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Of 
 
THE RIGHT TRACK 
 
THE ONLY SON 
 
THE RIGHT TRACK 
 
 BY 
 
 CLARA LOUISE BURNHAM 
 
 WITH FRONTISPIECE BY 
 MART GREENE BLUMINSCHEIN 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 GROSSET & DUNLAP 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
Contents 
 
 XIX. A CRUSADER 293 
 
 XX. THE HOUSE-WARMING .... 305 
 
 XXI. THE ONLY SON 319 
 
 XXII. THE HUSBAND 338 
 
 XXIII. THE SINGING GROVE .... 353 
 
 XXIV. GUTEN ABEND, GUTE NACHT . . 369 
 XXV. A WAY OUT 383 
 
 XXVI. SUNRISE 395 
 
 XXVII. THE ANGEL'S NAME . . . . .413 
 
THE RIGHT TRACK 
 
THE RIGHT TRACK 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MAN PROPOSES 
 
 IN a cheap apartment on a side street of the 
 city Mabel Ford and her brother stood near a 
 window watching for the arrival of her success- 
 ful suitor. The symmetrical face which had won 
 him wore its habitual look of discontent. 
 
 Only two weeks had passed since the death of 
 the invalid mother whose needs had hampered 
 her life. Mabel Ford had always felt keenly 
 how hardly Fate differentiates between the 
 boys and girls in a family whose "bottom 
 dollar" is always on top. Of course the decree 
 had been that her brother must be educated, 
 and even with all his own efforts the family 
 resources were exhausted in putting Victor 
 through college, and after he was admitted to 
 the bar, in helping him to wait for the business 
 so slow to come to a young lawyer. 
 
 While his mother had passionately admired 
 the stamina with which Victor worked his way, 
 turning his hand to any service he could render, 
 
 3 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Mabel, as passionately, had envied him. How 
 willingly she would have sewed on buttons at 
 five cents apiece, and sat up into the night 
 working for her more fortunate sisters; but the 
 home exigencies compelled her. She must cook 
 and wait on an invalid during the precious 
 years, while Victor had the joy of books and 
 study, his time was respected, his future 
 anticipated, and his mother's tired eyes bright- 
 ened when they rested upon him. What won- 
 der that his disposition was gay and bright, in 
 spite of hard work and shabby clothes. 
 
 Mabel's heart often swelled seeing the pride 
 in Victor shine in her mother's face. For her- 
 self, the heat and burden of the day; for him, 
 the reward and praise. She did not know how 
 her mother perceived her chafing and suffered; 
 how she grew timid of offering caresses to a 
 resigned daughter around whose neck she hung 
 as a helpless burden. 
 
 At last one day the lawyer in whose office 
 Victor had begun to work gave him charge of a 
 case brought to them by one James Barnes, 
 a successful dealer in grain. This gentleman of 
 nearly fifty on one visit to the office encoun- 
 tered the sister of his young attorney. She was 
 languid, unsmiling, and as blase in manner as 
 
 4 
 
Man Proposes 
 
 though the cheap fur that protected her throat 
 were sable and a limousine with downy cush- 
 ions awaited her descent to the street. What 
 was wrong with James Barnes's eyesight that 
 he could not perceive even at a glance that 
 this girl was not one to sit opposite his good- 
 natured face at breakfast and add to its good 
 nature ? 
 
 As the event proved, she never did sit oppo- 
 site him at this early meal, preferring coffee in 
 her room at a later hour. 
 
 However, on that day when he first gazed 
 at the proud curve of her shabby shoulders and 
 met the self-possessed glance she gave him at 
 her brother's introduction, he said to himself: 
 "That's a stunning girl. She'd know how to 
 spend my money and spend it right." Which 
 prompt soliloquy shows that James Barnes had 
 been contemplating matrimony. 
 
 From that day, the most unexpected events 
 occurred with swiftness. 
 
 Mrs. Ford died. Mr. Barnes attended the 
 funeral, and the following day proposed to 
 Mabel and was accepted, the young woman 
 looking straight through his graying head upon 
 an interminable vista of books which he cer- 
 tainly did not know were there, nor would he 
 
 5 
 
The Right Track 
 
 have opened the covers had they been visible; 
 not possessing more than a bowing acquaint- 
 ance with printed matter outside the daily 
 papers. 
 
 The grain dealer was overjoyed by Mabel's 
 quiet acceptance of him, and Victor heartily 
 approved the match. The creaking and reluc- 
 tant machinery of life, with always too little 
 money to grease the wheels, had given him a 
 tremendous respect for that lubricant, for his 
 was a gayety-loving nature whose longings no 
 amount of grinding and tutoring and shiny 
 coats had been able to suppress. He had chafed 
 quite as much as his sister, but ordinary man- 
 liness prevented him from showing aught but 
 gratitude to his sacrificing womenfolk. 
 
 He had come to respect his grain-dealing 
 client highly and to like him sufficiently to be 
 rather staggered when James Barnes first un- 
 folded to him his hopes. He was honestly afraid 
 for him; so, while eagerly desirous of the suit- 
 or's success, he felt bound to make a faint 
 demur. 
 
 "You honor us very much, Mr. Barnes," he 
 said. 
 
 "Pooh pooh, my boy," returned his client. 
 "Youth and beauty will honor me if she'll take 
 
 6 
 
Man Proposes 
 
 pity on my loneliness. My daughter is 'going 
 away to school." 
 
 "You have a daughter?" asked Victor. "I 
 knew there was a small Junior, but I have n't 
 heard you speak of a daughter." 
 
 "Yes, Elaine's eighteen." 
 
 "Does she know have you told her " 
 
 "No, not yet," returned Mr. Barnes, his 
 smooth - shaven face glowing optimistically ; 
 "but Elaine '11 be delighted. She hates to go 
 away and leave her little brother and me alone. 
 But," his premature elation sinking, "do you 
 believe your sister '11 consider me, Ford?" 
 
 "I should certainly think she would," re- 
 turned Mabel's brother with conviction, a trail 
 of financial difficulties, years long, dragging 
 past his mental vision. 
 
 But when the young woman announced to 
 him that she had not hesitated, his elation was 
 still mingled with apprehension. 
 
 "Now, see here, Mabel," he warned, "you 
 play fair. Barnes is n't any highbrow and you 
 know it beforehand. He's just a successful, 
 clever operator on the Board and he does n't 
 pretend to be anything else." 
 
 Mabel raised her eyebrows with a slight 
 smile. 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "I don't know what barbarity you suspect 
 me of. I'm not going to marry him loving 
 somebody else." 
 
 "No, thank Heaven. For once, I'm grateful 
 that you're as cold as a turnip." 
 
 "Thank you, brother." 
 
 The irony of her quiet tone did not prevent 
 her companion from an unusual demonstration. 
 He threw his arms around her. 
 
 "Mabel, I hope you'll be happy!" he ex- 
 claimed ardently. " I Ve never seen you happy. 
 Now," he swallowed a lump, "dear little 
 mother 's at rest, you would n't have to work so 
 hard, but I'm so slow getting business. Barnes 
 is about the only client I can call a real one 
 and we can't exactly live on him?" 
 
 "I'm going to try," returned Mabel calmly, 
 looking at the threadbare sleeve under her chin 
 as Victor hugged her close, his appealing voice 
 half-breaking as he spoke. 
 
 She patted his arm and he dropped it. 
 
 "It's too late for me to be happy as I'd 
 like to have been," she said in a different tone. 
 
 "How can it be too late for anything with 
 you!" responded her brother, still with some 
 effort to maintain a steady voice. "You're 
 only two years older than I am." 
 
 8 
 
Man Proposes 
 
 "Oh, but I feel a hundred. I wanted to go 
 to college." It burst from her. She had never 
 repined openly. "It was the only thing I 
 wanted in the whole world. I wanted to be 
 equipped for the world's work. I wanted to be 
 an intelligent woman among intelligent women. 
 I wanted to tingle with the wonderful free- 
 masonry of sororities and college spirit." Her 
 face lighted and shone and faded. "I can't. 
 It's over. I drudged instead. I've been too 
 tired and harassed at night for books." Her 
 lips tightened and Victor looked at her, his own 
 lips parted. 
 
 "Never mind," she added hardily after the 
 brief silence. "We have a lawyer in the family; 
 and I I 'm not going to drudge any more. 
 There's the proof." She gestured toward the 
 window near which they were standing. A 
 motor car was drawing up before the door of the 
 cheap apartment house. " That's going to be 
 mine," she said, as they watched it. 
 
 "Do you know he has a grown daughter?" 
 asked Victor, gazing gloomily. 
 
 "Yes. He wanted to surprise her with me, 
 face to face. I would n't allow it. I made him 
 promise to tell her. She'll hate me, of course; 
 but she's going away to school." 
 
 9 
 
The Right Track 
 
 The last words were faint, and a yearning 
 crept into them. 
 
 "Mabel!" exclaimed her brother acutely, 
 "you make me feel like a thief." 
 
 His sister shook her head. "You needn't," 
 she said. "You could n't help it." 
 
 Such satisfaction as Mabel Ford had taken 
 in life consisted in a secret pride in her own 
 heroism. In another day and place she told 
 herself she might have been a Spartan mother. 
 Now she was a Spartan daughter and sister. 
 The white concern in her brother's face as they 
 stood there together gave her a slight thrill of 
 compensation. "It was not your fault," she 
 continued. Then her colorless voice changed 
 and she spoke hurriedly as she watched from 
 the window: 
 
 "He 's getting out of the car. Let us go down. 
 Don't let him come up here. Oh, I'm glad 
 you 're with me. It will make it easier to meet 
 his children. I feel as if I were going to a fu- 
 neral." And Victor, holding his sister's coat, 
 felt a miserable culprit. 
 
 The bell buzzed in the apartment as the two 
 went down the stair with its worn carpet. 
 
 The beaming face of their visitor espied them. 
 He tried to moderate his exuberance as he met 
 
 IQ 
 
Man Proposes 
 
 the dignified greeting of his loved one. Her 
 black garb rebuked him. He observed that his 
 young lawyer, too, looked pale. 
 
 "So good of you both to be ready," he said; 
 and they all emerged into the dark September 
 afternoon and out of its chill and gloom into 
 the luxurious, shining limousine, a strange visi- 
 tor in that street and one which had already 
 brought several faces to neighboring windows. 
 
 Mabel sank back into cushions which seemed 
 to embrace her softly in unsounded depths. 
 Mr. Barnes's face questioned her exultantly as 
 he took his place. 
 
 "Just a little gift for you, Mabel," he said. 
 "Latest model. Do you like it?" 
 
 As the machine moved forward on velvet 
 wheels, Mabel gave an unconscious sigh of sat- 
 isfaction and rewarded her lover with a smile. 
 
 A swift, restful vision of all this stood for 
 stole over her. No more careful keeping of 
 accounts. No more wondering whether one 
 might have a ragged chair re-covered. No more 
 sordid knowledge of cheap dinners within a 
 fireless cooker. 
 
 "It is perfect," she said. 
 
 "Like yourself," returned the grain dealer 
 promptly; then he glanced across at the silent 
 
 ii 
 
The Right Track 
 
 and pale young man whom he had always 
 known so full of life. "Awfully cut up about his 
 mother, poor chap," he reflected. 
 
 "You don't mind my spoiling your sister, I 
 hope?" he asked. 
 
 "Mabel has had very little spoiling," replied 
 Victor briefly. "It's coming to her." 
 
 Mabel did not speak. The thoughts behind 
 her handsome, impassive face were occupied 
 with the coming visit. Her mind was so habitu- 
 ated to resentment that this tinged her attitude 
 toward the encumbrances belonging to the man 
 who was about to relieve her of the embarrass- 
 ments of life. It was tiresome that he should 
 have a son and daughter; but then she had 
 always been unlucky, and she could still bear 
 and forbear. She prided herself on the fact. 
 
 Her eyes rested on the dainty appurtenances 
 of the car and she wondered if Mr. Barnes's 
 home were also a late model. Fortunately the 
 wondering was half indifference, for the velvet 
 wheels glided into a street from which fashion 
 had turned, and stopped before a gray stone 
 house in the middle of a block. 
 
 The drive had brought the color back to 
 Victor Ford's face. His highly respected and 
 genial client seemed as substantial as the walls 
 
 12 
 
Man Proposes 
 
 of his own home. He seemed a promising bul- 
 wark to stand between Mabel and the hard 
 world. Victor's eyes glanced sharply over the 
 old-fashioned facade. If only the door would 
 swing open and a bright girlish face appear 
 with a welcome. Why should Mabel predict 
 that Elaine Barnes would hate her and predict 
 it with indifference? Why did Mabel always 
 anticipate the disagreeable as if she were deter- 
 mined that unkind Fate should never get ahead 
 of her? 
 
 The heavy door, however, remained closed 
 and the exuberance of satisfaction which had 
 illumined the host's face throughout the drive 
 faded as his guests followed him up the stone 
 steps, and a serious line came into his forehead 
 as he fitted his latch-key into the door. 
 
 When they entered the gloomy hall it was 
 vacant. 
 
 "Well, what's become of Elaine, I wonder," 
 said Mr. Barnes, and it was evident to his com- 
 panions that his loud tone was a warning. " I 
 told her we'd arrive about Oh, there you arc, 
 Bessie," he added as a neat maid emerged from 
 the depths of the hall. "Take care of Miss 
 Ford, will you? Bessie '11 bring you down as 
 soon as you 're ready, Mabel. Your brother and 
 
 13 
 
The Right Track 
 
 I will be anxiously waiting." He smiled on his 
 beloved with an expression which the maid 
 noted for the benefit of her young mistress. 
 Her alert eyes took in the cheapness of Mabel's 
 mourning as they mounted the stairs. This she 
 would not have to describe to Miss Barnes. 
 Elaine could calculate to a hair the value of dry 
 goods. 
 
 Victor followed his host into a comfortable 
 den where an open fire glowed, and plump 
 leather chairs extended welcoming arms. "I 
 like a wood fire," said the grain dealer, opening 
 and closing his hands before it. "Reminds me 
 of the country. Know much about the country, 
 Ford?" 
 
 "Not a bit," replied Victor, his ears strained 
 for a sound of the approach of the daughter 
 of the house. Perhaps she had waited upstairs 
 for Mabel. Perhaps she preferred to meet her 
 alone. Perhaps even now she had her arms 
 about Mabel's neck. He wished his sister were 
 not so undemonstrative. He hoped she would 
 not throw cold water on a young girl's enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 "Well, you miss a lot," declared Mr. Barnes 
 reflectively. "I was brought up on a farm, not 
 forty miles from here. Brierly. Ever hear of 
 
Man Proposes 
 
 Brierly? Sweet Brierly I call it." The speaker 
 smiled reflectively. 
 
 A good face, Victor considered. He could 
 imagine a daughter of such a man as a sweet 
 wholesome creature. 
 
 Perhaps she was at this moment shedding a 
 few tears on Mabel's shoulder. He hoped his 
 sister was responsive. 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "I think I have heard of 
 Brierly. Shoe manufacturing place, isn't it?" 
 
 "Ye es," drawled Mr. Barnes with lenient 
 affection, "in a small way. Everything in 
 Brierly grows in a small way except trees 
 and huckleberries and pasture rocks All 
 hustling life seems to flow by it on both sides. 
 It stands like an island in a tumultuous sea. 
 Some day I suppose a tidal wave will send trol- 
 leys banging through the streets ; but when I 
 saw the farm a year ago, it was still peaceful 
 as a bird's nest." 
 
 "Is it your farm?" inquired the guest, his 
 thoughts still abovestairs. 
 
 "No. It passed away from us some time ago. 
 I've always hankered for it, though. Perhaps 
 some day " The speaker recollected himself 
 with a start. " We must go into the other room," 
 he said. "They'll bring Mabel there. I just 
 
 15 
 
The Right Track 
 
 wanted you to see this fireside where I hope 
 you'll spend many an hour with me." 
 
 Victor followed his host out into the hall, and 
 glanced up the staircase. 
 
 Mabel was descending. He looked eagerly at 
 the figure following her; but it was the maid, 
 Bessie. 
 
 "My dear," said Mr. Barnes, standing at the 
 foot of the stairs and extending his hand in 
 welcome; "we guessed just right. Have you 
 seen Elaine?" 
 
 "No," replied Mabel, and she laid her cool 
 hand in the outstretched one. 
 
 "Miss Elaine is in the drawing-room, Mr. 
 Barnes," said Bessie. 
 
 "Very well. Where is Junior?" 
 
 "Miss Pinkerton is just undressing him, sir." 
 
 "Undressing him? Tell her to put on his 
 clothes again and bring him down." 
 
 "He has n't been very well to-day and Miss 
 Pinkerton thought " 
 
 "He was quite well at five o'clock," said Mr. 
 Barnes sternly. "Tell her to bring him down 
 at once." 
 
 "Yes, sir," and the maid turned about and 
 again ascended the stairs. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE INTERLOPERS 
 
 JAMES BARNES'S tone and manner gave his 
 fiancee a little sense of satisfaction. At least 
 she was going to marry a man ; one who could n't 
 be bullied by his womenfolk. Now, then, for 
 Elaine. The inimical atmosphere was what she 
 had expected. One must pay for everything in 
 this weary world, it seemed. 
 
 She approached the entrance to the old- 
 fashioned drawing-room, unfaltering. Not so 
 her brother. He had fallen from a height, find- 
 ing that the daughter of the house was still 
 invisible, and he had felt his cheeks grow hot 
 during the brief colloquy with the maid. 
 
 He viewed his sister's high-headed compo- 
 sure with wonder. They were interlopers. A 
 repulse was in the very air of this gloomy house. 
 He resented it, too. Mabel was a fine girl. 
 What right had Elaine Barnes to condemn her 
 unseen ? 
 
 The host held aside the heavy portiere for his 
 guests to enter. The room was large. Gas-logs 
 
 17 
 
The Right Track 
 
 were flaming windily in the fireplace. The 
 lights were high and uncompromisingly white. 
 There was no coziness and little taste displayed 
 in the stiff arrangement of the furniture. 
 
 A slender young girl stood there waiting; the 
 white lights glinted on her blonde hair and 
 made her thin, white face whiter. Her large 
 blue eyes, set well apart, looked at the visitors 
 composedly, and the folds of her creamy gown 
 made no sound as she slowly advanced. 
 
 "Well, Elaine, you have kept us guessing," 
 said her father with an effort at lightness. 
 "This is Miss Ford and her brother, and this 
 is my little girl." As he finished, Mr. Barnes 
 threw his arm around the slight figure of his 
 child, and tried by dint of his own warmth to 
 bring some cordiality into the meeting. 
 
 Mabel's dark face and queenly stature made 
 no appeal. Cold hands met in a murmur of 
 greeting; while the host talked on. 
 
 "And this is my lawyer, you know, Elaine. 
 Rather young head to carry all he knows, but 
 he's right on the job, I tell you." 
 
 Victor touched the passively offered girlish 
 hand while he saw the great blue eyes miss his 
 own and take in the details of his appearance. 
 He felt that they appraised the shiny buttons 
 
 18 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 on his coat and knew just how soon the moulds 
 would burst through their covering. 
 
 The night toilet of James Junior could not 
 have been very far advanced, and Bessie must 
 have given a spirited version of her master's or- 
 der, for here Miss Pinkerton entered the room, 
 leading her charge by the hand. 
 
 Miss Pinkerton was the factotum of the 
 Barnes household, and the thunderbolt of 
 Mabel's advent into the family life had splin- 
 tered one of the most promising castles-in-the- 
 air ever built by a middle-aged, enterprising, 
 and rather engaging spinster. The lady had 
 been but waiting for Elaine's departure to a 
 fashionable New York school to perfect her 
 situation in the home by becoming Junior's 
 stepmother. She did not know that a man 
 becomes at fifty most critical of her sex, or 
 dream that her employer considered her pudgy 
 and hated the way her pompadour dropped low 
 on her forehead. 
 
 "Ah, Miss Pinkerton," said Mr. Barnes, sud- 
 denly beholding the piquant nez retrousse 
 which always seemed peeking up at its owner's 
 drooping hair as if apprehending eclipse. The 
 father released his daughter. 
 
 "Mabel, I want you to meet Miss Pinkerton, 
 19 
 
The Right Track 
 
 chief prop and support of this old house of 
 mine." 
 
 Miss Pinkerton acknowledged the introduc- 
 tion with a glance at Mabel's regal head, and 
 then a stately bow, which ignored the flutter 
 of the guest's uncertain hand ; she stood immov- 
 able, holding tightly to her side a little boy of 
 six. 
 
 As Mabel regarded her future stepson he 
 glared at her balefully out of the tops of his 
 gray eyes. He was pale and slender of face like 
 his sister, and looked very small in his black 
 velvet suit. "A sickly child!" thought Mabel, 
 bracing herself; glad again of her own Spartan 
 nature. 
 
 "And this is my baby!" declared Mr. 
 Barnes, stooping to the little boy, and catching 
 him from Miss Pinkerton's grasp into his 
 strong arms. He carried him close to Mabel. 
 
 "Ain't a baby!" growled the youngster sul- 
 lenly, still scowling at Mabel, who again put 
 out an uncertain hand, wondering if she should 
 pat the black velvet. 
 
 "This lady is going to be the best friend you 
 have in the world," went on Mr. Barnes, un- 
 consciously throwing darts into the breasts of 
 daughter and housekeeper. " Kiss her, old chap." 
 
 20 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 "I won't!" The child strained back in his 
 father's arms, his eyes looking straight into 
 Mabel's. "You kept my daddy downstairs," 
 he said accusingly. 
 
 Mr. Barnes laughed. "That 's where the shoe 
 pinches, eh? Forgive him, Mabel. He's a 
 nervous little chap and he's used to my going 
 up to see him as soon as I come into the house." 
 
 Mabel felt that some gracious response was 
 due from her. She lifted the child's little hand 
 quickly and kissed it. The boy as quickly drew 
 his other hand from about his father's neck and 
 wiped off the caress with vigor. 
 
 "Does n't know when he's in luck," said Mr. 
 Barnes, putting him down, and trying to con- 
 ceal his annoyance. "Take him away, Miss 
 Pinkerton; I'm ashamed of him." 
 
 Mabel colored a little, but spoke composedly, 
 while Miss Pinkerton started to withdraw in 
 triumph. 
 
 "Why should children be expected to like 
 strangers? Junior is in luck; for he can still be 
 honest," she said. 
 
 But the retreat was not accomplished so 
 easily. The small boy broke from the restrain- 
 ing grasp, ran back to his father, and looked far 
 up into his eyes. 
 
 21 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Miss Pink'ton says you won't come up- 
 stairs," he said. "Kiss me good-night, Daddy." 
 
 His father folded his arms, and, looking down 
 at him, shook his head. "No, you're not a 
 gentleman." 
 
 Junior cast a furtive, resentful glance at 
 Mabel. 
 
 "Can't be a gent'man till I grow up?" he 
 said in gruff appeal to his father's reproachful 
 eyes. 
 
 " Shake hands with dear Miss Ford and I '11 
 kiss you," replied Mr. Barnes. 
 
 Junior again lifted the resentful gaze to 
 Mabel's countenance. She tried to smile in- 
 gratiatingly and put out her hand. The child 
 evidently strove with himself, but could not 
 yield. With a stamp of his little foot he turned, 
 and a big sob raised his chest. 
 
 Instantly springing forward, Elaine was on 
 her knees beside him. "It's all right, Junior," 
 she said, "sister '11 kiss you." She tried to take 
 him in her arms, but he pushed her away with 
 all his strength and fled from the room. The 
 embarrassment of the scene was not lessened 
 by the revelation of how little the sister meant 
 to the boy. Elaine colored consciously and 
 Victor enjoyed her discomfiture. 
 
 22 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 "It's of no use to show off a child at sleepy 
 time," she said, with an affectation of careless- 
 ness ; but she could not quite get back upon the 
 pedestal she had determined not to quit; and 
 meeting the speculative look in Victor's grave 
 eyes, she turned with relief to the maid who at 
 that instant announced dinner. 
 
 "You are going away to school," said Mabel, 
 addressing the young hostess when the soup 
 was removed. "Is it to college?" 
 
 "No," replied Elaine, with an affected lift of 
 the head. "I don't wish to go to college." 
 
 Mabel felt the possibility of any bond be- 
 tween them vanish on the instant. 
 
 "Elaine has never been very strong," said 
 her father, mentally deploring the girl's air, 
 while he attacked the deliciously browned 
 turkey set before him. "We have a native 
 heath, Mabel. I was speaking to your brother 
 about it. Little town of Brierly, only forty 
 miles from here; but you'd think it was five 
 hundred if you were set down on the farm. 
 That's where Elaine was born. I had her spend 
 this last summer with the Shanklins, some good 
 neighbors of ours there, and drink milk and 
 eat cream cheese to her heart's content." 
 
 "My heart's content!" repeated Elaine 
 
The Right Track 
 
 scornfully. " I would n't eat cream cheese to 
 save my life. There was n't much content 
 about vegetating in Brierly, I assure you." 
 
 " I thought I 'd tone her up for this last winter 
 in school," continued Mr. Barnes. 
 
 " It's a pity you 're not going to college," said 
 Mabel wistfully, gazing at the girl, who returned 
 her look brazenly. 
 
 "Why?" she asked deliberately. "Because 
 I'd be gone four years instead of one?" 
 
 Mr. Barnes struck in quickly. From his 
 manner Victor wondered whether he even real- 
 ized the incredible impertinence of this girl 
 with the angelic coloring. 
 
 "I'd be willing, perfectly willing, to send 
 Elaine to college," he pursued, struggling with 
 a second joint. He believed Miss Pinkerton had 
 purposely chosen a tough turkey. She had 
 excused herself from the meal. "But this col- 
 lege business," he went on, "takes more staying 
 power than Elaine's got. She's chosen a school 
 in New York warranted to turn out a finished 
 article." 
 
 "She has chosen well," said Victor quietly, 
 his very good-looking eyes shining; "but do 
 they guarantee the result?" 
 
 "Yes, oh, yes," laughed the host. "It's a 
 24 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 little like the promise to give proficiency in the 
 French language in twelve easy lessons; but at 
 least they charge enough to make Elaine a 
 wonder." 
 
 "She's a wonder now," declared Victor; and 
 this time Mabel came to the rescue. She did 
 not wish to see her brother break up her match 
 with the table furniture and she judged from 
 his tone that might come next. What was an 
 impertinent daughter more or less in her calcu- 
 lations ? Was she not a Spartan ? 
 
 "Victor knows that it was the desire of my 
 life to go to college," she said pacifically. 
 
 "Glad you did n't, Mabel, glad you did n't," 
 remarked the host heartily. " If you had gone, 
 perhaps now you would n't look at a plain old 
 fellow like me." 
 
 Elaine gazed at her father, her lips com- 
 pressed. Did he not know that this statuesque 
 creature, under thirty, was not looking at him? 
 Never had looked at him, and never would? 
 Two months ago he had been ignorant of her ex- 
 istence. Elaine, however, had become conscious 
 of Victor's eyes. Each time she looked up she 
 encountered their steady gaze. It intimidated 
 her in spite of her contempt for his clothes, and 
 his connivance in making her father absurd. 
 
 25 
 
The Right Track 
 
 A number of the speeches which she had 
 planned to make dropped from her list. 
 
 She uttered one, however, and it took cour- 
 age; but if her father were to be saved, this 
 would save him. She and Victor were left alone 
 for a moment just as the car came to the door. 
 Mr. Barnes had gone upstairs with Mabel and 
 taken her into the nursery to look upon Junior 
 in his sleep. The baby face even now had a 
 troubled look and Miss Pinkerton rocked 
 excitedly in her chair when her employer in- 
 sisted upon turning up the light. 
 
 As the engaged pair were coming downstairs 
 dressed for the ride home, Mabel noted her 
 brother standing, hat in one hand and the other 
 on the doorknob as if eager to be gone, his eyes 
 bent on the staircase. 
 
 "Elaine, Elaine," called Mr. Barnes, "we're off ." 
 
 The cream -white gown came softly from 
 between the dark velvet portieres, and the girl 
 held out her hand to Mabel who bade her good- 
 night. 
 
 "Say good-night to Victor," said the host 
 cheerfully. Of course the whole evening had 
 been a hard spot, but after all it had not gone 
 so badly. At any rate, the ice was broken. 
 Everything would go swimmingly after this. 
 
 26 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 Victor bowed curtly. "We've said good- 
 bye," he remarked. 
 
 He believed it, too. No matter how soft the 
 cushions of the limousine, no matter how assid- 
 uous the attentions of Mabel's lover, she would 
 not persist after this evening in what had been 
 a childish mistake on the part of both. 
 
 He could scarcely wait as he walked up and 
 down the living-room of their apartment for 
 Mabel to come upstairs. Her lover had de- 
 tained her in the ill-lighted entrance for a last 
 word, and to Victor the few minutes stretched 
 to an hour. 
 
 At last he heard her light step ascending; but 
 too slowly for his mood. Mabel looked up and 
 saw him on the landing in the feeble light of the 
 one gas-jet, and very slender and handsome he 
 looked by contrast to the middle-aged figure 
 which had just closed the door behind him. 
 
 "Dear old girl!" exclaimed the young fellow 
 between his teeth. " I 'd have come down after 
 you in another minute." He hurried her inside 
 the familiar walls. "Have you been telling him 
 it 'sail off?" 
 
 Mabel smiled into his shining, questioning 
 eyes as she removed her hat. " It was a villain- 
 ous evening, was n't it?" 
 
 27 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Well, did you tell him?" Victor shook her 
 arm in his impatience. 
 
 "Certainly not. I don't believe it would do 
 any good if I did. I believe he is capable of the 
 young Lochinvar act, using the motor instead 
 of a horse, of course." 
 
 "Mabel Ford, sit down," the speaker 
 forced his sister into a chair as he spoke. 
 "We've both made a beastly mistake. If this 
 experience has n't helped you to see it, then I 
 
 must.' 
 
 Mabel submitted to be seated and drove her 
 hat-pin in and out of the ragged arm of her 
 chair. 
 
 "Oh, he felt very sorry things hadn't been 
 pleasanter," she answered. "He just said so, 
 and he begged me to overlook the shortcomings 
 of the children. He said they had been sys- 
 tematically spoiled for five years and he had 
 been helpless to prevent it; but everything 
 would be different now." 
 
 "Everything won't be different now," re- 
 sponded Victor hotly. "Not through you. I 
 won't allow it. We can be happy, Mabel." 
 He looked down at the broad braid of her dark 
 hair as he spoke appealingly. "We shall be free 
 to go and come, and I '11 devote myself to you." 
 
 28 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 She lifted her drooping head and looked up 
 at his flashing eyes with a faint smile. "We 
 can't afford to go," she said; "and if you lose 
 your only client, very soon we can't afford to 
 
 come." 
 
 "I won't lose him. Jim Barnes is a good 
 fellow. I'll tell him the whole thing." 
 
 "What whole thing ? I 'm sure this evening has 
 resulted in no concealments. I told him just 
 now that I thought I had made a mistake. I 
 can see that I am letting myself in for a lot 
 that's disagreeable. So it was easy to be honest. 
 I told him that I was n't naturally a loving sort 
 of person or adaptable, and that I really felt 
 he would be giving me everything and I giving 
 him very little; but he would n't listen." 
 
 "Well, he shall listen," retorted Victor 
 fiercely. "You are giving him everything: your 
 self-respect, Mabel, your self-respect." 
 
 "I don't see that. I've always thought that 
 marriage should be a reasonable partnership. 
 You 've said yourself that Mr. Barnes's life was 
 an open sheet; that every man you knew spoke 
 well of him. The way he leaned over the boy 
 to-night and kissed him in his sleep when we 
 went into the nursery was very nice indeed. I 
 envied him wanting to do it. He asked me to 
 
 29 
 
The Right Track 
 
 kiss the child; but I could n't have kissed that 
 monkey for forty limousines." 
 
 "How could you refuse?" 
 
 "Oh, it was easy. I simply said that it would 
 be taking an unfair advantage." 
 
 "You're clever," declared Victor gloomily; 
 "but you can't go on," he continued, with 
 rising wrath. 
 
 "I've made up my mind, Victor." 
 
 "Then I '11 unmake it." The speaker clinched 
 his fists. "I have something to tell you about 
 Elaine." 
 
 "What a beautiful dress that was she wore," 
 said Mabel calmly, "and what a relief it was 
 when her father persuaded her to sit down at 
 the piano. She plays remarkably well." 
 
 "Damn her playing!" exploded Victor, and 
 Mabel raised her eyebrows and stared at him. 
 The whole key of their household had been low 
 and gentle for the sake of the invalid. She had 
 never seen her brother so excited. "Listen to 
 this," he went on. "It was just before Mr. 
 Barnes brought you downstairs to come away. 
 Miss Barnes was standing there enduring me 
 with that white-paper face of hers when all of a 
 sudden she said: 'Your sister looks like a girl 
 who is strong and well.' 'She is,' I replied; and 
 
 30 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 just then you and Mr. Barnes appeared at the 
 head of the stairs. She glanced up at you; then 
 back straight at me with those blue marbles of 
 eyes. 'I should suppose she would rather work,' 
 she added calmly." 
 
 Victor strode up and down the brief limits of 
 the room and a slow color rose and flooded his 
 sister's face. She did not move, but the restless 
 hand making reckless holes with the hat-pin 
 became still. 
 
 "And, by Jove, you should, Mabel!" ex- 
 claimed Victor, coming to a standstill before 
 her. "Now, then!" 
 
 He waited for the storm. None broke. Mabel 
 met his dilated eyes. "I think this is work," 
 she replied calmly; "hard work. Perhaps I 
 shan't do it well. I fancy I 'm not fitted for it." 
 
 "You're not, Mabel. The woman that goes 
 into that home should have by nature such a 
 flood of the milk of human kindness that every- 
 body in the house would wade in it, up to his 
 knees, every time he made a move." 
 
 Mabel's gaze grew thoughtful. "I believe 
 you're exactly right," she said. "It's wonder- 
 ful for you to think that out." 
 
 Victor met her hopefully. "You're a brick, 
 Mabel, and all that; but there is n't any gush 
 
The Right Track 
 
 to you. You 're a a I hate to say it, but in 
 that household you 'd be a a cold proposi- 
 tion. Don't you think so yourself?" 
 
 Mabel nodded slowly. "The trouble is," she 
 answered after a silence, "that Mr. Barnes 
 won't listen to it. He says Elaine will be gone, 
 and Miss Pinkerton will take full charge of 
 Junior and Oh, Victor," in a burst of frank- 
 ness, " I 'd hate to give it all up, and settle down 
 again to this!" She plucked scornfully at 
 the ragged chair-arm. 
 
 "Then Elaine has a perfect right to her con- 
 tempt," returned the brother, hot again. "She 
 knows that you and her father have scarcely 
 become acquainted; and she knows you're not 
 in love with him." 
 
 "And he knows it," answered Mabel per- 
 suasively. "There's no deceit anywhere. I'm 
 twenty-eight, Victor. I know my own mind." 
 
 He sank into the chair and dropped his face 
 in his hands. "And you haven't any heart," 
 he said with a groan of discouragement. 
 
 He was near and she leaned forward, resting 
 her hand on his shoulder. 
 
 "It's too much for you to ask me to give it 
 up," she said with feeling. "You were willing 
 enough yesterday. What has happened? 
 
 32 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 Nothing but the temper of two jealous children. 
 Trust me, dear old boy. We '11 both be happier 
 than we would be, disappointing Mr. Barnes so 
 frightfully. He said he would have given half 
 his kingdom to have secured us a pleasanter 
 evening. He shouldn't be punished, should 
 he?" 
 
 She waited a moment; but no reply or move- 
 ment came from her brother. 
 
 "I'll be able to do a lot for you, Victor," she 
 added, rather timidly. 
 
 Now he looked up. "Do you suppose I shall 
 ever go into that house again?" he demanded. 
 "You have been insulted." 
 
 "Not unless I think so," replied Mabel 
 quietly. "That ill-bred little chit can't insult 
 me. Have a talk with Mr. Barnes about it, if 
 you like. You'll find there are two ways to 
 look at the circumstances; but my advice 
 would be not to stir up the father against the 
 child any further. He is sufficiently displeased 
 with her already." 
 
 Silence again, while Victor gazed moodily at 
 the faded rug. 
 
 "This will mean a lot to you in a business 
 way, Victor," pursued Mabel. "Mr. Barnes 
 says so." 
 
 33 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "He's lavish with his bait, anyway," sneered 
 her brother. "All I want is for you not to be 
 miserable. It is n't too late to throw up the 
 whole thing; and my advice is for you to do it." 
 
 His sister, watching alertly for a sign in her 
 favor, thought she perceived a weakening. 
 
 "Don't I know you'd do anything for me 
 you could? Go to bed and sleep on this. If 
 you want to talk to Mr. Barnes in the morning 
 and forbid the banns, go ahead and do it." 
 
 Victor looked into his sister's eyes with a 
 straightforward, manly regard. 
 
 "If you'll back me, I will do it; but if you're 
 against me, I'm not such a fool." 
 
 Mabel rose with a smile. " I am against you, 
 Victor. I am strong and well as Elaine Barnes 
 said; strong enough to go through with it." 
 
 Then as her brother rose, and looked at her, 
 speechless, she took hold of the lapel of his coat 
 and continued softly: "Elaine goes to school 
 next week. He wants to be married quietly the 
 day after. He wants to give me a beautiful 
 gown, worthy, he says, of oh, no matter a 
 beautiful gown, all white." 
 
 Victor's face flushed. "He'll not give you a 
 gown till you belong to him." 
 
 "But, Victor," Mabel's voice was very 
 34 
 
The Interlopers 
 
 gentle, "you can't blame him for not wanting 
 me to be in black at my wedding." 
 
 "All right." Victor's hurt made his voice 
 rough. " Sell out everything here. I don't care 
 what you do. We'd boil down to a few dollars, 
 I suppose, and get yourself a white dress." 
 
 Then Mabel used the little phrase which 
 from all time has given the masculine heart an 
 impulse toward living up to expectations. Her 
 voice was grateful. 
 
 "You're always so good to me, Victor." 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 CAMILLA LOVETT 
 
 SPRING in Brierly. Forty miles away in his 
 office James Barnes considered the fact with 
 some sentiment when occasionally a balmy 
 breath of air strayed in at his window; but there 
 was little sentiment over April at the parsonage 
 where Charity, better known as Cherry, 
 Shanklin, shivered in the back yard while she 
 helped her brother Cyrus plant their little gar- 
 den. They did intensive farming, although they 
 did n't call it that. Beside the house a small 
 orchard of apple trees grew as they listed, with 
 gnarled trunks as deeply lined as the unsmiling 
 countenance of the minister. The front yard 
 of the white house was shaded with two good 
 maple trees, and some flowering shrubs were 
 budding hardily in the April sunshine. Charity 
 bordered her garden path with pinks and pan- 
 sies and sweet alyssum and had sweet peas 
 climbing about the porch when June came, but 
 now a reminder of snow was still in the air and 
 she pulled her woolen sontag closer around her 
 
 36 
 
Camilla Lovett 
 
 as she stood in the wind, consulting with her 
 brother as to the best disposition of their bit 
 of fertilized ground. 
 
 Cyrus Shanklin had filled the pulpit at 
 Brierly for thirty years. His short gray beard, 
 deeply lined cheeks and hollow eyes rising above 
 the great church Bible were a solemn reminder 
 to every child in Brierly of the necessity of 
 decorum in the sanctuary. His sister's attitude 
 toward him, although she was his junior by a 
 decade, was that of protection and a sort of 
 habitual compassion. As they stood there dis- 
 cussing lettuce, beets, and parsnips, the dis- 
 similarity of their features was apparent. The 
 long nose, the high forehead, and the gray eyes 
 of the man spoke resignation; while his sister's 
 plump, round countenance and sharp little 
 eyes expressed enterprise. Not even the steady 
 daily pressure of her brother's patient discour- 
 agement had been able to break the spring of 
 Charity's interest in life, although she had not 
 escaped a tinge of pessimism, and her tongue 
 commanded fear as well as respect. 
 
 "Do come into the house, Cyrus," she said at 
 last. "We've been at it for two hours. That's 
 enough." She pointed her adjuration with a 
 sneeze and hurried up the path toward her 
 
 37 
 
The Right Track 
 
 warm kitchen. There she washed her hands 
 and looked into a small mirror hanging over the 
 table to smooth back the very few hairs which 
 were able to make their escape from a coiffure 
 which was strictly utilitarian and as firm and 
 thorough as all of Charity's undertakings. 
 
 There was still an hour before dinner and 
 there were napkins to be hemmed; so Miss 
 Shanklin repaired to the dining-room and pulled 
 her work-basket toward her favorite rocking- 
 chair by the window. This window was one of 
 the "village watch-towers" which keep one in 
 touch with life. Owing to a little jut in the 
 architecture of the white house, it commanded a 
 view of the street, and Charity ruthlessly cut 
 away branches of the lilac bush which would 
 have hidden her gate. She had sat there but a 
 few minutes and gone across but half one side of 
 a napkin when her eyes, frequently up-glancing, 
 caught sight of a short figure on the walk. 
 
 "Why, that steps like ," she said aloud 
 and laid down the napkin, looking over the tops 
 of her steel-bowed spectacles ; " it surely does 
 but it can't be " The short figure stopped at 
 the gate, opened it, came in and started up the 
 garden path. " It is Camilla Lovett ! " exclaimed 
 Miss Shanklin, not joyously, but with some 
 
 38 
 
Camilla Lovett 
 
 excitement. She jumped up and hurried out 
 on the side porch. 
 
 "Camilla!" she called, and the visitor aban- 
 doned the path to the front door and came 
 around toward the porch. Her step was long 
 and her head held erect in the manner of those 
 on whom nature has laid a burden. The folds 
 of her coat at the back hung over a slight pro- 
 tuberance between the shoulders; but that same 
 nature had given her the wavy hair and sound 
 teeth which made the little woman's face 
 pleasant to look upon as she smiled now at her 
 hostess. 
 
