 creep-fed pigs would show a dif
ference of 240 pounds more pork
up to weaning time.
Farm Fire Losses
Fire extinguishers are again
available for the farmer. Where
fires in wood, paper, cloth or hay
break out, suitable types of extin
guishers are the pump tank, soda
acid, foam, gas cartridge, or loaded
stream types.
Soda acid and foam extinguishers
must be kept where they will not be
exposed to freezing temperatures,
or else be housed in suitably heated
cabinets, and they require annual
recharging.
Gay Hostess Aprons
Of One Yard or l^ss
A GAY apron adds glamour to
your role as hostess.. These
aprons take little material. Color
ful embroidery that a youngster
would love to do.
• • •
You can make these aprons from one
pattern. Pattern 964 has transfer pattern
of an 8‘/4 by ll1,a and two 3',i by 9-lnch
motifs; directions.
Due to an unusually lsrrge demand and
current conditions, slightly more time is
required in tilling orders for a few of the
most popular pattern numbers.
Send your order to:
Sewing Circle Needlecraft Dept.
584 W. Randolph St. Chicago 80, IU.
Enclose 16 cents for Pattern
No_
Name-. ——
Address
~ " .... ———K .imwir• ■ •&*:•>:m^vttaHgaaa^j
Look! Muffins made with Peanut Butter!
(/Vo shortening and only % cup sugar)
If you d like to try something brand
new In muffins that’s truly delicious
and saves on shortening, too — try
Kellogg's new Peanut Butter Muffins.
You’ll love their flavor. You’ll love,
too, the tender, melt-ln-your-mouth
texture of bran muffins made with
Kellogg’s ALL-BRAN. For all-bran Is
milled extra-fine for golden softness.
% cup peanut % cup Kellogg’s
butter ALL-BRAN
% cup sugar 1 cup sifted flour
1 egg, welLbeaten 1 tablespoon
1 cup nilllr baking powder
% teaspoon salt
Blend peanut butter and sugar thor
oughly; stir In egg, milk and kelloog's
all-bran. Let soak until most of mois
ture Is taken up. 81ft flour with baking
powder and salt; add to first mixture
and stir only until flour disappear*
Fill greased muffin pans two-thirds
full and bake In moderately hot oven
(100*F.) about 20 minutes. Makes 10
tender, tasty muffins.
Good Nutrition, tool
all-bran Ismade from the vital otrrta
Layers of finest wheat—contains a
concentration of the protective food
elements found In
the whole grain.
One-half cup pro
vides over % your
dally minimum
need for iron.
Serve Kellogg’
all-bran daily I
-«
TRAOtYjBfll
Please don’t be angry at us if you can't
always get Smith Bros. Cough Drops. Our
output is still restricted. Soon, we hope,
there'll again be plenty of Smith Brothers...
toothing, delicious. Black or Menthol, 5*.
. SMITH BROS. COUGH DROPS )
r BLACK OR MENTHOL-5* fcl
WHICH OF THESE DELICIOUS TREATS
IS...
r~ HMWSWM \ □ D0UGK JTS □ WUFFfNS □ JELLY ROLLS
I I DPIES □ CAKES □ BISCUITS
1 HICITE BOOK I □ buns a COOKIES □ BREAD
1 Here** the ^*8t ncW* C ■ I No matter what you're bait
1 kcs without sugar! ■ ing, it will taste better if you
1 make.** I use Gooch’s Best All-Purpose
I They’re easy 1 Enriched Flour. For this flour
I d good to eat. * ♦a I brings out the full flavor of
1 a° ii .miir nrecious 1 the ingredients. See for your
1 you save a V I ge|f jf yOU jon*t think Gooch’s
I #ugar. Write for t I Best is the best flour you ever
'SbcA fivw Mf/ j
IT’S FAST RISING! KEEPS FOR WEEKS! 1
Just dissolve Fast Rising Dry Yeast according to directions on the package.
It’s ready for action in a few minutes.
MAKES DELICIOUS BREAD IN JUST A FEW HOURS!
IF YOU BAKE AT HOME —
easy to use, extra-fast Fleisch
mann’s Fast Rising Dry Yeast
gives you bread with the old-fash
ioned home-baked flavor your
men-folks love—in a few hours!
And you can bake any time—
no being “caught short” without
yeast in the house—nc worry
about spoiling dough with weak
yeast. Fast Rising Fleischmann’a
stays full strength for weeks on
your pantry shelf—as potent. ..
as fast-acting as the day you
bought it.
Get Fast Rising Fleischmann’a
from your grocer. Always keep a
supply handy!