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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1914)
4 THE NATIONAL SUNDAY MAGAZINE "I beg pardon ?" "I'm sorry. I was speaking t the Prince. He .lust called up stairs tti tru1.'' What docs lie say?" "It was rcallv nothing, lit was asking about llobbs." 'Id1)Is? Tell liini, please, that if he has any friends he would like to have invited we shall he only too proud to " "Oh, thank you! I'll tell him." "You must iml let him go away before " "I shall try my host, Mrs. Withers. It is awfully kind of you to ask us to " "You must all come up to dinner either tomorrow night or the night after. I shall h? so glad if you wdl surest anything that can help us to make the hall a success. You see, I know how terribly clever you are, Mrs. Kin,'." "I am dreadfully stupid." "Nonsense!" "I'm sorry to say we're dining out tomorrow night and on Thursday we are having some people here for " "Can't you bring them all up to Witherwood? We'd he delighted to have them, I'm sure." "I'm afraid 1 couldn't manage it. They well, you see, they are in mourning." "Oh, I see. Well, perhaps Maud and I could run in and see you for a few minutes tomorrow or next, day, just to talk things oor a little what's that, Maud? I beg your pardon, Mrs. King. Ahem! Well, I'll call you up tomorrow, if you don't mind being bothered about a silly old ball, flood-by. Thank you so much." MRS. KINO confronted Robin in the lower hall a few seconds later and roundly berated Inin for shouting up the. steps that llobbs ought to be invited to the hall. Prince Robin rolled on a couch and roared with delight. Lieutenant Dank, as became an olllcer of the Royal Guard, stood at atten tion in the bow window with his back to the room, very red about the ears and rigid to the bursting point. "I suppose, however, we'll have to keep on the good side of the Withers' syndicate," said Robin soberly, after his mirth had subsided before her wrath. "Good Lord, Aunt Loraine, I simply cannot go up there anil stand in line like a freak in a side show for all the-ladies and girls to gape at. I'll get sick the day of the party, that's what Til do, and you can tell 'em bow desolated I am over my misfortune." "They've got their eyes on you. Hobby," she said llatly. "You can't escape so easily as all that. If you're not very, very careful they'll have you married to the charming Miss Maud before vou can sav Jack Rabbit." "Think that's their idea'?" "Unquestionably." lie stretched himself lazily. "Well, it may be that she's the very one I'm looking for. Auntie. Who knows?" "You silly boy!" "She may be the Golden Girl in every sense of the term," said he lightly. "You say she's pretty f" "Mv notion of lieaulv and vours mav not agree at all!" "Thai's not an answer." "Well, 1 consider her lo be a very good-looking girl." Wonder' "Mied. Light brown hair and very dark eyes and lushes. A little taller than I, more graceful and a splendid horse-woman. I've seen tier riding." "Astride" "No. I've seen her in a hall gown, too. Most men think she's stunning." "Well, let's have a game of billiards," said he, dis missing Maud in a way that would have caused the proud Mr. Withers to reel with indignation. A little later on, at the billiard table, Mrs. King remarked, apropos of nothing and quite out of a clear sky, so to speak: "And-she'll do anything her parents command her to do, that's the worst of it." "What are you talking about ? It's your shot." "If they order her lo marry a title, she'll do it. That's the way she's been brought up, I'm afraid." "Meaning Maud'" 'Certainly. Who else' Poor thing, she hasn't a hauce in the world, with that mother of hers." "Shoot, please. .Mark up six for nie. Dank." "Wait till you m-c her. Hobby." "All right. I'll wait," said he cheerfully. The next day Count Quinnox and King returned trom the city, coming up in a private car with Mr. Withers Jiimself. "I'll have Maud drive me over this afternoon," said Mr. Withers, as they parted at the station. Rut Maud did not drive him over that afternoon. The pride, joy and hope of the Withers family llatly refused to be a parly to any such arrange ment, and set out for a horse-hack ride in a direction t lint took her as far away from Rd Roof as possible. "What's come over the girl?" demanded Mr. Withers, completely