 "I declare," thought Miss Shanklin, "I 
 never saw Camilla look so kind o' pretty." 
 
 "Where in the world did you spring from?" 
 she asked, holding out her hand. 
 
 "New York," returned Camilla, coming up 
 the steps. "You knew, didn't you, that I'd 
 been there the last year?" 
 
 "I heard so. Come in, come in," said Charity 
 heartily, her hospitality spurred by lively curi- 
 osity. "You must stay to dinner with us." 
 
 "Oh, I didn't come just at dinner-time, 
 did I, Cherry?" The question was put with 
 apology. 
 
 "No, not for an hour yet; but I've got pork 
 39 
 
The Right Track 
 
 and beans and brown bread, and I remember 
 you like 'em even though they do fight you." 
 
 As she spoke Charity led the way into the 
 house and helped the visitor off with her coat 
 and hat and Camilla looked about reminiscently. 
 "Is that the very same scarlet geranium?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes, or its sister; I don't remember. Get 
 out o' that chair, Daisy." As she spoke the 
 hostess brushed away a black cat with a white 
 nose and a soft bunch of white under her chin, 
 who was using the second-best chair in the 
 room. 
 
 "New York's done real well by you, 
 Camilla," said Charity, looking her guest over 
 from head to foot. "You're so spruced up I'd 
 hardly know you. You look in good keeping, 
 too. You used to be so sallow with that dys- 
 pepsia of yours." 
 
 "I was, that's so," agreed Camilla. "To-day 
 you'll see the brown bread has more cause to 
 be afraid of me." She took the rocking-chair 
 offered by her hostess. 
 
 "That's the very place you sat the last time 
 I saw you," said Charity, taking the seat va- 
 cated by Daisy, who was giving her aggrieved 
 glances and meditating her lap as a haven. 
 
 40 
 
Camilla Lovett 
 
 "Get out, get out," she said abstractedly, push- 
 ing her pet away as it came near. 
 
 "You were hemming napkins," said Camilla, 
 looking at the fallen work. "Give me one and 
 let's go on." 
 
 "After dinner, maybe," said Charity. "I 
 want to talk now. You were sitting right in 
 that chair, putting the braid on my black silk 
 skirt the last time I saw you. I remember, 
 because you were coming next day to do a lot 
 of stitching for me on the machine, and you 
 
 never came." 
 
 Camilla smiled into the sharp little eyes and 
 shook her head. "No, I Ve come now to apolo- 
 gize." 
 
 "Are you at Mrs. Emerson's again? She was 
 the one that told me you got a letter that hur- 
 ried you off to New York. I expected to hear 
 from you, but I never did. I used to say to 
 Cyrus, if it was anybody but Camilla, she'd 
 write and explain; but Cyrus never would let 
 me blame you for your disposition. You don't 
 mind my speaking plainly, Camilla. He said 
 the hand o' the Lord had been laid heavy on 
 you and 't was human to rebel. You do look 
 so kind o' different that I can see you're hap- 
 pier and better off. Ain't it a wonder that the 
 
 4 1 
 
The Right Track 
 
 color of a body's skin can change 'em so? Oh, 
 these stomachs! You can sympathize with 
 Cyrus. There's so many things he can't eat, it 
 makes it awful hard to cook for him. Well, now 
 tell me all about it." 
 
 Miss Shanklin leaned back in her chair and 
 rocked furiously in anticipation of the sating 
 of her curiosity. 
 
 "I was pretty cross-grained, was n't I?" said 
 Camilla with pensive eyes. 
 
 "I should say so. If I wanted a collar made 
 bias, I used to ask you if you didn't think 
 'twould fit better on the straight; then I got 
 it just the way I wanted it." 
 
 "Poor little Camilla," said the visitor, smil- 
 ing tenderly as if to herself. 
 
 "Jim Barnes was out here a few weeks ago 
 and was askin' about all the neighbors and he 
 asked about you; asked if you was just as even- 
 tempered as ever, mad all the time. You 
 know Jim will have his joke; he remembered 
 the way you used to snap him up; but he was 
 just like Cyrus ; said it was n't any fault o' 
 yours. He said when English folks wanted to 
 describe an ugly-tempered person, they said he 
 had a hump. Of course, you have n't got a 
 so to say a real hump, Camilla," the addition 
 
 42 
 
Camilla Lovett 
 
 was made as the hostess saw color come up 
 in the delicate cheeks. "You're just kind o' 
 high on the shoulder-blades; but everybody 
 felt 't was enough to make you sort o' crotch- 
 ety." 
 
 "It did make me crotchety," returned 
 Camilla quietly; "so crotchety that I became 
 dyspeptic." 
 
 "Oh, no; that was sittin' so much, sewing," 
 declared Charity; "but never mind. That 
 has n't anything to do with your going to New 
 York." 
 
 "Perhaps it had," said the visitor. "You'd 
 never guess what it was that made me more 
 irritable and disagreeable with every year that 
 passed." 
 
 "Why, dyspepsia, of course. You were awful 
 careless about your pepsin and you kept gettin* 
 worse; and then your back I expect it was 
 achin' lots o' times when you jawed folks." 
 Charity spoke with reasonable sympathy and 
 her flying rockers made Daisy beat a retreat. 
 
 "The ache was in here," Camilla pressed her 
 hand on her heart and met her hostess's eyes 
 full. " It came over me slowly that I should n't 
 ever marry." 
 
 "Law! That ain't anything." Charity's 
 43 
 
The Right Track 
 
 amazement was mingled with resentment. 
 "Look at me. I ain't married; but I don't bite 
 folks's heads off just for that." Then, curiosity 
 submerging resentment, "Who'd you want to 
 marry, Camilla? Since you've said that much 
 you might as well make a clean breast of it. 
 'T won't go any further." 
 
 "It wasn't anybody in particular," replied 
 the visitor simply. "I just wanted a baby." 
 
 Miss Shanklin's rocking-chair came to a stand- 
 still with such suddenness that nothing but the 
 weight of her own plump, comfortable uphol- 
 stery kept her from being thrown out. 
 
 "Camilla Lovett, how you talk!" she ejacu- 
 lated. 
 
 Camilla nodded slowly and even in the chaos 
 of Miss Shanklin's shocked sensibilities she was 
 struck by the sweet expression in her visitor's 
 steady eyes. 
 
 "Yes, I was hungry, hungry for a child; and 
 I grew very angry with a God who would put 
 such a hunger in my heart and then put the 
 heart into an unlovely body." 
 
 "Why, Camilla," gasped Miss Shanklin. "I 
 should think you'd have expected a thunder- 
 bolt!" 
 
 " I did n't care. I was wretched and reckless 
 44 
 
Camilla Loveti 
 
 and miserable and sick when the letter arrived 
 from New York from a distant relative who 
 had n't seen me for years. She asked me if I 
 could come and take care of her house and her 
 two-year-old baby while she and her husband 
 went away for a long trip which the doctor had 
 prescribed. I did n't stop to think or plan. I 
 packed in the night and left in the morning; 
 left to get my arms around that girl baby; a 
 baby that was to be all mine for a little while; 
 a baby that would n't care how I looked." 
 
 "Well!" exclaimed Charity with a long 
 breath. "Mrs. Emerson did tell the truth, then. 
 She said you went to be a housekeeper. You Ve 
 stayed there the whole year?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "It's agreed with you something wonderful. 
 You'regoin'back?" 
 
 "No. My relatives have returned, the baby's 
 mother strong and well. They don't need 
 
 me." 
 
 "But ain't you goin' to be awful homesick for 
 that baby?" 
 
 Sudden dew sparkled in the visitor's brown 
 eyes and they smiled through it. She nodded, 
 speechless. 
 
 "But you ain't mad about it, Camilla." 
 45 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Charity's tone was wondering. "That change 
 was just what you needed, surely. What you 
 goin' to do now?" 
 
 "I don't know." 
 
 "Goin' to stay in Brierly? Goin' to sew 
 again, Camilla?" 
 
 "I can't say yet. I have a feeling, though, 
 that I 'm not. The last year has been wonderful 
 in so many ways, Cherry." The speaker re- 
 garded the round face of her companion, still 
 flushed with surprise, as if doubtful how much 
 to say to her. "It has taught me," she added, 
 "to leave the old Camilla behind." 
 
 "You do look as if you 'd shed your old skin," 
 said Miss Shanklin, "and I can see you've 
 come where you 're willin' to bow to the decrees 
 o' Providence; and so you don't know what you 
 are goin' to do?" pursued Charity. 
 
 "No; but as you just said, I shall abide by 
 the decree of Providence. God will show me 
 what to do." 
 
 Miss Shanklin had begun to rock again, the 
 conversation having veered to familiar ground. 
 Now she stopped. Such an expression from 
 Camilla Lovett was more surprising than her 
 fair complexion and clear, contented eyes. 
 
 "So you got religion in New York," she said; 
 46 
 
Camilla Lovett 
 
 then added with a curious resentment: "Brierly 
 religion was n't good enough for you, it seems." 
 
 Camilla smiled at the flushing face. "You 
 talked very plainly to me a few minutes ago, 
 Cherry," she replied; "so you won't mind if I 
 say that religion in Brierly never seemed a very 
 happy thing." 
 
 "It's gay in New York, I suppose," said 
 Charity acidly; "gay like everything else." 
 
 "It's happy," returned her friend, "in some 
 places the places where I got it." Then, after 
 the silence that followed, she added softly: 
 "You remember you told me once that your 
 good brother sometimes had wakeful nights, 
 fearing he might not be one of the elect." 
 
 Charity rocked fast again. She did not know 
 exactly how to reply. Camilla had no business 
 to remember a thing like that. Her brother's 
 lined face, hollow-cheeked, hollow-eyed, appear- 
 ing above the pulpit, rose before her mental 
 vision. It symbolized a religion which this visi- 
 tor had renounced. Religion in Charity's own 
 experience had been a commodity the reverse of 
 lucrative, which must be purveyed once a week 
 and patiently and discreetly handled. It in- 
 volved much doing-up of linen and brushing of 
 old coats and untiring ingenuity in making both 
 
 47 
 
The Right Track 
 
 ends meet; but it was the religion of her fathers, 
 and that Cyrus could n't take it as philosophi- 
 cally as she did was his misfortune. 
 
 "My brother is good," she said shortly, 
 "as good a man as ever lived." 
 
 "He is, I'm sure," agreed Camilla; then will- 
 ing to make a diversion she continued: "You 
 said Jim Barnes was out here. How is he look- 
 ing?" 
 
 "Well, he's like everybody else: he don't 
 grow any younger. Still he looks in good keep- 
 ing in spite of his wife." 
 
 "What do you mean by that?" 
 
 "Oh, he didn't say much, but I've heard. 
 She 't was Hetty Landor, you remember 
 Hetty; well, she married a good-for-nothin' 
 clerk in the city and she 's had to go to sewin' ; 
 and she 's been doing mendin' and such-like for 
 the new Mrs. Barnes. She came out here lately 
 and told me about it. Says she's awful high- 
 headed and absent-minded, and don't know nor 
 care how the house runs. Just reads from morn- 
 in' till night. Don't it beat all how one man's 
 meat is another man's poison ? Jim 's got a little 
 boy five or six years old, and Hetty says she 
 feels to pity that child." 
 
 Camilla leaned forward in her chair. 
 
Camilla Lovett 
 
 " I knew Jim had a daughter. I never heard 
 of the little one." 
 
 "Law, yes. You did know that he came be- 
 fore he was invited and 'twas his birth took 
 Lucy Barnes away. You've forgotten. Lucy 
 was a real loss to Jim. She was my cousin, you 
 know, and as sensible as they make 'em. Jim's 
 done just what fool men usually do, married a 
 woman half his age, and he 7 s reap in' the conse- 
 quences. Hetty said there did n't seem to be 
 any men around the new wife except her 
 brother, but that'll probably come later." 
 
 "Oh, Cherry, don't talk that way!" 
 
 "Now, why could n't he have married say 
 you, for instance," went on Charity. "Then 
 he'd 'a' had a mother for his children worth 
 talkin' about. When a man marries the second 
 time, it ought to be for his children's sake, not 
 his own." 
 
 "Can't the daughter be a help?" asked 
 Camilla. "Seems to me Ellen must be nearly 
 grown up." 
 
 "Ellen!" Miss Shanklin paused in her rock- 
 ing just long enough to purse her lips. "I had 
 Ellen here with me all through July for my 
 sins, I guess. Jim just swears by Brierly and he 
 thought 'twould do his dear little girl good!" 
 
 49 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Pen cannot describe the satirical tone of this 
 declaration. 
 
 "I 'm sorry if she disappointed you," said the 
 guest. 
 
 "That girl, Camilla Lovett! Well! I think 
 with her and the hifalutin wife, Jim Barnes's 
 collection is just about complete. She's the 
 most air-y individual that ever looked in the 
 glass. In the first place, you must n't say Ellen 
 any more. Dear me, no! She calls herself 
 Elaine ! Elaine, mind you ! ' Cousin Cherry,' ' 
 Charity imitated a most affected drawl, " ' would 
 you mind letting me have my breakfast in bed ? 
 Father wishes it!'" 
 
 The speaker drew herself up for her drama- 
 tization, and then rocked to the limit as she 
 proceeded : 
 
 "'The cat's foot and the kitten's elbow!' I 
 says to her. ' You don't need your breakfast in 
 bed any more'n I do. When you're sick, I'll 
 take care of you. You ain't sick now; you're 
 just pale from bein' shut up in the house and 
 schoolrooms. What you need's exercise.' 'I 
 believe I'll get a horse,' says Ellen; 'I've been 
 to ridin'-school.' 'Well, get a horse,' says I, 
 'and ride up to Elm Farm every day. Your 
 father sets store by every leaf and twig on that 
 
 50 
 
Camilla Lovett 
 
 old place. The folks there won't mind you. I '11 
 tell 'em you're harmless. Go up there and ride 
 around and write your father how things look.' 
 Oh, well," Charity sighed, "we got through 
 with it somehow. Ellen was a kind o' nice little 
 girl. I used to like her when she came here with 
 her mother." 
 
 "But can't she take care of that little bro- 
 ther?" asked Camilla, in whose mother-heart 
 rankled the reference to the small boy. 
 
 "Law, no. She went to New York to school, 
 time her father was married. A pity she could 
 n't find some o' your religion there!" finished 
 Charity tartly. 
 
 "I wish she could, poor child," returned 
 Camilla. 
 
 "No; James Junior's kind o' lost in the 
 shuffle, from what Hetty says. There was a 
 woman there takin' care of him the time o' the 
 weddin' and I s'pose she'd pretty well run 
 things and didn't like the reins bein' taken 
 away. There was some kind of a tussle and she 
 left soon after the marriage, and there's been 
 a procession of women since, all sizes and ages, 
 but nobody stays very long. Little Jim's an 
 awful disagreeable child, Hetty says; kind o' 
 sickly and cross, and Mrs. B. has her nose in a 
 
The Right Track 
 
 book all the time; you can just imagine the 
 way things go." 
 
 "And did n't Jim speak to you of his troubles 
 when he was here?" 
 
 "Not a word. Of course I asked after his 
 wife and he said she was very well; but his 
 errand in Brierly seemed to be to look at the 
 farm again. Never saw anything like the way 
 that busy, rich man clings to that old place 
 where he used to go coastin'. Seems if he must 
 see it once in so often." 
 
 "How strange that Mrs. Barnes did n't come 
 with him." 
 
 "He said he tried to get her to, but that day 
 there was a meetin' of one of her clubs and she 
 could n't come very well. You see!" 
 
 "I'm sorry," said Camilla, and her brown 
 eyes seemed to gaze far away. 
 
 "Say, Camilla," said Charity suddenly, "I 
 wonder if you would be so good as to look over 
 my old suit and see if you think the sleeves could 
 be changed to be something like yours. Yours 
 are so pretty; just as pretty as they can be." 
 
 "I'd be glad to," replied the visitor, and 
 Charity rose with alacrity and led the way into 
 her bedroom. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 IN THE OFFICE 
 
 JAMES BARNES was in his private office in a 
 quiet part of the day. On his desk stood the 
 picture of a handsome woman, a broad dark 
 braid of hair crowning her head above the low 
 broad forehead. There was a good space be- 
 tween this picture and two other photographs 
 in a folding leather case, which he suddenly 
 took down for closer inspection. There were 
 lines in his forehead as he gazed. The young 
 girl in the white gown he passed over lightly; 
 but his eyes fixed on the picture of the small boy 
 sitting on one leg with the other foot dangling 
 in front of him. Mr. Barnes studied the face 
 and the plump legs. The stricture in his breast 
 brought a deeper frown. 
 
 "He's running down. The boy 's runn ng 
 down," he muttered. "There is n't a doubi of 
 it." 
 
 The photographer had evidently succeeded 
 in showing some object which won approval 
 from the child, for the face wore an expression 
 of interest which for some reason brought 
 
 53 
 
The Right Track 
 
 a stinging sensation to the grain dealer's 
 eyelids. 
 
 He recalled the petulant little voice that 
 greeted him at night, and remembered how list- 
 less had been the reception of the mechanical 
 toy he had carried home last evening. 
 
 "A man's a clumsy brute," he said to him- 
 self, swallowing the obstruction in his throat; 
 then he muttered above his breath to the eyes 
 looking at him: "I'd give all I've got to buy 
 you what you need, little chap; but I can't get 
 a line on it. And if I could, money won't buy 
 it even if it's on earth; and I guess it is n't. I 
 guess all our share is in the burying-ground at 
 Brierly. My little boy!" The eyelids stung 
 afresh and the grain dealer pressed the top of 
 the leather case he held against them. 
 
 A knock sounded on the door. He hurriedly 
 replaced the photographs on top of the desk, 
 and was blowing his nose when Victor Ford 
 entered the room. 
 
 The young lawyer's appearance indicated 
 that the past nine months had seen him ascend 
 several rungs of the business ladder. 
 
 "Busy, Mr. Barnes?" he asked, pulling a 
 bunch of papers out of his pocket as he ad- 
 vanced alertly. 
 
 S4 
 
In the Office 
 
 At the same moment the grain dealer drew 
 lome papers toward himself from the back of 
 his desk. "Very," he replied gruffly, without 
 turning around. 
 
 The young man stopped, uncertainly. He 
 and his mature brother-in-law were excellent 
 friends. "Anything wrong?" he asked. 
 
 "I've got a cold. I should think you could 
 see that." Mr. Barnes blew his nose again. 
 "Lovely spring usually brings us a little souve- 
 nir of that kind, you know. What do you want, 
 Ford?" 
 
 He had himself in hand now and looked up 
 into the face of the young man standing by his 
 desk. 
 
 "Why, I'd like to know what's troubling 
 you, if you're willing to tell me," returned 
 Victor frankly. The undercurrent of anxiety 
 which had disturbed him throughout the winter 
 bubbled up. 
 
 "You're a mind reader, eh? Well, I don't 
 mind telling you. I've been feeling worried 
 about Junior lately. Sit down." Victor obeyed. 
 "You've been seeing the youngster at least 
 once a week all winter. I 'm interested to know 
 if you notice a sort of a sort of well, de- 
 cline in him, you might say." 
 
 55 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Relief soothed Victor's fear. If it was only 
 Junior! 
 
 "Why, I can't say I have noticed anything 
 like that, Mr. Barnes. Are n't children always 
 pale when they're growing?" 
 
 "Are they? I suppose they are. We lost two 
 children between Elaine and Junior. I guess 
 I'm pretty nervous." 
 
 "Is Mabel worried about him?" 
 
 At the question Mr. Barnes turned away and 
 picked up a paper-knife. "No, oh, no; I don't 
 think Mabel is worried about him." 
 
 "Of course, Mabel does n't know much about 
 children," said Ford, the creeping anxiety mov- 
 ing again in his depths. 
 
 "No," replied Mr. Barnes, " and we have n't 
 been fortunate in finding the right person to 
 take care of the boy. There has been an as- 
 sortment of women since Miss Pinkerton left, 
 and I don't like the present incumbent at all. 
 She seems a sly, flattering sort to me; but 
 Mabel likes her better than any one we've 
 had and thinks we'd better let well enough 
 alone." 
 
 "I'm sorry," said Victor gravely. The two 
 pairs of eyes met, and glanced away again sud- 
 denly. 
 
 56 
 
In the Office 
 
 Presently Victor looked back at his compan- 
 ion. 
 
 "I'm more than sorry," he blurted out, 
 speaking quickly; "sorry my sister isn't a 
 better housekeeper, a better mother, a better 
 home-maker. I have eyes and I must say it 
 once." 
 
 The lines of the older man's face changed and 
 his eyes, gazing into Victor's, turned cold. 
 
 "If you ever say it again, or anything ap- 
 proaching it, our relations cease. Do you 
 understand ? " 
 
 "Yes I yes," stammered Ford. 
 
 "The beam in your own eye, young man, 
 requires some attention," went on Mr. Barnes, 
 without giving the other time to recover from 
 his embarrassment. "I have no jurisdiction 
 over you, but I 'm your friend and I simply tell 
 you that you 're making the first moves on one 
 of the slipperiest toboggan slides on the planet." 
 
 Victor grew scarlet, and looked with appre- 
 hension into his brother-in-law's face. 
 
 " I have n't tried to keep tabs on you in any 
 way, but it has come to me straight the sup- 
 pers at Florios's and the games at Baxter's. 
 I've been able to give you a lift. Is this what 
 you're going to do with it?" 
 
 57 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Victor rose and paced the floor in silence. 
 
 "I suppose I know your circumstances pretty 
 well, and the very fact that you can visit those 
 places a second time shows me that you are 
 playing in luck, as they say; though the devil 
 knows worse luck never befell a man." 
 
 The young lawyer was very white as he sud- 
 denly paused again by the desk and met the 
 cool gray eyes. 
 
 "Have you told my sister?" he asked. 
 
 Mr. Barnes, leaning back in his chair, re- 
 turned his gaze for a silent moment. 
 
 "That's a fool question, boy," he replied at 
 last quietly; "but your sister has told me much 
 that throws light on your actions." 
 
 Victor wondered what was to come. 
 
 "She has told me of all the pinching and 
 sacrifice; of your pluck and self-denial. There 
 need n't have been any reaction. Some fellows 
 similarly placed have the stamina to keep on 
 climbing. You weren't that sort. You find 
 yourself for the first time without saddle or bri- 
 dle or burden; with no sense of responsibility; 
 and you're scampering and kicking up your 
 heels in the green fields adjoining the path of 
 duty in which you've been held till now; and 
 you think you're having a good time because 
 
In the Office 
 
 you're calling it freedom. 'T is n't freedom, 
 though. It's slavery." 
 
 Mr. Barnes's dry voice paused a moment, 
 then went on. "I like you, Victor, and I'm 
 telling you. That's all." 
 
 Color surged high again in the young lawyer's 
 face. He started to speak, but apparently could 
 not. Just as he was moving toward the door, 
 uncertain whether he was most angry or most 
 ashamed, a knock sounded again, and at once 
 Mr. Barnes's stenographer entered the room. 
 She was bringing a card. 
 
 Her employer waved her away. " I 'm busy," 
 he said; "I can't see anybody." 
 
 "I told her that, sir, and I asked her her 
 business, but she said it was only to see you and 
 she insisted on my bringing in the card." 
 
 " Send her away. Don't you know better by 
 this time than to bother me with agents or beg- 
 gars in business hours?" 
 
 The stenographer lifted her head. "I do," 
 she returned, much injured. "She isn't a 
 beggar nor an agent. They don't usually write, 
 * For Auld Lang Syne ' on their cards, I believe." 
 
 James Barnes took the rejected pasteboard 
 and looked at it. 
 
 He gave an exclamation. "Watch the clock, 
 59 
 
The Right Track 
 
 please, Miss Perkins, and send her in here in 
 five minutes," he said. "You did quite right." 
 
 Miss Perkins's backbone was extremely rigid 
 as she left the room. As the door closed, her 
 employer rose. "You remember my speaking 
 to you of Brierly, Ford? This woman who is 
 calling on me is Brierly's prize sour ball, 
 Camilla Lovett. I heard she was in New York, 
 not in our town. Well, poor little thing! per- 
 haps counter-irritants are good things. Any- 
 way, she knows Brierly, and it '11 be a diversion 
 to hear her beat up the inhabitants." 
 
 "Then I'll leave you to your diversion, Mr. 
 Barnes," said Victor. 
 
 "Like to have you meet her," returned the 
 grain dealer. 
 
 "Thank you, I feel that I don't require her 
 specialty just at present," said Victor stiffly; 
 and then the door opened and Miss Perkins 
 ushered in the visitor. 
 
 Victor glanced at her, and even in his dis- 
 turbance felt some surprise at the childlike 
 stature of such a fierce character. But he suc- 
 ceeded in slipping away while Camilla looked 
 about, a little awed by what to her inexperience 
 seemed the pomp and circumstance surround- 
 ing her old friend. She felt relieved when he 
 
 60 
 
In the Office 
 
 met her with a kindly hand-shake, for which 
 Miss Perkins's manner had not prepared her. 
 
 "Well, well, Camilla!" exclaimed Mr. 
 Barnes. "I call it pretty nice of you to look 
 me up." 
 
 There had been a thought at the back of the 
 man's mind that the little woman was probably 
 in financial straits and that she had come to 
 him in need; but her appearance seemed to dis- 
 prove this. 
 
 "All right, Miss Perkins," he said with a 
 careless nod to the stiff-necked young woman 
 who lingered with some curiosity concealed 
 beneath her dutiful exterior. She withdrew, 
 closing the door, and Mr. Barnes placed a chair 
 for Camilla by the desk and took his accus- 
 tomed place. 
 
 "You've deserted Brierly, they tell me," he 
 went on, looking into the pleasant face, pri- 
 vately a little amused at the company manners 
 it could assume. 
 
 "No, not deserted it, Mr. Barnes." 
 
 "Mr. Barnes!" he repeated scornfully. "It 
 didn't use to be 'Mr. Barnes' when I took 
 you on my sled." 
 
 Camilla looked around, still with some rem- 
 nants of awe. 
 
 61 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "These walls," she said, "look as if they 
 would be horrified to hear me call you Jim." 
 
 "Do 'em good to get a jolt," returned the 
 host. He shook his head thoughtfully. "Pre- 
 cious few folks to call me Jim nowadays. I 
 have to go back to Brierly for that. You mean 
 Brierly to me, Camilla." They looked at one 
 another; each viewing the change in the other 
 in the last decade. 
 
 "Not such a thorny brier as I used to be, 
 I hope," she said, smiling. 
 
 "By jingo, is it those silver threads in your 
 hair that are so becoming? You're growing 
 handsome, Camilla. Went to a beauty doctor 
 in New York, I guess. Tess up now; I know 
 you did." 
 
 "Why, of course," she laughed. "I could n't 
 miss such an opportunity." 
 
 "What else did you do? What took you off 
 from home between two days?" 
 
 "Oh, I didn't have a home, you know. I 
 was just on sufferance; Mrs. Emerson was very 
 kind and all that; but I was a free lance and I 
 got a call to go, and I fled. You see, we lonely 
 folks, we run around the world sort of wistful, 
 like little stray dogs, longing to belong some- 
 where and to somebody. Well, I had a chance 
 
 62 
 
In the Office 
 
 to belong to a baby for a whole year. Her par- 
 ents had to go away. It was wonderful ! but " 
 Camilla smiled and sighed "they returned; 
 so back I came." 
 
 "Poor youngster!" thought James Barnes. 
 "That sure was heroic treatment for the baby, 
 warranted to kill or cure. Camilla on a tirade! 
 Stand from under." 
 
 "You enjoyed it, eh?" he asked aloud. Then, 
 with secret humor: "How's the baby?" 
 
 "She's she's too sweet to talk about," 
 returned the visitor, and her eyes glistened sud- 
 denly. "I can't talk about her, Jim. I'm too 
 silly." 
 
 "Well, well," thought the grain dealer, watch- 
 ing the April face; "this looks a lot like the 
 taming of the shrew." 
 
 "When have you been to Brierly?" 
 
 "Nearly a month ago. I had dinner with 
 Cherry and Mr. Shanklin." 
 
 "I suppose it made you feel as if you had n't 
 been away at all." 
 
 "No," Camilla shook her head. "Nothing 
 can do that. I lived in a nightmare all my life 
 till last April, Jim. A bad dream, full of ugly 
 shapes, poverty, and sickness, and hunger for 
 things I couldn't have; and, spreading its 
 
 63 
 
The Right Track 
 
 wings over all like a big bat, was fear." Camilla 
 shook her head. " I tell you, Jim, it's wonderful 
 to wake up." 
 
 Mr. Barnes regarded the expressive face whose 
 liquid eyes deepened to wells of light as she 
 spoke, and curiosity and interest filled him. 
 
 "I'd like to see that baby," he remarked. 
 "It ought to be carried through the streets like 
 that bambino over there in Italy." 
 
 "That's enough about me," she returned. 
 "Tell me about yourself." 
 
 " I 'm the same old humdrum, Camilla. Still 
 scratching gravel to find the grains of wheat." 
 
 "I hear you have a beautiful wife." 
 
 "Yes, I want to have you meet Mabel if 
 you're going to stay in town. What are you 
 going to do next? Have you a position 
 here?" 
 
 "No. I 'm after one, to tell the truth. I don't 
 much care to go back to sewing in Brierly. My 
 baby's parents gave me a generous present 
 which gives me time to look around, and I 
 thought perhaps you'd be willing to be my 
 reference if I found something in the city. 
 Cherry says Ellen is away at school." 
 
 "Yes. I must tell you. The little minx has 
 turned against her homespun name, and I guess 
 
In the Office 
 
 she'd been reading Tennyson a good deal. At 
 any rate, she's Elaine now. Why not? There 
 is n't any too much fun in this old world, and if 
 she wants to masquerade as the lily maid of 
 Astolat, let her. Was n't Elaine the lily maid 
 of Astolat, Camilla?" 
 
 "I don't know, Jim." 
 
 "Well, mine's a lily maid all right, poor little 
 pale thing. If New York will only do as much 
 for her as it has for you, I '11 toss up my hat. 
 Send her the address of your beauty doctor, 
 will you, Camilla?" 
 
 The visitor, her head dropped to one side, 
 returned his twinkling gaze wistfully. 
 
 "Gladly," she said. 
 
 "Oh, no, I forgot. It was the baby." The 
 speaker sighed unconsciously. "Elaine isn't 
 very handy with babies." 
 
 "How's yours, Jim?" asked Camilla quietly. 
 "Getting to be a big boy, I suppose." 
 
 A cloud fell over the host's face. He turned 
 to the desk, and taking down the photograph 
 case handed it to her. "There are my jewels," 
 he said. 
 
 "Oh, yes, I can see Ellen's little-girl looks 
 still," said the visitor, "and that's your fine 
 boy. How he looks like Lucy." 
 
 65 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Yes, he does. He he Junior isn't as 
 husky as I 'd like to see him." 
 
 "He's James Second, is he?" asked Camilla, 
 still with her eyes on the picture and a prayer 
 in her heart. The relaxing of her old friend's 
 face and the change in his eyes when she asked 
 for the baby had not escaped her, looking, as 
 she was, for a sign. "And that lovely lady," she 
 said, nodding her head toward the other photo- 
 graph. 
 
 "Yes, this is Mrs. Barnes." The speaker 
 handed the picture to Camilla, who studied the 
 low, broad forehead, the regular features, and 
 the smoothly braided hair. 
 
 "You must meet her, Camilla. You must go 
 home with me to dinner to-night. Why not? 
 I shall be ready to go in fifteen minutes. You 
 have n't any engagement, I hope." 
 
 "None." 
 
 "Good. I suppose you did n't go up to the 
 farm if you were only a short time in the vil- 
 lage." 
 
 "No. Cherry told me, though, that it is to 
 be sold. Mr. Metcalf is ill and the doctors are 
 sending them to California. They have n't the 
 money to go and must get it out of the farm." 
 
 "So?" James Barnes leaned forward eagerly, 
 66 
 
In the Office 
 
 his hands on his knees. "I've been waiting to 
 be pushed over the brink. I'm crazy for the 
 old place myself. Do you suppose this is my 
 shove, Camilla?" 
 
 The visitor smiled. "You'll be shown, Jim. 
 Did you ever think how much life seems to be 
 like that game of magic music we used to play 
 when we were children? We came into the 
 room, just as we come into the world, not 
 knowing what we were meant to do; and some 
 one sits at the piano and plays; the music is soft 
 when you're going in the wrong direction, but 
 increasingly loud and encouraging when you're 
 headed right. We have the great Musician to 
 listen to, Jim." 
 
 She caught her lower lip between her teeth 
 and watched him, and he watched her, with the 
 old amused look of surprise and interest. 
 
 "What a baby that must have been!" he 
 said at last. 
 
 "And if it were the baby," she replied, "is n't 
 it written: 'And a little child shall lead them'?" 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 MADEMOISELLE 
 
 VICTOR FORD went straight from his brother- 
 in-law's office to his sister's home. He had a 
 latch-key, and the very fact gave him an added 
 sense of unworthiness as he fitted it into the 
 door. He was still smarting; but the little key 
 seemed at that moment a symbol of all the 
 confidence and kindness shown him in the last 
 nine months by his brother-in-law. 
 
 Mabel was seldom at home in the daytime. 
 That he knew; and he wondered suddenly what 
 his errand here was. The vague dissatisfaction 
 with his sister which had been deepening all 
 winter had been bringing him slowly to the 
 point where he felt he must try to formulate 
 her sins of omission and commission, and face 
 her with them; but James Barnes had dashed 
 his worthy intent with a surprising bucket of 
 cold water; and now why was he calling on 
 Mabel at this hour of the day? He certainly 
 was not going to dine at the table of the man 
 who had given him the recent rebuke. It was 
 
 68 
 
Mademoiselle 
 
 doubtful if he ever dined there again. Barnes 
 must take his chances with the unsuitable wife 
 he had been determined to possess. Victor 
 reflected with some consolation that he would 
 henceforth be on formal terms only with this 
 household. To be sure! That was what he had 
 come for: to return the latch-key to Mabel. 
 
 On entering the dim hall, a woman passing 
 through paused, and turned. 
 
 "Oh, it is not Monsieur," she said respect- 
 fully. "ItisMeesterFord." 
 
 "Yes. Is Mrs. Barnes at home?" asked 
 Victor. His tone was in rough contrast to the 
 Frenchwoman's ingratiating manner. He re- 
 membered his brother-in-law's comments upon 
 her. 
 
 "Yes. I tell Madame. Meester Ford will 
 wait in the salon?" 
 
 "No, not if she's dressed. I '11 come right up." 
 
 "Vair well, Meester Ford. Madame ees in 
 her atelier" 
 
 Victor took the stairs two at a time and the 
 Frenchwoman looked after him with a little 
 frown before she proceeded on her way to order 
 Junior's supper. "He is handsome. He might 
 be gentil; but he is one beast," was her com- 
 ment. 
 
 69 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Victor knocked at a closed door and, receiv- 
 ing a summons, walked in. 
 
 "You, Victor?" exclaimed Mabel. "I 
 thought you had deserted us." 
 
 She looked up from the depths of her arm- 
 chair, but did not rise. The ashes of a dead fire 
 lay on the untidy hearth. Shelves of books ran 
 along the sides of the room whose furniture was 
 sparse and expensive. The large table was lit- 
 tered with books; the open desk with papers. 
 Victor's eyes, glancing around the room dis- 
 approvingly, came to rest on his sister. 
 
 She had evidently just come in, for her hat 
 and coat were on a chair and her hat-pins had 
 pulled her hair awry. 
 
 Her brother approached and touched her up- 
 lifted face with his lips. 
 
 " I don't believe you Ve consulted the mirror 
 since you came in," he said. 
 
 "You can see there is n't one if you look 
 about," she answered, smiling. "Am I such a 
 fright?" She put her hands to her hair and 
 endeavored to pat it into place. "We had such 
 a long session at the club to-day, and being 
 secretary, of course I had to stay to the end. 
 I'm tired to death." But as she made the dec- 
 laration Mabel met his eyes smilingly. Her 
 
 70 
 
Mademoiselle 
 
 brother had longed to see her happy. He knew 
 now that she was so. 
 
 "I was just wondering," she went on, 
 "whether I had energy enough to change my 
 dress for dinner. Now your coming has decided 
 the matter. I'll visit with you instead and 
 you'll stay to dinner." 
 
 "I wouldn't dine with you looking that 
 way," he returned, taking the chair nearest 
 her. She looked up, wondering at his ill-tem- 
 per. 
 
 "Many and many a time," she said, "you've 
 dined with me looking a great deal worse. This 
 suit was made by one of the most expensive 
 people in town." 
 
 "Times have changed," said Victor. "You 
 owe something to your husband." 
 
 "I owe him everything," returned Mabel 
 equably. 
 
 "How do you pay?" asked Victor, and his 
 gaze was so accusing that his sister paused a 
 moment, and in the pause there came a blow 
 on the door; it flew open and in rushed a small 
 boy, red in the face with fury. 
 
 "I hate her, and I'll kick her," he roared, 
 running to Mabel and giving her a blow on the 
 arm for good measure. 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Junior, what is the matter!" exclaimed his 
 stepmother, shaking him angrily. The French- 
 woman came in panting with haste. 
 
 "Oh, Madame, it is a shame to trouble 
 Madame!" 
 
 "Here, here, son," said Victor as he saw his 
 sister in danger from a pair of small patent 
 leather pumps. He seized the child, and held 
 him struggling between his knees while Mabel 
 rubbed her assaulted arm. 
 
 "A shame, a shame," went on the French- 
 woman shrilly. "That cook, she is a devil, 
 Madame. She give Junior patisserie all I can 
 say. I find heem there now, eating eating. 
 When he have those migraine in the night I 
 cannot sleep." The woman's black eyes flashed 
 arrows at the child, who kicked impotently at 
 her, sobbing with rage; and in the midst of the 
 noise and conflict in walked Mr. Barnes and 
 Camilla Lovett. 
 
 "What's all this?" asked the master of the 
 house, and Victor loosed the struggling boy, 
 who ran to his father and was clasped, trem- 
 bling, in his arms. 
 
 Mabel rose. " I wish you came in oftener to 
 see what I go through with that child," she 
 said coldly. "Mademoiselle found him eating 
 
 72 
 
Mademoiselle 
 
 pastry in the kitchen and because she took him 
 away, this results." 
 
 Mabel's eyes were fixed upon the visitor who 
 stood waiting. Her anger was not lessened by 
 this informal ushering of a stranger into their 
 circle at an inopportune moment. 
 
 "You must pardon me, dear, for bringing an 
 old friend right upstairs," said her husband. 
 "This is Miss Camilla Lovett from Brierly, : anc 
 I was so pleased to see her, I brought her home^ ^ 
 to finish our talk and have some dinner with ^ 
 us. Hush, son." All through this speech Mr. 
 Barnes was patting the frail, panting little 
 figure who still emitted sobs. 
 
 "How do you do, Miss Lovett?" The hostess 
 stepped forward and shook hands with the little 
 woman whose face expressed peace in the dis- 
 cordant room. 
 
 " I 'm sorry to have come in just as your little 
 boy was in trouble," said Camilla. 
 
 Junior, hearing the strange voice and being 
 nervous to the verge of hysteria, lifted his head 
 with his eyes shut, and shouted in her direction: 
 "Shut up!" 
 
 "It serves James exactly right," thought 
 Mabel, standing straight and helpless in the 
 emergency. 
 
 73 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Mechant fils!" hissed the Frenchwoman, 
 approaching the father and trying to take the 
 child from his arms. 
 
 Junior's strength was exhausted. Mr. 
 
 Barnes saw that his wife either did not incline 
 
 ~>r else did not know how to make the situation 
 
 j 's embarrassing for the visitor, so he loosed 
 
 ) . clinging arms. 
 
 j "Mademoiselle will bring you to us at des- 
 ^sert," he said to the child. 
 
 "That is my good boy," coaxed the French- 
 woman. "We have toast and honey for him. 
 Now, come away." She succeeded in getting 
 possession of her charge and Mabel's brow 
 cleared. 
 
 "I'm in disgrace, too, Mademoiselle," she 
 said. "Why did n't you make me dress for 
 dinner? My brother is displeased at my appear- 
 
 ance." 
 
 "Ah, Monsieur," returned Mademoiselle 
 smoothly, while Junior eyed the quiet little 
 stranger-woman under swollen eyelids. "Ma- 
 dame is all for the brain, all for the brain. She 
 care nossing for her beauty." 
 
 Then Junior's little thin legs moved wearily 
 away beside her out into the hall and the door 
 closed behind them. 
 
 74 
 
Mademoiselle 
 
 Mabel toyed with a book on the table and 
 half-smiled as if pleased. Victor saw the com- 
 pression of the husband's lips. He put aside the 
 remembrance of his own stings in the hot impa- 
 tience he felt with his sister. 
 
 "Miss Lovett," he said, approaching with his 
 best manner, " I think Mr. Barnes believes that 
 we have met. I am Mrs. Barnes's brother, 
 Victor Ford. I was in his office when you called 
 this afternoon and left just as you came in. 
 May I take your wrap?" 
 
 "Camilla may like to go to your room, 
 Mabel," said Mr. Barnes. 
 
 The hostess came out of her trance. "Oh, 
 certainly, Miss Miss " 
 
 "Lovett," said James Barnes. 
 
 "Right in here, Miss Lovett," said Mabel, 
 picking up her own hat and coat. 
 
 Her husband held open the door which led to 
 his wife's bedroom. 
 
 " I have n't an idea what we 're going to 
 have for dinner," said Mabel lightly; "but I 
 have a very reliable woman in my kitchen. 
 She's always sure to treat us sufficiently 
 well." 
 
 The door clicked. Victor Ford picked up his 
 own hat and coat and started for the hall. His 
 
 75 
 
The Right Track 
 
 brother-in-law apparently did not comprehend 
 his movement. 
 
 "That's no sort of treatment, you can see," 
 he said, pacing the floor. 
 
 Victor paused. His heart felt sore; but he 
 endeavored to keep all feeling out of his voice. 
 
 "Mabel knows nothing of Miss Lovett, I 
 suppose. She might as well have fallen from 
 the clouds." 
 
 " I don't mean that. I mean Junior. He was 
 nervous enough before; but this woman has a 
 bad influence on him. I trust her less and less. 
 I Ve tried already to get Mabel to dismiss her, 
 but the poor girl has been through so much with 
 helpers ' 
 
 "And," said Victor, looking his companion 
 hardily in the face, "we can't always employ a 
 flatterer, you know." 
 
 Mr. Barnes met his look, paused a moment, 
 then paced on. 
 
 "We all like flattery," he said simply. 
 
 "We vary in the amount we can swallow at a 
 gulp. The woman has found Mabel's weakest 
 spot. If she has any beauty, it is certainly 
 nothing to her." 
 
 " She leaves that to me," responded the hus- 
 band. 
 
Mademoiselle 
 
 Victor glared at him once more; then with a 
 curt "Good-bye" he turned to the door. 
 
 "I'd like you to stay to dinner if you're not 
 engaged," said Mr. Barnes quietly. 
 
 Victor paused without turning back. 
 
 "I have a hunch," continued his host, "that 
 we 're not going to be a very congenial triangle. 
 I wish you 'd stay and talk to Mabel and give 
 me a chance at Brierly." 
 
 "All right," said Victor briefly, and threw 
 down his burden. 
 
 Mabel's good humor continued throughout 
 the dinner. She occasionally gave significant 
 glances of amusement at her brother as her 
 husband indulged in reminiscence with his 
 humble little friend of long ago. James was 
 hopelessly democratic; that she already knew, 
 and she was no climber except mentally. She 
 had learned to listen leniently to tales of Bri- 
 erly and had frequently promised to visit 
 the scene of her husband's boyhood; but when- 
 ever James Barnes saw a loophole of leisure 
 through which he could step for a day, his 
 wife had some engagement too important to 
 be broken. 
 
 Mabel found her brother rather subdued, but 
 sufficiently responsive to her accounts of a great 
 
 77 
 
The Right Track 
 
 actress at present interpreting Ibsen plays in 
 the metropolis; and she was deploring his pref- 
 erence for musical comedy when the dessert 
 was brought in. 
 
 Simultaneously another door opened and the 
 heir of the house in clean blouse and diminutive 
 velvet trousers entered the dining-room. His 
 somber white face turned at once toward Ca- 
 milla. 
 
 "There now!" exclaimed his father brightly. 
 "This is more like it. Here's my boy. I did n't 
 know that cry-baby upstairs." He held out his 
 arms and Junior approached him slowly, his 
 eyes still gazing, fascinated, at Camilla, who 
 regarded him, smiling. All through the meal 
 her thoughts had turned to the child, and her 
 heart had ached for him. The woman who stood 
 in his mother's place was a marvel to her. 
 Mabel had evidently thrown off the recent scene 
 with an ease which indicated its frequency. She 
 could discuss Ibsen plays with heat, while this 
 little soul took and gave his wounds abovestairs 
 unheeded. As Camilla regarded the child now, 
 the difference from his pictured face in the 
 photograph impressed her. 
 
 The music, the magic music of love, which 
 had brought her to the city seemed to swell in 
 
 78 
 
Mademoiselle 
 
 her ears as she yearned toward the dull eyes 
 that stared at her. 
 
 Junior yielded mechanically as his father 
 lifted him to a seat beside himself. Conversa- 
 tion about the table ceased for the moment. 
 
 "That is Miss Camilla Lovett, little boy," 
 said Mr. Barnes. 
 
 "I know it," replied Junior, still staring. 
 "Mam'selle says her name's Camel 'cause she's 
 got a hump." 
 
 There was a moment of stupefied silence. 
 Then Mr. Barnes moved the child's chair back 
 from the table. "Go upstairs," he said, in tones 
 his son had never heard from him before. 
 Junior was too amazed to cry. He looked with 
 frightened eyes into his father's transformed 
 face and climbed down from the chair. 
 
 "Jim ! Jim ! " said Camilla gently. Her cheeks 
 were very red. "You know quite well it's not 
 the child's fault. His place is here. Let him 
 stay." 
 
 "He shall not stay!" exclaimed Mabel, half- 
 pushing her own chair back from the table. 
 "Victor, let James stay with his guest. You 
 carry Junior upstairs for me." 
 
 Victor rose from the table, wishing himself 
 a thousand miles away. Three pairs of eyes 
 
 79 
 
The Right Track 
 
 rested on the culprit with such stony accusation 
 that the child stood as if frozen. His legs trem- 
 bled. His always jolly playmate, Uncle Victor, 
 was scowling at him. His father's face was terri- 
 ble. His stepmother but no matter about 
 her. In all the suddenly silent and frowning 
 room, only one face smiled. One pair of eyes 
 beamed upon him. Camilla held out her hands, 
 and the trembling legs moved toward her. She 
 closed her arms about the small figure, and laid 
 her cheek upon his head. 
 
 The music within her swelled to divine har- 
 mony. 
 
 "You did n't know that was going to sound 
 unkind, did you, dear?" she whispered. 
 
 She could feel the child shaking and swallow- 
 ing sobs, and his hands clutched her. "Now 
 will you run upstairs," she went on softly, " and 
 when we 're through dinner, may I come up and 
 see your toys ? I think they'll let me bring you 
 
 some ice-cream. ' : 
 
 Junior could n't speak; and he had not the 
 hardihood to take another look at his father's 
 face. 
 
 For another moment of silence he buried his 
 eyes against Camilla's bosom; then suddenly 
 pulling away, he dashed out of the room. 
 
 80 
 
Mademoiselle 
 
 She glanced about the table with a smile 
 whose happiness was evident. She turned to the 
 host. " I was just going to tell you when Junior 
 came in that they have started to build a trolley 
 line through Brierly." 
 
 "Has it come?" responded Mr. Barnes with 
 the tone of one who hears of calamity. "Not 
 near Elm Farm?" 
 
 "No. It's just a connecting link between the 
 two main lines, and passes by the town hall." 
 
 "I remember when that town hall " began 
 Mr. Barnes, and was again talkative. 
 
 Mabel and Victor listened now; everybody 
 was grateful to be off the rocks and launched 
 once more on the safe sea of reminiscence. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 IN THE NURSERY 
 
 WHEN dinner was over, Camilla made her 
 request to the hostess. 
 
 "Ice-cream for our little scamp?" asked 
 Mabel, surprised. "Why, certainly, if you like, 
 Miss Lovett. He deserves something far differ- 
 ent." 
 
 "Let Camilla do as she pleases," said Mr. 
 Barnes. "She's nutty about babies and Junior 
 seems still young enough to appeal to her." 
 
 So Camilla started off with her dish, Victor 
 volunteering to show her the way to the nurs- 
 ery. 
 
 Mr. Barnes let him go, for he was fuming 
 within in his haste to get a word with his wife. 
 
 As soon as they entered the living-room, still 
 as uncompromisingly cold, stiff, and unattrac- 
 tive as when he had ushered Mabel into it for 
 the first time, he turned to her. His face again 
 fell into the lines which had struck terror to his 
 son's soul. 
 
 "Which of us shall dismiss her?" he asked 
 without preamble; "you, or I?" 
 
 82 
 
In the Nursery 
 
 "Dismiss whom?" asked Mabel, gazing at 
 him in blank surprise. 
 
 "That fool Mam'selle. She's worse than a 
 fool, she's a knave." 
 
 "Oh, James," protested Mabel, "that was 
 unfortunate; but, of course, Mademoiselle was 
 only making a little joke, probably to get Jun- 
 ior out of his cross mood. She never dreamed 
 the child would repeat it." 
 
 "That mean, coarse spirit shall not stay in 
 my house another day," was the stern response. 
 
 "Oh, you misjudge her," returned Mabel 
 earnestly. "Mademoiselle has beautiful man- 
 ners. She's a treasure. She is such a help to 
 me in my French; and Junior has already 
 learned a number of French words." 
 
 "Unfortunately he still speaks English," 
 said Mr. Barnes dryly. "We won't discuss this, 
 Mabel. You may engage as many outside 
 French teachers as you like. This resident 
 goes." 
 
 "But not at once," protested Mabel. "Give 
 me time to look about." 
 
 Her husband regarded her strangely. "That 
 insult to my old friend meant nothing to you, 
 then?" he said. 
 
 "Why, I I " hesitated Mabel under his 
 83 
 
The Right Track 
 
 cold gaze "I was indeed, it did mean 
 something. Did n't you see how shocked I 
 was?" 
 
 "But you'd leave my little boy under that 
 influence still," persisted the other, and his 
 wife grew warm and resentful at the sound of 
 the possessive pronoun. "You don't seem to 
 notice that the child is running down every 
 day." 
 
 "No, I don't see anything of the sort. That's 
 nonsense. Junior is quite as well as the average 
 growing child. They don't retain their baby 
 roundness." 
 
 "It isn't only that he's losing flesh. It is 
 his expression: unhappy, fretful." 
 
 Mabel shrugged her shoulders. " It is n't my 
 fault that he has such a disagreeable disposi- 
 tion. He was like that when I first saw him. 
 You told me when we were married that I 
 should have no trouble with him ! No trouble ! 
 Every nurse or governess I have engaged has 
 assured me that he is the most impossible child 
 she ever saw. Now we have one who is willing 
 to stay at least and is very advantageous to us, 
 and because the little joke she made to amuse 
 the child was in bad taste, you want to throw 
 me into hot water again, and lose her a good 
 
In the Nursery 
 
 position. Who is this Camilla Lovett that she 
 should upset our household arrangements? " 
 
 Mr. Barnes's face was grim and on his brow 
 deep lines sank between the eyes. 
 
 "She is an old friend," he answered slowly, 
 "with a physical defect. She is insulted in my 
 house - 
 
 "By the unconscious lips of a child," inter- 
 rupted Mabel. 
 
 "A child prompted by a malicious and mis- 
 chievous woman," went on her husband. "I 
 have felt it from the first. I never trusted her, 
 and she has been given full charge of a little, 
 impressible mind." He paused, and swallowed. 
 "She goes to-night," he finished briefly. 
 
 "To-night!" exclaimed Mabel, aghast. "I 
 should think not. You would n't turn her out 
 at night with no warning, I hope." 
 
 "That's just what I'd do," replied Mr. 
 Barnes quietly. "That little rack of bones 
 won't be bullied by her another night. I've 
 heard something of the altercations." 
 
 Angry tears sprang to Mabel's eyes ; but her 
 husband's look was unrelenting and she saw that 
 the last straw had done its traditional work. 
 
 "Who will sleep in the nursery, then?" she 
 demanded. 
 
 85 
 
The Right Track 
 
 The steady gaze regarding her glowed a bit. 
 "You might," was the quiet reply. 
 
 "I can't do it. Junior is extremely restless 
 and I am very dependent on my sleep; to- 
 night especially because I have to read a paper 
 to-morrow." 
 
 Mr. Barnes surprised his wife very much by 
 laughing softly; and somehow the laugh sent a 
 hot flush down her spine. 
 
 "I don't know you to-night, James," she 
 went on, her cheeks red. "You're not a bit 
 like yourself. What's the matter with you?" 
 
 "I guess the only matter is that I'm a fa- 
 ther," he answered. "Let us go upstairs." 
 
 "Don't send Mademoiselle away to-night," 
 pleaded Mabel. "It's a disgrace to her, don't 
 you see? You should think of her side of it." 
 
 "Very well," returned Mr. Barnes. "It is 
 something, doubtless, to have strictly impartial 
 judgment." 
 
 Mabel did n't like the sound of this, either; 
 but she was relieved to get some reprieve, and 
 she followed her husband upstairs, much stirred 
 within, and wishing devoutly that it had not 
 occurred to Camilla Lovett to visit her child- 
 hood's friend. 
 
 When they entered the nursery they found 
 86 
 
In the Nursery 
 
 Junior in bed propped up by pillows and luxu- 
 riously feeding himself with ice-cream from the 
 plate which Camilla still held as she half- 
 reclined beside him, on the edge of the second 
 little white enamel bed. 
 
 Victor Ford was sitting at ease in a wicker 
 armchair, and Mademoiselle was folding 
 Junior's clothes and arranging matters on the 
 dresser, constantly flashing glances toward the 
 bed. 
 
 As Mr. and Mrs. Barnes entered the room, 
 she approached. 
 
 "Pardon, Madame," she said, with lifted 
 chin, "but will Madame say to the lady to give 
 no more ice ! It is I who must endure the night." 
 
 "Not to-night," declared Mr. Barnes, fixing 
 the speaker so suddenly with his eyes that she 
 stood with parted lips. "Go ahead, Camilla," 
 he continued. " Ice-cream won't hurt him a bit. 
 He looks as if he needed about a quart. Is it 
 good, little chap?" 
 
 Junior poised his spoon in air at his father's 
 voice and looked at him big -eyed. Satisfied 
 that he was again in favor, he nodded, and pro- 
 ceeded with his feast. 
 
 Camilla looked questioningly at Mrs. Barnes, 
 and started to leave her perch. 
 
 87 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Stay where you are, Camilla," commanded 
 the host. There seemed to him a new warmth 
 and light in the room, and again came a stric- 
 ture at his heart at the smallness of the throat 
 down which the cream was swallowed, and the 
 thinness of the little hand which already was 
 becoming tired. Junior dropped the spoon and 
 lay back on his pillow. 
 
 Camilla rose with the intent to hand the 
 saucer, still half full, to the child's nurse; but 
 Mademoiselle did not see it. She picked up a 
 garment already folded and shaking it out re- 
 folded it. Her domain had been invaded with- 
 out a by-your-leave, and the master of the 
 house, a figurehead in her estimation, had over- 
 ridden her wishes. At his next words she pricked 
 up her ears and the little blouse she held dan- 
 gled by one sleeve. 
 
 "Who do you think is going to sleep in your 
 other bed to-night?" asked the father, standing 
 at his boy's feet and noting the circles around 
 his eyes. 
 
 "Mam'selle," replied the child stolidly. 
 
 "Not a bit of it," was the blithe answer. 
 
 "Who?" asked the boy. Then he pointed at 
 the visitor. "Her?" 
 
 Mr. Barnes shook his head. "No, old man. 
 88 
 
In the Nursery 
 
 You aren't a good guesser. Your Daddy's going 
 to sleep there." 
 
 The child sat straight up. " You, Daddy ? " he 
 asked incredulously. "Are you going to sleep 
 in my other bed?" he sighed unconsciously. 
 " There 's been such a lot of folks there." 
 
 The father swallowed again. " I know, son," 
 he said quietly, " but I 'm going to be the one 
 to-night." 
 
 Junior still found difficulty in discovering a 
 reason for this unprecedented windfall; and 
 having become a misanthrope, a dark cause 
 occurred to him. 
 
 "Is it because I was a bad boy?" he asked 
 solemnly. 
 
 "No." Mr. Barnes shook his head. "It's 
 because just because I want to." 
 
 The melancholy eyes questioning him were 
 reassured by his expression. 
 
 "Hurray ! " cried the child, sinking back on his 
 pillow. " I don't care if the betes do come, then. 
 I guess my Daddy can shoot 'em"; and the 
 speaker cast a look of defiance at Mademoiselle. 
 
 "Sh', mon cher" she said soothingly. "You 
 know your Mam'selle let nossing 'urt her leetle 
 one." As she spoke, the black eyes glanced 
 rapidly from one to another in the room. 
 
 89 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "What do you mean by the 'bait,' Junior?" 
 asked his father, still speaking quietly. 
 
 "Oh, there 's bears and tigers and they 
 have" he shuddered "yellow eyes, and if 
 I wake Mam'selle up in the night, they'll creep 
 out from behind that screen over there"; and 
 the child pointed at a tall folding screen that 
 stood in a corner of the room. 
 
 Mrs. Barnes sent a troubled look at the 
 Frenchwoman, who uttered a little uncomfort- 
 able laugh. "La, la," she said, " it is leetle game 
 I play with mon cher. Fie, fie, leetle one!" 
 
 "And Mam'selle won't let the light burn 
 'cause it hurts her eyes, and sometimes I hear 
 them roar deep, deep down, 'cause they don't 
 want me to hear 'em." Another shudder quiv- 
 ered through the little frame. 
 
 "I'll be here to-night," returned the father 
 simply, and the child stretched out a hot hand. 
 James Barnes leaned over the bed where 
 Camilla had perched a few minutes ago and 
 caressed the little hand. 
 
 "I'll be back in a few minutes, Junior," he 
 said; then he turned toward the Frenchwoman. 
 
 "I want to see you a minute, Mam'selle, in 
 Mrs. Barnes's study." 
 
 "Pardon, Monsieur," she replied, her head 
 90 
 
In the Nursery 
 
 erect, "I must first ask all to leave the room, 
 that my leetle one may become quiet. He grow 
 
 vair nervous." 
 
 Mr. Barnes's teeth set; but he simply made 
 an imperious gesture. "At once, if you please," 
 he said sternly. 
 
 The Frenchwoman shrugged her shoulders, 
 and cast a smiling glance at her mistress as she 
 passed. She felt secure, and quite able to dom- 
 inate the situation in spite of the child's chat- 
 ter. Her master was going to sleep beside him! 
 What sudden ebullition of parental affection 
 was this ? Of one thing she was certain. One 
 night beside the little bundle of nerves would 
 quite suffice the gentleman. 
 
 With her head up and following her employer 
 she stepped jauntily across the threshold, little 
 dreaming that Vale was written thereon. 
 
 An embarrassing silence fell for a moment in 
 the nursery. To Junior wonderful things were 
 occurring. There was the lady, not as tall as 
 sister, but with a grown-up face, whose bosom 
 had felt so kind and soft when everybody was 
 cross at the table, even Daddy, and who had 
 seemed to like to hold the ice-cream for him; 
 and then Uncle Victor, and Mamabel, all up 
 in the nursery when he was in bed, and Daddy 
 
The Right Track 
 
 promising to sleep with him; all these out-of- 
 the-ordinary proceedings made the small boy 
 feel very wide awake, and his owl-eyes met 
 Victor's, still searching for an explanation. 
 
 "Well, I must be wending my way," said 
 that young man, rising. " I wonder if I could be 
 of service in taking you home, Miss Lovett?" 
 
 "Where do you live ? " asked Junior, suddenly 
 transferring his questioning eyes to Camilla. 
 
 She approached the bed again. "I don't live 
 anywhere exactly Junior," she said, and 
 her eyes and voice were wistful. "I'm like a 
 bird, flying around and wondering where I shall 
 
 light.'; 
 
 "Birds always know where to light," said the 
 little boy. 
 
 "Yes," she nodded, "and I shall know pretty 
 
 soon.' : 
 
 Mabel, her heart beating with dread of what 
 was going on in her study, stepped forward. 
 "Would you mind, Miss Lovett, waiting here a 
 few minutes ? There is some business I want to 
 speak of to my brother, and Mr. Barnes would 
 n't like it at all if I let you go before he came 
 back." 
 
 "Certainly, I'll wait with pleasure," replied 
 Camilla. 
 
 92 
 
In the Nursery 
 
 Victor waved a good-night to Junior, and 
 Mabel stood for a moment at the foot of his 
 bed. 
 
 "Can you catch a kiss if Mamabel throws 
 it?" she asked, kissing her hand and tossing it 
 in the air. 
 
 The child closed and unclosed his fingers list- 
 lessly, his face unchanging, and brother and 
 sister disappeared. As they emerged into the 
 hall a strident voice came faintly down the 
 passage. 
 
 "Just what I expected," said Mabel. "I 
 knew she'd take it hard." She fled downstairs. 
 Victor followed. 
 
 "What do you think!" she exclaimed when 
 they reached the hall, "James is discharging 
 Mademoiselle." 
 
 "Are n't ^pu glad to be saved the trouble?" 
 
 "But, Victor, her accent is wonderful. I 
 could have talked to her about those mistakes 
 she has made with Junior. I know they're 
 atrocious," she added, as she noted the expres- 
 sion of her brother's face; "but as a governess 
 she's most desirable, I assure you. She had 
 good references." 
 
 "And you'll give her another, I suppose?" 
 
 "Oh, for pity's sake don't look at me that 
 
 93 
 
The Right Track 
 
 way. I 'm so wrought up already I can't bear 
 anything more. I have to read a paper to- 
 morrow and James thinks it would be noth- 
 ing for me to stay awake all night to-night 
 with Junior. The child talks in his sleep and 
 cries out and kicks. Poor Mademoiselle goes 
 through everything. She has often told me 
 about it." 
 
 Victor shook his head. "I told you, you 
 remember, I told you you were getting into 
 the wrong box." 
 
 "James understood," returned Mabel, twin- 
 ing her hands together in her defiant excite- 
 ment. "I was to have nothing to do with the 
 problem of his children." 
 
 "And you're willing to have it that way," 
 returned Victor, his eyes narrowing. "You call 
 that partnership." 
 
 "I've done all I ever promised to do." 
 Mabel's voice caught in her throat, but her look 
 still gleamed defiance. "I've done more; for 
 I've been bothered to death with women who 
 could n't manage Junior." 
 
 "You won't be bothered much longer," re- 
 turned Victor quietly. 
 
 "That's all you know," retorted his sister. 
 "James is discharging Mademoiselle this mm- 
 
 94 
 
In the Nursery 
 
 ute and I shall have to go at it again to-morrow 
 with all the important work I 'm booked for at 
 the club." 
 
 "Cheer up," said Victor bitterly. "It looks 
 as if the next incumbent would succeed in 
 finishing up the business." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "Junior's about done for in my estimation." 
 
 "You say that to frighten me," exclaimed 
 Mabel, remembering uncomfortably her hus- 
 band's similar suggestion. " I believe my arm 
 is black and blue this minute. That outburst 
 looked like weakness, did n't it?" 
 
 Victor regarded her, unmoved by the sar- 
 casm. 
 
 "I'll tell you what, Mabel," he said quietly, 
 "I'm nothing to boast of myself; but I have 
 some glimmering of what's sportsman-like; and 
 don't be surprised if you don't see me around 
 here much hereafter. I can't stand it." 
 
 Mabel, waiting there with him at the foot 
 of the stairs, considered herself a most abused 
 woman. She felt suddenly alone, in a cold and 
 inimical world. She forced back her tears. 
 "You were out of sorts when you came here 
 this afternoon," she returned, "and you are 
 still venting your mood on me. Do just as you 
 
 95 
 
The Right Track 
 
 please about coming. Each of us knows his own 
 business best." 
 
 Mabel cast a glance up the staircase. She 
 shrank from the inevitable scene with Mademoi- 
 selle, and wondered if there was a man on earth 
 who had any understanding sympathy with a 
 woman! 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE BIRD WITHOUT A NEST 
 
 LEFT alone with Junior, Camilla sat down 
 on the foot of the second bed and faced the 
 boy, who regarded her appraisingly. Her hair, 
 parted in the middle and waving away from 
 her forehead, and the small white teeth that 
 showed in her ready smile were pleasant to 
 look upon; but the steady beaming of her kind 
 eyes was what he liked best. Eyes in his expe- 
 rience when they saw him at all all except 
 Daddy's saw him to blame; but his somber 
 face now showed no sign. 
 
 "I'm glad they let me have a visit with you 
 alone," said Camilla. "I thought I'd like to 
 tell you about the little baby I took care of in 
 New York. I love her so much." 
 
 The small boy, all eyes, looking up from the 
 pillow, experienced a strange sensation. It was 
 an unpleasant sensation. He had felt it some- 
 times before when Daddy sent him to bed and 
 remained belowstairs laughing and talking with 
 Mamabel. 
 
 97 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "I don't like babies," he announced with 
 finality. 
 
 "But you would this one. She has little 
 hands oh, not nearly as big as yours and 
 just a few teeth not a whole set like yours, 
 and cunning little pink ears, and her brown hair 
 curls around them in rings, and her eyes " 
 
 "I don't like her, though," interrupted 
 Junior, hardening his heart against Camilla's 
 gentle voice that sounded so sweet after 
 Mademoiselle's sharpness. "Why don't you 
 go back and see her?" he added coldly. 
 
 Camilla lifted her shoulders and eyebrows 
 and smiled. "Her daddy and her mother came 
 home, and she does n't need me any more. I 
 wanted you to understand why it made me 
 happy to get a little boy in my arms to-night. 
 My arms felt so queer and empty." 
 
 Junior considered this a moment, and in 
 spite of himself warmed his heart at Camilla's 
 eyes. "But I'm not a baby," he said quickly. 
 "I'm nearly seven." 
 
 "Yes, I know." 
 
 "Besides, your baby sounds like a doll." 
 Pause. "I used to have a doll; her name was 
 Miss Rosalind; but boys when they're six don't 
 care about dolls." He spoke slowly and with 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 consideration. His visitor, listening for the 
 Magic Music, with every perception sharpened, 
 thought she detected a wistfulness. 
 
 "I hope your doll is n't thrown away, Junior. 
 I should like to see it some time. Is it a girl 
 doll?" 
 
 "Ye es." The boy spoke with elaborate 
 scorn. " Anybody 'd laugh at anybody who'd 
 care for that. I Ve got soldiers, and a cannon." 
 
 "I wouldn't care if they did laugh at me, 
 Junior." Camilla spoke confidentially. "I like 
 dolls still. I could have fun playing with them. 
 Does that sound queer to you ? You may laugh 
 at me." 
 
 "I'd laugh if I wanted to," replied the child; 
 but his parted lips looked as if they had for- 
 gotten how. 
 
 "To-day I stopped in front of the toy-shop 
 windows, and looked at some of the big beauti- 
 ful dolls, trying to find one that looked like my 
 baby." 
 
 "She isn't yours," declared the little boy 
 roughly. "You just said so." He frowned, and 
 the music softened into a minor strain. 
 
 "No, no, she is n't," agreed Camilla; "but I 
 was just telling you so you'd know how happy 
 it made me to come here and find a live little 
 
 99 
 
The Right Track 
 
 boy that I could talk to and who would under- 
 stand; because weren't you ever homesick, 
 Junior?" 
 
 "I don't know what that means." 
 
 " It means longing for some one you can love, 
 and do things for, and help." 
 
 "There is n't anybody that I like but Daddy." 
 
 "And I have n't any daddy, you see," said 
 Camilla, speaking brightly, "nor any mother, 
 nor any brother, nor any sister, nor any house, 
 and so, don't you see, when I had to come so far 
 away from the baby, how nice it was that you 
 could be such a comfort to me?" 
 
 This was a psychological poser for Junior. A 
 few minutes a day with an affectionate but 
 tired and usually abstracted daddy was the 
 only exception in his mind to the rule that every 
 man's hand was against him. 
 
 "Am I a comfort to you?" he asked at last, 
 and never had the slender white face looked 
 more somber. 
 
 "A very great comfort," replied Camilla se- 
 riously; "and some time," she added, "if you 
 think you could find the doll you used to have 
 when you were small, I 'd like to see it. I was 
 really tempted to buy one to-day." 
 
 "The devil tempts people," announced 
 100 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 Junior. "He's got a fork in his tail. Why 
 does n't he have a knife, too?" The question 
 came with a gleam of interest. 
 
 "I don't think it was the devil that tempted 
 me. I think it was Love; but Love had some- 
 thing better for me." Camilla smiled across the 
 little white bed. " It had you / " 
 
 "Do you like me?" Junior's tentative tone 
 was rather shamefaced. He could not resist 
 reaching antennae toward the warmth, and he 
 looked full at the beaming eyes. 
 
 "I like you more than I can say," was the 
 prompt reply. 
 
 "Where do you live?" 
 
 "Don't you remember I told you, nowhere? 
 Pretty soon when your Daddy comes I shall fly 
 away like a bird and light somewhere I guess 
 in a hotel." 
 
 "What's that?" 
 
 "A place where they let birds light who 
 have n't any nests of their own." 
 
 Junior regarded her for a silent pause. "You 
 talk kind of silly," he said judicially. 
 
 Camilla laughed. "Perhaps I do," she an- 
 swered. 
 
 "Do you wish you did n't have to fly out 
 of my house?" he asked after another pause. 
 
 101 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "I try not to wish, Junior," she said. 
 
 The child's gaze fastened more intently upon 
 her. A thought had suddenly begun to work in 
 his mind. 
 
 "When are you coming back to this house 
 again?" he asked. 
 
 "I don't know, dear," she answered.. 
 
 Junior scanned the wavy hair, the smooth 
 forehead, the gentle smile, and warm eyes, and 
 a vague dread of the old house possessed him, 
 as it would be to-morrow alone with Mam'selle. 
 
 Daddy would go away to-morrow. There 
 was no hope of retaining that bird in the bush. 
 This one as yet was in the hand. He considered 
 the possibilities. 
 
 His next words were as earnest as his gaze. 
 
 "Do you wish you could sleep in my other bed, 
 Camel, instead of Daddy?" he asked slowly. 
 
 Loud and inspiring were the harmonies in 
 which Camilla moved closer to the child and 
 took a willing hand. 
 
 "Yes, little darling," she said, "I do wish it." 
 
 At that moment a crashing noise was heard 
 from the other side of the wall. 
 
 "That's Mam'selle's room," said Junior 
 softly. " She makes that noise when she 's awful 
 mad." 
 
 102 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 His fingers tightened on Camilla's, and the 
 noises, little and big, continued, until a bang 
 as of a trunk lid descending seemed to be the 
 climax. 
 
 Camilla closed her eyes and Junior dilated 
 his. There were a few more rustlings, a door 
 slammed, then silence. Camilla rested her head 
 against the edge of the child's pillow and drew 
 his hand against her cheek. He snuggled closer 
 to her with a delicious sense of safety. 
 
 Downstairs Mabel had drawn Victor into the 
 living-room and lighted the gas-logs. She was 
 shivering, and as the noises in the house in- 
 creased, she felt glad of the firm strength above- 
 stairs which was saving her from handling the 
 firebrand. By morning Mademoiselle's wrath 
 would have spent itself. 
 
 Not that Mabel intended to show any grati- 
 tude. She was still injured, miserable, and terri- 
 bly bored by the necessity of replacing Made- 
 moiselle. At last she heard a motor draw up 
 before the house, and her husband's voice 
 speaking. There was a rush on the stairs, an 
 opening and closing of the front door. Then in 
 a minute or two the noise of the motor starting, 
 a reopening and closing of the house door, and 
 Mr. Barnes pulled aside the velvet portieres. 
 
 103 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Ah, here you are," he said. "Well, that 
 job's done." 
 
 "Do you mean to say she's gone?" exclaimed 
 Mabel, amazed. 
 
 "Gone vanished." James Barnes looked 
 a little weary. 
 
 "But you promised me " began Mabel, 
 drawing herself up very straight. 
 
 "Yes, I gave her her choice; and a little extra 
 money, a hotel and a taxi prevailed. Ugh! I 
 can breathe better!" 
 
 Mabel looked rueful. " It 's all very well for 
 you " she began. 
 
 "My dear, that was a dangerous person," 
 said James Barnes in a different tone. "I'm 
 not imaginative as you have often complained 
 quite justly; but the reason you have not lost 
 a lot of jewels is because you don't care for 
 them and I've never given you any." He 
 nodded. "She was half ready to go. This was 
 no field for her talents. She made one false 
 move, though. She forgot to ask for a reference. 
 When she wants one she '11 write it herself and 
 it will come from across the pond. Were n't the 
 ones she showed you foreign?" 
 
 "Yes, because she had only been here " 
 Mabel stopped under her husband's smile. 
 
 104 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 "Yes, I know," he answered. 
 
 "Well, I'm going to try to get a German 
 next," said Mabel. "Junior must have the ad- 
 vantage of a language and Germans are more 
 phlegmatic and dependable." 
 
 " I '11 interview the next one myself, my dear," 
 said James Barnes kindly. 
 
 "Find her, too, then," retorted Mabel. 
 "Telephone an advertisement to-night, James. 
 Think what a situation we'll be in." 
 
 Victor Ford stood up abruptly. " I have been 
 waiting to take Miss Lovett home," he said. 
 
 James Barnes recollected with a start that 
 Camilla was still in the house. 
 
 "Very good of you, Victor," he declared, and 
 looked at his wife. The stress in her tightened 
 lips changed his desire to have her seek his 
 guest. He did not wish Camilla to carry away 
 any further disagreeable impressions. 
 
 "'Phone for the car, will you, Victor?" he 
 said. "I'll go up and get Miss Lovett." 
 
 Ascending the stairs, he hurried to the nurs- 
 ery door, apologetic that the visitor had been 
 left to herself so long; but he paused on the 
 threshold at the signal of Camilla's raised 
 finger. He gazed at the surprising tableau 
 before him. 
 
 105 
 
The Right Track 
 
 The guest was reclining with her head toward 
 Junior, who had fallen asleep with one hand in 
 hers and his other arm tightly around her neck. 
 
 Uncomfortable as she must have been she 
 was evidently loath to be freed from the stran- 
 glehold; but James Barnes's step had been 
 heavy and the door had squeaked. Junior 
 waked and turned. 
 
 The guest sat up and tucked away her dis- 
 arranged hair. 
 
 "Do excuse us, Camilla," said the host, 
 approaching. "You fell on stirring times in 
 my house. I 'm sorry." 
 
 "I'm glad," she returned. "It had to be 
 uncovered, you know." 
 
 "What's that?" inquired James Barnes. 
 
 "Why we can't get rid of wrong until it's 
 uncovered to us, can we?" 
 
 Mr. Barnes smiled at the quaint wording. 
 "That's so. Blows in the dark are hard to fend 
 off. Well, I 've got rid of one wrong thing. You 
 may have heard some slamming around here." 
 
 "It was Mam'selle," announced Junior 
 sleepily. 
 
 "Yes, she's gone, son." And James Barnes 
 looked compassionately at the child. 
 
 "Will she come back to-morrow?" asked 
 106 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 Junior, the idea appearing to lift his heavy 
 eyelids. 
 
 "No, nor the day after that, nor ever." 
 
 The boy gave his pillow a thump. "I'm 
 glad," he said. 
 
 His father spoke again. "Why did n't you 
 tell me you wanted her to go away, Junior?" 
 
 The child reflected. He had not the vocabu- 
 lary to explain that he had come to accept the 
 general view that he was a necessary evil and 
 that it did n't matter so very much which of 
 the persons hired to wash and dress him was 
 the antagonist in his daily duels. 
 
 "I she " he began; then finished: 
 "She'd slap me if I did." 
 
 His father gave an inarticulate exclamation. 
 
 "Well, go to sleep now," he said. "Uncle 
 Victor is going to take Miss Lovett home and 
 I'll be back here before you can say 'Jack 
 Robinson." 
 
 "Oh, no, Daddy," exclaimed the child, now 
 very wide awake. "Miss Lovie has n't any 
 home to go to. She 's a bird, flying around with- 
 out any nest. Uncle Victor would have to go 
 around the streets and around and around 
 and around" the little hand made vague 
 circles in the air "and so- ' Junior came 
 
 107 
 
The Right Track 
 
 back from watching his hand in his flight of 
 fancy, to the practical; "and so she's going to 
 sleep in my other bed, Daddy. You won't care, 
 will you, 'cause she has n't got any nest." 
 
 Camilla sat on the edge of the bed watching 
 her host's surprise. He caught her smiling gaze. 
 
 "Why, that's extremely good of Miss 
 Lovett," he replied; "but she doesn't know 
 what an active little fellow you have become in 
 the night season. She'd probably like to get a 
 snooze in somewhere. If you will stay, Camilla," 
 he went on, addressing the guest, "my wife and 
 I will be delighted. We've a guest-room just 
 waiting for you." 
 
 "No, no," exclaimed Junior, sitting up in 
 bed and scowling. "I want her to sleep here." 
 
 "How about your poor old Daddy? " inquired 
 Mr. Barnes, as amused as he was astonished. 
 
 "You'll go away to-morrow. She'd stay," 
 replied Junior. 
 
 His father laughed. "Wise beyond your 
 years, young man. Camilla, you've made a 
 crush," he went on, "but such heroic measures 
 won't be necessary." 
 
 Junior began to scowl and beat the air with 
 his fists. "Wait, wait, boy," said his father. 
 "Miss Lovett can have a good night in the 
 
 1 08 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 guest-room, and then, perhaps, she will stay 
 a while to-morrow morning and visit you." 
 
 Camilla reached one of the little belligerent 
 fists and held it. 
 
 "Junior is right," she said, "in thinking I'd 
 like this nest best." 
 
 The other fist became quiet. 
 
 "But from what I hear, the child's a circus 
 in the night," protested the host. 
 
 "Do you wonder," asked Camilla, regarding 
 him gravely, " after some of the things we have 
 listened to?" Then after a little pause: "I wish 
 you'd let me, Jim, unless Mrs. Barnes objects." 
 
 "Why," returned the amazed father, "she'll 
 be very grateful, of course; but it's a rather odd 
 way to treat a visitor. I had it all fixed to 
 improve my mind all night." 
 
 "No, go to bed and sleep, Jim, and know 
 that you've made me happy." 
 
 "We'll see about that at breakfast-time," 
 laughed the host skeptically; "but be it on your 
 own head, Camilla. I '11 go down and send Mrs. 
 Barnes to fix you up for your vigil." 
 
 James Barnes's face wore an unconscious 
 smile as he descended the stairs and reentered 
 the room where Victor and Mabel waited. They 
 both looked up, surprised that he was alone. 
 
 109 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "See anything queer about my nose?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "Where is Miss Lovett?" asked Mabel. 
 
 "I tell you my nose is out of joint. Junior 
 won't let Camilla go. She's going to be the 
 sacrifice instead of me." 
 
 "What do you mean? Sleep with him?" 
 asked Mabel in extreme surprise. 
 
 "Just that." 
 
 "But, James, how can we let her a stran- 
 ger; and yet, if she's willing I know how 
 much you need your mind clear and I have 
 been worrying about your being kept awake. 
 Perhaps Miss Lovett has nothing special to do 
 to-morrow and she seems so fond of children." 
 
 It was at that moment that the Magic Music 
 began to sound with a fuller volume of har- 
 mony. Perhaps Camilla's inner ear took cogni- 
 zance of it as she moved about the nursery, 
 followed by the child's big eyes, her prayer 
 ascending like a pure flame from the altar of 
 her heart. 
 
 "Look here, Mabel," said James Barnes 
 suddenly, his face eagerly alight, "I've just 
 had an idea. Camilla's in town looking for a 
 job. What's the matter with our engaging 
 her?" 
 
 no 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 " For a governess ? Oh, no. An ignorant little 
 countrywoman like that? Of course, she's all 
 right. I don't mean to say anything against 
 an old friend of yours ; but she has n't had 
 advantages. We want to do better for Junior 
 than that." 
 
 "Yes," returned her husband. "We must get 
 somebody if we can who will slap him and bully 
 him in seven different languages ; some one who 
 knows how to take care of her precious self and 
 protect her sleep at night. Let's put in the 
 ad at once." 
 
 "James, don't be so foolish," pleaded his 
 wife, the enormity of the possibility making her 
 gentle and cautious. "Do you realize what we 
 should be letting ourselves in for? You can't 
 put an old friend at the servants' table, can you ? 
 And don't you think it's depressing to have 
 some one about all the time who is de who 
 is n't quite shapely, you know?" 
 
 James Barnes began to pace the floor and 
 Victor Ford looked out the window for the car. 
 
 "Men don't .think about these things," 
 added IVIabel pacifically. 
 
 Her husband stopped and faced her. 
 
 "I can't speak for all men," he said, "but I 
 know the sort of thing that appeals to a father 
 
 ill 
 
The Right Track 
 
 more than degrees and foreign languages. It's 
 what I saw when I went upstairs. Junior was 
 asleep with his arms around Camilla's neck." 
 Something rose in the speaker's throat; but he 
 knew he had a fight to make, a fight he must 
 win, and he swallowed and pushed on. "I guess 
 it's the first time that the baby has ever gone 
 to sleep with his arms around a woman's neck." 
 
 Silence for a moment while Victor doggedly 
 scanned the road, and Mabel bit her lip. 
 
 Her husband saw her flush. 
 
 "I'll make it easy for you in any way you 
 like, dear," he went on. "You don't care much 
 where headquarters are. Camilla's a babyless 
 mother. If she '11 stay, let the boy come into his 
 heritage. Then if embarrassment occurs in any 
 way, I '11 take a suite in the finest hotel in town 
 and we '11 go there and entertain or do anything 
 you please." 
 
 4 * There's the car," said Victor, suddenly 
 reappearing from behind the curtains where 
 James Barnes in his earnestness had forgotten 
 his existence. 
 
 "Oh, yes," answered the host. 
 
 " I'll go and tell Dick to take it back. Good- 
 night." Victor was striding hastily to the door. 
 
 "No, let him take you home first," said 
 
 112 
 
The Bird without a Nest 
 
 Mr. Barnes. "Good-night." He turned back to 
 his wife. "Is it a bargain, Mabel?" he asked. 
 
 She was knotting her hands together, and 
 quivering as under blows, but she hardened her 
 heart. 
 
 "I suppose so," she answered coldly. 
 
 "That's right, dear." Her husband patted 
 her shoulder. "Now, you go upstairs and give 
 Camilla one of your nice white ruffly things, 
 and then we '11 go to bed and sleep, and in the 
 morning feel her pulse after she's had a sample." 
 
 "I don't know how much I shall sleep," re- 
 turned Mabel. "I have a headache." 
 
 "Well, you'd have had a worse one if you 
 had gone through the tussle with Mam'selle. 
 Credit me with one good mark, anyway, dear." 
 