nonplussed. "She's never acted like this before, Lou." "Some silly notion about being made a laughing stock of, 1 gather," said his wife. "Heaven knows I've lalked to her till I'm utterly worn out. She says she won't be bullied into even meeting the Prince, much less marrying him. I've never known her to be so pig-headed. Usually 1 can make her see things in a sensible way. She would have mar ried the duke, I'm sure, if if you hadn't put a stop lo it on account of his so-called habits. She " "Well, it's turned out for the best, hasn't it? Isn't a prince better than a duke?" "You've said all that before, Will. I wanted her to run down with me this morning to talk the ball over with Mrs. King, and what do you think hap pened?" -She wouldn't go?" "Worse than that. She wouldn't let me go. Now, things are coming to a pretty pass when "Never mind. I'll talk to her," said Mr. Withers, somewhat bleakly despite his confident front. "She loves her old dad. I can do anything with her." "She's on n frightfully high horse lately." sighed Mrs. Withers fretfully. "It it can't be that young Scoville, can it?" "If J thought it was, I'd I'd " There is no telling what Mr. Withers would have done to young Scoville, at. the moment, for he couldn't think of anything diro enough to in flict upon the suspected meddler. "In any event, it's dread fully upsetting to me, Will. She she won't listen to anything. And here's something else: She de clares she won't stay here for the ball on Friday night." MR. BLITHERS had her repeat it, and then almost missed the chair in sitting down, be was so precipitous about it. "Won't stay for her own ball?" he beliowed. "She says it isn't her ball," lamented his wife. "If it isn't hers, in the namo of God whose is it ?" "Ask her, not me." flared Mrs. Withers. "And don't glare at me like that. I've had nothing but glares since you went away. 1 thought 1 was doing the very nicest thing in the world when I suggested the ball. II would bring them together " "The only two it will actually bring together, it seems, are those damned prize-lighters. They'll get together all right, hut what good is it going to do us. if Maud's going lo act like this? See here. Lou, I've gol things lixed so that the Prince of Groostuck can't very well do anything but ask Maud to " "That's just it!" she exclaimed. "Maud sees through the whole arrangement, Will. She said last night that she wouldn't be at all surprised if you offered to assume Giaustark's debt to Russia in order to " "That's just what I've done, old girl," said be in triumph. "I'll have 'em sewed up so tight by next week that they can't move without asking nie to loosen the strings. And you can tell Maud once more for me that I'll get' this Prince for her if " "Hut she doesn't want him!" "She doesn't know what she wants!" he roared. "Where is she going" "You saw her start olV on Katydid, so why " "I mean on the day of the ball." "To New York." "Hy gad, I'll I'll see about that,'1 ho grated. "I'll see that she doesn't leave the grounds if I have to put guards at every gate. She's got to be reason able. What does she think I'm putting sixteen mil lions into the Grasstork treasury for! She's got te stay here for the ball. Why, it would be a crime foi her to but what's the use of talking about it? She'll be here and she'll lead the grand inarch with the Prince. I've got it nil " "Well, you'll have to talk to her. I've done all that I can do. She swears she won't marry a man she's never seen." ''Ain't we trying to show him to her?" he snorted. "She won't have to marry (Continued on Patje 8) THEWITATIONOFJHEHEA tfiiftT'MiiijtmriwirjBjiAiiiiijiuffiiiitMiiiBiiniiiiiwtTiiytMi'NriiiJiwiiiiiiiiiii imn.rririiii"inLiBuini5fliinTiJi lOME TO ME, my children, daughters of men, sons of women, for I, The Sea, have gifts for you all I Come, sweating toilers, from dark dens in cities. Seek me out where you can find me alone, and enter into my arms. Smoke and dust I can rinse from you. I can brace your muscles and cause you to breathe deep; I can steep you in strength. I will grant you to be clear-eyed and confident once more, and when you return, brave with my valor, perhaps you will be able to defy evil. Come to me, also, you who are pampered in palaces, for I am a good democrat. 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