 "Oh, the good marks are all yours, of course," 
 returned his wife, her eyes very dark. "Mine 
 are this kind." She lifted her arm where was 
 a bruise. "Here is one Junior gave me to-day. 
 He had a piece of metal in his hand." 
 
 James Barnes took the round arm in both 
 hands and tried to kiss the black-and-blue spot; 
 but she snatched it away and hurried from the 
 room. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE BETES 
 
 MABEL'S heart beat fast as she went up- 
 stairs. She was very angry with her husband, 
 not so much for what he had said as that Victor 
 had heard him say it. In the old days she had 
 been the strong, steadfast pivot on which the 
 household turned. At the time of her marriage 
 she had been a heroine in her own, and in a 
 modified fashion in her brother's, eyes. 
 
 Through no fault of hers she had been rudely 
 thrust down from a pedestal. This morning 
 nay, a few hours ago she had been happy. 
 Constantly assured that she was invaluable in 
 the splendid work being done at her clubs, 
 secure in the triumph that awaited her to- 
 morrow in the reading of her paper, which she 
 secretly believed was the best of the season, all 
 these tiresome, distasteful household matters 
 had come up to harass her. 
 
 Of course, an inconsistent jealousy of Camilla 
 was present. The latter's willingness to take 
 charge of Junior threw her own reluctance into 
 
 114 
 
The BStes 
 
 the light, and it was with no friendly feeling that 
 she entered the nursery now. 
 
 Camilla approached her. "Is n't this a great 
 surprise, Mrs. Barnes," she said softly, "for 
 Junior to invite me to stay with him?" 
 
 "Yes," returned Mabel stiffly. "I am sorry 
 you are doomed to be so uncomfortable; but 
 with Junior's father an invitation from the 
 child is equivalent to one from royalty : a com- 
 mand." 
 
 " It will be a pleasure to me," replied Camilla 
 humbly. 
 
 Mabel continued as if she had not heard her. 
 "I should sleep with him myself, of course, in 
 his nurse's sudden departure, except that I 
 have some important outside work to do to- 
 morrow and need my rest." 
 
 "I don't want you," announced Junior from 
 the bed in no uncertain tones. 
 
 "It wouldn't matter what you wanted," 
 returned Mabel, very much irritated, but speak- 
 ing with dignity. " I should do what was best." 
 She dreaded further revelations from the bed, 
 and hastened on. " I will go and bring you what 
 you need for the night, Miss Lovett." 
 
 "Let me go with you and bring my wraps 
 away from your room. I may be off in the 
 
The Right Track 
 
 morning while you're still busy," said Camilla; 
 and suiting the action to the word she followed 
 her hostess out of the room. No kisses were 
 thrown this time from Mamabel's pretty hand. 
 
 By the time Camilla returned, burdened, to 
 the nursery, she understood pretty well the 
 soreness at Mabel's heart. Her hostess had 
 assured her that breakfast was a movable feast 
 with them and that the visitor was at liberty 
 to have hers at any moment she pleased and 
 be free to leave the house quite informally. 
 Camilla found James Barnes bidding his son 
 good-night. 
 
 He turned to her as she placed the clothing 
 on a chintz divan. 
 
 "I hope you'll be just as good friends with 
 us in the morning as you are now," he said. 
 "I'll see you then, Camilla, and find out how 
 you liked the sample." 
 
 She looked at him serenely. " I know already, 
 Jim," she answered, noting his last word hope- 
 fully, and even waiting a moment for some- 
 thing further. He shook hands with her and 
 said good-night, and her peaceful, happy face 
 seemed to lighten some long-carried load on his 
 heart. 
 
 When the door closed, Junior spoke : 
 116 
 
The B6tes 
 
 "What did you call my Daddy?" he asked. 
 
 Camilla laughed a little. "I guess that 
 sounded funny to you, Junior; but when I was 
 as little as you are, your Daddy was a big, big, 
 boy, and all the boys and girls in school called 
 him 'Jim.' He was pretty kind to a little girl. 
 Sometimes he took me on his sled. I did n't 
 have any; and once he drove away a big dog 
 that was playing about and knocked me down. 
 I never forgot that. We always do remember 
 when people are kind to us, don't we?" 
 
 Junior did n't reply to this. He was picturing 
 his father a big boy with a sled, and watching 
 Camilla's every movement with owl-eyes. 
 
 "Now," she went on, "I'm going into the 
 bathroom a few minutes to undress. Shall I 
 turn down the light a little so you can go to 
 sleep?" 
 
 "No!" exclaimed the child in a loud, rude 
 voice. 
 
 "All right," replied Camilla quietly. She 
 moved to the large paneled screen in the corner 
 of the room and looked behind it. "Oh, how 
 lovely!" she said. "Such a lot of toys. What 
 a beauty rocking-horse; and there's a train of 
 cars and so many things you '11 show me in the 
 morning. We don't need to cover them up at 
 
 117 
 
The Right Track 
 
 night, do we? Let's have all the more air in the 
 
 room." 
 
 As she spoke Camilla folded the screen and 
 leaned it against the side of the chimney, Junior 
 watching her in silence. 
 
 She walked over to him with a smile and 
 turned down the cover of her bed. " It 's getting 
 pretty late for a little boy," she said. "You need 
 n't stay awake for politeness. I shall come and 
 get into this pretty white nest in a few minutes." 
 
 "You need n't shut the door tight," returned 
 Junior. 
 
 "All right," said Camilla, and taking up her 
 night-clothes, she opened the door into the 
 bathroom and disappeared, careful not to latch 
 it behind her as she pushed it to. 
 
 Left alone, Junior gloomily regarded the un- 
 precedented exposure of his toys in the corner. 
 The fire burning very low sputtered and cracked 
 a little. His horse's jaunty and proudly curved 
 neck stood up bravely in the electric-lighted 
 room. Junior's eyelids felt heavy, but he jerked 
 them open. His new friend had gone into the 
 bathroom yes. Moreover, he knew there was 
 no door out of it save the one he was looking at; 
 but neither Daddy nor Mamabel believed that 
 he would be a quiet boy in the night. The 
 
 118 
 
The Bttes 
 
 visitor had said she would come and get into his 
 other bed; but in his experience grown-up 
 people said a great many things, and he had 
 found that seeing is believing. What more easy, 
 if his new friend found him asleep, than to put 
 out the lights, and slip through the door to 
 another room where there was no mechant petit 
 to kick and make a noise. 
 
 So, by rigid effort, the owl-eyes were wide 
 when Camilla came out of the bathroom. 
 
 Mademoiselle always put her black hair up 
 in crimping-pins at night and this small forest 
 of horns was imprisoned under a broad red 
 ribbon, tied in a bow on top of the lady's head. 
 Junior hated this ribbon, connected somehow 
 with his nocturnal fears; perhaps because 
 Mademoiselle was more severe by night than 
 by day, and the rampant bow was the first 
 thing he saw when a heavy hand shook him out 
 of his nightmares. 
 
 Now the figure that opened the bathroom 
 door and coming out closed it behind her looked 
 more like a little girl than ever. Her night-dress 
 trailed on the floor, and her pale pink kimono 
 hung in pretty folds. Her wavy hair, parted 
 and brushed smoothly, hung in two short 
 braids ending in curls. 
 
 119 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Still awake?" she said pleasantly, her 
 fresh sweet face smiling; then as the spirited 
 horse pranced as she passed him to put out 
 the lights she patted his head. "Good-night, 
 horsie," she said, and snapped off the electric- 
 ity. A single light still burned at the head of the 
 beds. 
 
 " Is that the light you used to want Mam'selle 
 to leave burning?" she asked, standing by her 
 bed. 
 
 "Yes," replied Junior. He had fought for it 
 with each new nurse. This visitor looked easy 
 to command. 
 
 Camilla smiled at him. "Who ever heard of 
 a bird's nest under a bright light?" she said. 
 "Let's start with it out, and whenever you 
 ask me to light it, I will." 
 
 This seeming fair enough, silence gave consent. 
 
 "Lock the door," said Junior imperiously. 
 
 "Oh, did Mademoiselle lock the door?" 
 Camilla obediently trailed to the door. 
 
 "Bring me the key," pursued the child. 
 
 "Why, Junior," his new friend laughed. 
 "What do you want the key for?" 
 
 "You mean to go away in the morning before 
 I'm awake," declared Junior, with the air of 
 a bird who is too old to be caught with chaff. 
 
 120 
 
The B&tes 
 
 "Certainly not," returned Camilla. "I 
 promise you that we'll have breakfast to- 
 gether." ' 
 
 "Mam'selle promised me things," said the 
 child. 
 
 "Well, my promises are made of such tough 
 stuff they can't break." The speaker's eyes 
 convinced the small skeptic before her even 
 more than her words. 
 
 He watched silently while she opened the 
 windows and put out the remaining light. The 
 crucial moment for Junior in the twenty-four 
 hours came when that last inexorable snap took 
 place. The seal of silence fell on the mysterious 
 room, broken only by the snoring of Mademoi- 
 selle. 
 
 The dying fire still shed a dim glow to-night 
 and in it he could see the outline of his compan- 
 ion as she slipped off the kimono, hung it over a 
 chair and got into her bed. The habitual dread 
 of going to sleep fell over Junior, and the ha- 
 bitual conviction that it would be a sin to speak 
 after a grown-up had settled to rest. It was 
 with surprise, then, that he heard Camilla say 
 with a pleasant, sleepy sigh : " Such a dear, soft 
 little nest. This bird is very happy." 
 
 Happy! In the dark! In this room! A won- 
 
 121 
 
The Right Track 
 
 derful sense of license came over Junior. It 
 certainly made the circumstances less awful to 
 speak aloud, voluntarily. 
 
 "Is the bird happy?" he asked. 
 
 "Very," replied Camilla. "Have you said 
 your prayers, yet?" 
 
 "No. Mam'selle said prayers for me. She 
 asked the bon Dieu to make me a good boy and 
 keep me still." 
 
 Camilla felt moisture creep slowly on her 
 lashes. 
 
 "It protects us from being frightened and 
 having bad dreams to say happy prayers," she 
 said after a minute. 
 
 "I don't know any," replied the child. "Is 
 it verses?" 
 
 "Sometimes; but it's things you can make 
 up yourself. You never have to wonder what to 
 say to Daddy, do you?" 
 
 "No; but Daddy's so busy." 
 
 Camilla swallowed. "Yes, I suppose so; but 
 this wonderful God we pray to, He's never too 
 busy." 
 
 "I know it," said Junior. "He sees me when 
 I'm bad. I don't care if He does. He can't do 
 anything." 
 
 "Only good things only loving things," 
 
 122 
 
The Betes 
 
 returned Camilla quietly. " He is your Daddy's 
 Father" 
 
 " Is He my grandpa, then? I saw his picture. 
 He's awful homely." 
 
 Camilla turned her face into the pillow for a 
 brief space and it shook. 
 
 "No, this is different," she said at last. 
 "God is the Father of everybody of your 
 father, and you, and me, and Mamabel, and 
 your sister and everybody; and He loves us 
 all so dearly that it's easy to ask Him for every- 
 thing that's right." 
 
 "Then could I ask Him to take away the 
 betes?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed. What do you think I asked 
 Him yesterday?" Camilla spoke softly. "I 
 asked Him to let me come to this city and if 
 there was a little boy here who needed me, I 
 asked God to help me to find him. I did n't 
 have the baby any longer, you see, and it seemed 
 as if an empty place in my heart was aching." 
 
 Junior felt a warmth creep up into his cheeks 
 in the darkness. Camilla put her hand outside 
 the counterpane near him. He felt her move- 
 ment and slipped a very small, very hot hand 
 into hers. She held it closely. 
 
 "God loves us so dearly," she said again, 
 123 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "that we may call Him mother, too. Father- 
 Mother God. Now, let's just know how much 
 we love Him and go to sleep." 
 
 " I 'm going to ask Him something first," said 
 the child. "Will He hear me?" 
 
 "Indeed, He will." 
 
 Upon which Junior, straightening back on 
 his pillow, shouted loudly : 
 
 "God, I want Camel not to go away to- 
 morrow, nor the next day, nor the next day, 
 nor the next nor the nor " 
 
 The small body relaxed as the voice grew 
 fainter and the pauses longer, and with the last 
 word sleep overcame the petitioner. 
 
 Camilla arranged the covers over him, and 
 sank back upon her pillow. The fire flickered 
 out. The spring breeze stirred the curtains, 
 bringing the occasional whir of motors ; but the 
 street was not a thoroughfare and the city noises 
 were subdued. Camilla smiled in the darkness. 
 Surely the Magic Music was increasing. 
 
 She had no idea how long she had been asleep 
 when a cry of fear, and then sobs and choking 
 from the other bed awakened her. Junior was 
 thrashing about, half-awake and crying. 
 
 "I don't care, Mam'selle, I don't care," he 
 screamed angrily. 
 
 124 
 
The Betes 
 
 Camilla put her hand on him. He knew the 
 heavy hand and the shaking he would get and 
 how the wild ends of her red ribbon would rear 
 up, and he fought her off. 
 
 "I won't, I won't!" he cried. 
 
 "Wake up, dear. It's Camilla," she said, 
 and the gentle, loving voice penetrated. 
 
 "I heard 'em; I heard 'em," he cried again, 
 shaking, but remembering at last who was with 
 him and clutching his companion's neck as she 
 leaned over him. 
 
 "Shall I turn on the light?" she asked. 
 
 "Yes, oh, yes!" exclaimed the child, with 
 excited relief. 
 
 Camilla turned the switch, then slipped into 
 her bed again, and, with a smile toward which 
 the terrified child turned as the flower turns 
 toward the sun, held out her arms and the boy 
 crept into them, trembling, basking in her kind- 
 ness. 
 
 "See your pony over there," she said, croon- 
 ingly, " and all your nice toys. See how much 
 love Daddy and everybody had to get you so 
 many lovely things. This room is full of love, 
 Junior, full, full of love. Nothing else can get 
 in. What a pretty room. What a happy little 
 boy I have in my arms." 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Junior pulled himself up and looked all 
 around the room incredulously; then back into 
 the deep kindness of Camilla's eyes. 
 
 "Did you think you heard lions and tigers?" 
 she asked, as he sank back. "How could you, 
 when they are thousands and thousands of 
 miles away in their own woods where they're 
 so happy with their own little babies; snug- 
 gling up close to them and licking them very 
 softly with their tongues. They don't even 
 know there's a boy away off in this country 
 thinking about them. Would n't they be sur- 
 prised?" 
 
 "Would they?" asked Junior hoarsely, his 
 tears drying on his cheeks. 
 
 " I guess they would ! They'd say, 'Does that 
 boy think we'd leave our little babies alone and 
 go and visit him? Well, I guess not!'" 
 
 Junior's eyes entreated her for reassurance 
 and she smiled at him and gave him a little 
 squeeze. "Ridiculous, isn't it?" she asked, 
 and the child gurgled a hoarse agreement. 
 
 "Now, shall we put out the light and go to 
 the land of Nod again?" 
 
 "Where's that?" asked Junior suspiciously. 
 
 "Where the sand-man lives; the kind little 
 sand-man who makes boys' eyelids fall down 
 
 126 
 
The BJtes 
 
 so they can drop into the land of Nod and pick 
 flowers there." 
 
 " I hate to go to sleep, Camel," confessed the 
 child piteously. 
 
 "But that will all be changed when you re- 
 member that this room is full of love and that 
 our Father-Mother God sent me here to tell 
 you that there's nothing in the whole world 
 to be afraid of." 
 
 "You '11 let go of me if you put out the light." 
 
 "No, I '11 come right back, and hold you close 
 till you know that there 's nothing to dream of 
 but flowers, till the sun peeps in at us." 
 
 "All right," breathed Junior; and when 
 Camilla came back to bed, she let him cuddle 
 into her arms again; and long after he was 
 asleep, she lay awake with her peaceful, thank- 
 ful thoughts. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE TRIUMPHANT CHORD 
 
 THE child slept so late the next morning that 
 Camilla's toilet was finished when he opened 
 his eyes. 
 
 He always awoke at odds with the world, and 
 this morning was no exception. However, when 
 he saw Camilla moving about the nursery, it 
 startled him out of his waking mood. 
 
 Before she had observed that his eyes were 
 open, a knock sounded at the door, and when 
 Camilla opened it, the waitress Bessie appeared. 
 
 "Good-morning, miss. Mr. Barnes's com- 
 pliments," she said, "and when you're ready, 
 will you come down to breakfast ? I 'm to bring 
 Junior's breakfast up and give it to him." 
 
 "You won't!" exclaimed the boy rudely. 
 "She promised " 
 
 "Yes, yes, Junior," said Camilla hastily. 
 "Will you please tell Mr. Barnes that I prom- 
 ised to have breakfast up here? Can't I come 
 down and bring it up myself? It's a good deal 
 of trouble to bring two breakfasts." 
 
 "Oh, no, miss. We always brought two." 
 128 
 
The Triumphant Chord 
 
 "Very well, then. We'll be ready in just a 
 few minutes." 
 
 "He's got a dressing-gown, miss, that 
 Mam'selle uses when he sleeps late." Bessie 
 spoke pleasantly. She was relieved not to be 
 obliged to suffer the morning mood of the heir 
 of the house, and she went to the closet and 
 produced the little gown. 
 
 Then she went away and Camilla approached 
 her charge. 
 
 "Is n't this a beautiful morning?" she said. 
 "Up with my boy, and into the tub we go." 
 
 Junior got out of bed mechanically. His 
 small brain was busy. He remembered no 
 detail of all that had occurred in the middle of 
 the night; but he recollected clearly that before 
 going to sleep he had informed the Creator of 
 his wish that Camilla should remain with him. 
 Being, however, a misanthrope and decidedly 
 of the conviction that Heaven helps those who 
 help themselves, he was planning not to let this 
 wonderful person out of his sight. 
 
 The nursery was a large room and Camilla 
 noticed a door on the opposite side from the 
 bathroom. She also remembered the chaotic 
 noises in there last evening. 
 
 When she finally fastened the small frogs 
 129 
 
The Right Track 
 
 across the child's finely tailored dressing-gown 
 and Junior's brown hair was brushed smoothly, 
 she had ascended still further in his estimation. 
 She had not hurt his ears washing him, nor 
 pulled his hair. 
 
 "Where do you have your breakfast?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "On this table," replied the boy, pulling at 
 one against the wall. 
 
 "Would n't it be nice if we could go into 
 that next room so as to let the sun and wind 
 fairies sweep and dust in here?" 
 
 Junior regarded her solemnly, and she won- 
 dered if he ever smiled. 
 
 "I don't care," he answered. 
 
 Camilla opened the door of the deserted 
 room. There were signs of sudden flight, and a 
 pitcher lay broken on the floor. 
 
 She gathered up the pieces in a paper, pulled 
 and pushed the furniture into place, and by the 
 time she had brought in the table and opened 
 all the windows in the nursery and bathroom, 
 Bessie appeared with the tray. 
 
 "Mr. Barnes's compliments, miss, and he 
 told me to say that he would come up here as 
 soon as he finishes breakfast." 
 
 "That will be nice, won't it, to see Daddy? " 
 130 
 
The Triumphant Chord 
 
 said Camilla as she tied the little boy's bib. 
 She was all unconscious that in this operation 
 she was making herself still more poignantly 
 desirable to the fragile little creature because 
 her knuckles did n't hurt him while she tied it. 
 
 "No," was the surprising reply. " Daddy 
 does n't need to come up here." 
 
 Experience had taught the child that self- 
 control was sometimes to his advantage. He 
 was practicing it now in not voicing his fears 
 to Camilla. He knew very well that Daddy was 
 coming for the purpose of taking his new friend 
 away, and he felt that she was too yielding to 
 be trusted with their defense. 
 
 Camilla looked at him with yearning com- 
 passion. She felt intuitively that Mrs. Barnes 
 would prefer a different sort of person installed 
 in her house; one with no claims of old friend- 
 ship with the husband who had evolved into a 
 different sphere of life. 
 
 She made no reply to Junior's remark, but 
 set his breakfast before him as attractively as 
 possible. She, too, felt that his father's visit was 
 to be a vital occasion, and she felt very ten- 
 der toward the flattering jealousy which she be- 
 lieved underlay the child's unwillingness to see 
 the only member of the family whom he loved. 
 
 131 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Well, well, here's a new plan," said Mr. 
 Barnes when he passed through the wind-swept 
 nursery and came upon the pair at breakfast. 
 "How's my little son this morning?" As he 
 spoke he stooped and kissed the child's fore- 
 head, then seated himself near by. "What of 
 the night, Camilla? You look as if you had 
 survived it." 
 
 Junior had ceased eating as soon as his father 
 appeared, and now with his well-brushed head 
 lowered, he was looking up at him with an 
 expression which James Barnes saw was dis- 
 tinctly inimical. Thinking the pale little fellow 
 was in an unusually cross morning mood his 
 heart sank with the expectation that Camilla 
 would decline any such undertaking as this. 
 Thinking to introduce cheerful and jocose 
 memories, he met his son's fixed gaze and con- 
 tinued : 
 
 "Did the bird like her nest, or is she ready 
 now when you have finished breakfast to fly off 
 in the motor with me?" 
 
 Here was Junior's cue. He had known very 
 well that this was his father's intention, and 
 gesturing with his spoon, he delivered himself 
 as follows, with many nervous gasps and fre- 
 quent stuttering : 
 
 132 
 
The Triumphant Chord 
 
 "No!" he began with explosive violence. "I 
 t told God 1 last night that I wa wanted 
 Camel to st stay here now and and and 
 all the days ; and G God will do what I 
 what I say; 'cause 'cause Camel said so; and 
 if if you t take her away, He '11 b b burn 
 you up in hell, 'cause I I saw the picture, and 
 the the devil, he 's got a a fork in his 
 tail" 
 
 "Darling!" breathed Camilla. She put re- 
 pressive arms around the small, tense, jerking 
 figure; and James Barnes, who had been staring, 
 his jaw fallen, burst into riotous laughter. He 
 rose, apparently to get his breath, and walked 
 the floor of the little room, starting every few 
 steps on a fresh peal, and taking out his hand- 
 kerchief to wipe his tearful eyes. Junior 
 watched him inflexibly. He wanted to cry him- 
 self, but this was no time for such indulgence. 
 He pushed Camilla away. Judge and jury must 
 decide this case before the amenities of life 
 could be acceptable from anybody. 
 
 At last the severity of his father's spasm 
 passed, and James Barnes turned, still laughing 
 and wiping his eyes. 
 
 "Well, Camilla," he said, "you've heard. Is 
 your interest in my immortal soul sufficient 
 
 133 
 
The Right Track 
 
 to keep you here under all the circumstances?" 
 
 " I 'd like to stay, Jim. It's what I came for," 
 replied Camilla simply; and whatever the 
 others might feel, in her ears were sounding 
 triumphant harmonies that sanctioned and 
 blessed her undertaking. " If I stay, it is under- 
 stood that it is not as one of your old friends, 
 but as Junior's new friend. My life is to be 
 lived with him, I take my meals with him. We 
 must see what Mrs. Barnes says." 
 
 James Barnes lifted his hands. "She will say, 
 'Mirabile dictu,'" he returned. "To-day she 
 won't say anything. She will be too busy read- 
 ing her paper at the club. I have learned the 
 title. It is 'Psychology in the Nursery." 
 
 The grotesqueness of the whole situation 
 combined with the relief of the father's heart 
 was too much for James Barnes, and again he 
 shook, and paced the floor. At last he paused 
 beside his boy. "We 're pretty lucky, little son, 
 eh," he asked, "to have a dove fly right down 
 out of the sky and light in your nursery?" 
 
 "Good-bye, Daddy," was Junior's only re- 
 sponse. He had known grown-ups to change 
 their minds. 
 
 "Camilla," Mr. Barnes approached her and 
 held out his hand; "you're sending me down to 
 
 134 
 
The Triumphant Chord 
 
 the office feeling like a new man." He spoke 
 earnestly and with a grave face. "Tell me 
 your hotel and let me have your traps sent 
 up." 
 
 She laughed and her eyes twinkled. "There 
 was only one trap, and you fell into it," she 
 answered. "The truth will out. Cherry gave 
 me the idea that I might be useful here and a 
 suit-case at the station is all I have at this end 
 of the route. I '11 give you the check for that, 
 if I may, and send to Brierly for my trunk. I 
 left everything packed. Now you know the full 
 extent of my brazenness." 
 
 James Barnes looked at her admiringly. 
 "You're a wonder!" he exclaimed. "Say, 
 Camilla," with sudden happy thought, "what's 
 the matter with our going after the trunk?" 
 
 Junior's pallid face flushed. "You'll 
 you'll - " he began threateningly. 
 
 "You, too, you, too, I mean, little chap," 
 added his father hastily. "I want to see the 
 farm and we'll motor out to-morrow if it's 
 pleasant." 
 
 Then Camilla saw what she had not yet dis- 
 covered, namely, that it was possible for her 
 charge to smile. It was a pale moonbeam of a 
 smile and the big eyes took no part in it; but 
 
 135 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Junior was experiencing a moment of great 
 contentment in which he dismissed suspicions 
 of his parent and received him back into favor. 
 He held out his hand and James Barnes took it 
 and kissed him again. 
 
 "Good-bye, Junior," he said. " I may differ 
 with you on some points of theology, but in the 
 main I think your heart's in the right place 
 and you certainly know how to pick a winner. 
 Good-bye. I '11 go and scratch gravel extra hard 
 so as to get a holiday to-morrow." 
 
 When the door had closed upon his father, 
 Junior glanced up at his companion with a sigh 
 of satisfaction. 
 
 "You see," she said, "it was right, and so it 
 came to us. Now we must finish our breakfast 
 or Bessie will think we 're very slow." 
 
 But Junior's feeble appetite was satisfied. 
 "I don't want any more," he replied. 
 
 " I do," said Camilla, taking another muffin. 
 "These are delicious. Did you ever see a little 
 bird in the nest open its mouth to be fed ? You 
 open yours and I '11 show you what happens." 
 Junior opened his mouth and she popped in a 
 piece of the muffin. He accepted it, and it was 
 followed by a spoonful of egg; but the little boy 
 soon wearied of the game, and, leaning back 
 
 136 ' 
 
The Triumphant Chord 
 
 in his chair, looked at this marvelous new play- 
 mate, to see what she would do next. 
 
 Camilla drank her coffee; then drew a nap- 
 kin over the tray. 
 
 "Now, then, do you think those sun and wind 
 fairies are through in the nursery?" she asked. 
 
 Camilla had an eager, happy way of speaking, 
 which would infuse zest into the most listless; 
 but Junior had his own self-respect to maintain. 
 
 "There are n't any fairies I know that," 
 he said, with a sophisticated air. 
 
 He was such a pale, languid little specimen 
 as he lay back looking at her, that Camilla 
 longed to get a rocking-chair in some quiet 
 corner and gather him to her breast for the 
 rest of the day. Instead of that she answered 
 brightly : 
 
 "All right. You come and see!" She rose 
 and threw open the nursery door, letting in a 
 fresh breath of wind. She closed all the win- 
 dows. Junior got down from his chair and fol- 
 lowed her. 
 
 "That's all, this morning, little breezes," she 
 said. "Thank you so much. That's their 
 name breezes," she explained, as she untied 
 Junior's bib. 
 
 A long patch of sunlight filtered down be- 
 
The Right Track 
 
 tween this house and the next and lay across the 
 rug. 
 
 " See that dear sunbeam. She wants to stay. 
 Shall we let her?" 
 
 Junior still felt suspicious that this was 
 unmanly sport. It was daylight now and he 
 was not afraid of anything, and quite captain 
 of his soul. 
 
 "We can't help its staying," he said, with 
 a superior air. 
 
 Camilla raised her eyebrows at him and going 
 across to the window lowered the shade. The 
 rug became a dusky patch. 
 
 "Now she's outside," she said mysteriously. 
 She raised her voice. "Do you wish we'd let 
 you in, Sunbeam?" She asked it with such 
 apparent sincerity and listened at the window 
 with such expectation that Junior forgot his 
 dignity for the moment and moved to the win- 
 dow, looking tiny in his smart little befrogged 
 dressing-gown. 
 
 "I'll let her in," he said, and snapped up the 
 shade with a vigor that would have won him a 
 sharp reprimand from Mademoiselle. 
 
 The sunshine flowed again across the floor. 
 
 "See how happy she is to run back!" cried 
 Camilla. 
 
 138 
 
The Triumphant Chord 
 
 "Let's let's let in the others the 
 breezes," suggested Junior, taking hold of the 
 window. 
 
 "They're a little too cold yet. Every day 
 they'll get warmer; but can't you smell how 
 fresh and sweet they've made the room? Now 
 they have to fly away to Brierly and blow all 
 around the farm and get it ready for us to 
 come." 
 
 "Do they?" asked Junior cautiously. He 
 wished Camilla to understand that while he 
 might indulge her, he was very different from 
 that baby who probably liked this sort of thing. 
 
 "Yes, they're the busiest fairies in the world: 
 breezes everywhere, sunbeams everywhere, and 
 now in springtime with all the trees and flowers 
 to take care of, and with all the little leaves and 
 buds they have to coax out, you can imagine 
 whether we're lucky to have one take time to 
 lie around on our rug." 
 
 While Camilla talked she was taking off the 
 little dressing-gown and putting on Junior's 
 day clothes. There were such contagious stars 
 in her eyes that he smiled faintly. 
 
 "Mam'selle and I found some dandelions 
 when we went to walk yesterday," he said. 
 " I picked 'em." 
 
 139 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "That was fun, was n't it? They're just 
 about the first flowers to pop up out of the 
 ground and say, 'Hello. Spring's here. Come 
 on, all the rest of you." 
 
 Junior looked off, considering. Camilla was 
 doubtless quite silly, but he liked to hear her 
 talk, world-hardened though he was. 
 
 "Now, then," she continued, when his tie 
 was adjusted under the broad collar, "let's 
 build our nests"; and she said it as if of all the 
 fun in the world nest-building was the most 
 delightful. 
 
 The little boy did n't get her meaning at 
 once, but when she approached the beds, both 
 pulled out from the wall and with mattresses 
 upturned, he saw what she meant to do. 
 
 "Bessie makes the beds," he said. "Mam- 
 'selle would n't. She said she was n't a a 
 do domestique. ' ' 
 
 "What an idea!" laughed Camilla. "Think 
 if you were a bird how you 'd like to have some 
 other bird build your nest." 
 
 She seized the mattress of Junior's bed and 
 turned it over into place. He stood still in the 
 shaft of light on the rug, watching her. 
 
 "That sunbeam is kissing your hair," she 
 said. "My! It's nice to be loved by a sunbeam; 
 
 140 
 
The Triumphant Chord 
 
 but I don't believe she 'd mind if you came and 
 helped me with the nest." 
 
 "I don't know how," said Junior. "Bessie 
 does it all alone." 
 
 "Yes, but a bird never builds a nest alone. 
 Its mate always helps. You can stand on the 
 other side and be the mate if you'd like to." 
 
 Junior walked slowly around to the back of 
 the bed and pulled up the sheet with Camilla. 
 Bessie coming in for the tray beheld him with 
 amazement. 
 
 "Sure, I'd do that for you, miss," she said. 
 Camilla's smile and offer to bring up the break- 
 fast-tray had won her. 
 
 "Junior and I like to do it, thank you, Bessie. 
 The tray is in the other room. Now goes in the 
 soft moss," said Camilla, as the child's slow 
 little hands helped her with the blanket. 
 
 Bessie told the tale in the kitchen to the 
 incredulous cook. 
 
 "It's like a lamb he is," she averred. "The 
 dago at the corner told me once it was good luck 
 to touch a hunchback. Sure Junior's got it. 
 It's the first bit o' luck ever come his way." 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 BY THE FIRESIDE 
 
 MABEL'S paper was enthusiastically received. 
 She entered her motor-car that afternoon with 
 the plaudits of the other clubwomen ringing in 
 her ears. Such sympathy with childhood was 
 touching. Such grasp of the necessity of strength 
 fused with gentleness was inspiring. She wished 
 that Victor might have heard the applause 
 and the comments. He would see how much 
 truer economy of force it was to inspire the 
 larger motherhood than to incapacitate one's 
 self by lying awake with one fretful child. 
 
 She reached home in a glow of satisfaction, 
 and entered the house holding her roll of manu- 
 script and wondering if she should yield to the 
 strenuous urging of her admirers to have it pub- 
 lished. 
 
 Bessie met her in the hall. "Mr. Barnes left 
 word would you call him up as soon as you 
 came in, ma'am." 
 
 The elation died out of Mabel's face. To be 
 sure, she did have a husband. She proceeded to 
 her sanctum and, throwing off her wraps, seated 
 
 142 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 herself by the desk and picked up the 'phone. 
 A vague and irritating wonder concerning Jun- 
 ior assailed her. She had not had time to see him 
 before she went out; and probably her husband, 
 with a narrow disregard for the greatest good 
 to the greatest number, was about to reproach 
 her. 
 
 Her voice as she called him was cold and 
 defensive. Somewhat to her relief, his sounded 
 natural. 
 
 "Just come in, Mabel?" 
 
 "Yes, this minute." 
 
 "Not seen Junior yet, then?" 
 
 "No, I tell you I 'm just in; my wraps are not 
 off. I received your message and thought it 
 might be something important." 
 
 "Well it's rather surprising, anyway. When 
 I went to the nursery this morning I found the 
 small boy has taken the trouble of choosing a 
 governess off our hands. He had engaged Ca- 
 milla." 
 
 Mabel could hear her husband's mirth at the 
 memory penetrating his words. 
 
 "Well, you know how I feel about it," she 
 answered. 
 
 "I don't think you will when you get the 
 whole idea," was the quiet reply. " That's the 
 
 H3 
 
The Right Track 
 
 reason I wished to speak to you before you saw 
 Miss Lovett. She consents to stay on condition 
 that she is no more one of us than Mam'selle 
 was. She wishes to take her meals with Junior 
 and live her life with him." 
 
 "She is a most inappropriate person for the 
 position, however," said Mabel firmly. "She 
 can have no beneficial effect on Junior's brain." 
 
 "She can keep it sane, I imagine, and that's 
 something. Moreover, I'm more interested in 
 adding flesh to his bones than information to his 
 mind just now. I thought I'd explain before 
 you saw Camilla, so you'd understand that 
 there is no guest business about it. At least, it's 
 a solution of the present problem until you see 
 somebody who to your mind fills the bill better, 
 and it's a big relief to me. Have a successful 
 time at the club?" 
 
 "Very," returned Mabel briefly. 
 
 "Glad to hear it. See you in an hour. Good- 
 bye." 
 
 They both hung up and Mabel stared at her 
 desk with discontented eyes. 
 
 Why should James talk as if it were such a 
 dreadful thing for Junior to be left one day or 
 even a few days without some one to watch his 
 every movement? With such a kind maid as 
 
 144 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 Bessie in the house, there was no reason why 
 she should not hurry away as she had done to- 
 day without making any special inquiries. 
 
 She remembered uncomfortably that she had 
 last night told Camilla she might steal away as 
 early as she liked this morning; and had not 
 troubled herself to ask questions before she 
 went out. 
 
 "All this pampering idea is absurd," she 
 thought as she rose to change her gown for din- 
 ner. "Think of the children who are locked in 
 while their mothers go to work. They grow up 
 as well as any other children." 
 
 When her careless toilet was made, of late 
 she never minded ripped lace and half falling 
 locks, she did n't even consider as a reason 
 that she was handsome in spite of them, she 
 went to the nursery. The door stood ajar, and 
 before she entered she could see Camilla in a 
 rocking-chair before the sparkling fire, Junior's 
 long thin legs dangling from her low lap and 
 his head pillowed on her breast. It was a com- 
 fortable picture. Mabel's daily visit to the 
 nursery had always been the signal for a recital 
 of Junior's peccadillos through all his waking 
 and many of his sleeping hours. At these times 
 the stepmother administered the reproofs neces- 
 
The Right Track 
 
 saiy to mollify the small boy's guardian, and 
 therefore the associations with her visits were 
 such that when Junior heard the approaching 
 step and, turning his head, recognized the 
 visitor, his doubled fist beating the air in her 
 direction signified all the repulse of which it was 
 capable. 
 
 Mabel stood there in her trailing gown of pale 
 gray crepe with touches of pink, and looked 
 very handsome and very hard. 
 
 Camilla moved slightly back from the fire, 
 and caught the beating fist in her free hand. 
 
 "Good evening, Mrs. Barnes. Will you excuse 
 my not rising with such a big lapful? May I 
 pull this chair up for you?" 
 
 The speaker released Junior's fist and drew 
 forward a neighboring wicker chair, and Mabel, 
 after a moment's hesitation, sat down. 
 
 "My husband has just been telling me that 
 you are going to stay with Junior for a time," 
 she said. 
 
 "For all the days, all the days!" exclaimed 
 the child, sitting straight up in Camilla's lap and 
 glaring at his stepmother, " and if and if you 
 don't want her to, you'll you'll burn up in 
 h ." 
 
 "Junior!" Camilla caught his hand. "Don't 
 146 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 say that again. Your Mamabel wants what is 
 right. We all want what is right. Yes, Mrs. 
 Barnes," she turned to that lady, "I have 
 nothing to do just now and your husband 
 thought I might fill a need here. It's the kind 
 of work I love." 
 
 She spoke modestly, and smiled at Mabel 
 with winning earnestness. 
 
 "And her trunk's at Brierly," said Junior, 
 "and we're going in the motor to-morrow to 
 get it Daddy and Camel and me." 
 
 "I," corrected Mabel mechanically. 
 
 " No, not you 1 ' ' exclaimed Junior with scowl- 
 ing vigor. "Justus." 
 
 "You can't have the car to-morrow," said his 
 stepmother with dignity. "I'm sorry, but I 
 have an important engagement for which I 
 need it." 
 
 "We will have it," cried Junior, nodding 
 and stammering as he always did when super- 
 excited. "We'll go go early in the mor 
 morning, before you you get up." 
 
 "Hush, Junior," replied Mamabel, rising 
 with her queenly poise. "You are a very silly, 
 rude little boy and you can't always have your 
 own way. I will see you again, Miss Lovett," 
 she added, for Junior had begun to cry angrily, 
 
 H7 
 
The Right Track 
 
 and nothing afflicted Mabel's nerves worse than 
 the crying of a child. 
 
 She left the room, closing the door behind her; 
 and Camilla tried to draw Junior's head back 
 on her shoulder. He resisted, and pounded her 
 breast with his clenched fist. 
 
 She put him down off her lap and rocked and 
 gazed at the fire. 
 
 He stared at her through angry tears; then 
 all his woes seemed to possess him at once. He 
 could n't go to Brierly in the motor with Daddy 
 and the wonderful one. Also he had pounded the 
 wonderful one, and, tragedy of tragedies, she 
 had put him away from her. He fell on his face 
 on the floor and howled with abandon. 
 
 Camilla steadily dwelt on the truth about 
 what seemed to be a little nervous wreck; then 
 she began to sing. 
 
 Each time Junior paused to take breath he 
 could hear her soft voice singing, and as the 
 child loved music and was starved for it, and 
 Camilla's voice was sweet and clear, he gradu- 
 ally controlled himself to listen. This was 
 Camilla's song: 
 
 148 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 CAMILLA'S SONG 
 
 1. An an - gel flew down-ward from heav - en's gate And 
 
 2. But some would not hark to the an - gel's lay Their 
 
 3. She float - ed one day to a child's true heart, Soft 
 
 JjJ J F- 
 
 came to the earth be - low. . . She sang a sweet song as she 
 earth songs they loved the best. . . They barred her out when she 
 winged as a snow - y dove. . He welcomed her in and her 
 
 
 f 
 
 3 
 
 
 r 
 
 wandered far ; The peo- pie who heard tho't it fell from a star 
 
 tried to stay, So, sad and neg -lect - ed she flew . . a - way 
 
 heav'n-ly song Made ra-diant-ly hap - py his whole day long, 
 
 M^t- ^Ht!- i 1=& 
 
 S^H-ty-^^ ^ m ^^ 
 
 JJO-J. 
 
 149 
 
The Right Track 
 
 ^ K 1 . -^ "-IF* M *- & ^ 
 
 And it healed all their care and woe, It healed all their care and woe. 
 
 Still seek-ing a place to rest, Still seeking a place to . rest. 
 For the an - gel's name was Love,The an - gel's name was Love. 
 
 By the time Camilla had finished the second 
 verse, Junior had slowly pulled himself up from 
 the floor and come to her side. She put her arm 
 around him and went on singing and looking at 
 the fire while he leaned against her. 
 
 There was a moment's pause after the song 
 ceased ; then the little boy spoke : 
 
 "Was the angel's name Love?" he asked 
 with a deep catch in his breath. 
 
 "Yes, and our Father-Mother God sent her; 
 that same One we prayed to last night. Is n't 
 it strange, Junior," went on Camilla very 
 quietly, "that we will cry and grow angry and 
 make a noise instead of asking God for what 
 we want?" 
 
 "Will He will He give us the car to-morrow 
 instead of Mamabel?" 
 
 150 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 "Yes, unless it's right for her to have it. We 
 want what's right, don't we?" 
 
 "No, I want the car." 
 
 "The angel's name was Love," said Camilla. 
 "Shall we make it with your blocks?" 
 
 The small boy assenting, they both sat on 
 the floor and built the word so that it stood 
 in aggressively black capitals on a red back- 
 ground. 
 
 "Now I'll make a word and see if you can 
 read it," said Camilla; and in a minute her own 
 name stood upon the floor. 
 
 Junior read it letter by letter laboriously: 
 "C-A-M-I-L-L-A." 
 
 "What does that spell?" she asked. Then 
 as he looked puzzled she smiled at him and 
 tapped herself on the chest. 
 
 Junior hung his head. "The place I slapped 
 you?" he asked slowly. 
 
 She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You 
 did n't know what you were doing," she 
 answered. "You were barring the angel out, 
 were n't you ? " 
 
 Then she picked up the block with "E" on it 
 and placed it under the "I." 
 
 "That would be Camel, would n't it?" she 
 asked; "but my name is a little different." 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Then she repeated her own name by sylla- 
 bles. 
 
 "That's my name," she said. "Do you like 
 it?" 
 
 Junior nodded. 
 
 "Can you say it?" 
 
 He said it after her, "Camilla." 
 
 She kissed his cheek again. "Now, then," 
 she said happily, "we've learned two things. 
 The angel's name, and my name." 
 
 The child gave her his faint, moonlight smile, 
 and at this moment Mr. Barnes knocked and 
 entered. 
 
 His wife had told him that Junior was having 
 one of his usual tantrums and that she could n't 
 see that there was any change for the better in 
 his surroundings as yet. 
 
 He was relieved that all was quiet when he 
 reached the nursery door, and, upon opening it, 
 was surprised to see a peaceful game of blocks 
 going on. 
 
 Junior got up, went to him and drew him by 
 the hand. 
 
 "We Ve made two names and I know 'em," 
 he said. "Love, and Camilla." 
 
 -"Aren't they the same?" asked James 
 Barnes, with a grave look at his old friend. 
 
 152 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 "No o," returned Junior scornfully. "Look 
 how different." He pointed at the block words, 
 repeating them as he did so. 
 
 James Barnes sat down and took the little 
 figure on his knee. 
 
 "We 're pretty happy, are n't we, son, to 
 have Love and Camilla." 
 
 "Yes; and the angel came in the little boy's 
 heart and he did n't drive her away. He let 
 her sit down and sing. Sing it to Daddy, 
 Camel." 
 
 Camilla smiled at the child and pointed to her 
 block name. " Sing it, Cam-il-la," he said obedi- 
 ently. 
 
 "I don't sing to grown-up people; just to 
 little folks," she answered, pink coming into 
 her cheeks. 
 
 "Yes, yes" ordered Junior imperiously. "My 
 daddy '11 like it." 
 
 "Do, Camilla," said Mr. Barnes. "A nice 
 orderly room," he glanced around the apart- 
 ment whose neatness had impressed him on en- 
 tering, "a nice snapping fire, a good little 
 boy who always says ' please' when he wants a 
 nice lady sitting on the floor to sing to him, and 
 a daddy all ready to listen." 
 
 "PI please," said Junior, nodding at the 
 153 
 
The Right Track 
 
 little woman sitting Turkish fashion on the 
 floor. 
 
 " Let 's put her in a comfy rocking-chair first." 
 And James Barnes, holding the child in one 
 arm, rose and gave his other hand to Camilla ; 
 but she rose nimbly without help and seated 
 herself in her lately vacated chair. 
 
 "You can sing it with me, perhaps, Junior," 
 she said, and then her sweet, natural voice be- 
 gan the song. 
 
 Junior leaned his head against his father's 
 shoulder and listened with satisfaction. 
 
 At the close of the last line he repeated in 
 a thin, gentle little tone, which tried to sing 
 the air: "For the Angel's name was Love." 
 Then his hollow eyes lost their far-away expres- 
 sion and he sat up in his father's lap, coming 
 back to affairs of real life. "Mamabel's hateful 
 and mean, Daddy. She says she '11 take the car 
 to-morrow and we have to get Camel Cam- 
 il-la's trunk." 
 
 "First, we thank Miss Lovett for her pretty 
 song." 
 
 "And then we don't bar out the angel," said 
 Camilla, meeting the child's eyes. 
 
 "What angel?" he asked defiantly. 
 
 "Love," she answered. 
 154 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 "Yes!" exclaimed the child, with all the 
 vociferousness at his feeble command. " I want 
 to be bad, and hate Mamabel." 
 
 His father gave him a little shake. "Look 
 here, young man, you won't go a step to Brierly 
 if you talk that way." 
 
 Junior's eyes filled with tears. He swallowed 
 several times before he was able to voice a stam- 
 mering threat. 
 
 "I'll I'll ask God, and then I I guess 
 you '11 you '11 be sorry." 
 
 Camilla came close and took hold of his 
 hand. "You see Junior wants to do right and 
 be happy just as we all do," she said. "Mrs. 
 Barnes did n't know you wanted the car; so 
 she made another plan; but I want to tell 
 you both what I Ve been thinking. I Ve been 
 thinking that it's a very long ride in the motor 
 for this little boy just now " Junior pulled 
 away his hand and raised a threatening fist 
 "and I wondered if it would n't be more fun 
 for us all to go in the train." 
 
 The small fist fell and Junior's gloomy eyes 
 became reflective. 
 
 James Barnes nodded. "I see," he returned 
 quietly. "I think you're right." 
 
 "Yes, let's go in the train," said Junior, to 
 155 
 
The Right Track 
 
 whom the motor was an old story and a steam 
 engine a rare sight. 
 
 "And I want to tell you something, Junior," 
 continued his father in the same quiet tone. 
 "It seems to me this nursery would be a pretty 
 lonely place if Miss Lovett should get tired of 
 hearing you say rude things and behave like 
 a bear instead of a boy, and should go away." 
 
 Junior's response was a surprise. "Bears love 
 their babies," he said, with a far-away look, 
 "and they lick them so," and he illustrated 
 with his tongue on his father's hand. 
 
 James Barnes bit his lip. It struck him that 
 the teaching of the last twenty-four hours must 
 have been all-embracing. 
 
 "If you don't want Camilla to fly away to 
 another nest you 'd better mend your manners." 
 
 Junior looked very solemn under this im- 
 possibly awful suggestion. He was glad his 
 father did not know that he had struck his new 
 friend a few minutes ago. Mam' selle would have 
 told of it as soon as his daddy entered the room. 
 Camilla started to speak again, and he wondered 
 for an instant if she were going to tell. 
 
 "Junior has some very wonderful things to 
 learn," she said slowly. "He has to learn what 
 the real things are in the beautiful world God 
 
 156 
 
By the Fireside 
 
 made. He has to learn that hating and striking 
 don't bring him anything. They are n't real 
 things any more than the tigers were real that 
 he thought were behind the screen. Hating and 
 striking make him unhappy just as those make- 
 believe lions and tigers did, but they're none of 
 them real." 
 
 Junior's gaze rested deep in those wells of 
 light, Camilla's eyes. A very novel sensation 
 rose in his breast, rose and swelled and filled his 
 throat and then his eyes. He suddenly turned 
 his face against his father's breast and wept 
 softly, quietly. 
 
 "What is it, son?" asked James Barnes in 
 surprise, holding the pathetic little figure close. 
 
 The need for confession sent convulsive words 
 to the child's lips. They were just audible. 
 
 "I p pounded Cam-ilia," he sobbed; and 
 the father smiled across at his old friend with 
 a lump in his own throat: tribute to his son's 
 first tears of repentance. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 ELM FARM 
 
 IT was such a May day as the poets sing when 
 James Barnes, Camilla, and Junior took the 
 train for Brierly. It was hard to tell which of 
 the trio was best satisfied as they descended at 
 the station and found waiting the carryall for 
 which Mr. Barnes had telegraphed. 
 
 Exaggerated accounts of his wealth and im- 
 portance were afloat in his home village, and 
 the news that he was coming had circulated 
 freely since the arrival of the telegram to Pete 
 Miller last evening. 
 
 "Jim Barnes is all right," was the consensus 
 of opinion in the village; and the few friends who 
 had made it a point to happen in at the general 
 store, situated near the depot, at the time of the 
 train's arrival, had a double excitement in seeing 
 Camilla Lovett in company with the great man 
 and in charge of the big-eyed, pale-faced heir 
 of the house of Barnes. 
 
 Mr. Barnes satisfied all the stragglers with 
 his bluff, cheerful greeting, and finally succeeded 
 in getting started on the road to the farm. 
 
 The driver, whose desk in school had been 
 158 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 next to that of his passenger in the days when 
 they snow-balled together, showed none of the 
 satisfaction which he felt on being secure of 
 half an hour's tete-a-tete with the visitor. Ca- 
 milla and Junior were stowed away on the back 
 seat, and circumstances favored Pete Miller. 
 
 "Sorry for Metcalfs trouble," said Mr. 
 Barnes as the horse started. "Has n't made a 
 go of the farm, either, I understand." 
 
 Pete expectorated deftly from the side of the 
 carryall. 
 
 "No, not a chance for his sort," he returned. 
 "He don't belong to this part o' the country any 
 way, and even if he had his health he don't 
 know how to get along. Another case of an 
 abandoned farm, I guess. Lucretia 's been there 
 helpin' 'em the last week or two. Mrs. Metcalf 's 
 so scared and down in the mouth and worried 
 over money matters I guess buyin' the farm 
 took all they had. They had the idea that livin' 
 close to the soil, as the sayin' is, would set 
 him up and make him vigorous ; but it has n't 
 worked out. Lucretia 's been stayin' there 
 nights, too, lately." 
 
 "How is Lucretia?" asked Mr. Barnes with 
 reflective interest. 
 
 "You ask that!" drawled Pete. "Git ap, 
 159 
 
The Right Track 
 
 General. Don't you know folks that's made 
 o' steel springs without an ounce o' flesh extra 
 are always up to snuff?" 
 
 "Lucretia always was smart," returned 
 James Barnes. 
 
 "Yes. Kind o' goes against her that I drive 
 the livery," said Pete. " Seems to think 't ain't 
 active enough." The speaker straightened up a 
 little from the position of slouching comfort 
 in which he was holding the reins between his 
 knees. "I asked her if she'd like it any better 
 if I was to run alongside the hoss." 
 
 James Barnes smiled. Pete Miller was a 
 widower, and he and his spinster cousin had 
 lived together for some years in the ancestral 
 cottage; a tumbledown affair in spite of Lu- 
 cretia' s indefatigable efforts to prop it up and 
 mend it up; efforts in which Pete was always 
 too busy to cooperate. 
 
 "I've lived out o' cans mostly for two weeks 
 past 'count o' the Metcalfs," continued the 
 driver. " I '11 be glad when they can scrape the 
 funds together to take 'em off where they ought 
 to go. 'T ain't goin' to be an easy matter to sell 
 that farm, though. The folks that bought it o' 
 your father was awful pleased to slide it off 
 onto Metcalf." 
 
 160 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 Mr. Barnes looked at the landscape. Buds 
 were leafing in the deceptive embraces of the 
 warm May sunshine. 
 
 He turned around to the silent pair on the 
 back seat of the old carriage. 
 
 "Lucretia will be surprised to see you, Ca- 
 milla," he said. 
 
 "Does she know you are coming?" asked 
 Camilla. 
 
 "Yes. I wired Mr. Metcalf last night." 
 
 The reply was quiet and gave no hint of the 
 relief and thankfulness which that long and 
 comprehensive telegram had carried to the 
 discouraged dwellers at the farm. 
 
 "See that big rock, Junior?" continued Mr. 
 Barnes, as they passed a smooth mound of 
 granite by the roadside. "I remember when 
 that rock was a mountain. Do you think it 
 would be fun to slide down it?" 
 
 " I don't know," replied the fragile, unsmiling 
 little boy, regarding the rock with grave inter- 
 est. 
 
 "Well, take my word for it, it is. I'll show 
 you some day." The speaker smiled. "I re- 
 member when Lucretia used to plant her feet 
 in my back, and I mine in yours, Pete, and we 
 went down that rock like a limited express." 
 
 161 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Pete grinned. "And we got warmed some for 
 wearin' out the seats of our trousers." 
 
 "I guess we did; but then the slices of fresh 
 bread hot out of the oven that your mother used 
 to give us I '11 never forget how those tasted. 
 They were an inch thick and the butter melted 
 on them; and if I could digest one now, I should 
 consider myself an ostrich. There's the very 
 door they came out of." 
 
 Near the great rock was a small house, faded 
 as to paint, and with a little ploughed ground. 
 
 The Miller cottage was the nearest neighbor 
 to Elm Farm, and now on the other side of the 
 street the broad acres of James Barnes's old 
 home came into view. Dividing the wide mea- 
 dow land stood a long avenue of elm trees just 
 coming into leaf, their branches touching and 
 sometimes locking to make a Gothic arch. To 
 all but Junior the scene was familiar and the 
 little boy regarded it with some interest as 
 Pete's white horse turned lumberingly into the 
 avenue. His father's bedtime stories in the era 
 before Mamabel came had always been of the 
 farm. There was the brook, which, winding 
 through the meadow, ran beneath the raised 
 wood road and hurried out on the other side to 
 run past the cornfield and on into a mysterious 
 
 162 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 thicket of oaks and maples where a pond with 
 stoned sides had once held fish, but now was the 
 domain of huge bullfrogs whose voices resounded 
 through the magic wood. 
 
 The house was set on a rise of ground. 
 
 At the end of the avenue the road forked, one 
 path, for the butcher and baker, leading up- 
 hill to the kitchen door, and one sweeping up to 
 the front piazza of the roomy farmhouse. Be- 
 tween these roads was a triangular hillside of 
 grass, studded to-day with dandelions. The elm 
 avenue ran east and west, the house at right 
 angles with it faced south ; and across the road 
 in front of the house two wide terraced steps of 
 grass stood at the top of the hillside, at the foot 
 of which flowed the brook which found its way 
 through the meadow. This brook had its source 
 in a large pond, which fell over a dam in a pleas- 
 antly noisy waterfall, and the pond was bor- 
 dered thickly with trees. 
 
 James Barnes, standing at the moment of 
 arrival on the worm-eaten piazza, looked off 
 at the irregular, hilly sky-line with satisfaction. 
 At each end of the terraced grass stood an im- 
 posing elm tree. 
 
 Everything about the place was shabby and 
 betokened a meager pocketbook. 
 
 163 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "I may be a fool," he thought, "and Mabel 
 will be sure to disapprove; but I can afford to be 
 a fool, at any rate; and some good may come of 
 it to the boy." 
 
 The stir of arrival had been noted from within, 
 and now a little woman with circles around her 
 eyes and smiles on her lips opened the door. 
 She could scarcely speak as she clasped James 
 Barnes's hand and her eyes shone with sudden 
 tears. 
 
 He introduced Camilla and Junior to Mrs. 
 Metcalf, and she took them all within. 
 
 Mr. Metcalf was abovestairs, saving his 
 strength for the interview with the man who had 
 lifted his cares with such suddenness. 
 
 "We'd like to go to Boston this afternoon if 
 it's a possible thing," said Mrs. Metcalf. "My 
 sister's there and will help us get started for the 
 West." 
 
 "Certainly you can," replied Mr. Barnes. 
 "You remember I told you I 'd take everything, 
 furniture and all, just as it stands." 
 
 "Oh, I do," said the little woman, biting her 
 lip for self-control. "Lucretia and I have been 
 up all night packing. We were so glad so 
 thankful " 
 
 "That's all right," returned James Barnes 
 164 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 when her voice failed her. "It's the begin- 
 ning of good times for you, you may be sure; 
 and there 's Lucretia now," he added with relief, 
 as a tall, angular form in a collarless dress and 
 long gingham apron appeared from the back 
 of the hall. 
 
 Lucretia was just as good as anybody and 
 she remembered Jim Barnes in school; but dur- 
 ing thirty years she had seldom seen him; and 
 to all appearances a stranger stood before her 
 now, a city man in a light spring overcoat. He 
 would not have recognized her but that Pete 
 had said she was here, and had described her 
 steel-spring anatomy. He thought he could see 
 signs of it now in her rigid throat, as she gave 
 him her hand awkwardly. 
 
 "How do you do, Mr. Barnes?" she said. 
 "We've been blessin' you all night, Mrs. Met- 
 calf and me." 
 
 "That must be why I feel so good to-day," 
 returned the grain dealer. 
 
 "And after you 've talked with my husband," 
 said Mrs. Metcalf, " Lucretia 's going to give 
 you all your dinner." 
 
 "Oh, we did n't expect that. I thought to 
 send Pete over to the Shanklins' and tell them 
 we would descend on them pretty soon." 
 
 165 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "No, you won't," said Lucretia firmly. 
 "We Ve got corned beef and cabbage enough 
 for all." 
 
 "Then you could n't drive me away," de- 
 clared James Barnes heartily; and then he fol- 
 lowed Mrs. Metcalf upstairs, while Lucretia 
 greeted Camilla as an old friend and met Junior, 
 who regarded her with curiosity, especially her 
 bare arms with their stringy muscles. 
 
 " I '11 take you to the spare room and let you 
 wash your face if you want to," said Lucretia, 
 regarding Camilla with as great curiosity as the 
 small boy showed about herself. 
 
 "You was always close-mouthed, Camilla," 
 she said as they moved away. "Cherry Shank- 
 lin told me about New York settin' you up so 
 fine, but I don't believe she knows, does she, 
 that you're so friendly with the Barneses as all 
 this." 
 
 "It's only two days, Lucretia," replied Ca- 
 milla; "so I scarcely know it myself. I went 
 there and found this little boy wanted some one 
 to work and play with, so I was glad to stay." 
 
 "It's a real good place, too, I guess," said 
 Lucretia, ushering them into the chill white 
 spare room and pouring water into the wash- 
 bowl. "I know 't was just like a message fallin' 
 
 166 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 down out o' heaven when Pete brought up the 
 telegram from Mr. Barnes last night, tellin' how 
 he'd take the whole farm and everything on it, 
 'lock, stock and barrel,' and give 'em money 
 down to go West with. It'll like as not save 
 Mr. Metcalf s life." 
 
 Camilla smiled at Junior with one of her 
 happy, mysterious looks : 
 
 "And this was all a secret from us, was n't 
 it, Junior? Daddy never told us he was coming 
 to his own farm!" 
 
 Junior yielded his hands tobe washed. "Law," 
 said Lucretia, "I did n't know I was lettin' any 
 cat out o' the bag. It has n't leaked out in the 
 village yet, I guess. Folks '11 be some stirred up 
 when they know this is going to be the Barneses' 
 farm again. What a peaked young one," added 
 Lucretia, regarding Junior calmly. 
 
 Camilla shook her head at her friend over his 
 unconscious head. 
 
 "Oh," said Lucretia, "I did n't say anything, 
 only 't he looks kind o' meachin'." 
 
 " I wonder if Mr. Barnes thought to speak to 
 Pete," said Camilla. "We expected to drive 
 over to the Shanklins' for dinner. What do you 
 suppose Pete 's doing?" 
 
 "I s'pose he's holdin' down the seat o' that 
 167 
 
The Right Track 
 
 carryall," returned Lucretia acidly. "I'd bet- 
 ter go and tell him to go back." 
 
 "Oh, I wouldn't," replied Camilla quickly; 
 "not until Mr. Barnes says so. I don't know 
 what the plans are. Can't I set the table for 
 you, Lucretia ? " 
 
 "It's all set; but I must go back to the 
 kitchen and get your dinner ready. I'll be 
 back to my own house to-morrow. I dread to 
 see what a pigpen it'll be with Pete lumberin' 
 around there alone and spillin' everything he 
 touches." 
 
 But Lucretia's plans were destined to a 
 change. 
 
 After Pete's horse had had a meal from the 
 scanty store in the barn, and the family, all but 
 Mr. Metcalf, had eaten dinner, the invalid well 
 wrapped was placed in the carriage and with 
 happy and grateful farewells started for the 
 train, Pete being armed with a telegram to send 
 from the station to the sister, and with orders 
 to return with a wagon for the trunks. He ac- 
 cepted his mission with relish. It was a trium- 
 phant moment for him to be the first one to 
 inform the village that Jim Barnes had bought 
 back the old homestead. 
 
 When the carriage had gone, Camilla and 
 168 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 Junior went out on the rough, neglected terrace 
 to pick dandelions. Camilla looked about the 
 place with a good deal of interest on her own 
 account. Squire Barnes had been an object of 
 awe and admiration to her childhood, and such 
 sense of aristocracy as may obtain in a New 
 England village had found a representation at 
 Elm Farm, where the former owner had made 
 it his pleasure to keep the grass about the house 
 velvety and the trees well trimmed. There had 
 been an atmosphere of rural elegance about the 
 place in those days, and the memory was as 
 green with Camilla as the grass she was tread- 
 ing. 
 
 "It's stranger than fiction," she thought, 
 "that I should be here, at home, even for a 
 day." 
 
 "I saw the steel springs in her neck," an- 
 nounced Junior, breaking in on her meditations 
 while he added to the golden bouquet in his 
 hand. 
 
 "What's that?" 
 
 "The man in the carriage said she was made 
 of steel springs, and I saw 'em jump up and 
 down in her neck while we ate dinner." 
 
 Camilla laughed. "What busy eyes my boy 
 has ! You must be careful not to say anything 
 
 169 
 
The Right Track 
 
 to hurt Lucretia's feelings. Her cousin was just 
 being funny when he said that." 
 
 "Was she being funny when she called me 
 those things upstairs?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, indeed. Lucretia 's very kind. She 
 only meant it would be nice for you to roll 
 around in this sunshine on the grass and drink 
 a lot of milk and get red cheeks. These peo- 
 ple that live in the country are used to red 
 cheeks." 
 
 Meanwhile James Barnes had sought Lu- 
 cretia where she was clearing up the remains of 
 dinner in the kitchen. She was surprised and 
 not overly pleased to see him in the midst of her 
 disorder. His well-groomed person and his city 
 clothes were out of place here and made her 
 feel awkward in spite of the well-known fact 
 that she was just as good as anybody. 
 
 "I need to talk with you, Lucretia," he said. 
 "Can you spare time?" 
 
 It was a fortunate beginning. Lucretia wiped 
 her veined hands on a clean, ragged roller towel. 
 "I guess so," she answered. "The days are 
 long, and I kind o' feel as if the world had rolled 
 off my shoulders now those folks are gone." 
 
 "Then suppose we come in here by the din- 
 ing-room table," said James Barnes. 
 
 170 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 He had a sheet of foolscap paper and a pencil 
 in his hand. 
 
 "Mrs. Metcalf says she does n't know what 
 they'd have done without you," he remarked, 
 as they sat down at the table still covered with 
 a coarse and patched tablecloth. 
 
 "Well, I dunno either, to tell the truth," re- 
 plied Lucretia bluntly. " She has n't any faculty 
 * and he has n't any health. They might 'a' 
 known farm life wa'n't the thing for them." 
 
 "What do you think of my buying back this 
 place, Lucretia? Do you believe it's good busi- 
 ness?" 
 
 "Yes, for the Metcalfs," was the dry reply, 
 the thin lips twitching in a smile. 
 
 "You think I'm foolish, eh?" 
 
 "Well, you may as well know it first as last: 
 this farm's petered out. It'd take a lot o' 
 money to make it worth anything again. I 'm 
 glad you done it 'cause those poor folks was at 
 f their last gasp. There's a cow in the barn, but 
 that's the last o' their critters; and this table- 
 cloth" Lucretia lifted the threadbare da- 
 mask "is a good sample o' the furnishin's 
 you '11 find all over the house. There ain't any- 
 body that could pare a cheese any thinner than 
 they've pared theirs for a year past, and what- 
 
 171 
 
The Right Track 
 
 ever you've paid for the whole business, it's 
 too much; but Pm glad of it" finished Lucretia 
 defiantly. "You ain't as bad off as they are at 
 that." ' 
 
 "Right you are," said James Barnes, laugh- 
 ing; "and Lucretia," he added, sobering and 
 speaking whimsically, almost as if he were 
 ashamed, "you don't know what a thrill it 
 gives me to think I own those elms down there." 
 He motioned with his head toward the avenue 
 visible from where they were sitting. 
 
 "All right," returned Lucretia dispassion- 
 ately. "I hope it '11 last." 
 
 "That depends somewhat on you," said her 
 companion, meeting her eyes. 
 
 "For the land's sake," she remarked, mysti- 
 fied, but flattered. 
 
 '"You know as well as I do," he went on, 
 "that any one I could employ from the city 
 to help me here would be strange, and ignorant 
 of our ways." (Obscure touch of flattery, but it 
 told.) "She'd be lonely, too, and impossible 
 generally." 
 
 "I'm goin' home to-night," said Lucretia 
 firmly. 
 
 "Well, not till you've heard me out, any- 
 way, will you?" 
 
 172 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 "No ; I can't leave Pete any longer. He 's the 
 most shiftless lazybones" began Lucretia 
 decidedly. 
 
 "Now, wait. I bought this farm on an im- 
 pulse that's been spurring me periodically for 
 a year. You don't want to make me feel I 've 
 got a white elephant, do you?" 
 
 "It's none o' my business," returned Lu- 
 cretia, leaning back in her chair and sniffing 
 hard-heartedly. 
 
 "One of my great reasons was my little boy's 
 health. You see what he looks like." 
 
 "Kind o' faded, I must say," agreed Lu- 
 cretia. 
 
 "I believe in a farm for children. Resorts 
 don't amount to much. I have n't told my wife 
 anything about this yet. She won't care for it 
 because she is very studious and public-spirited 
 and the advantages of the city appeal to her; 
 so I've got to paddle my own canoe. See? 
 Now, you were up all last night and so was I, 
 practically, making what I believed would be a 
 good working plan out here. I did .n't know you 
 were helping the Metcalfs; but I had in mind 
 just such a person as you are, with a husband, 
 or a relative who would be the backbone of this 
 place." 
 
 173 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Pete has n't got any. He's limbered his for 
 all time settin' on the front seat o' that carriage." 
 
 "Well, we'll see, we'll see. You've enough 
 for both, and I 'm not giving you up, Lucretia, 
 and looking around for somebody else until 
 you finally turn me down." 
 
 James Barnes then unfolded his idea of a 
 salary for Lucretia, which, after the mite be- 
 stowed upon her by the Metcalfs, made her 
 look off out the window and meditate upon 
 what neighbor might jump at this opportunity 
 if she let it slip. 
 
 "My idea would be," went on Mr. Barnes, 
 "to fix up that barn chamber for Pete, and 
 make him a general utility man a man-of- 
 all-work." 
 
 Lucretia's lips twitched again in a smile. 
 "He might be the first I don't know; but 
 as to bein' a man-of-all-work ! Well, the place 
 would n't suit him, Mr. Barnes. Could n't be 
 made to." 
 
 "Leave that to me. I 'd teach him to drive a 
 
 car" 
 
 "A what!" exclaimed Lucretia. "Do you 
 mean an au-to-mo-bile up to this fi^n?" 
 "Certainly! I think Pete would rather like 
 
 it.' 3 
 
 174 
 
Elm Farm 
 
 "Might be!" responded Lucretia, her eyes 
 still big with the expansion of ideas. "He could 
 set and do it. There's no tellin'." 
 
 "The first thing I would have you and Pete 
 do is to clear out everything in this house. Any 
 things you'd like for your own cottage, take 
 them. The rest, sell or give away. Make a clean 
 sweep. My daughter, Elaine, will be home in 
 a few weeks. I am hoping she may take an in- 
 terest in fixing up the place; but at any rate, 
 the first thing is to get everything clean, and 
 mended, and use some fresh paint." 
 
 Greater light came into his listener's eyes. 
 "Everything clean and mended and painted," 
 she said with excitement. Imagine having 
 money enough to speak with nonchalance of 
 such a transformation ! 
 
 " I know you can keep accounts, for the Met- 
 calfs showed me how you had helped them. I 
 shall give you full charge. You can perhaps 
 rent your cottage to some one who will take good 
 care of it." 
 
 Lucretia no longer sat back in her chair. Her 
 eyes were absolutely round. The springs worked 
 in her throat: She foresaw a time of excitement 
 such as never had been known in Brierly, a 
 motor-car .going up and down the elm avenue; 
 
The Right Track 
 
 money to dispense; herself in charge. What 
 would they say at the ladies' sewing society! 
 
 "It's a good position, Lucretia, for a woman 
 with faculty," said James Barnes at last. 
 
 "I accept it," declared Lucretia Watt, her 
 thin cheeks reddening. 
 
 The vista of power and importance which 
 opened before her made her reckless. She had 
 the sensation of burning all the bridges behind 
 her. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 SUN AND SHADOW 
 
 JAMES BARNES had had the training in unsel- 
 fishness which comes to a devoted husband in 
 the companionship of a delicate wife. The five 
 dreary years after her death had been bravely 
 borne; and the joyousness which sprang into his 
 life at Mabel Ford's acceptance of him was dy- 
 ing hard. His chief comfort to-day was that no 
 one, not even she herself, knew what she had 
 done to him. His narrow, prosaic social circle 
 looked on him with admiration as the possessor 
 of a handsome young wife whose head had 
 never been turned, but whose aspirations were 
 sedate and intellectual. He received their com- 
 pliments graciously. 
 
 Never in his long reflections upon their rela- 
 tions did he upbraid her in his own mind. 
 
 "Poor child, she did n't want to marry me," 
 was his habitual defense of Mabel's indiffer- 
 ence, "and I have given her the opportunities 
 that satisfy her. It is the fortune of war." 
 
 The instinct to turn to his wife for sympathy 
 in his interests was fast being inhibited, but 
 
 177 
 
The Right Track 
 
 little by little the hurt was becoming less keen, 
 and the stately young woman was being gradu- 
 ally put further and further out of that ardent 
 heart of hearts which used to crave her. 
 
 There was no direct railroad from Brierly to 
 the city, and while Junior slept with his head 
 in Camilla's lap, Mr. Barnes talked to her of 
 his plans during their tedious little trip home 
 from the farm. 
 
 There was a boyish twinkle in his eyes. He 
 felt as he had often done in school days, after 
 achieving a feat of mischievous daring, when it 
 was too late to repent. 
 
 When finally their taxi drew up before the 
 home steps the stars were out. 
 
 The lights in the living-room were dim, so 
 the travelers ascended the stairs to Mrs. 
 Barnes's study. Victor Ford was there with his 
 sister. He had been obliged to postpone his 
 plan to remain away from the house because of 
 business which had arisen regarding the sub- 
 letting of the old apartment. 
 
 He rose as the trio came in, and Mabel 
 greeted them. 
 
 "Home again," she said, and advanced to 
 meet her husband, presenting her cheek for his 
 kiss. He touched her face with his lips. 
 
 178 
 
 \ 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 "We're very empty of supper and very full 
 of news," he said. 
 
 "News in Brierly?" returned Mabel. "Is n't 
 that rather a paradox ? Why did n't you dine 
 before you left there?" Her brow wrinkled and 
 her tone betrayed the annoyance she felt at 
 having to consider an unseasonable repast. 
 
 "Well, there was a strike in all the hotels, you 
 see," said James Barnes. "What's the matter? 
 Servants all out?" 
 
 "I don't know; but probably Bessie's in, en- 
 tertaining her sweetheart in the kitchen." 
 
 "Well, perhaps she'll be generous enough to 
 give us something. If not, I suppose the ice- 
 box is at the old address." 
 
 Victor Ford felt the blood surging up into his 
 face as it had the habit of doing in his sister's 
 house. 
 
 "I'll go down and take the message, shall 
 I?" he asked. 
 
 "We'll all go in a minute," returned Mr. 
 Barnes. "First we have to tell our news. 
 Junior, what were you going to tell Mamabel 
 -as soon as we got home?" 
 
 Junior, glassy-eyed and dazed with sleepiness 
 and holding mechanically to a large bunch of 
 dejected dandelions, swayed on uncertain legs. 
 
 179 
 
The Right Track 
 
 " We Ve got a farm," he announced stolidly. 
 
 "What does he James!" exclaimed Mrs. 
 Barnes with sudden enlightenment. "You 
 don't mean to say you Ve bought that farm at 
 the other end of nowhere?" 
 
 Her face flushed with vexation, and Camilla 
 watched her in grave surprise. 
 
 "What did you do that for?" she finished. 
 
 "For myself," replied James Barnes dryly. 
 He did not know until this moment that there 
 had been a remnant of hope that his wife, who 
 had often laughed at what she termed his one 
 sentimentality, might feel a ray of gladness for 
 him. 
 
 "I would have bought it for you," he added, 
 "if I could have believed you would like it." 
 
 "Like it!" repeated Mabel contemptuously; 
 "I should think not. I know well enough what 
 those inland places are always hot and full 
 of mosquitoes and unbearably dull and incon- 
 venient." 
 
 James Barnes's heart swelled and he shrank 
 as at the belaboring of some dear one. His wife 
 suddenly seemed a thousand miles away from 
 him. 
 
 Camilla's heart ached for the speaker's blind- 
 ness and the husband's smart. How different 
 
 1 80 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 his face now from the gay one in the train. 
 Victor was putting constraint on himself. 
 
 "It's your husband's old home that you're 
 talking about, Mabel," he said. 
 
 "I know it. What's to prevent his seeing it 
 whenever he wants to? But to buy it to 
 saddle himself with an outgrown, countrified 
 place like that when we might go to Europe 
 with the money " 
 
 "You may go to Europe," said James Barnes, 
 and his wife had heard this voice but once be- 
 fore; but it was suddenly controlled; "go when- 
 ever you wish; but probably you won't care to 
 leave within the hour and we should like some 
 supper. We had a bite at the farm before 
 starting, but, Great Scott, it seems a long time 
 ago, does n't it, Camilla?" 
 
 "I think I'll go and put Junior to bed," said 
 the latter, " and bring him something." 
 
 Suiting the action to the word, Camilla led 
 the child down the hall to the nursery. In spite 
 of his somnambulistic condition, the little boy 
 had felt the jarring atmosphere. "Mamabel's 
 mad and I don't care," he said. 
 
 "Yes, we care," returned Camilla. "She'll 
 be glad some day. She has n't seen the farm yet. 
 Wait till she picks flowers with you." 
 
 181 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "I won't let her." 
 
 "Yes, indeed you will; and you'll show her 
 the brook and the pond and all the lovely places. 
 It'll be fun to surprise her." 
 
 The consideration of himself as cicerone be- 
 ing somewhat pleasing, Junior said no more and 
 was soon tucked away to sleep. 
 
 Victor Ford's towering impatience with his 
 sister submerged his sense of his own wrongs. 
 The dignity and forbearance with which he had 
 intended to treat his brother-in-law in return 
 for the other's vigorous reproofs were forgotten. 
 Even more, it was being gradually forced in 
 upon his consciousness that those reproofs had 
 been seasonable. The associations he had 
 formed during the winter were not inclined to 
 let him alone, and now he began to look at 
 them with more of James Barnes's steady vision 
 and to recognize them as stumbling-blocks in- 
 stead of stepping-stones. He had a suspicion, in 
 the light of events, that the warning had come 
 just in time; and a revulsion of feeling toward 
 his brother-in-law resulted. He was conscious 
 of longing to make up to him in small degree 
 for the disappointments marriage had brought 
 him. 
 
 Victor never seemed to accomplish anything 
 182 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 by talks to his sister. Her complacency was 
 impenetrable and imperturbable. She had her 
 all-important standards and James Barnes did 
 not come up to any of them. Her daily strength- 
 ening habit of thought was that by the con- 
 descension of being wife to so unambitious a 
 creature, she more than repaid all he might do 
 for her. Had his nature not been fine-grained, 
 chivalrous, and protective, she would have 
 begun to see, ere the incident of the farm pro- 
 voked her to frank rudeness, that her influence 
 over him was not what it had been; but she was 
 so fortified in her careless condescension to him 
 and his friends, and her solid confidence in his 
 admiration and love for herself, that she did not 
 deign to notice symptoms. Why, indeed, should 
 he not be happy in the possession of a superior 
 being? She found her own satisfactions in the 
 court of clubwomen to whom her deep purse 
 brought many an advantage and who hailed 
 with delight the zest which she brought to her 
 work in their interests. 
 
 James Barnes had snubbed Mabel's brother 
 when he offered him sympathy. This, too, 
 Victor now acknowledged to be characteristic; 
 and characteristic of James Barnes was begin- 
 ning to mean heroism to his brother-in-law. 
 
 183 
 
The Right Track 
 
 A day or two afterward, therefore, Victor 
 presented himself in the grain dealer's office. 
 
 James Barnes had been reading a letter and 
 looked up from it with a rather rueful smile. 
 
 "From Elaine," he said. "I guess they've 
 done it." 
 
 "D.one what?" asked Victor, taking a seat 
 by the desk. 
 
 "Finished her." He took from the desk-top 
 the picture of the young girl in the white 
 dress. 
 
 "Queer feeling, Ford, having the young ones 
 grow up, get all their feathers, and before you 
 know it be ready to fly out of the nest." 
 
 Victor Ford's mind worked swiftly and hope- 
 fully. It had occurred to him once or twice 
 that Elaine would be coming back and that if 
 she and Mabel struck sparks, new discomforts 
 would be added to the Barneses' household. 
 Something in the father's wording lighted a 
 hope in his breast. 
 
 "Out of the nest ? " he returned with courteous 
 interest. "Do you mean that Miss Elaine has 
 already formed some attachment " he paused. 
 
 "Got a beau, do you mean? Oh, I believe 
 there is n't any chance of that sort of thing in 
 that place. Every girl there is supposed to be a 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 selected gem and watched and guarded accord- 
 ingly. No, it's only that this letter," tapping it 
 with his fingers, " is so different from the sort 
 my little girl used to write me. She 's terribly 
 grown up." The father laughed with some 
 pride. " I 'm going on next week to bring her 
 home." 
 
 Victor's heart sank and he cleared his throat. 
 "I just dropped in," he said, "to say that if 
 you want to send me around on any errands 
 regarding the farm, I 'm not so busy as you are 
 and I'd like to put myself at your service." 
 
 James Barnes looked up surprised. Then he 
 looked down again. In the moment of silence he 
 thought he understood that here was the offer 
 of a partial amende honorable. 
 
 "Thank you, Ford. I think I shall take you 
 up once in a while. I was wishing this morn- 
 ing I could be in two places at once. I have 
 two Brierly characters in charge: one Lucretia 
 Watt, and her cousin, Pete Miller. I am turn- 
 ing loose a lot of painters and calciminers and 
 so on there." He stopped and looked somewhat 
 wistfully at the young lawyer. 
 
 "Why don't I run out this morning and take 
 a look and bring back a report?" 
 
 "Well, go ahead and do it, Ford, if you 
 185 
 
The Right Track 
 
 have n't anything driving you. I 'd be very 
 glad to have you." 
 
 "Sure," said Victor heartily. "Expect me 
 when you see me; and I'll tell you all I know." 
 
 "Wait a minute," and James Barnes took out 
 his pocketbook. 
 
 "No, thank you," returned Victor hastily. 
 "I want to see the farm" ; and he hurried out, 
 closing the door behind him. 
 
 James Barnes replaced his pocketbook; then 
 he read over Elaine's letter; and its formal and 
 dutiful lines made him smile. 
 
 "Love to Mamabel, and you, dear Daddy," 
 was the closing. 
 
 "Love to Mamabel." James Barnes bit his 
 lips reflectively. He had long ago written Elaine 
 of the pretty name coined by Junior for his step- 
 mother, and when answering the latter's occa- 
 sional notes to Elaine, the girl had adopted this 
 name, greatly to her father's relief. 
 
 His face settled into heavy lines as he reflected 
 now upon his daughter's home-coming and spec- 
 ulated upon the future. He had married against 
 her will and she had been right. He dreaded the 
 breaking-up of the present neutrality; the an- 
 tagonism which was sure to ripen when Elaine 
 became conversant with matters at home. 
 
 1 86 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 She had never been domestic in her tastes. 
 Would she be more so as she matured? Would 
 she perhaps take the reins of the housekeep- 
 ing? He was sure his wife would never miss 
 them. The servants did now nearly all that 
 was done. 
 
 With a heavy sigh and a quick movement 
 he replaced his child's letter in the envelope. 
 
 "One day at a time," he muttered under his 
 breath. 
 
 "And, then, there is Camilla." The thought 
 came with reassurance. There was one spot in 
 his unhomelike house which was a haven, and 
 there his little boy was in a safe fold. There was 
 surpassing comfort in the fact. Camilla had 
 thoroughly approved his purchase of the farm 
 if for nothing, she told him, but a playground 
 for Junior. 
 
 It was her desire to take the child out at once 
 and keep him there; but she did not express this. 
 She wanted the initiative to come from Mrs. 
 Barnes. She realized with painful clearness the 
 thinness of the ice on which that lady was daily 
 treading so confidently, and saw that she her- 
 self must move cautiously not to gain her ill- 
 will. 
 
 The tete-a-tete dinners with his wife had come 
 
The Right Track 
 
 to be a burden to James Barnes. He managed 
 to be obliged sometimes to dine at his club, and 
 Mabel always took this announcement so cheer- 
 fully that he made the occasions increasingly 
 frequent. When her husband was not coming 
 home, Mrs. Barnes need not dress for dinner 
 and could take a book to the table and read 
 throughout the meal. 
 
 When he was there she usually inquired about 
 his day and he about hers; but both had long 
 ceased to listen to the brief sterotyped answers. 
 
 She told him of the servants' quarrels, and 
 throughout the winter there had generally been 
 some enormity of Junior's to divulge; but of 
 late the child had not figured much in the con- 
 versation. 
 
 One day, shortly after the unwelcome news 
 of the farm had been brought to her, Mr. Barnes 
 called Mabel on the telephone. She listened 
 intently for the customary announcement of a 
 business dinner at the club. 
 
 "What do you say to dining at Florio's to- 
 night?" he asked. 
 
 "Why " she hesitated, "if it would be 
 a pleasure to you." 
 
 "I think you would enjoy it," he replied. 
 "Does n't it do a bookworm good sometimes to 
 
 188 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 crawl up among the bright lights and the 
 music?" 
 
 "Perhaps," she answered coolly. "You know 
 I have n't much taste for those things." 
 
 "All right. Then I'll be home in time to 
 dress." 
 
 He hung up without giving her a chance to 
 speak further, and she replaced the receiver with 
 a sigh and spoke through a tube to the cook, 
 telling her that they were going to dine out. 
 
 At any rate, it was better than going to one 
 of those awful dinners with James's friends, 
 where the talk was all domestic stupidity and 
 she was obliged to smile above her desperate 
 boredom while the interminable minutes dragged 
 by. Florio's was the most expensive and fash- 
 ionable restaurant in town. She sighed again. 
 She must decide upon a gown to wear. 
 
 The drapery of her blue velvet had pulled 
 down. It would have to be rearranged. Dull 
 but undeniable fact. It was the most practicable 
 gown for the purpose; so she threw it over her 
 arm and proceeded to the nursery. 
 
 She had always found Camilla ready and will- 
 ing to help her. To be sure, the little woman 
 never said discriminatingly pretty things as 
 Mademoiselle had done; she was probably too 
 
 189 
 
The Right Track 
 
 modest as well as too stupid for that, but she 
 had a practical turn which had already made 
 itself felt for good in the house, and Mabel was 
 quite certain that Bessie, who used to look after 
 the linen when it returned from the laundry, 
 never now took any care of it. 
 
 When she entered the nursery she found 
 Camilla sitting by a window, through which 
 streamed the last half-hour of sunlight for that 
 day. In front of her was a large workbasket full 
 of stockings which she was darning. 
 
 As his stepmother entered, Junior, who was 
 standing in the middle of the room gazing around 
 the walls, cried out : - 
 
 "Don't scare her! Don't scare her!" 
 
 "Don't scare who?" inquired Mrs. Barnes, 
 looking about. 
 
 "The fairy Popinjay. See her? See her?" 
 The child pointed to a round, quivering sun- 
 beam on the wall, which even as he spoke 
 dashed up to the ceiling, as Camilla smiled and 
 laid her scissors on the window sill. "She lives 
 in the sun," explained Junior; "but she likes 
 to come down here and play with me; and some- 
 times I make a block house for her." 
 
 "How nice," said Mabel absently. " Camilla, 
 will you hook this gown on me and see if you 
 
 190 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 can tack up the drapery? I have to go out to 
 dinner with Mr. Barnes." 
 
 Camilla rose at once and her visitor slipped 
 off her kimono and put on the festal gown. 
 
 "Perhaps you did n't know I was a dress- 
 maker," said Camilla as she fastened the hooks. 
 
 "Well, that's lucky, for I'm so dull about all 
 that sort of thing." 
 
 The speaker's mind reverted to the days when 
 she had groaned in the throes of "making 
 
 over." 
 
 "Only a village dressmaker," said Camilla; 
 "but I think I can see where the tacking was 
 and fix it up all right again." 
 
 "Come down, Popinjay! Come down," 
 Junior was meanwhile apostrophizing the 
 bright beam that had flown to the ceiling. 
 
 "Let her stay up there while there's com- 
 pany," said Camilla, while Mrs. Barnes talked 
 on, giving directions and unheeding anything 
 but her own reflection in the mirror. 
 
 "There's one place there you must rip," she 
 said. "I sewed it myself in desperation the last 
 time I wore the gown, and did it wrong." 
 
 Camilla went to the window and taking up 
 her scissors returned to the dresser. 
 
 "There!" exclaimed Junior. "Popinjay 's 
 191 
 
The Right Track 
 
 gone ! I knew she would. She 's afraid of Mama- 
 bel." 
 
 As no one replied to him, he began stamping 
 up and down the room. 
 
 "Oh, Junior, do keep still for a minute," ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Barnes. "Right on that seam, 
 Camilla. Oh, what a nuisance clothes are. 
 Junior, stop that roaring at once"; for the boy 
 was cheering his boredom by guttural howls. 
 
 Camilla looked over her shoulder at her 
 charge. "Hush, Junior. Listen. Popinjay is n't 
 afraid of anything; you know that; but she only 
 comes where Love is. Sing to her and see if she 
 won't come back." 
 
 To Mrs. Barnes's surprise the child at once 
 sat down on the floor with his back to them and, 
 regarding the wall, began Camilla's song: 
 
 "An angel flew downward from heaven's gate 
 And came to the earth below." 
 
 His stepmother looked over her shoulder at him 
 while Camilla deftly caught up the velvet in the 
 right spot, and when she had fastened it with 
 a pin, preparatory to the sewing, she took the 
 scissors back and laid them on the workbasket. 
 
 Instantly the sunbeam sprang to the wall and 
 quivered before Junior's pleased eyes. 
 
 "There she is, there she is!" he cried. 
 192 
 
Sun and Shadow 
 
 " Sing to her a little more. See how she likes 
 it," said Camilla, taking her needle and silk; 
 and the child remained sitting, and singing in 
 his high, breathy little voice. Mabel listened, 
 somewhat amused, but making the most of the 
 time of peace in which to make certain that the 
 job in hand was properly performed. 
 
 "Thank you, Camilla; you're quite skillful," 
 she said at last. " I '11 run away and leave Pop- 
 injay both popinjays in possession." 
 
 She laughed and caught up her kimono, and 
 Junior's voice died away as he looked at her 
 over his shoulder. 
 
 "See you in the morning," she said, blowing 
 him a kiss ; but he looked back at the wall, well 
 satisfied. This room contained his world. 
 
 "Couldn't you throw Mamabel a kiss?" 
 asked Camilla, going back to her stocking- 
 basket and taking up the scissors. 
 
 "Why?" asked Junior, gazing delightedly 
 at the gyrations of Popinjay, as she leaped from 
 flower to bird on the wall paper. 
 
 "Because we want to express love to every- 
 body." 
 
 Junior laughed. The sunbeam fairy had 
 taught him how. "Popinjay is n't polite to be 
 so glad Mamabel 's gone, is she?" he asked. 
 
 193 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "No, indeed. Now sit still, Popinjay, and 
 Junior will tell you how Love and nothing else 
 brings happiness; and Love is politeness and 
 kindness and " 
 
 "Yes," said Junior, interrupting the dis- 
 course to which the sunbeam was paying im- 
 movable attention, " but but, you see, Ma- 
 mabel does n't care." 
 
 Camilla sighed silently, and as she snipped 
 off the darning-cotton, Popinjay danced with 
 abandon. 
 
CHAPTER (XIII 
 
 IN THE RESTAURANT 
 
 WHEN Mr. and Mrs. Barnes entered the 
 fashionable restaurant, Mabel felt some sur- 
 prise at the number of persons who greeted her 
 husband as they passed among the tables, and 
 he was conscious of the attention attracted by 
 his young wife. 
 
 The head waiter addressed him respectfully 
 by name and indicated a table reserved in a de- 
 sirable location. 
 
 Mabel glanced at her husband as they took 
 their seats, with some personal approval. She 
 was not sure that he did not look rather dis- 
 tinguished in his evening clothes. For the 
 second time in their acquaintance she felt some 
 elation that she had not married a cipher; and 
 what mattered it to her that his friends were old 
 fogies ? She had no social ambitions and would 
 have been far more impatient with a necessity 
 to live up or down to the standards of most 
 of the women she saw at the tables about 
 her. 
 
 I9S 
 
The Right Track 
 
 A handsome woman, showily gowned, now 
 recognized her husband with much empress e- 
 ment. 
 
 "Who's that?" asked Mabel surprised. 
 
 "An actress I used to know. She left the 
 stage to marry a New York man." 
 
 The lady was continuing to smile in inviting 
 fashion and Mr. Barnes, excusing himself, went 
 across and shook hands with her and was pre- 
 sented to her companion. As Mabel watched 
 this man rise, and saw the two shake hands, there 
 occurred to her the first speculation that 
 had ever entered her mind concerning James 
 Barnes's five years of widowerhood. She had 
 never had sufficient interest to ask him a ques- 
 tion and he had volunteered nothing. He had 
 been less than forty-five when his wife died, 
 and he looked now as young as the husband 
 of the actress. Mabel considered these things 
 listlessly; but later when the waiter came to 
 remove the second course of their dinner, some- 
 thing occurred which banished all listlessness. 
 A couple passed their table searching for their 
 own, and the lady, seeing Mr. Barnes, stopped 
 short and held out her hand with great cordial- 
 ity. He rose and grasped it while Mabel's face 
 flushed with pleasure. 
 
 196 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 "Mrs. Walmsley!" she exclaimed. 
 
 "You'll think me the dullest woman in the 
 world, Mr. Barnes," said the newcomer, looking 
 up into his face with charming grace of man- 
 ner, "but never did I connect Mrs. James 
 Barnes, the clever baby member of our club, 
 with you. I Ve been back such a short time and 
 no one happened to tell me. I was just about 
 to send you my card and see if we could n't 
 begin where we left off, but " she laughed and 
 took Mabel's hand "but I see while the cat 
 was away, you Ve been playing. You remember 
 my Ben, don't you ? " A tall, good-looking youth 
 of twenty-five stepped forward and greeted his 
 mother's friends. He had kept admiring eyes 
 fixed on Mabel. "I saw your daughter last 
 week, Mr. Barnes," he said; and nodding pleas- 
 antly the two passed on. 
 
 "Why did n't you tell me you knew Mrs. 
 Walmsley?" asked Mabel. 
 
 "I suppose for the same reason that you 
 did n't tell me you knew her," returned James 
 Barnes. 
 
 " She 's such a clever woman," went on Mabel, 
 regarding her husband with new interest and 
 curiosity, seeing that the clever widow, an ex- 
 president of her club, had remembered him after 
 
 197 
 
The Right Track 
 
 her year of study abroad with sufficient interest 
 to desire to renew the friendship. 
 
 "Neither of us thought the fact would in- 
 terest the other, I suppose," continued James 
 Barnes. 
 
 As Mabel resumed her dinner, the simile 
 Mrs. Walmsley had used of the cat and the mice 
 dwelt in her mind. 
 
 "Just to think of it," she said to herself. 
 "Just to think of it. I wonder what she used 
 to talk about with him." She looked up con- 
 sideringly at her husband as if seeing a new 
 nimbus about his scrupulously brushed hair. 
 
 "I came away in such a hurry," said Mr. 
 Barnes, "that I did n't take time to look in on 
 Junior. I suppose he's all right." 
 
 "Oh, yes; I was in the nursery a while this 
 afternoon. Camilla's a good little thing, but 
 she'll make a perfect molly-coddle of the boy 
 before it's time for him to go to school. I must 
 be looking about for some one more advan- 
 tageous, and not waste too much of his 
 time." 
 
 "It has never seemed to occur to you, Mabel," 
 said James Barnes pleasantly, "that there are 
 other considerations in the world beside book 
 learning." 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 "None that make such returns, however," 
 was the quick response. 
 
 Her husband laughed a little. "You're just 
 sporting in Elysian fields, aren't you?" he 
 said, and young men at a neighboring table, 
 watching Mabel and seeing his expression of 
 entertainment, grumbled that it was these mid- 
 dle-aged duffers that always had all the luck. 
 
 "I'm certainly making up for lost time," 
 returned his wife. "As Junior grows and de- 
 velops I can be of some help to him." 
 
 "But if he should fail to grow up for lack 
 of help now, your good intentions toward him 
 might come to nothing, and what a pity that 
 would be!" 
 
 Mabel shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, I under- 
 stand those absurd worries of yours, and I think 
 Camilla is very good for the child's body. She 
 seems to understand warding off those agoniz- 
 ing tantrums; but it's his mind I'm thinking 
 about." 
 
 "Flowers need the sunshine," remarked her 
 husband, his eyes on his plate, "and children 
 are n't very different." 
 
 "She's teaching him to sing," said Mabel. 
 "It's too comical to hear him; but the exercise 
 is good for his lungs." 
 
 199 
 
The Right Track 
 
 James Barnes laughed again, and again the 
 young fellows at the next table envied him his 
 dark-browed charmer. 
 
 "Yes, I believe it is said to be," he answered. 
 "As soon as I make things habitable at the farm 
 I mean to have them go out there and stay." 
 
 " I don't know. Camilla's quite useful to me, 
 right at home," remarked Mabel doubtfully. 
 
 "I suspect it's a trick of hers," returned her 
 husband, "but you'll have to get more out of 
 Bessie. Elaine will be home soon, too. I was 
 going to ask you if you'd like to go to New 
 York with me next week and bring her home." 
 
 Mabel looked up with the slight frown of 
 apprehension which always showed in her 
 smooth forehead at the first symptom of a 
 request from her husband. 
 
 "Oh, that's hardly worth while, is it, James? 
 You'll not stay long." 
 
 "No," he returned; "but women, I notice, 
 usually like to see New York once a year." 
 
 "Yes, I know they do; but it would be only 
 to go and turn right round and come back again 
 and I 'm so interested in some research work I 'm 
 doing at the public library. You must give me 
 credit, James," Mabel added, as her husband 
 kept silence, "for some good points. I care so 
 
 200 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 little for clothes and jewels and entertaining 
 and all the things which most women married 
 to a man of your means would spend money for. 
 You have n't an extravagant wife." 
 
 She made the statement with an arch nod, 
 smiling at her husband in self-complacence with 
 so much effect that the masculine admirers at 
 the next table trod on each other's feet. 
 
 "No," agreed James Barnes, eating busily. 
 "Your extravagance lies not in expenditure, 
 but in wastefulness." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed his wife in surprise. 
 "You mean because I'm not a thrifty house- 
 keeper? We might save a few hundreds, of 
 course, if I kept my attention more on domestic 
 matters ; and, of course, if you were a poor man, 
 it would be my duty." Mabel spoke defensively. 
 "As it is, from my standpoint the wastefulness 
 would be in spending time in that direction." 
 
 James Barnes nodded. " I did n't refer to 
 bread and meat," he said quietly. 
 
 " Then what did you mean?" Mabel asked 
 it imperiously. 
 
 " It would be of no use to try to tell you. You 
 have n't studied the language." 
 
 The wife stared at her husband for a moment 
 of silence. 
 
 2OI 
 
The Right Track 
 
 ' Tell me what you mean, at once. What 
 have I done?" 
 
 "Nothing." James Barnes smiled at the com- 
 prehensiveness of the word. 
 
 "I insist, James," said Mabel, ceasing to eat. 
 "I'm quick at languages, I think. I believe I 
 can understand you if you'll tell me what's 
 on your mind." 
 
 He looked up at her, still smiling, and the re- 
 mote look in the eyes which used to question 
 her favor so eagerly filled her with the discom- 
 fort of the consciously admirable when admira- 
 tion is not forthcoming. 
 
 '' There, there, my dear," he said soothingly. 
 "I made a slip of the tongue. Let it go at 
 that." 
 
 "I shall not let it go. I have a right to know 
 what you mean. You said I was wasteful." 
 
 "Yes; but I retract, from your standpoint. 
 What is waste to one person may be only 
 the elimination of superfluity to another. It's 
 merely a question of values." 
 
 Mrs. Barnes kept silence and her thoughts 
 moved quickly, searching here and there. Look- 
 ing at her husband, scales seemed to fall from 
 her eyes. A warm flush of discomfort, almost of 
 alarm, stole over her, for the look in his eyes as 
 
 202 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 she met them now was the regard which might 
 have fallen on his office boy. How long had the 
 change existed? 
 
 "Why did you bring me here to-night?" she 
 asked at last. 
 
 "Why, I was rather tired of our dining- 
 room." 
 
 "You've not been in it nearly as much as I 
 have," she returned quickly. 
 
 "True. I should think you might be tired 
 of it, too." 
 
 His tone was courteous. The politeness of it 
 stung her. Resentment was melting in mortifi- 
 cation. She had no wish to lose ground with 
 her husband. Very well, she must regain it. She 
 began again to eat. 
 
 "What day are you going to get Elaine? " she 
 asked. 
 
 "Next Wednesday." 
 
 "Why, I would n't mind going if it would be 
 the least pleasure to you." 
 
 "No, I really don't care anything about it. 
 As you say, it would be a very short, unsatis- 
 factory trip." 
 
 The sincerity of the careless reply hurt in 
 Mabel's new sensitiveness. 
 
 " I wonder if we shall see a change in her," she 
 203 
 
The Right Track 
 
 remarked, her heart moving a little faster as she 
 endeavored to speak easily. 
 
 "Oh, I 'm certain of it," replied James Barnes. 
 "Her letters show that. I only hope her humble 
 father will not be too much awed in her soci- 
 ety." 
 
 Mabel smiled obligingly, but with effort. 
 "Have you told her about the farm yet?" she 
 asked. 
 
 In her hasty, vigorous mental search for 
 causes, she had decided that in her strictures on 
 her husband's purchase she had made a deep 
 wound. 
 
 "No, I 'm going to break that to her gently," 
 he replied. "I'm hoping she'll take kindly to 
 the idea, for I can use a woman's taste in my 
 changes out there." 
 
 "Why " began Mabel, looking up quickly; 
 but she met his eyes and paused. That blankly 
 polite gaze was horrible; and how could she 
 finish such a banal question? 
 
 "I want to see the farm, James," she said. 
 Suddenly no amends seemed too much. 
 
 "Nothing more easy," he replied carelessly. 
 "There's the motor or the railroad, either." 
 
 "When will you take me?" 
 
 Her husband shook his head. "Don't rely 
 204 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 on me. I 'm running the farm at arm's length. 
 I 'm pretty busy these days." 
 
 The apprehensive flush that again ran over 
 his companion made her hand tremble. There 
 was something else that he was holding at arm's 
 length. 
 
 " But I 'd much rather go with you," she said, 
 strangely frightened. 
 
 "Oh, no, you would n't," he returned lightly. 
 "You'll be freer to think and say what you 
 please alone or with Victor. Victor is out there 
 a good deal. You might go with him if you 
 really find you have time." 
 
 The barrier which the pleasant words revealed 
 became more visible. To get behind it seemed 
 at this moment the most important thing on 
 earth to Mabel. 
 
 " I don't care anything about going without 
 you, James," she said. 
 
 He saw the appeal and incredulity in her eyes, 
 but they did not affect him. He had learned too 
 well what were her genuine interests. 
 
 "Suit yourself," he returned. His pleasant, 
 indifferent voice struck on her ears like a knell. 
 Her charm for him was gone! It was incredi- 
 ble. 
 
 "I should think," she said with desperate 
 205 
 
The Right Track 
 
 frankness, "that if I ask you to take me you 
 would." 
 
 He shook his head slightly and smiled. 
 "That is one of many things you think which 
 are mistakes." 
 
 Her eyes filled with tears. What were her 
 clubs to her at the present moment! She 
 glanced over at the table where Mrs. Walmsley 
 was laughing with her boy. She had a wild im- 
 pulse to run over to her and beg her to make 
 peace between her husband and herself! to 
 teach her how to break down that adamantine 
 barrier. 
 
 "Common courtesy, James" she began 
 nervously. 
 
 Still he smiled at her coolly. "That's one of 
 the things we've wasted," he returned. 
 
 She had! She admitted it with a beating 
 heart. Had she not ridden rough-shod over his 
 opinions and feelings ? Well, supposing she had ! 
 What did she want of him ? What had she ever 
 wanted of him ? She could n't turn into some 
 one else to please him. Perhaps she had been 
 thoughtless, discourteous, but honest, always 
 honest. He was leaning back in his chair now, 
 and looking about the room while the waiter 
 brought the finger bowls. 
 
 206 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 Catching Mrs. Walmsley's eye he nodded and 
 smiled in response to her friendly gesture. 
 Mabel envied her with sudden passion because 
 James Barnes had nothing against her. 
 
 Her wastefulness. Her ignorance of the 
 language in which her husband would have to 
 explain. She looked back in amazement at the 
 complacency with which she had entered this 
 room; for reason as her pride might, she knew at 
 this moment that her husband's kindness, poise, 
 and strength had won her through all those 
 months when she had used him as a means to 
 an end in which he had no share. Was it too 
 late? Was there really nothing left but ashes? 
 This she asked herself as she dipped her fingers 
 in the crystal bowl, and color glowed in her 
 cheek. 
 
 As her husband regarded her he thought ke 
 had never seen her so handsome. 
 
 "And what now?" he asked. "Shall we go 
 to the theater ? I suppose you Ve seen ' Ghosts.' ' 
 
 "Yes," returned Mabel. " I Ve seen ' Ghosts.' 
 If you don't mind, James, I 'd like to go home." 
 
 He saw her agitation and suspected that she 
 was undergoing some awakening. He had no 
 wish that she should suffer even that superficial 
 discomfort to her pride which was evident. 
 
 207 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Let me tell you something, Mabel," he 
 said, leaning across the table and speaking im- 
 pressively, while the orchestra began the strains 
 of "Madam Butterfly." " I was brought up to 
 think it a poor plan to wear mourning. I was 
 very grateful to you for lightening your black 
 as soon as you did for my sake. Now, let's 
 make a compact that in the ups and downs of 
 our life we won't wear mourning. Things that 
 we care for die and are buried " She lifted 
 her eyes to him piteously, and he gave her 
 an encouraging nod- "Let's plant flowers 
 over them and see nothing but the flowers. 
 Agreed?" 
 
 She bit her lip. "Let's go home," she said. 
 
 " I '11 let Dick take you, then, since you don't 
 care to go anywhere. I '11 go back to the office 
 and finish up a little matter that will make 
 things easier to-morrow." 
 
 "Will things be easier to-morrow?" asked 
 Mabel, scarcely conscious of what she was 
 saying. 
 
 He smiled at her with good cheer. "They 
 don't need to be any easier for me," he remarked. 
 "'I'm just as happy as a big sunflower,' to 
 quote the poets." 
 
 They rose from the table and in a sort of 
 208 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 daze Mabel followed him among the tables and 
 out of the room, the strenuous strains of "Ma- 
 dam Butterfly" sounding in her ears. 
 
 He put her into the motor and said good-night. 
 
 "Of course, you're going to drive to the 
 office?" she protested. 
 
 "Did you observe the dinner I ate, my dear? " 
 he returned. "I need to walk." Laughingly he 
 closed the door and his wife sank back among 
 the cushions which nine months ago had been 
 presented to a poor girl, tired of poverty. 
 
 She stared straight before her. What had 
 happened? Nothing to deprive James of his 
 appetite. He had, indeed, eaten a hearty dinner 
 and enjoyed it. He was "just as happy as a big 
 sunflower." Then why should n't she be? She 
 knew that any other evening since their mar- 
 riage had they dined out and her husband closed 
 the door of the motor and sent her home alone, 
 she would have welcomed the situation with 
 relief as giving her so much more free time to 
 pursue her own interests. 
 
 What was the matter? Did she grudge him 
 his contentment since he had not robbed her 
 of her own? 
 
 But he had robbed her, her heart cried out in 
 sharp pain. He had called her wasteful, igno- 
 
 209 
 
The Right Track 
 
 rant. He had let her see that he admired her no 
 more than she admired him. It was a bolt from 
 the blue, shriveling her careless self-esteem. 
 She remembered Victor's exasperated comments, 
 and recalled vividly something he said to her 
 as he was leaving on the night that James 
 Barnes told them of the purchase of the farm. 
 
 "Look out, Mabel," Victor had said, "you're 
 overdoing it. Your husband won't hear a word 
 of criticism of you. I know, for I've tried my 
 best and been soundly snubbed for my pains. 
 You happen to have married the biggest man 
 I ever knew." 
 
 She had smiled at him patronizingly, well 
 pleased to hear that his impertinence had been 
 properly dealt with. Now she shrank into the 
 corner of the limousine, her eyes staring before 
 her. She had overdone it, whatever " it" might 
 be, but why be so miserable ? Why feel that any- 
 thing irrevocable had occurred ? And if it had, 
 what then? It was only James Barnes, the 
 grain dealer, who was concerned. A man twenty 
 years her senior and father of two most un- 
 pleasant children; a self-made man who had 
 never had advantages. What was this strange 
 yearning of the heart for a man to whom her 
 brain condescended ? Could it be possible that 
 
 210 
 
In the Restaurant 
 
 she was so puerile as to be affected by his pre- 
 sentableness in his evening clothes, by the def- 
 erence with which he had been addressed in the 
 restaurant, even by such a considerable honor 
 as intimacy with Mrs. Walmsley ? 
 
 No, she knew it was not that; and as she re- 
 viewed with new eyes the cold comfort of her 
 husband's home and the part she had played in 
 it, she knew that the revelation of his disap- 
 pointments and the manner in which he had 
 borne them had suddenly reversed their posi- 
 tions. She had been on a pedestal, and while he 
 knelt at her feet she had carelessly thrown him 
 crumbs. 
 
 Now he was on a pedestal. With a rising in 
 her throat and tears in her eyes, she felt her- 
 self at his feet. Would he throw her crumbs ? 
 She feared he had none to throw. With him 
 it would be giving all; and when repulsed suf- 
 ficiently often, there would be nothing left to 
 give. 
 
 Her eyes were blinded when she left the motor. 
 
 "Are you going back for Mr. Barnes?" she 
 asked the chauffeur, and even he noticed the 
 strangeness of her tone. 
 
 "No. Mr. Barnes said he would n't want the 
 car again." 
 
 211 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Good-night, Dick," returned the lady, and 
 went up the steps. 
 
 The chauffeur glanced after her, suspecting 
 tears. "Queer. They did n't seem to be scrap- 
 ping," he reflected curiously. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 AS OTHERS SEE US 
 
 MABEL entered the house with her latchkey. 
 Some impulse made her pass through the dim 
 hall to her husband's den. It was a room she 
 seldom entered and she turned on the light and 
 looked about her. It was orderly. She remem- 
 bered that he liked order. The ashes on the 
 hearth were swept carefully together; but there 
 was no fire laid. When she was first married, 
 this room had worn an atmosphere of liveable- 
 ness. Now, with its neatly folded papers on the 
 desk and the leather armchairs and divan all 
 set back near the wall, it had a deserted aspect. 
 The wife wondered when last James Barnes had 
 spent an evening here. She glanced at the bound 
 volumes of magazines, and books on farming. 
 Impulsively she pulled two of the chairs toward 
 the fireplace, and sitting down in one of them, 
 looked at the other. Its arms were rubbed where 
 his hands had rested. She looked at the cold 
 fireplace, and the heap of ashes. 
 
 The wood basket was full, and kindling stood 
 near. She pulled off her gloves, and, kneeling 
 
 213 
 
The Right Track 
 
 down in her blue velvet gown, she laid a gener- 
 ous fire, and finding matches on the mantel- 
 piece, set light to it. 
 
 " If he is n't very late it will still be alive when 
 he comes in," she thought, and she left the chair 
 standing before it. 
 
 Then she went upstairs, her thoughts still 
 seething. 
 
 She entered her own well-lighted study and 
 regarded the long full shelves with alien eyes. 
 The table was piled with tossed magazines and 
 books, some left open on their faces. Ashes 
 again in the fireplace; but ashes strewn; and 
 flecks and rills of ashes on the rug. The open 
 desk revealed a seeming chaos ; but chaos that 
 she had loved and understood. Bessie's brush 
 and duster were forbidden in this sanctum save 
 for periodical cleanings which its mistress liter- 
 ally suffered. 
 
 She strode to the desk and quickly pulled 
 down the lid. A sob caught in her throat. How 
 James Barnes must have hated this room. His 
 self-control could not be learned in books. His 
 generosity was not taught there; nor his chiv- 
 alry; nor his patience. Mabel had a sufficiently 
 logical mind for all these things to gain their 
 right places and values when she was once 
 
 214 
 
As Others see Us 
 
 started on an affirmative instead of a defensive 
 line of thought. 
 
 She had lost all charm for him. This room 
 was largely the cause of its waste. She suddenly 
 hated it; and, turning off the light, stood there 
 in the dark, thinking, thinking. She had spent 
 his money as freely and carelessly as she had 
 wasted his love. Oh, how dreary everything 
 was with the background gone. The background 
 had been James Barnes's love. She had thrown 
 it away. She remembered the biting words, 
 "eliminating superfluity." 
 
 More than anything else she was conscious 
 of loneliness intense loneliness. Perhaps he 
 had suffered like this. Yes, and more; for he 
 had expected more. No! No man can suffer as 
 much as a woman, was her passionate denial. 
 He is a free and independent creature and has 
 a hundred resources to a woman's one; and then 
 had he not declared himself happy? Deepest 
 sting of all. Happy! But an inner voice reminded 
 her. With her motor, her latchkey, her unham- 
 pered bank account, what freedom had she 
 lacked ? 
 
 Like hunted creatures her harassed thoughts 
 flew hither and thither for a sign of com- 
 fort. 
 
 215 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Suddenly she remembered. There was a 
 person in this house whom James respected 
 instead of despising; actively liked and ap- 
 proved instead of courteously ignoring. She 
 could not be' jealous of insignificant little Ca- 
 milla Lovett, but she could be envious of her, 
 passionately envious. It would be a comfort 
 to see her, to speak to a harmless, kindly crea- 
 ture on whom James Barnes looked with in- 
 terest. 
 
 Mabel hastened out of her room and down the 
 corridor to the nursery. It was nearly nine 
 o'clock, but it seemed to her it must be mid- 
 night. Only two hours since she and her hus- 
 band had entered that restaurant. It was in- 
 credible. Those two hours balanced her whole 
 life. 
 
 To her surprise and disappointment, Junior 
 was awake. He lay there in bed watching 
 Camilla in her kimono brushing her hair. 
 
 "Aren't we late birds?" said Camilla as Mrs. 
 Barnes came in. "The days are so long the 
 time ran away with us." 
 
 The little woman's happy face and voice as 
 she turned to greet the newcomer made her 
 seem to the wife like a creature from another 
 planet. 
 
 216 
 
.4s Others see Us 
 
 "I think I shall go to bed early myself," said 
 Mabel, with an effort at lightness. "Will you 
 come to my room and unhook me? Mr. Barnes 
 has often suggested my having a personal maid, 
 but somehow I never wanted one." 
 
 It gave her solace to mention this instance 
 of her husband's solicitude. 
 
 "I'll be glad to," returned Camilla. 
 
 "No, no" exclaimed Junior. 
 
 His stepmother looked at him. Already in 
 these few weeks there was color in the face 
 against the pillow. 
 
 She advanced to the bedside. Junior had 
 seldom seen her in evening dress and he looked 
 at her now with a sort of aloof appreciation. In 
 her blue velvet gown with that white lace about 
 her bare throat, and her large hat, she looked 
 very handsome and the child thought so; but 
 she was only Mamabel just the same; a creature 
 of no interest except that in all their encount- 
 ers she was sure to antagonize him. 
 
 "Won't you lend Camilla to me a little 
 while?" she asked. 
 
 It was an extraordinary speech in an extra- 
 ordinary tone, and the child dimly felt it. She 
 had never looked at him like this, either. 
 
 "Of course he will," declared Camilla cheer- 
 217 
 
The Right Track 
 
 fully. "He's learning what is the only way to 
 be happy." 
 
 Junior frowned and thumped the pillow. 
 
 "But some would not hark to the angel's 
 lay," said Camilla, as she braided her curly 
 mane. 
 
 "Their earth songs they loved the best!" 
 roared Junior, thumping his pillow again; " and 
 I do, too," he finished mutinously. 
 
 Camilla came over to the bed and stooping 
 whispered to him. 
 
 "I don't care," he answered loudly. 
 
 "Oh, yes, you do. Now, let her in, let her 
 in," she said warningly. "You know what will 
 happen if you don't. Here's a chance to do 
 Mamabel a kindness. Are n't you glad?" 
 
 " She does n't do me any kindnesses," pouted 
 Junior. 
 
 The words fell cuttingly on his stepmother's 
 laden heart. She sat down on the edge of Ca- 
 milla's bed and regarded the child with wide 
 eyes. "I'm sorry you have to say that, Junior. 
 Camilla is trying to make you kinder than I 
 am, is n't she?" 
 
 The little boy was surprised at this speech; 
 but grown-up people were tricky and his step- 
 mother wanted to get Camilla away from him. 
 
 218 
 
As Others see Us 
 
 He sulked in silence and she added, still keeping 
 the sorrowful gaze on him : 
 
 "What did Camilla mean by telling you to 
 let her in ? Let whom in ? " 
 
 "Oh, an old angel," replied Junior after a 
 pause. 
 
 "Tell me about her, please, dear, will you?" 
 
 Mamabel was in earnest. Perhaps if she wore 
 beautiful clothes and had her hair fixed smooth 
 all the time, she might be a more agreeable 
 member of society. However, her stepson did 
 not feel expansive. 
 
 "Oh," he began grudgingly, "she's only an 
 angel that flies all around, trying to find some- 
 body that wants her." 
 
 "Tell Mamabel her name," said Camilla, go- 
 ing back to the dresser and beginning on the 
 other braid. 
 
 "I don't remember," returned the child, his 
 lips snapping together. 
 
 "Why, Junior Barnes," laughed Camilla, 
 turning around and looking at him. " I did n't 
 think any boy would deny his best friend. What 
 will Popinjay say to-morrow when I tell her?" 
 
 "Perhaps she won't come," returned Junior. 
 "Perhaps it'll be cloudy and she'll have to stay 
 in the sun and keep dry." 
 
 219 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "No, the stars are all out to-night and I'm 
 sure she'll come," said Camilla. "Now, then, 
 out with the name of your best friend." 
 
 "Camilla," replied Junior promptly, and he 
 joined in his best friend's infectious laugh. 
 
 The regal lady in the velvet gown looked and 
 listened hungrily. Last night she would have 
 fled from this nursery talk to something worth 
 while. 
 
 "If you knew how much I really want to 
 know about the angel, Junior, you'd tell me," 
 she said. "What was her name, dear? Please 
 tell me." 
 
 Mamabel was in earnest. Junior, glancing 
 up at her suspiciously under his lashes, saw it. 
 
 "Oh, her name was Love," he remarked, 
 with a careless upward inflection. 
 
 "And she was flying around, did you say? 
 and she was singing?" Mamabel's unsmiling 
 lips and eyes were entreating. 
 
 "Yep." 
 
 "What about, dear? Singing about what?" 
 
 "Unselfishness," returned Junior airily. 
 
 "And and, did you say " 
 
 This interest was truly flattering. Junior was 
 not proof against it. 
 
 "Yes; she flew all around, and lots of people 
 220 
 
As Others see Us / 
 
 would n't listen to her, 'cause they liked their 
 own songs best." 
 
 "And what were their songs?" 
 
 "Selfishness. All about selfishness. They just 
 loved it. So they put up bars and would n't let 
 her in; so she flew away, and she was 'most tired 
 out when she found a boy that thought she 
 looked pretty good ; so he said, ' Come in, if you 
 want to, and sit down'; so she hurried right in 
 and folded her wings and sat down and and 
 she lived with him all the time except" 
 the child cast a glance toward Camilla "ex- 
 cept " he said slowly again. 
 - And Camilla, brushing a curl around her figner, 
 took up the word. 
 
 "Except once in a long while when the boy 
 forgot what were the things that the angel 
 could n't live with, and he would frighten her 
 away for a little while; but he always called her 
 back, because his heart was such a cold, empty 
 place without the angel in it. He could n't bear 
 
 it." 
 
 The eyes of the listener were stinging. 
 
 "It's a song," said Junior, tossing the infor- 
 mation to the blue velvet figure who sat so at- 
 tentively with hands tightly interlaced. 
 
 "Will you sing it?" asked Mamabel. 
 
 221 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "No," Junior yawned prodigiously. "I'm 
 too " No, he must not admit sleepiness. 
 "Camilla can sing it," he added. 
 
 "Will she?" Mabel turned toward the little 
 figure in the blue kimono, who shook her head 
 deprecatingly; but for the first time Camilla 
 realized that the mistress of the house looked 
 pale; that this lingering in the nursery indi- 
 cated something unusual. 
 
 She came to the bedside, smiling at the sleepy 
 boy. "I'm too little to sing in such a bright 
 light," she said deprecatingly, and turned off 
 all the electric lights except the one at the head 
 of the bed, which had been softened with a rose- 
 colored screen. 
 
 It was as easy for Camilla to sing as to 
 breathe; so she sat down at the head of her bed 
 while Mabel sat at the foot, and sang the song 
 through. 
 
 When she finished, Junior's hand had relaxed 
 as it lay outside the counterpane. He was fast 
 asleep. 
 
 "That's the last of him till morning," re- 
 marked Camilla, rising. 
 
 "Doesn't he have nightmares any more?" 
 asked Mabel, gazing at her companion. 
 
 "Never," returned Camilla cheerfully. 
 222 
 
As Others see Us 
 
 "How wonderful!" 
 
 "Oh, no," smiled Camilla. "The nightmares 
 were the wonderful things." 
 
 "How happy you are!" exclaimed Mabel, 
 still regarding her. 
 
 "Indeed, I am. Shall we go to your room 
 now, Mrs. Barnes?" 
 
 Mabel rose silently and led the way through 
 her study to the adjoining bedroom. It oc- 
 curred to her as she went how long it was since 
 her husband had taken this path. She tried to 
 think how long, but could not be sure in the con- 
 fusion of her thoughts. It was certainly many 
 weeks. 
 
 "Why, I turned on the light here," said 
 Camilla, surprised to find the study dark. 
 
 "Yes, I turned it off," returned Mabel, and 
 Camilla wondered silently. 
 
 She switched on the light in the bedroom and 
 Mabel took off the becoming hat, and Camilla 
 unhooked the festal gown. 
 
 "Shall I bring you a kimono?" she asked, as 
 she took the gown to the closet. 
 
 "No. I 'm not going to read to-night. Perhaps 
 I Ve been using my eyes too much. They hurt 
 
 me." 
 
 Caution had overtaken her. Why should she 
 223 
 
The Right Track 
 
 let this outsider know that she was groveling at 
 the foot of a pedestal? 
 
 "You do sit up pretty late, don't you?" re- 
 turned Camilla. 
 
 "Yes ; it makes me clip off the early part of the 
 day. It is n't a very good habit, and it is n't 
 just right to Mr. Barnes." She must speak about 
 him. She must speak his name lightly to one 
 who did not know that he despised her. 
 
 "He has taken his breakfasts with Junior of 
 late," said Camilla. "I turned my room into a 
 sitting-room as long as I don't sleep in it, and we 
 have breakfast there. So he has slipped into the 
 way of having his breakfast sent up there, too." 
 
 A pang went through Mabel and she tried to 
 laugh. 
 
 "Oh, then, even if I did turn over a new 
 leaf, it would n't do any good," she answered. 
 "There is n't room for four to have breakfast 
 in that tiny place." 
 
 In spite of her light tone, Camilla still saw 
 the speaker's pallor and she thought her lip 
 trembled. 
 
 "Oh, Junior is getting quite old enough to 
 have breakfast with you and his father in the 
 dining-room if you were to come down. I sup- 
 pose we shall soon be going out to the country, 
 
 224 
 
As Others see Us 
 
 but in the fall you will probably start in that 
 way." 
 
 There was a hearty note in Camilla's voice 
 that was comforting. 
 
 "Why not in the country?" returned Mabel, 
 beginning to take down her hair. "You speak 
 as if I were not going to the farm." 
 
 "I did n't know," said Camilla, certain now 
 that she was in the presence of suffering. 
 
 "Shan't I brush your hair, Mrs. Barnes? I 
 believe you're tired to-night." 
 
 She drew forward a chair in front of the 
 dresser and Mabel sat down in it, relieved of the 
 fear that Camilla would say good-night and go, 
 since she had no excuse to detain her. 
 
 "Did n't know?" echoed Mabel with dignity 
 as Camilla began to unbraid the dark coronet 
 which always surmounted the small head. 
 "Would n't I be likely to go where my husband 
 goes?" 
 
 "Yes, if you liked to," answered Camilla, 
 heeding the pain and not the rebuke. 
 
 "Well," Mabel forced a laugh, "you're not 
 very complimentary." 
 
 "I only meant that Mr. Barnes likes you to 
 follow your inclinations and you did n't seem 
 to care for the country." 
 
 225 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Oh, you mean because of the way I took the 
 news that he had bought the farm ? To tell the 
 truth, I 'm quite ashamed of that, Camilla. It 
 was frightfully unsympathetic and not at all 
 the way I should have spoken." 
 
 "It's a lovely place," said Camilla in her 
 calm, even tones, "but* seedy, and run down 
 and overgrown for lack of money and care. Not 
 at all the way it looked when I was a little girl." 
 
 "Oh, you remember it, don't you?" returned 
 Mabel with a sad note of eagerness; "and you 
 knew my husband when he was a little boy?" 
 
 " I don't remember him except as a very big 
 boy, always kind and good to troublesome little 
 Camilla Lovett." 
 
 " I 'm sure he was. His kindness is very deep, 
 is n't it, Camilla ? If he even had an enemy and 
 the enemy made proper reparation and wished 
 to be friends, Mr. Barnes would never hold out; 
 don't you think so?" 
 
 "I should wish to think so," answered Ca- 
 milla; and now she was sure. The inevitable 
 climax had come. She brushed the long hair 
 steadily and avoided the wide eyes in the mir- 
 ror. 
 
 "Why do you speak that way? Are n't you 
 perfectly sure?" 
 
 226 
 
As Others see Us 
 
 "How could I be?" 
 
 "Knowing him as well as we both do, / am 
 sure. I don't think it's just to him not to be 
 sure. I should think you 'd be ashamed to doubt 
 him, Camilla." 
 
 Camilla brushed away, but did not speak. 
 Mabel felt a wild desire to jump up and shake 
 words out of that exasperatingly serene face. 
 
 "Now, take a little thing," she went on, 
 "like my rudeness about the farm. I was rude. 
 I admit it. My brother scolded me; but I intend 
 to make up for it. I 'm going out there and go- 
 ing to take the greatest interest. I want you 
 to suggest anything that I can do to help along 
 the changes and improvements." 
 
 "That will be fine," said Camilla. 
 
 "And, of course, such a big nature as Mr. 
 Barnes's would n't lay up against me a mistake 
 like that!" 
 
 The word brought to her pain-stricken heart 
 another blighting sentence of the awful evening: 
 "That is one of many things you think which 
 are mistakes." 
 
 Oh, this was n't a mistake. It could n't be. 
 Camilla must speak. The wife tried to catch 
 her eye in the mirror, and failing turned quickly 
 around and looked up. 
 
 227 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "You know he would n't, don't you? You 
 think I was outrageous. I see you do; but still, 
 even so, you think he'd forgive such an offense 
 in me and much, much greater ones, don't 
 you?" 
 
 Camilla looked down into the wretched eyes 
 and felt great compassion. 
 
 "I think Mr. Barnes would forgive any one 
 offense," she said gently. 
 
 "What do you mean? What are you think- 
 ing? Speak right out what is in your 
 mind?" 
 
 "I should be very sorry to say the wrong 
 thing," said Camilla. "I don't know you well 
 enough to venture, Mrs. Barnes. You might 
 not understand my language." 
 
 Again that expression. What language was 
 this of which she was ignorant? Could her hus- 
 band and this old friend communicate thoughts 
 which would exclude her? She looked back to 
 the mirror and grew very white; and her hands 
 locked together to conceal their trembling. 
 
 This little, insignificant woman, who could 
 speak neither French, German, Italian, nor 
 Spanish, and whose ignorance she had tolerated 
 in the house, knew a language her husband be- 
 lieved his wife incapable of learning. After the 
 
 228 
 
As Others see Us 
 
 recent experience in the nursery she had a sus- 
 picion that her stepson was learning it. 
 
 She remembered, for her mind to-night was 
 like a sensitized plate, that Camilla had re- 
 marked that he was learning what was the only 
 way to be happy. She would have dismissed the 
 remark once as a bit of probable Methodism, to 
 be expected in the narrow horizon of a little 
 woman with a curved back, from a country 
 town. 
 
 The only way to be happy ! What more did 
 any one need to know? She herself had wanted 
 it hungrily and gone after it without a look to 
 the right or left, secure in her vanity from any 
 obstruction in her triumphant march. A great 
 shock had awakened her, and she had come to 
 herself, and looking about saw only ashes; 
 tasted only ashes. 
 
 She looked up at Camilla, poised, serene, her 
 brow calm under her waving hair. It was a 
 Madonna face, Mabel thought. All her defenses 
 broke down suddenly. She turned around and 
 caught her companion's busy hands in hers. 
 
 "Camilla," she said tearlessly, "I am abso- 
 lutely miserable!" 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE FAMISHED HEART 
 
 CAMILLA nodded down at the lifted white 
 face. 
 
 " You had to learn the hard way, did n't 
 you?" she said tenderly. 
 
 "What do you mean? There is n't any other 
 way in this awful world." 
 
 "Yes, there's another way." 
 
 "What way?" 
 
 "To see and acknowledge the truth." 
 
 "Oh, of course. If I hadn't been blind, I 
 should have seen long ago that I was making a 
 mistake, if that's what you mean. You've seen 
 it, Camilla. I suppose you've seen it ever since 
 you came into the house." Mabel dropped the 
 hands to which she had been clinging and turned 
 back to the mirror, avoiding her own miserable 
 reflection. "No doubt you are glad I'm being 
 punished," she finished bitterly. 
 
 "No, dear Mrs. Barnes. I'm glad your eyes 
 are opened, that's all." 
 
 "I had never had anything I wanted; and 
 when the chance came I took it. A little happi- 
 
 230 
 
The Famished Heart 
 
 ness, and then I'm punished like this! I wish 
 I 'd never been born; or else that I might have 
 had a disposition like yours. Nothing ever 
 ruffles you." 
 
 "Born like me?" returned Camilla, mechani- 
 cally brushing the long hair again. "Poor, sick, 
 and with this round back which cut me off from 
 many joys in the lot of other girls! You may be 
 sure I have suffered." 
 
 Mabel recollected what her husband had told 
 her of the once acid disposition and sharp 
 tongue of this woman. She had listened care- 
 lessly, not sharing his interest in the transfor- 
 mation. What was there for such a negligible 
 individual except to get religion; and that 
 was evidently what Camilla had done, or she 
 would not be teaching Junior songs about 
 angels. 
 
 "I tried to get comfort out of study, too," 
 went on Camilla. "I learned to speak better 
 than my neighbors, and spent hours over his- 
 tory and mathematics; but all that left my hun- 
 ger unsatisfied." 
 
 "Not so with me," declared Mabel. "All I 
 asked was my books, my study, my interchange 
 of thought with other intellectual people." 
 
 "Was it all you asked? Is it?" questioned 
 231 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Camilla quietly. "You have it still, haven't 
 you?" 
 
 "Of course not. All satisfaction is gone now 
 that I know that it has made my husband un- 
 happy!" 
 
 " Is he unhappy ? " 
 
 The dark eyes, wet with pain, lifted to the 
 reflection of the Madonna face. Camilla had 
 pressed an open wound ; but apparently she was 
 unconscious of it, though she did not meet the 
 miserable eyes. 
 
 "Does he seem happy to you ? " Mabel locked 
 her hands together as she asked the crucial 
 question, which should settle in her mind that 
 her husband had not been playing a part for 
 her punishment. 
 
 "Very," returned Camilla tranquilly. "For 
 a time I believe he was a good deal worried 
 about Junior; but he is relieved now. I 'm sure 
 if your life contents you, he wishes you to pur- 
 sue it." 
 
 "Stop brushing my hair," said Mabel chok- 
 ingly. "You have suffered. I should think you 
 would have some pity on me." 
 
 She seized her hair in both hands and swept it 
 over her shoulder and began to braid it with 
 trembling fingers. 
 
 232 
 
The Famished Heart 
 
 Camilla's hands dropped. "I have great pity 
 for you, Mrs. Barnes," she returned slowly. 
 
 " Pretended pity ! " said Mabel. " You love to 
 torture me by doubting that my husband will 
 forgive my mistakes and be willing to begin over 
 again." 
 
 "There, you see," said Camilla. "Your books 
 do not satisfy you. You think it is Mr. Barnes's 
 approval that you want for your satisfaction; 
 but even that would n't do. It is the approval 
 of your own conscience that you really need." 
 
 Her voice was gentle and sincere and Mabel's 
 need was great. 
 
 "You think, then, that if I change become 
 a good housekeeper and a good mother to his 
 children, he will love me again?" 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Barnes, we can't look to the 
 prize." A mother could not speak more gently 
 to her child than Camilla now to the appealing 
 woman. 
 
 "But that's all I do it for," cried Mabel 
 quickly. 
 
 "Yes, I know; but the change of this feeling 
 is what must come," 
 
 "You mean change of heart or something 
 like that? I know you're religious, but I could 
 never find the comfort there that you have." 
 
 233 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "There is n't any other comfort," returned 
 Camilla simply. 
 
 "Do you suppose he'd care for me any more 
 if I went to church? He does n't go himself." 
 
 "It is n't a question of going to church. The 
 change has to be here." Camilla touched her 
 head and heart. "The thing itself is always 
 greater than the name of the thing." 
 
 Camilla brought a kimono and put it around 
 the shivering figure. Then she seated herself in 
 a neighboring chair. "Let me tell you what 
 happened to me," she began. "I went to New 
 York a year ago to take care of a dear little baby. 
 I was heart-sick and soul-sick and body-sick, 
 and I thought to have that baby in my arms 
 would help me. It did ; but better was to come. 
 A friend of the baby's mother came to see who 
 was taking care of the little one and she found 
 a sallow, famished creature, doing her con- 
 scientious best, but always under a cloud of 
 fear. The lady began to talk to me. It was the 
 beginning." 
 
 "Of what ? " Mabel's eyes were fastened upon 
 the speaker hungrily. Never at a lecture on 
 science or art had she given such strict atten- 
 tion. 
 
 "Of heaven," declared Camilla quietly, her 
 234 
 
The Famished Heart 
 
 Madonna eyes shining. "My god had been my 
 enemy. He had made my back round for my 
 good. I took some satisfaction every day in 
 showing him that it had n't done me any good. 
 This lady brought me to God Himself, God who 
 is Love; or rather she did not take me to Him; 
 she took a veil away from my eyes and slowly 
 and happily I learned that He had been there 
 all the time and that my false god was a creature 
 of my own invention. God Love had not 
 given me a deformed back, and wonder of won- 
 ders, He did n't even know I had one. At first 
 I did not welcome that idea. I wanted Him to 
 know it and pity me, and make it up to me 
 somehow; but you know how the Bible says: 
 'God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.' ' 
 
 "No no," said Mabel, as she paused. "I 
 don't know anything. Go on." 
 
 "It was a study of many months, but the 
 most rewarding study in the world. In the new 
 heaven and the new earth all things were being 
 made new before my opening eyes. I knew God. 
 I proved his presence in countless ways. I be- 
 gan to be conscious that I was one of the count- 
 less creations of a perfect God who could not 
 create imperfection; that I therefore lived in a 
 perfect universe: his creation; that He was om- 
 
 235 
 
The Right Track 
 
 nipotent, so what power could evil have? that 
 He was omnipresent, so where could evil find 
 room? that I, one of the ideas of a loving God, 
 expressed only love and goodness." 
 
 "Then, how about everything else?" asked 
 Mabel quickly. "How about the evil and suffer- 
 ing on every hand? How about your back?" 
 
 "Belief only ages of false belief. We're 
 the slaves of it still; but each individual can 
 shake off the shackles when he will. He can't do 
 it in a minute, and neither can he say how soon 
 or when or how it will be done; but he can re- 
 joice on bended knees that he has found the key 
 to life, worth all the so-called knowledge of the 
 ages, and henceforth nothing should make him 
 unhappy or afraid." 
 
 "But if God does n't know anything about 
 our troubles " 
 
 "Therein lies our safety," said Camilla ear- 
 nestly : "To hold firmly to reality, to know that 
 everything unlike God is a cheat, to put your 
 hand in the hand of Love perfect love that 
 casts out fear; what a vista it opens! Truth and 
 Love are active, not passive. They 're on your 
 side, working with you when you consciously 
 work with them." 
 
 Mabel's breath came fast. " Of course, all that 
 
 236 
 
The Famished Heart 
 
 sounds very strange to me; and there's your 
 back. When you 're so good, if your curved spine 
 is only a belief, why should n't that knowledge 
 of nothing but perfection straighten it?" 
 
 Camilla smiled at the speaker happily. " It 
 would n't surprise me any morning to wake up 
 and find it straight," she said; "but I've ceased 
 looking for that. It is n't my first business.^ My 
 back does n't ache any more. It used to; and, 
 Mrs. Barnes," the speaker's voice became 
 still more earnest, "it has come to seem 
 such an unimportant incident in the life of one 
 who knows she will live to eternity in ever- 
 unfolding consciousness of the perfection al- 
 ready existing." 
 
 "Then won't you talk to James about this? 
 Perhaps we could " 
 
 A shake of Camilla's head made Mabel pause. 
 "You can't feed a person who is n't hungry," 
 she replied. "You were hungry. That is why I 
 have said all this to you. I was hungry Oh, 
 so hungry when it was given to me. I drank it 
 in as parched earth drinks up water." 
 
 "No matter whether it was reasonable or 
 not?" returned Mabel. 
 
 "Is the multiplication-table reasonable? 
 That does n't admit of argument, does it? This 
 
 237 
 
The Right Track 
 
 wonderful philosophy can be proved just as 
 surely. Hungry as I was, I should have had 
 enough and thrown it aside within a year if it 
 had disappointed me. It was easy for me to be 
 bitter. I was a confirmed pessimist." 
 
 "Then hard as James is," said Mabel, per- 
 sisting in her one idea, "you should be able to 
 make him see " 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Barnes, it's yourself you must 
 deal with." 
 
 "But the only thing I care about accomplish- 
 ing is getting back my husband's love." 
 
 Camilla shook her head, but her smile was 
 loving. "Has n't all your trouble come from 
 thinking only of what you wanted?" 
 
 Mabel bit her lip. "Yes," she replied at last. 
 
 "Then that's the first thing to change, is n't 
 it?" 
 
 "Well, but I'm perfectly willing to change," 
 pleaded Mabel. " I 'm willing to get up to break- 
 fast, and to order the meals, and look after the 
 accounts, and see more of Junior " She paused 
 in the list of things which Victor had criticized ; 
 "and so I don't see why Mr. Barnes should n't 
 forgive me." 
 
 "In other words," said Camilla, "you don't 
 see why you should have any punishment." 
 
 238 
 
The Famished Heart 
 
 "Not according to your philosophy," re- 
 turned Mabel. " If evil is unreal, why should I 
 be punished for something James only believed 
 was so, and was n't so at all?" 
 
 "Because you believed in it," returned Ca- 
 milla, "and found your satisfaction in neglect- 
 ing that list of duties you just mentioned. He 
 is n't being punished. It's you. We suffer for 
 every bit of belief and satisfaction we have in 
 evil, and are blessed for every realization of its 
 nothingness and the turning to good instead. 
 Whether we wish to escape punishment or not, 
 we can't, just so long as we believe in the things 
 that incur punishment, and every form of evil, 
 little or great, does incur it." 
 
 "What is there evil in the study of big, splen- 
 did subjects?" 
 
 "None, and you know it. You could have 
 pursued this culture at times and seasons which 
 would not have wounded your husband. You 
 know that." 
 
 Camilla did not look like a Madonna to her 
 listener at this moment. She was more like an 
 accusing angel. 
 
 "Oh, but it's cruel - " began Mabel, and her 
 hands flew to her face to cover excited tears. She 
 was stirred to the depths by all this talk. "It 
 
 239 
 
The Right Track 
 
 hurts me terribly, Camilla, that you should n't 
 sympathize with me," she sobbed. 
 
 "I'll sympathize with you and help you in 
 every way in my power when you give me some- 
 thing to sympathize with. Self-pity, domina- 
 tion, self-justification will never help you a bit. 
 I can't sympathize with them." 
 
 "Domination! What do you mean?" 
 
 "Why, you wish now to enter into your 
 husband, as it were, and compel his forgive- 
 ness and his love. That is n't the way to get 
 them." 
 
 "Tell me, then, what is the way ! " begged the 
 weeping woman. 
 
 "Forget your own happiness, your own long- 
 ings. Turn to God, whose child you are. His 
 wisdom is fatherly. His love is like a mother's. 
 He'll teach you what to do. No one else can. 
 Stop all exaction, or considering what others 
 ought to do, and pray: 'Create in me a clean 
 heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within 
 
 me.' : 
 
 Mabel sobbed softly. Camilla rose, and, 
 approaching, put her arms around the shak- 
 ing figure and pressed the passive dark head 
 against her bosom. 
 
 "You say you don't know the Bible," she said 
 240 
 
The Famished Heart 
 
 softly. "One sentence comes to me now: * Little 
 children, keep yourselves from idols.'" 
 
 There was no response from the bowed head, 
 and the quiet sobbing continued. 
 
 "You can never begin any sooner," said 
 Camilla, "to have a splendid instead of a selfish 
 purpose in life. Start right now. Your thoughts 
 are all you need watch. Your actions will take 
 care of themselves. Don't spend any time 
 grieving over the past. You 're not alone, how- 
 ever Mr. Barnes feels, or whatever he says or 
 does. If you know God at all, you know He 
 is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. 
 You 've been struggling after these little grains 
 of material knowledge all this time when Omni- 
 science was at your side, unrecognized. When 
 we have such a helper, how can we be discour- 
 aged? Say to yourself, over and over: 'Intelli- 
 gence directs, Divine Love protects, and Mind 
 is unfolding to me all I ought to know and to 
 have.'" 
 
 The quiet sobbing lessened and ceased. Mabel 
 lifted heavy eyes, and Camilla smiled down into 
 them. 
 
 "Do you get a glimpse," she asked, "of what 
 a glorious thing it is to live?" 
 
 Mabel looked before her in silence, but she 
 241 
 
The Right Track 
 
 was thinking; and after Camilla had said good- 
 night, and the door had closed softly behind her, 
 she continued to think. 
 
 Toward morning she slept a little, and woke 
 at the sound of her husband's laugh. Junior 
 had evidently run to greet him as he came up 
 to the nursery breakfast. With a pang of recol- 
 lection Mabel leaped out of bed and set her door 
 ajar and her ear to the opening. Mr. Barnes 
 was speaking. 
 
 "By the way, Bessie," she heard him say, 
 "if you light the fire in the den in my absence, 
 never leave it as you did last night, with no 
 fender around it. That wood snaps. There are 
 two holes burned in the rug. You might set the 
 house afire." 
 
 Mabel could not hear the maid's response, 
 but her husband's voice came distinctly : 
 
 "Oh, you didn't, eh? I'll have to talk to 
 Miss Lovett then. I thought it was strange the 
 chairs were out." 
 
 The listener heard the knock on the nursery 
 door, the entrance and closing, and she stood, 
 her own door in hand and sick loneliness at her 
 heart. 
 
 "Even that was wrong!" she thought; "and 
 now he will know that I did it." 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 BEGINNING AGAIN 
 
 THE world did not stand still because Mabel 
 Barnes had ceased to be happy. Her engage- 
 ments for the day stared up at her from the 
 calendar. The car, after taking Mr. Barnes to 
 the office, always stood at the door, waiting for 
 orders. She was such a busy woman that the 
 chauffeur's position was no sinecure; but his 
 evenings were usually his own, and being a 
 family man, he appreciated this and jnade no 
 complaint of the constant duty of the day. 
 
 The cook looked up in surprise when her mis- 
 tress came into the kitchen that morning. There 
 was some displeasure in the look, too. 
 
 "I thought I would begin to plan the meals, 
 Katie," said Mabel, rather intimidated by her 
 reception. 
 
 "It's dissatisfied ye are, then," was the 
 response. 
 
 "Dissatisfied with myself, yes. I think I've 
 left it all to you too long." 
 
 "Sure, I don't mind," returned Katie, quite 
 sincerely. With her telephone and a grand dis- 
 
 243 
 
The Right Track 
 
 regard of the monthly reckoning, she wanted 
 no interference. 
 
 "I'm going to try it awhile, anyway, Katie. 
 I 'm getting an early start this morning so as to 
 go to market." 
 
 "To market, is it!" responded the astonished 
 cook. "Sure, is Mr. Barnes in trouble?" 
 
 She had been queen of this kitchen before 
 Mabel's marriage, and felt privileged to ask 
 questions of the young lady who had so far kept 
 her place as boarder. 
 
 "No, but I feel I want to know more about 
 my own house. You '11 have to help me, Katie. 
 I'm very ignorant." 
 
 This speech failed to mollify the cook, who 
 turned to the sink grumbling under her breath 
 as she turned on the faucets and stormily filled 
 the dishpan. 
 
 But Mabel persisted. She had her tablet of 
 paper and her pencil with her. Katie's answers 
 to her questions being grudging, she went her- 
 self to the icebox and thought she detected some 
 odor. 
 
 ' This must be emptied and scrubbed to- 
 day," she said. 
 
 Katie, who had followed her, wore a counte- 
 nance of amazed injury. 
 
 244 
 
Beginning Again 
 
 "Scrubbed, is it!" she repeated, as if unable 
 to believe her own ears. "Ladies mind their 
 own affairs." 
 
 " This is my affair, Katie. Did you think this 
 was your refrigerator? I don't blame you if you 
 did." 
 
 Mrs. Barnes did not speak with any excite- 
 ment. She had on her hat and her tailored 
 gown and to Katie's eyes was a most misguided 
 interloper. 
 
 "There's no person can tell me when my ice- 
 box needs scrubbing " returned the cook, very 
 red in the face; and if Mabel's heart had been 
 lighter, she would have trembled before her. 
 "Sure, yer husband's no poor clerk that ye 
 need be 'tendin' on the market," added the 
 irate woman, aghast at the prospect of having 
 certain plans and habits of her own come to 
 an end. 
 
 " I'm the best judgeof that," returned Mabel. 
 "Will you scrub the icebox to-day?" 
 
 "Sure, I will not, thin." Katie spoke in a 
 scarlet rage. "Ye can suit yerself to-day, for 
 I 'm off in an hour." 
 
 "Very well," returned Mabel quietly. 
 " You 're a fine cook, Katie. I'll give you a 
 reference if you ever want it." 
 245 
 
The Right Track 
 
 The young mistress's heart was too heavy 
 to care who deserted her. The one essential 
 being she had lost; nothing else mattered; but 
 this heavy heart was not hard. Submerged un- 
 der the sense of her own shortcomings, what 
 were the peccadilloes of a careless and extrav- 
 agant cook? 
 
 Katie stared at her in utter amazement. The 
 woman who, as had often been remarked in the 
 kitchen, refused to "lift a finger," -this 
 woman now took the threat, so appalling to 
 most ladies, with the utmost calm. 
 
 " It's her ignorance," thought Katie. " She's 
 the ignorantest thing in town!" 
 
 Then she proceeded to put on the well-de- 
 served screws. 
 
 "And if I go," she added, "Bessie '11 go, 
 
 too." 
 
 "Very well," returned Mrs. Barnes tran- 
 quilly. 
 
 Katie glared at her a moment longer; then, 
 seeing no sign of weakening, she flung down her 
 dishmop as an insignia of office and stalked out 
 of the room toward the back stairs. 
 
 Mabel left by the other door and sought the 
 living-room where Bessie was dusting. 
 
 Living-room ! She looked about it with seeing 
 246 
 
Beginning Again 
 
 eyes. She had not moved for the last nine 
 months among the cultured women of the city 
 without seeing charming homes where harmony 
 of color and rich and effective furnishings glad- 
 dened the eye and touch. They had never 
 roused her ambition. An anchorite's cell and 
 sufficiently stocked bookshelves satisfied her. 
 It was easy to take for granted that James 
 Barnes was satisfied with things as she had 
 found them in his home. She remembered all too 
 vividly now his tentative suggestions in the au- 
 tumn of changes for the better, but all was 
 vague in his mind, and meeting no response 
 he had not urged anything. 
 
 She had given luncheons to her clubwomen, 
 but always in some hotel or a private room at 
 Florio's. Now her sad eyes swept the unlovely 
 room; then she spoke to the maid in even 
 tones : "Bessie, I Ve just come from Katie. She 
 is offended because I wish to order the meals 
 and look after the details of the kitchen a little. 
 I asked her to scrub the icebox and she 's going 
 away. She says you'll go, too." 
 
 Bessie, who had observed with surprise her 
 mistress's appearance at this hour of the morn- 
 ing, listened to her in amazement and toward the 
 end with apprehension. 
 
 247 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Oh, I'd hate leaving Miss Lovett," she 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " I 'm glad of that. I don't want you to go. 
 I shall need you to cook the dinner to-night. 
 Perhaps you could talk with Katie. I'm very 
 fond of studying things, Bessie, and now I want 
 to study housekeeping. I know Katie has fallen 
 into habits and will feel at first that I 'm in the 
 way; but perhaps she can see that I have a right 
 to do it and that every head of a house ought to 
 do it." 
 
 Bessie looked very sober. She was thinking 
 hard. She believed there was no easier place in 
 town and the wages were good. Besides, it would 
 be like going out of the sunshine to leave Miss 
 Lovett. 
 
 "You and Katie talk it over," went on 
 Mrs. Barnes. " I 'm going to market now," and 
 Mabel went out to the waiting car. 
 
 "She'll get tired of it," soothed Bessie to the 
 irate Katie a little later. 
 
 Several times that day at the office James 
 Barnes thought again of that act of his wife in 
 lighting the fire last night in his den. 
 
 "Poor little blunderer," he reflected. "I sup- 
 pose she sat there in one of those chairs and 
 scourged herself; but it's an acute attack. It's 
 248 
 
Beginning Again 
 
 rather too bad that I started her to thinking; 
 but I shall not worry. Habit is strong and she '11 
 soon be herself again." 
 
 That night he came home to dinner. His wife 
 wore a pretty gown and her hair was carefully 
 dressed. 
 
 After the usual conventional exchange, Bessie 
 left the room with the first course. 
 
 " I had a little encounter to-day," said Mabel, 
 "and came off victorious." 
 
 "Of course, my dear," agreed her hus- 
 band. 
 
 Every word he said hurt her, however inno- 
 cently intentioned; but she went on calmly: 
 
 "Not exactly. It was with the potentate in 
 our kitchen, Katie. I put in my oar; asked her 
 to scrub the ice-box and told her I could order 
 the meals. She was furious and threatened to 
 leave." 
 
 "Dangerous experiment," remarked James 
 Barnes. "It's a pretty good rule in this world 
 to let well enough alone." 
 
 Mabel's cheeks flushed; but she swallowed 
 and controlled her voice. 
 
 " I did n't think it was well enough for me to 
 be a stranger in my own kitchen," she answered. 
 "I wanted to change all that." 
 
 249 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Her husband did not avoid her eyes, but his 
 were coolly indifferent. 
 
 "Better not, perhaps," he replied. "You 
 were quite right last evening in saying that I 
 could afford the small difference it may make. 
 Don't worry yourself. I mean it." 
 
 Bessie came in with the fish. Its blank eyes, 
 Mabel thought, were not more expressionless 
 than those before which hers dropped. Camilla 
 had reminded her that she must not resent 
 punishment. 
 
 She sent Bessie out for a forgotten sauce. 
 
 "I want to tell you," she said, with a sick 
 sense of futility, "that Katie stayed and the ice- 
 box was scrubbed." 
 
 "Bravo," returned James Barnes pleasantly, 
 beginning to serve the fish. "Score one." 
 
 His wife welcomed now the presence of the 
 waitress. Her impetuous, imperious nature 
 was crucified in the knowledge that her hus- 
 band knew that her novel action had been per- 
 formed with the motive of reparation and yet 
 that he was untouched by it. How ungenerous 
 not to extend a word of acknowledgment; of 
 encouragement. 
 
 Yet she knew, who better? that there was not 
 an ungenerous fiber in the man's nature. She 
 
 250 
 
Beginning Again 
 
 had wasted, devastated all that could respond 
 to her. It was a relief in her despair to have 
 him say that his plans had changed and that 
 he was going to New York the following day. 
 
 One of the clubs to which she belonged was 
 working ardently for suffrage. She had been lis- 
 tening to noble, self-abnegating speakers this 
 afternoon and going through her own duties as 
 secretary like an automaton. 
 
 To-morrow was free of engagements. James 
 was going to New York. She would go out to 
 the farm. She wished to see it before Elaine 
 came home. Would he confide in Elaine? Would 
 Elaine's neutrality relapse into the old con- 
 tempt ? The girl had not come home since last 
 September. She had elected to spend the holi- 
 days with a schoolmate. Her father had visited 
 her twice. The last time had been in February; 
 but her stepmother had never seen her since 
 that long ago September evening when the 
 crude young girl made no attempt to conceal 
 her scorn. 
 
 It was a very different Elaine externally who 
 greeted her father with smiling affection in the 
 elegantly appointed reception room of the school 
 on a June morning. 
 
 He held her at arm's length and surveyed 
 251 
 
The Right Track 
 
 her admiringly. She had altered wonderfully 
 for the better. The roses and soft curves of 
 youth were hers now. She had always had a 
 slim grace, but her crisp, spoiled-child brusque- 
 ness was replaced by a gracious repose and self- 
 possession which spoke wonders for the ladies 
 who had polished and softened her angles. 
 
 Mr. Barnes was presented to so many other 
 examples of social perfection that he began to 
 grow restive. 
 
 " Say, Elaine," he confided at last, when they 
 had risen from a formal luncheon, "this Vere 
 de Vere business is getting on my nerves. I'm 
 beginning to step on my own feet and sym- 
 pathize with that fellow who said he felt like 
 an accident going somewhere to happen. If 
 there are n't any more formalities, let 's get 
 out of here." 
 
 Elaine's little laugh was just right. It ex- 
 pressed leniency, affection, respectful amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 "We may go any time," she replied. "There 
 are none of the ordinary closing ceremonies 
 here." 
 
 "Ordinary! I should think not!" returned 
 her father; "but it's all right. I've got my 
 money's worth in these cheeks" he pinched 
 
 252 
 
Beginning Again 
 
 them "and your bright eyes. Everything 
 further is velvet." 
 
 He found a good deal of velvet on the train 
 going home. Elaine looked exquisite in her per- 
 fectly tailored costume, and was an epitome of 
 girlish complaisance. 
 
 "I have n't had time to ask for Mamabel," 
 she said when they were started. " She is quite 
 well, I hope?" 
 
 "Entirely so. Busy as ever. That young step- 
 mother of yours is the busiest woman in town." 
 
 The least deprecating cloud shadowed Elaine's 
 smooth forehead. 
 
 "'Stepmother' is a rather unpleasant word," 
 she replied. "I'm so much obliged to Junior 
 for inventing something prettier. How is the 
 dear child?" 
 
 "He has improved as fast as you have. Ca- 
 milla has done wonders for him." 
 
 "Yes, that has really been the burden of 
 your letters lately. I remember Miss Lovett. 
 She used to be at Cousin Cherry's sewing some- 
 times when I went there as a little girl." 
 
 "Yes; but she was an unripe persimmon in 
 those days. Now she's the ripe article full of 
 sweetness." 
 
 Elaine nodded. "Quite wonderful that she 
 253 
 
The Right Track 
 
 dropped out of the sky like that into your 
 office." 
 
 "Yes, the sky is the accepted dwelling for 
 angels, I believe." 
 
 "Oh," Elaine raised her eyebrows with a 
 little smiling protest, "don't frighten me by 
 suggesting that I have to live up to an an- 
 gel!" 
 
 "I have something worse than that to tell 
 you, Elaine. You know how I love the old place 
 at Brierly. Well, take a brace now, I Ve bought 
 it." 
 
 Elaine leaned back in her armchair and the 
 onlooker might have suspected some strain on 
 her expression of charming receptivity. 
 
 "Now, don't shoot till I explain. There is n't 
 going to be the least pressure on any one of the 
 family to go there; but I want it to look attrac- 
 tive enough to catch you sometimes. I'd like 
 Junior to have some of the experiences that I 
 had. A child without any memories of the coun- 
 try is cheated of his birthright, according to my 
 way of thinking." 
 
 " It would be good for Junior," agreed Elaine. 
 " I Ve been wondering where you and Mamabel 
 intended to go this summer." 
 
 "My dear, I can take you anywhere you 
 254 
 
Beginning Again 
 
 want to go for a few weeks ; or had you some 
 plan in mind with your girl friends?" 
 
 "No, I had n't made any plans. I'm afraid, 
 though," - Elaine gave her mischievous, but 
 sweet and deprecating, smile, " I 'm afraid 
 I have n't yearned for Brierly." 
 
 "Just as you say, Girlie, about that, but give 
 Junior a good send-off. Help me put some 
 finishing touches on the house." 
 
 "Mamabel does n't feel enthusiastic, then?" 
 Elaine's question was pleasantly conversational. 
 
 Her father shook his head, smiling. "She's 
 city broke, you see. She would n't mind being 
 forty miles from a lemon; but when it comes 
 to exile from the libraries, it's a serious matter. 
 She's a great student." 
 
 Under Elaine's faultless exterior her mind 
 was busy. 
 
 Her father's telegraphic letters had told her 
 little of the outcome of his matrimonial venture, 
 but she was about to see with her own eyes. 
 
 "Yes," she replied. "You've held her up to 
 me as an example in that; but," again the mis- 
 chievous and sweet deprecation, "I hope she's 
 not likely to put me through an examination." 
 
 "I'll do it instead. What do you know about 
 wall-paper, Elaine?" 
 
 255 
 
The Right Track 
 
 She shrugged her shoulders. "Very little, I 'm 
 afraid. Not as much as Mamabel does, prob- 
 ably." 
 
 "Oh, that has n't any printing on it," he re- 
 turned good-humoredly. " It is n't in her class." 
 
 The light remark was confirmation to Elaine 
 of what she had always suspected. Bitter re- 
 sentment toward her stepmother burned be- 
 neath her charming mask. 
 
 Was ever a man on earth so good, so gener- 
 ous as Daddy; and he had had to wait for her 
 home-coming for assistance and sympathy. 
 
 "You might try me, anyway," she said 
 lightly. "I have an idea that I would n't give 
 Junior the nightmare with my selections." 
 
 Her father took out paper and pencil and they 
 made a list of the well-remembered rooms. 
 
 "I have Lucretia Watt installed in the 
 kitchen, and her cousin, Pete Miller, in the 
 barn," explained Mr. Barnes, "and Victor Ford 
 is overseeing repairs for me." 
 
 "Who?" asked Elaine, dangerously near to 
 losing her poise. 
 
 "Victor Ford. You remember Mamabel's 
 brother, my lawyer. It's quiet times with him 
 just now and he is being a most efficient right 
 hand for me in this matter. I have n't even 
 
 256 
 
Beginning Again 
 
 bought furniture yet. Thought you might like 
 to furnish a playhouse as well now as you did 
 years ago." 
 
 "It sounds like a lark," returned Elaine, no 
 hint in her expression suggesting that furnish- 
 ing a house in Brierly was her idea of nothing 
 to do. Her worldly knowledge had expanded 
 wonderfully in the last nine months. 
 
 Mabel had sent the car to the station to meet 
 them. Mr. Barnes did not betray his surprise at 
 the sight of Dick, but he noted another instance 
 of his wife's repentant though tfulness. 
 
 When they ascended the home steps and went 
 into the living-room, Elaine cast a 'comprehen- 
 sive glance around her old habitat. 
 
 "What a barracks!" was her unspoken com- 
 ment. 
 
 Her stepmother emerged from the back of the 
 room. 
 
 "If she weren't so pale, and had some ex- 
 pression, she'd be extremely good-looking," 
 thought Elaine, as she presented her cheek to 
 be kissed. 
 
 " I 'm so glad you Ve come home," said Mabel. 
 "I'm sure your father has missed you every 
 day." 
 
 James Barnes kissed the speaker lightly. 
 257 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "He'd better dare not to," returned Elaine, 
 shaking her gloved finger at him. 
 
 "How well you look!" continued Mabel, 
 gazing at the girl wistfully. 
 
 "Oh, I'm in rude health. Where's Junior? 
 I must see him. Come upstairs, Daddy." 
 
 They went away and Mabel lifted a vase of 
 roses from the table and gazed at them; then 
 she lifted them to her face where cool lips had 
 touched. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 MABEL SEES THE FARM 
 
 ON the day her husband went to New York 
 Mabel Barnes wired her brother that she was 
 coming out to the farm. 
 
 Through Pete Miller the news had spread, and 
 a knot of persons with errands at the railroad 
 store saw the tall, slender, dark-haired woman 
 descend from the train and greet her brother. 
 
 Pete Miller was sitting as nonchalantly as he 
 was able in a shiny, new five-passenger car 
 drawn up beside the platform. Motor-cycles 
 and runabouts there were in town; but cars 
 of this pretension had as yet only swept through 
 the village, shaking Brierly dust from off their 
 tires. Jim Barnes's new automobile was the 
 pride of the town. 
 
 "The best ain't any too good for Jim, I tell 
 ye," remarked his proud neighbors, and such 
 as saw his wife to-day repeated the phrase. 
 
 "Well, you have given us a surprise party," 
 remarked Victor, as he welcomed his sister. 
 " We are n't ready for you. What did you come 
 for? Pete, this is Mrs. Barnes. Pete is the 
 
 259 
 
The Right Track 
 
 coming chauffeur of Elm Farm: the slowly- 
 coming." 
 
 The speaker put his sister into the tonneau, 
 then himself joined Pete, who was lounging, 
 his hands resting carelessly on the wheel, the 
 consciously admired and envied cynosure of 
 gazing eyes. 
 
 "Get over here, Pete," added Victor. "I'll 
 take her home." 
 
 "Just a minute, Mr. Ford," responded Pete 
 with unprecedented quickness. "Just till we 
 get out o' sight o' the store." 
 
 "All right," laughed Victor, dropping into 
 the seat. "We're headed right and I don't 
 believe you can smash anything till we get 
 across the bridge." 
 
 A little later, with only the willows to witness 
 his deposition, Pete changed places with Victor, 
 who speeded up the village street, annihilating 
 the space between the store and the cottage 
 by the big rock. 
 
 "Don't you ever drive as fast as this, Pete," 
 he said, as he slowed up preparatory to entering 
 the avenue. Pete grinned. 
 
 Mabel exclaimed in surprise at the loveliness 
 of the gothic arch under which they passed. 
 
 "Oh, it's a great place," remarked Victor, 
 260 
 
Mabel sees the Farm 
 
 with the pride of proprietorship. " I Ve found 
 my vocation all right, Mabel. Foreman and 
 overseer for a landed proprietor; but why 
 did n't you wait a couple of weeks ? Did n't 
 Barnes tell you " 
 
 "Oh, it was a sudden fancy of mine," said 
 Mabel. "He went to New York to get Elaine, 
 and I thought I 'd run out here and see how you 
 were getting on. I believe I was a little home- 
 sick for you, Victor." 
 
 The young man cast a look at the speaker 
 over his shoulder. He suddenly realized that his 
 sister did not look quite natural. 
 
 "Seems to me you're pale," he returned. 
 "Better cut out the midnight oil for a while 
 and come here and study botany." 
 
 "I don't care if I never see another book," 
 was the amazing reply. "Drive slower, please." 
 
 "Hoity-toity!" remarked Victor. "Here is 
 a case of indigestion ! Well, I 'm glad you did 
 come, Mabel. We've been wiping off the slate 
 so far, and now it's clean and ready for a fresh 
 start." 
 
 "We begin together, the farm and I," thought 
 the wife. 
 
 As the slowly moving car emerged from the 
 elm avenue, she gazed up at the house brave 
 
 26! 
 
The Right Track 
 
 in its buff paint with white trimmings. Two 
 men were running lawn-mowers over the grassy 
 slopes, and Victor drove the car up to the 
 front piazza, renewed now in every ailing bit 
 of wood. 
 
 Leaving the car, the mistress of it all stood 
 there, looking off in every direction and think- 
 ing of her husband's boyhood. Two hundred 
 feet away glistened the forest-bordered pond. 
 She could hear the merest tinkle of its water- 
 fall, feeding the babbling brook that ran off 
 through the meadow. 
 
 The terrace in front of the house had been 
 made smooth; the old elm trees rising at either 
 end were magnets for the birds. At the right 
 of the house rose an artificial mound of earth 
 with grassy sides, its edges planted with flowers, 
 and from its midst rose a second smaller mound 
 grassed all over and surmounted with a clump 
 of cedar trees. 
 
 Every inch of these broad acres held for her 
 husband some association to which she had re- 
 peatedly refused to be introduced. 
 
 Victor had gone with Pete to the improvised 
 garage and she stood there looking through a 
 mist at the rolling landscape disappearing in 
 forest trees. 
 
 262 
 
Mabel sees the Farm 
 
 "Oh, be good to me, be good to me," her heart 
 cried out to the sun-bathed scene. "Help me!" 
 
 Victor appeared around the corner of the 
 house and was surprised at the expression on 
 her face. He felt a sudden dismay. "She had 
 done it, then," just as he had expected. They 
 had quarreled. Never mind. She was his sister. 
 She had always been a good one; and she was 
 unhappy. 
 
 "Hope you don't mind eating in the kitchen," 
 he said. "If it was a little warmer, we'd come 
 out under the trees." 
 
 Lucretia's sharp eyes had discerned the lady 
 in the motor as it glided up to the house. "And 
 that," she thought, with some excitement, 
 "that's Mis' Barnes!" 
 
 Lucretia had become an object of interest 
 in the village and many a neighbor had trudged 
 up the elm avenue to sit and talk with her while 
 she worked to feed the little army of workmen 
 who were rejuvenating the house and environs. 
 
 Charity Shanklin was among these visitors. 
 She wore an important air, as befitted a con- 
 nection of a rumored millionaire, and addressed 
 Lucretia at first as one having authority. Lu- 
 cretia, however, with nine points of the law 
 in her favor, tacitly refused to be patronized; 
 
 263 
 
The Right Track 
 
 so Charity found it more satisfying to descend 
 to terms of equality and pump Lucretia as to 
 Camilla and the Jims, Junior and Senior. She 
 had inquired eagerly on her last visit if Mrs. 
 Barnes had appeared, and, finding she had 
 not, ventured to prognosticate that she never 
 would. 
 
 "Just to think of that sly Camilla," she said, 
 "never telling me she was going to apply for 
 the position of that young one's nurse. Ca- 
 milla's a close one. 'T was me told her little 
 Jim did n't have an atom of care from his 
 stepmother." And from this Miss Shanklin 
 proceeded to a spirited description of Mabel, 
 which received a halt when a young man in 
 gray flannel shirt, and trousers tucked into his 
 boots, entered the kitchen. She supposed him 
 to be one of the workmen, and, despite his pre- 
 possessing appearance, waited impatiently for 
 him to disappear and give her a chance to fin- 
 ish a sentence which was to rip the last shred 
 of Mrs. Barnes's character as a housekeeper 
 into ribbons, and finish her job neatly. 
 
 "I have a man out here to clean the cistern," 
 said Victor. "It'll be one more mouth to feed, 
 Lucretia." 
 
 "All right. Know Miss Shanklin, Mr. Ford? 
 264 
 
Mabel sees the Farm 
 
 She's a connection o' Mr. Barnes. This is Mis' 
 Barnes's brother, Cherry." 
 
 Lucretia had a sense of humor, and the con- 
 sternation in her caller's face made her stride 
 to the sink, and catching up a pail, begin to 
 pump vigorously, muttering something about 
 "makin' sure of some water." 
 
 Victor shook hands with the stranger, his 
 sunshiny smile falling on her dismayed effort 
 at self-possession. "Busy times," he said. 
 
 "What's he doing here?" asked Charity 
 when he had disappeared. ^ 
 
 "What ain't he doin'," responded Lucretia. 
 "That young man's got faculty. I don't know 
 but he'll get some ginger into Pete yet. He can 
 make him hustle, anyway, and it's more'n 
 any one else ever did; but Pete'd do anything 
 for the sake o' drivin' that car. He 's more tickled 
 than a boy with red boots." 
 
 "Is there an automobile?" responded Char- 
 ity with awe. 
 
 "Law, yes," replied Lucretia. "There's 
 everything, or goin' to be. I never heard o' such 
 plans." 
 
 "It's a mercy he did n't hear me," declared 
 Miss Shanklin meditatively. "I was only goin' 
 to say " She paused ; apparently her courage 
 
 265 
 
The Right Track 
 
 had been dashed. "I didn't know as Mrs. 
 Barnes had a brother," she finished. "He's 
 handsome. I 've heard she was." 
 
 "If she 's as clever as her brother, it's all 
 anybody would ask," replied Lucretia. 
 
 Miss Shanklin rocked in silence and watched 
 her companion set the table for dinner for the 
 workmen. - She had nothing to complain of in 
 Lucretia; for the morning after the latter had 
 accepted James Barnes's proposition she had 
 gone to the parsonage and taken Miss Shanklin 
 into a conference of ways and means. All the 
 good pieces of furniture, the old mahogany 
 which had been the pride of the present owner's 
 mother, were now scattered about James 
 Barnes's city home in unregarded shabbiness, 
 only needing to be refinished to show their 
 value. The Metcalfs had furnished with their 
 own scanty belongings, and Charity had helped 
 Lucretia to dispose of them all. A few things 
 they had kept themselves; the rest they gave 
 away, Lucretia perfectly willing that Cherry 
 should help her in the role of Lady Bountiful. 
 
 To-day, as Mabel entered the house, she saw 
 it empty as a cup. The workmen had gone. 
 The stairs went up out of a small hallway. 
 There was a front and a back parlor, and at the 
 
 266 
 
Mabel sees the Farm 
 
 side of the latter a library. At the rear in the 
 ell were a dining-room and kitchen. Five bed- 
 rooms and a storeroom were on the second floor, 
 and the attic was divided into two bedrooms, 
 the north and the south chamber, as they were 
 called; the south one had belonged to James 
 Barnes once, and his boyish eyes could see the 
 stars only through the branches of the great 
 elms. Cold sometimes O, how cold! in 
 winter; hot sometimes O, how hot! in 
 summer : but home ; and a wonderful place 
 from which to hear the frogs and katydids and 
 crickets. 
 
 Mabel looked about the empty rooms now 
 as she passed through, an alien, longing to be 
 naturalized. Honesty compelled her to admit 
 that a week ago she would have been sure to find 
 an excuse which would relieve her of any part 
 in furnishing this house. To-day she suffered 
 cruelly because she might have no hand in it. 
 She knew if she went to her husband and asked 
 as a favor to join in the care of the furnishing, 
 he would look at her with a sort of surprised 
 tolerance, and consent. Oh, yes, he would con- 
 sent. He would always show her kindness when 
 she forced herself upon his attention. Kindness ! 
 She forced back the stinging tears, 
 
 267 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Patience. The change could not be wrought 
 in a minute, and she must not cry out at the 
 punishment. 
 
 "Some job to make this place livable, eh?" 
 asked Victor cheerily; "but good fun, too, for 
 any one who likes it. Barnes seems to think 
 Elaine won't mind lending a hand." 
 
 Mabel swallowed. Even to Victor it had not 
 occurred that she might help. She summoned 
 her courage. 
 
 " I daresay even she is n't such a greenhorn 
 as I am," she answered; "but there's no telling 
 what I 'm going to learn in the way of domes- 
 ticity. I told you I was tired of books. I'm be- 
 ginning to study housekeeping now." 
 
 Her brother gave her a quick glance. He 
 could have sworn that her lip quivered before 
 she caught it under her teeth. 
 
 "Well, you're coming to close quarters with 
 the kitchen works to-day," he said, leading the 
 way through the bare dining-room with its win- 
 dows looking down toward the avenue of elms. 
 
 Lucretia met them at the kitchen door, and 
 Mabel saw that she was wiping her hand on her 
 apron preparatory to greeting, so she gave the 
 hard hand a hearty grip, humbly eager to im- 
 press its owner favorably. 
 
 268 
 
Mabel sees the Farm 
 
 Lucretia examined the young wife with criti- 
 cal curiosity, and all the damning things she 
 had heard about her went trooping through her 
 head; but Mabel's brother had won Lucretia's 
 heart by what she termed his horse-sense, and 
 she held her own estimate of the new mistress 
 of the house in abeyance. 
 
 "I can't see as she's anyway stuck up," she 
 thought, as Mabel pulled off her gloves and sat 
 down to the kitchen table to be helped to pork 
 and beans. 
 
 "We'd have had a steak if we'd known you 
 were coming," said Victor; "would n't we, Lu- 
 cretia?" 
 
 "Just as lieves to as not," agreed Lucretia, 
 setting a dish of mealy potatoes on the table and 
 eying Mabel's gray tailored suit approvingly. 
 
 "Real plain good dress, I call it, "she thought. 
 
 " I 'm glad you did n't. I 'm glad to be re- 
 minded of pork and beans. We have n't had 
 them for a long time. I had done a great deal 
 of housework when I was married, Lucretia, 
 and for a long time I just wanted to rest from 
 it; but now I 'm taking it up again and I'm so 
 glad to get ideas." 
 
 "There!" thought Lucretia triumphantly; 
 "does that sound stuck up and heartless? Give 
 
 269 
 
The Right Track 
 
 a dog a bad name and hang him. I wish Cherry 
 Shanklin was here this minute. Married to a 
 millionaire and glad to eat pork and beans. 
 Pretty as a picture she 'd be if she was n't so 
 awful pale." 
 
 Her pallor impressed her brother, too. All the 
 familiar self-confidence of the flattered club- 
 woman was gone from his sister's manner. 
 Every word she spoke but verified his suspicion 
 that some shock had taken place in her life. 
 
 "The worm will turn," he reflected, as he 
 scattered pepper on his potato, "and it looks as 
 if this time the worm had administered a pretty 
 stiff dose of medicine and she had taken it. 
 Poor girl." 
 
 "One of your new connections was here yes- 
 terday, Mabel," he remarked, "sister of the 
 minister, Lucretia says. Every time I passed the 
 door I heard her dressing down somebody. I 
 thought I caught Elaine's name once. I warn 
 you to walk Spanish when you meet that 
 lady." 
 
 Lucretia felt her cheeks grow warm as she 
 moved from stove to table. "Will you have a 
 cup o' coffee, Mis' Barnes ? Yes, Cherry is kind 
 o' talkative." 
 
 "H'm," grunted Victor. " She sounded to me 
 270 
 
Mabel sees the Farm 
 
 as though she needed to go to the hospital and 
 have her gossip taken out." 
 
 This amused Lucretia to the extent of a 
 laugh. "You see it's a small town," she re- 
 marked apologetically. 
 
 "And after all," said Mabel, "I suppose 
 each of us needs to have something taken 
 out." 
 
 "Now, ain't she sweet-spoken?" thought 
 Lucretia ; " and those eyes ain't the eyes of any 
 hypocrite." 
 
 "I guess we could make you some rosier if 
 you 'd stay out to Brierly awhile, Mis' Barnes," 
 she said. 
 
 "I intend to," returned Mabel. "I'm very 
 eager to come." 
 
 Victor choked on a swallow of coffee. They 
 were using kitchen dishes, heavy crockery and 
 steel knives and forks. 
 
 "Your little boy, too. I believe he'll pick 
 right up here." 
 
 "I'm sure of it," replied Mabel. "With Ca- 
 milla to take care of him and this sweet air 
 to breathe, he'll be a happy child this sum- 
 
 mer." 
 
 "Wish I thought she'd be a happy woman," 
 muttered Lucretia, when dinner was over and 
 
 271 
 
The Right Track 
 
 she saw the guest strolling across the grass 
 toward the mound with her brother. "Wonder 
 what she looks like when she smiles. If she ever 
 had any spring she ain't got it now, and she's 
 about as pleasant-spoken as any one I ever 
 saw. Wonder why Hetty Landor wanted to 
 stuff Cherry with all that truck, and Cherry 
 swallowed it whole. 'Have her gossip cut out.' ' 
 Lucretia rested her hand on her hip and laughed 
 silently. "Say, there's lots o' folks needs that 
 operation." 
 
 Her watching eyes saw, from the window 
 over the sink, Victor taking his sister's arm 
 and helping her up the flight of wooden steps 
 that led to the walk on the edge of the grassy 
 mound. 
 
 "It's a wonder some girl has n't caught him 
 before this," she thought admiringly. "'F I 
 was to write a ro-mance I 'd make him the hero 
 and have princesses nghtin' for him." From 
 this fancy she descended to earth at the sight 
 of Pete cautiously reconnoitering at the kitchen 
 door. "Yes, come along in," she said, begin- 
 ning to clatter with pots and pans. "Eat your 
 dinner and get through with it. Mis' Barnes 
 is goin' back at three o'clock." 
 
 "Ain't shesweet, though," said Pete devoutly, 
 272 
 
Mabel sees the Farm 
 
 sitting down at the table and beginning an eager 
 attack. 
 
 "Forgot to taste of her," retorted Lucretia, 
 making a mighty racket with the crockery. 
 
 Victor pointed out to his sister the border of 
 verbenas and pansies growing at the side of the 
 path they were treading, while on the other hand 
 rose the secondary mound of grass from which 
 grew the clump of cedars. 
 
 "Of course, you see, Victor," said Mabel 
 suddenly, "that something has happened to 
 
 me." 
 
 "And, of course, you know," he returned 
 quickly, "that if there's anything I can do for 
 you, I want to do it." 
 
 "You tried to save me," she said, "and I 
 would n't be warned. Now I have to work out 
 my own salvation. No one can help me." 
 
 "And, of course, you can do it," returned 
 Victor stoutly, his earnestness a protest against 
 the hopelessness of her passive look. 
 
 "I should have been very courageous once," 
 replied Mabel. "Now I know I have nobody 
 but you, Victor." 
 
 "What do you mean by that? Has Barnes " 
 
 She smiled up at her brother's reddening, ap- 
 prehensive face. 
 
 273 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "You know James," she said. " You know he 
 does n't know how to be anything but kind to 
 jany one weaker than himself. 1 'm only reaping 
 what I've sown; but," she reiterated it, "you 
 are all I have in the world, Victor." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 FURNISHING THE FARMHOUSE 
 
 ON the morning after Elaine's arrival, the 
 family gathered at the breakfast table for the 
 first time since she had left; but she had no idea 
 that this was so. 
 
 She knew Junior was enjoying a novel privi- 
 lege, or rather trying to enjoy it, for Camilla 
 had declined to come downstairs and his heart 
 was painfully divided. 
 
 Mamabel had treated him very differently 
 ever since the night he told her about the angel, 
 and he was convinced that his missionary work 
 had availed. Sister was wonderfully agreeable, 
 but he did n't care for her butterfly kisses and 
 patronizing caresses. 
 
 Her talk of New York absorbed the attention 
 at the breakfast table, and Junior, in spite of his 
 gala attire in place of the dressing-gown, and the 
 grown-up air of the meal, felt that 'mid pleas- 
 ures and palaces tho' he might roam, there was 
 no place like the little room upstairs where he 
 and Camilla ate eggs tete-a-tete, 
 
 2 7S 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Later in the morning Mabel saw the motor 
 come and bear Elaine away. The girl was to 
 meet her father by appointment and give the 
 day to choosing furnishings for the farm. Mabel 
 had thrown out a hint or two to Elaine that 
 she would be glad to help; but they had been 
 ignored very sweetly. Elaine's manners were a 
 marvel to one who had seen the unpromising 
 chrysalis. 
 
 The dignified demeanor of her stepmother 
 won the girl's approval, and she realized how 
 much more trying their life might be if Mabel's 
 manners conformed to the crudeness of the home 
 which had satisfied her. No such taste as that 
 evinced here must be permitted to clash with 
 the sophistication Elaine had gained. 
 
 Mabel had recounted at the breakfast table, 
 thinking the confession more easily made in 
 public, that she had visited the farm and had 
 eaten dinner in the kitchen. 
 
 " It's a lovely old place. I was sorry I had n't 
 seen it sooner," she said. 
 
 "Do you mean you never had seen it!" ex- 
 claimed Elaine in well-bred surprise. 
 
 "I never had," admitted Mabel, coloring to 
 the back of her pretty neck. 
 
 So she was left at home this morning to the 
 
 276 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 study of her now obnoxious calendar and the 
 fulfilling of her engagements. 
 
 Her husband had turned as he was going out. 
 
 " If Elaine meets me at eleven and sends back 
 the car for you, will that be in time?" he asked. 
 
 "Plenty of time," she returned, controlling 
 her desire to cry out that she did n't want the 
 car; that she should never want it again! 
 
 The way her husband had taken the news that 
 she had visited the farm was just as he ac- 
 knowledged each one of her efforts ; with kindly 
 understanding, but the sincere wish that she 
 would not trouble herself. 
 
 "It will kill me!" she exclaimed to Camilla. 
 
 "No, indeed," returned the latter. "You are 
 going to learn true happiness. No human being 
 can give it to you. If your husband took you 
 in his arms now and covered you with love and 
 praise " 
 
 "Oh, I should die of happiness!" 
 
 "No, that wouldn't be harmony yet; not 
 without the foundation, the knowledge of the 
 basic truth of being on which we build safely. 
 You'd be happy for a while and your hurts 
 soothed until something else came up to jar you 
 apart. You must have something to build on. 
 You must know that you and your husband 
 
 277 
 
The Right Track 
 
 have each your place in the Divine Mind and 
 that you cannot hurt each other; know that 
 unselfishness, the Golden Rule, is the law of life. 
 As we were saying, it comes as a new language 
 to most of us and we have to bring patience and 
 humility to the study of it." 
 
 " I must begin," said Mabel. " I must study." 
 And study she did, as never before in her 
 brain-worshiping life. She procured a Bible 
 and the commentary upon it which Camilla 
 used; and for a long time to come, her other 
 books would grow dusty. Every mountain of 
 her ambition had been laid low and in her new 
 humility she found her valley of decision. 
 
 Elaine admitted to herself that her step- 
 mother was entirely different from what she had 
 expected. Mabel did not seem especially happy, 
 but at least no one could accuse her of aggres- 
 siveness in any form. She was a bit haughty, 
 perhaps, in a quiet, self-contained way, and not 
 at all demonstrative ; but on the whole, Elaine, 
 glass of fashion and mold of form, good 
 form, considered that it was no wonder her 
 father had been attracted. The only blot to her 
 on her stepmother's 'scutcheon was that she 
 had not helped Daddy out in his pet plans re- 
 garding the farm. Now that she had come, her 
 
 278 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 stepmother seemed to wish to have a hand in 
 the matter. 
 
 Nothing seems precious, thought sophisti- 
 cated Elaine, until some one else has possession 
 of it. No; Mamabel must be punished for her 
 opposition to anything that was dear to Daddy's 
 heart. Moreover, she, a mature person, had 
 lived in this old house nearly a year and made 
 no effort to redeem its forlorn living-room. How 
 could she be trusted with furnishings ! 
 
 So Elaine went firmly forth to the fine shop 
 devoted to house decoration, where in the wall- 
 paper department her father had promised to 
 meet her. 
 
 Meanwhile James Barnes in his office was 
 being confronted with an unexpected business 
 complication which necessitated his presence at 
 an important conference in another office. All 
 other considerations were swallowed up in the 
 imperative need for action ; but as he looked at 
 his watch the memory of Elaine and their plans 
 swept over him. At the same moment Victor 
 Ford walked into his office. 
 
 "My dear boy," said the grain dealer, speak- 
 ing hurriedly, "my lucky star never did me a 
 better turn ! Elaine 's waiting for me at Flan- 
 ders's to select paper and furniture and all the 
 
 279 
 
The Right Track 
 
 rest of it. Here are the data," seizing a bunch of 
 papers from a desk drawer, "the measurements 
 and everything. Take them over to her, will 
 you, and help her select ? I can't possibly go, a 
 business call, and I want to get her while she's 
 in the mood. See you to-night if not before. I 
 have n't a minute now." And, seizing his hat, 
 James Barnes hurried out of the office, leaving 
 his brother-in-law standing with his mouth 
 open, staring dazed at the bundle of papers in 
 his hands. 
 
 "Well, I '11 be" he began. He had intended 
 to make a report, saying that everything was 
 ready for just this operation, and then try to 
 see his sister, whose face had haunted him since 
 he saw her last. 
 
 In his extreme reluctance to share this errand 
 with the most rude and disagreeable girl he had 
 ever met, he had to remind himself that, what- 
 ever her faults, she had played no part in Mabel's 
 present unhappiness. He could hardly doubt, 
 however, that she would add to it. 
 
 But there she was at Flanders's, waiting, and 
 in his role as farm factotum he could not fail to 
 carry the papers to her and give her her father's 
 message. 
 
 "Wall-paper department," Mr. Barnes had 
 280 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared. 
 Accordingly to the wall-paper department at 
 Flanders 's Victor hied himself, bristling with 
 antagonism. 
 
 As he left the elevator at the right floor he 
 saw a graceful, girlish figure, perfectly dressed 
 in the height of fashion, with none of its eccen- 
 tricities. As she turned her face so he could see 
 it, his mental comment was that she had on the 
 most chic and becoming hat he ever saw on a 
 golden head. She was smiling as he perceived 
 her and speaking in a low voice to the clerk who 
 was unrolling paper over the rack for its ex- 
 hibition. 
 
 Her soft curves and healthful coloring, her 
 gracious smile, her street costume with the per- 
 fect hat, combined to make her for the moment 
 unrecognizable as the anaemic heroine of the 
 most trying evening of Victor's life; but as her 
 eyes turned toward the clicking door of the ele- 
 vator, hoping to see her father's figure, she per- 
 ceived a young man, remarkably good-looking, 
 whom she felt she had met somewhere. She 
 could not place him at once, but had a vague 
 consciousness of a disagreeable association with 
 him. Not sure but that it was some one to whom 
 she ought to bow, she redoubled her attention to 
 
 281 
 
The Right Track 
 
 the wall-papers, and Victor strolled over to a 
 counter laden with samples of chintz, while he 
 awaited the arrival of a white-paper face out 
 of which would look eyes like blue marbles. 
 
 Elaine's thoughts were not now on the pa- 
 pers. It would be a poor beginning to her new 
 life at home, to cut so attractive and prosperous- 
 looking a man as this vaguely familiar person. 
 She cudgeled her brains and made occasion to 
 turn carelessly in a manner to catch a helpful, 
 though fleeting, glance. The stranger's unrec- 
 ognizing eyes were looking straight toward her. 
 
 It was enough. She knew that Victor Ford 
 was at Brierly. Her father had spoken of him 
 this morning. However, here he was, without 
 a doubt, wearing that same unsmiling, specula- 
 tive look which she had resented. In her new 
 code, the mere fact that you hated a man was 
 no excuse for failing to greet him if he happened 
 to be your father's brother-in-law. She believed 
 him waiting for her recognition. 
 
 "Oh, how do you do, Mr. Ford," she said, 
 with a gracious movement forward, as she ex- 
 tended her hand. "Pardon me for not recog- 
 nizing you at once. The light - ' If it was any 
 gratification to her to see a man "struck all of 
 a heap," as Victor afterward expressed it, she 
 
 282 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 had it now as the young man whisked off his 
 hat and shook hands with her. He colored to his 
 temples. This exquisite creature, this Elaine! 
 
 " I 'm afraid I don't bring my welcome with 
 me, Miss Barnes," he said. "Your father was 
 called to some business meeting and could n't 
 come and he has made me his deputy. Here are 
 the papers with the measurements." 
 
 He conquered his embarrassment as he 
 searched in an inner pocket for the papers. 
 Elaine's smile vanished. 
 
 "You men!" she said; but her voice contin- 
 ued smooth. "There is no dependence to be 
 placed on you ! I believe I will wait till another 
 day." 
 
 "That is for you to decide. Your father is 
 very eager, however, to get Junior into the coun- 
 try, and I came in this morning to tell him that 
 the well and cistern have been cleaned out and 
 that everything is ready for occupation except a 
 few trifles like beds and chairs." 
 
 Elaine listened composedly, but she heard 
 scarcely half of what Victor said. She was think- 
 ing of that unspeakable evening when she had 
 insulted his sister, and his eyes had revealed his 
 contempt for her. What a grotesque idea that 
 they should furnish the farm together! and if 
 
 283 
 
The Right Track 
 
 his sister had shown a proper spirit, it would not 
 be necessary. 
 
 She would remind him that, rude child as she 
 had been a year ago, she had nevertheless been 
 entirely correct in her estimate. 
 
 "I believe these selections might have been 
 made some time since," she said sweetly, "but 
 there seemed no one to do it. Daddy has been 
 waiting for me; so I suppose he would rather I 
 did not postpone it." 
 
 The shot hit the mark. Victor bit his lip. 
 There was nothing to say. No one knew better 
 than he that she was right. He believed that a 
 little rip in this silky manner would be sufficient 
 to reveal underneath the ruthless girl he re- 
 membered. 
 
 "I suppose you don't need me any more, 
 then?" he returned briefly. 
 
 Elaine was content with her triumph, for his 
 face was transparent. 
 
 "Why, I think you could help, for the place 
 is fresh in your mind. Of course, if you have 
 some other engagement " 
 
 Victor shook his head. "My time belongs to 
 your father at present," he returned shortly. 
 
 "Then let's get right to work," she said. "You 
 keep the papers," she handed them back to him, 
 
 284 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 and the attentive clerk placed two chairs for 
 what he considered the most charming couple 
 he had seen in many a moon. The young man 
 was a bit grumpy, and before the selections 
 were completed, the salesman had dropped his 
 theory of lovers, and decided that they were 
 brother and sister. 
 
 From the wall-papers they went to the rugs, 
 and throughout the experience Victor reluc- 
 tantly acknowledged the assurance with which 
 his companion sought and found the appropriate 
 articles. She made many deferential appeals to 
 his judgment, to all of which he made the brief- 
 est possible response, always agreeing with her 
 opinions. Mabel was unhappy enough, and 
 Elaine had not scrupled to accent her sins of 
 omission to himself. The girl was freshly ar- 
 rived and perhaps had no suspicion of her step- 
 mother's troubled heart. He knew his sister 
 well enough to be certain she had not worn it on 
 her sleeve; but Mabel's voice rang in his ears : 
 
 "I have no one but you in the whole world, 
 Victor." 
 
 He knew that James Barnes had not fallen to 
 earth from the heights of his infatuation with- 
 out plenty of bruises; but his sympathy with 
 the father need not extend to this cocksure 
 
The Right Track 
 
 young woman. She should understand from the 
 start that he was first, last, and all the time, 
 Mabel's brother. 
 
 Elaine's unruffled, charming manner gave no 
 evidence that she knew that she had wounded 
 him, and that he was unforgiving. She per- 
 sisted in asking his advice and forcing him to 
 consult their list, all the time increasingly deter- 
 mined to subjugate him. 
 
 "Seeing that Junior is the central figure in 
 all this, I think the southeast room should be 
 the nursery, don't you?" she asked. 
 
 "It would be very good," returned Victor, 
 "except that it has no chimney. The room be- 
 hind it facing east has had an air-tight stove 
 in it." 
 
 Elaine nodded. " I 'm so glad you thought of 
 that, for it's very important, especially if Ca- 
 milla should want to stay on with him into the 
 autumn for any reason. I suppose in the end 
 Daddy will rout out the furnace and have some 
 modern heating apparatus put in; but it's all 
 such an experiment, I hope he '11 wait till an- 
 other year." 
 
 They were looking at Delft blue and white 
 rugs for the nursery, and now Elaine consulted 
 the east-room measurements. 
 
 286 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 The interested salesman addressed Victor: 
 "I think your wife will be much pleased with 
 this reversible article," he said. 
 
 Victor gave him a stony gaze. "We're not 
 married," he replied distinctly; and Elaine, 
 very much engrossed in the list, grew somewhat 
 pinker at the dryness of Victor's denial. 
 
 "Pardon me," returned the salesman. "I 
 heard you say nurs pardon me." 
 
 He saw no reason why this young man's glare 
 should seem to expect him to trail in the dust. 
 Surely the fellow should be flattered. 
 
 In each department they visited, the clerk 
 was sure to make some reference to their sup- 
 posed relationship, and it amazed Victor that 
 Elaine never seemed to resent it. When it came 
 to a point of too acute embarrassment for him- 
 self, he was obliged to set the salesman right 
 and he always did it with such curt frankness 
 as to give his fair companion a little sting. She 
 was becoming much more interested in him 
 than in her errands. 
 
 She turned to him at last with a little air of 
 appeal. 
 
 "Do give me something to eat," she said. 
 "I'm so tired." 
 
 "Oh, oh, certainly," returned Victor, stuffing 
 287 
 
The Right Track 
 
 the lists into his pocket. "Where shall we 
 go?" 
 
 Elaine named a place and Victor de- 
 murred. 
 
 "I'm afraid I don't look the part. I'm more 
 fit for a lunch-counter to-day. The honest 
 workingman did n't come in town last evening 
 with the idea of taking a fashionable young 
 woman out to lunch." 
 
 "You'll do quite well," returned Elaine, 
 smiling at him. 
 
 He preferred that she should not smile at him. 
 She looked too pretty. 
 
 When finally they were at the table she sighed 
 with relief and took off her gloves. 
 
 "Your hands make me wish I could eat with 
 mine in my pockets," he remarked, spreading 
 out his strong fingers which had been ham- 
 mered and cut variously in his unaccustomed 
 duties. 
 
 "Do you like it out there?" asked Elaine 
 wearily. 
 
 "Yes, very much. What will you have to 
 eat?" 
 
 "The idea of asking me!" ejaculated Elaine 
 faintly. "As if you could n't see that I'm be- 
 yond telling." 
 
 288 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 She knew instinctively that it expands the 
 heart of one human being to feed another. 
 
 "Well, let me see." Victor picked up the 
 card he had pushed toward her. It was a busy 
 hour and no waiter came to them at once. "I 
 have just a dollar and ninety cents in my pocket. 
 If you had come to my lunch-counter, you 
 could have had quite a lot to eat; as it is, I 
 think a sandwich and a cup of tea for you and 
 a fee to the waiter will about clean me out. I '11 
 try not to watch you hungrily." 
 
 "Oh, how ravenous you make me!" ex- 
 claimed Elaine, coming to life charmingly. She 
 held up a silver vanity case. "If I had a purse 
 with me instead of this, we could pool our re- 
 sources; as it is, give me that card at once, 
 and I'll show you what a good housekeeper 
 I am!" 
 
 Were those the blue marbles, those bright, 
 mischievous eyes? How dared she laugh into 
 his, and make such a reference after the number 
 of times she had been pressed upon him in the 
 last two hours ? 
 
 "We'd better put on a placard before we go 
 out again," he returned, "to make it clear that 
 you 're not a housekeeper yet." 
 
 "How cross it made you, did n't it?" she re- 
 289 
 
The Right Track 
 
 marked artlessly, while she scanned the menu. 
 "My! Such a confirmed bachelor tone as you 
 used to deny the allegation and despise the 
 allegator!" 
 
 " Well," returned Victor, somewhat confused, 
 and unable to conceal it from her, even under 
 a dogged tone, "I didn't think it was very 
 pleasant for you." 
 
 " I did n't mind. What difference did it make ? 
 And the next time you refuse me, please do so 
 in a more complimentary tone." 
 
 The roguish glance she sent him required a 
 smile from the recipient. He forgot Mabel for 
 the moment and gave it. Then he remembered 
 and reassumed an impassive demeanor. 
 
 "Now, let me see," she continued, satisfied 
 for the moment with the involuntary flattery 
 of his look. Victor, from the moment she dis- 
 covered him this morning, had been elevated 
 to the role of one of her coming court of 
 suitors. "We can have seventy cents' worth 
 apiece," she went on. "What will you have 
 to drink?" 
 
 "Milk," was the unexpected response. 
 
 She laughed across at him merrily. "I'm 
 surprised you have the habit," she returned. 
 "I thought farmers always sent all the milk 
 
 290 
 
Furnishing the Farmhouse 
 
 away. Are you sure you would n't rather have 
 molasses and water?" 
 
 "No, that's what they use in the haying 
 season, isn't it?" he answered. "Give me 
 
 time." 
 
 Before that luncheon was ordered and eaten, 
 Elaine had accomplished much toward break- 
 ing in her novice. Spasmodically he seemed to 
 recall something and retire to a grave distance 
 and the girl knew that it was Mabel's memory 
 which had intruded between them. 
 
 She liked Victor better and better as the day 
 went on, and none the less for his sensitiveness 
 to attack upon his sister. Elaine had set the 
 seal of approval on her stepmother, taking her 
 altogether, and during the latter half of the day 
 Victor took an active part in assisting her in 
 her errands, thereby making up for his sister's 
 failure. 
 
 Elaine wished not only to reward him, but 
 also to gain more of his approval for herself; 
 so when the last errand for the present had been 
 finished, she invited him to go home with her 
 to dinner. 
 
 "Is the car coming for you?" he asked. 
 
 "No, Mamabel and I are dividing it to-day," 
 she returned sweetly. "Of course, in the fall 
 
 291 
 
The Right Track 
 
 one of us will have an electric ; but for the pres- 
 ent we'll arrange together." 
 
 Victor, listening gravely, nodded; then he 
 escorted the girl home to eat the dinner his 
 sister had ordered. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 A CRUSADER 
 
 AT the dinner table Elaine made good stories 
 of some incidents of the day, although she omit- 
 ted the matrimonial suppositions of the sales- 
 men. 
 
 Mabel fought with a jealousy which she felt 
 to be shameful as she saw the brightness and 
 interest in her husband's face while he listened 
 to the girl's gay chatter, and she tried to be glad 
 that Elaine amused Victor also, and that an 
 atmosphere of good feeling reigned in the som- 
 ber, lonely old dining-room. It occurred to her 
 that to win Elaine would be perhaps to find an 
 avenue back to her husband's heart. 
 
 The following morning, after her father had 
 gone to business, Elaine sat down at the piano 
 and began to play. Mabel, who had been 
 prompt at breakfast, seated herself to listen. 
 
 "Oh, horrible!" exclaimed the girl after 
 striking a few chords. She rose from the piano. 
 "I must send for the tuner," she added. 
 
 "That was very careless of me," declared 
 Mabel. "The piano has scarcely been opened 
 
 293 
 
The Right Track 
 
 since you left. It's a wonder I did n't think of 
 it, for I have never forgotten your delightful 
 playing." 
 
 "Oh, indeed?" returned Elaine. "I'm glad 
 you liked it." 
 
 "Have you continued to study?" asked 
 Mabel. "I hope so." 
 
 "Yes, I have," replied the girl, rearranging 
 some roses which had come to her last night 
 from Ben Walmsley. It was the first time she 
 and her stepmother had ever been alone to- 
 gether. 
 
 "There can be such a thing as too much study, 
 I have found since I saw you last, Elaine. I have 
 made that mistake." 
 
 The girl cast a glance at the speaker where 
 she sat near by in a new, pretty negligee gown; 
 but Elaine kept silence. Bitterness of soul was 
 bad for the complexion, and to express it was 
 bourgeois in the extreme. She therefore let 
 her silence speak. Victor's sister should have 
 nothing worse than that to tell him. Possibly 
 experience had not taught the girl that silence 
 is the most crushing of replies. Mabel colored. 
 She wondered how much James Barnes had 
 told his daughter. If Elaine knew the truth, 
 knew that her stepmother was no more than a 
 
 294 
 
A Crusader 
 
 foreign body in the family circle, she had be- 
 haved very well. 
 
 "I have only lately come to a realizing sense 
 of this," went on Mabel. "You can see that by 
 the looks of this room and the house in general." 
 
 Elaine flashed her another quick glance, this 
 time of surprise at her frankness. 
 
 "It does look rather like bachelors' hall, 
 does n't it?" she returned. 
 
 "Yes, I'm going to do it over," said Mabel; 
 "but I thought we were likely to be away so 
 much for the next three months that it was 
 scarcely worth while as yet." 
 
 "Have you studied that sort of thing?" 
 asked Elaine. 
 
 Mabel thought a note of superiority was 
 trying to break through the veneer of cour- 
 tesy. 
 
 "I have had many opportunities to observe 
 this winter," she returned quietly, "and you 
 have, too. You will help me." 
 
 "Yes. I was expecting to do the house over 
 myself." 
 
 Mabel could hear the repressed belligerence. 
 
 "You are doing the farmhouse," she sug- 
 gested pleasantly. 
 
 "Which you should have done, I imagine," 
 295 
 
The Right Track 
 
 returned the girl in as nearly the tone of a re- 
 tort as can be permitted to a "mold of form." 
 
 " I lost that opportunity," said Mabel quietly. 
 "I hope you will not object to my putting on 
 some finishing touches." 
 
 "Of what sort? We want it very simple." 
 
 "Just some books and pictures that I think 
 would be good in the nursery. I believe Junior 
 is to be the central figure at the farm, although 
 we don't tell him so." 
 
 "It's time he was the central figure some- 
 where, is n't it?" returned Elaine, patting the 
 roses as she delivered the scratch. 
 
 The dark eyes in the armchair met the half- 
 insolent, half-uneasy glance. 
 
 "Yes, I need to be forgiven for a good many- 
 things," answered Mabel slowly. 
 
 Even Elaine saw at last that her stepmother 
 was unhappy. The girl felt still greater surprise, 
 and stood for a moment irresolute. 
 
 Whatever Mamabel was getting in the way of 
 retribution she richly deserved for having dared 
 to marry Daddy; but there was the family har- 
 mony to be considered, and one must always 
 remember the vulgarity of friction. Moreover, 
 if she were not friendly with his sister, it would 
 prejudice Victor Ford against her. 
 
 296 
 
A Crusader 
 
 She had left school with the intention of 
 marrying soon for the very reason that she had 
 a stepmother; and while Victor Ford was no 
 parti, he was worthy to be included in the court 
 from which she was going to select. 
 
 James Barnes for the next few days had no 
 further desire to dine at his club. He had a fam- 
 ily. A bright young creature chatted through 
 the meal hour. A happy little son came in to sit 
 beside him at dessert. 
 
 The young woman at the head of his table 
 made great effort to behave as if content, and 
 join when she could in the conversation; but 
 the situation did not grow easier for Mabel in 
 those first few days after Elaine's home-coming. 
 She seemed always discovering something fur- 
 ther that she had missed had thrown away. 
 Her husband was so happy in his children. She 
 saw the contrast now to those dinner hours of 
 the winter, when they had both been growing 
 more and more distrait. 
 
 One evening Victor Ford came in to dinner 
 and announced that the papering was done at 
 the farm, and that Lucretia was wandering 
 from room to room in speechless admiration. 
 
 "All ready for your carload of furniture, 
 Miss Elaine," he finished. 
 
 297 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "You'll be out there to receive it, won't 
 you?" asked her father, turning to her. 
 
 Elaine gave Victor her most mirthful, mis- 
 chievous, provocative glance. 
 
 "Is Lucretia a perfectly good chaperon?" 
 she asked demurely; "or do you think, after all 
 we've been through, that we don't need any?" 
 
 "Let me go with you, Elaine," said Mabel 
 quickly. 
 
 "Don't think of it, my dear," put in her hus- 
 band. "You'd have to break a lot of engage- 
 ments. Do you think I want Mrs. Walmsley 
 ei al. swooping revengefully down on me?" 
 
 "Those meetings are suspended until Octo- 
 ber," returned Mabel quietly, "and I have 
 given in my resignation as secretary." 
 
 "It won't be necessary for you to go," said 
 James Barnes, "for I'll let Camilla take Junior 
 right out there; as well now as any time, and 
 she'll be a lot of help to you, Elaine. Junior has 
 been straining at the leash for the last week." 
 
 Victor looked questioningly at his sister. 
 
 "I think Mabel has caught the infection," 
 he remarked. "I think she would like a finger 
 in the pie." 
 
 There was a scarcely noticeable silence, which 
 Mabel broke. 
 
 298 
 
A Crusader 
 
 "I'm having a little finger in it," she said, 
 the color flowing up into her pale cheeks, the only 
 sign of her emotion. " I have been buying some 
 books for the nursery with the Rackham and 
 Dulac illustrations." 
 
 "Rack 'em! I don't like the sound of that 
 very well," remarked James Barnes whimsi- 
 cally. "Reminds me somehow of Mam'selle." 
 
 "You '11 like the looks of it, though," returned 
 Mabel quietly. "Then I have some Maxfield 
 Parrish pictures." 
 
 Elaine regarded her with some approval. She 
 did, then, know some good things. 
 
 "Come out to Brierly and put them in your- 
 self, why don't you?" returned Victor. 
 
 "Oh, I know that too many cooks spoil the 
 broth," rejoined Mabel. "I'll go when James 
 invites me." 
 
 "Invites you, my dear?" returned her hus- 
 band. "Is n't the half of my kingdom yours to 
 go and come in as you please?" His pleasant 
 manner was the same as of old. 
 
 Victor, watching and listening, knew by his 
 sister's face that it was an empty shell. 
 
 "Besides," said Mabel, "I am going to have 
 such a big pie of my own here in the fall. I 'm 
 going to make this house charming." 
 
 299 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "I can't wait till the fall," declared Elaine de- 
 cidedly. "It must be ready by autumn. Be- 
 sides," she went on, "why need we stay in this 
 old house, Daddy? Why not take one of the 
 stunning new apartments?" 
 
 James Barnes lifted his eyebrows. 
 
 "I'm a passenger," he answered. "Fix it up 
 with Mamabel." 
 
 "I should prefer to stay here," said Mabel. 
 
 Elaine regarded her in surprise. 
 
 "Then it is because you don't know how 
 charming the apartments are." 
 
 "I should n't care how charming they are. I 
 want to stay here another year." 
 
 Her husband looked at her in an uncompre- 
 hending way, evidently surprised by her de- 
 cisive tone. 
 
 "Just the very year that it makes a difference 
 to me," exclaimed Elaine, her color deepening. 
 
 "Mamabel is the court of last appeal," said 
 James Barnes, returning to his dinner. 
 
 "Then I should at least have the say as to 
 how the house shall be done over," protested 
 Elaine. "It makes much more difference to me 
 with the entertaining I shall have to do than it 
 does to Mamabel." 
 
 "But this is my house, Elaine," declared 
 300 
 
A Crusader 
 
 Mabel with a calm dignity which made her hus- 
 band again look up at her. "You will have 
 yours some day, and it will be done to suit 
 you." 
 
 "Oh, very well!" returned Elaine with an 
 excited shrug. This decision in one ordinarily 
 so passive was most unexpected. Glancing up, 
 she found Victor looking at her gravely and 
 with an expression which dreaded her response. 
 "Very well," she repeated, "perhaps Daddy will 
 have something to say about that." 
 
 "There's only one thing to say, Elaine," re- 
 plied her father pleasantly. "While Mabel 
 likes to stay in this house, it is her undoubted 
 right to have it as she chooses." 
 
 His wife grew so deadly pale that Victor 
 started to push his chair back from the table, 
 but a beseeching glance from his sister's dark 
 eyes restrained him. 
 
 She wiped her trembling lips with her napkin, 
 and her brother admired intensely the manner 
 in which she summoned her self-control. 
 
 "I promise you, Elaine," she said, "that in 
 whatever sort of function you choose to be pre- 
 sented socially to your own and your father's 
 friends, you shall have nothing to complain of." 
 
 "Thank you ; there is always Florio's," 
 301 
 
The Right Track 
 
 retorted Elaine quickly; and a moment after- 
 ward, catching Victor Ford's eyes, she wished 
 she could recall the words. 
 
 Left alone with her brother later in the 
 evening, Mabel flung her arms around his neck 
 and he held her in a close embrace. 
 
 "You see," she said in a stifled tone, "he 
 thinks we shall part; but we shall not part. I 
 love him. I can't believe it's all dead. I'm 
 clearing away the ashes. Every day I'm clear- 
 ing them away. He can't believe in me, but 
 there must be a little spark left. Words are 
 cheap, and they could never convince him; but 
 actions may fan that spark. I'm not allowing 
 myself to believe anything else. I 'm working 
 and praying. Every day I'm working and 
 praying!" 
 
 " Dear little sister ! " responded Victor, amazed 
 and touched. 
 
 "And don't be angry with Elaine." 
 
 "I am. She isn't worthy to be Barnes's 
 daughter. She, with her all-conquering man- 
 ner and her egotism!" 
 
 "Wasn't I just as hard, just as selfish?" 
 exclaimed Mabel. "Poor Elaine! She has n't 
 had her blows yet, but they'll come, they'll 
 
 come." 
 
 302 
 
A Crusader 
 
 " She needs them badly. I 'm glad the veneer 
 cracked enough for me to get an inside view. 
 I never saw a girl who attracted me so much as 
 she does ; and she tries to attract me. She wants 
 me at her chariot wheels, obscure as I am; then 
 in the fullness of time she'd cut the chain and 
 throw me aside." 
 
 "She is a really fascinating girl," returned 
 Mabel. "I'm glad your eyes are open, but 
 don't feel resentful toward her. We can't afford 
 that boomerang. You've read that book, 
 have n't you 'The Greatest Thing in the 
 World'? It's true, true from cover to cover. 
 Love is stronger than dynamite, that love 
 with the large 'L' that we must learn to feel 
 for everybody - 
 
 "Why, Mabel, what's come over you?" ex- 
 claimed her brother, still holding her close as 
 she clung to him. 
 
 "Camilla has taught me so many things." 
 
 " Camilla ! " Victor's tone expressed the acme 
 of surprise. 
 
 "Yes; she knows the truest philosophy I ever 
 listened to. The waters would close over my 
 head if it were not for Camilla. I've entered 
 on a crusade, Victor. Sometime I'll tell you 
 what my armor is ; but now we must go down- 
 
 33 
 
The Right Track 
 
 stairs ; we must n't let James and Elaine think 
 we are offended." 
 
 "Barnes stood by you all right," said Victor. 
 
 Mabel drew back and looked for an instant 
 into his eyes to see if really he had been satis- 
 fied. 
 
 "James is a truly fine gentleman," she an- 
 swered. "Remember, no hint of offense in your 
 manner to Elaine." 
 
 "By Jove, you stood pat. You're a crusader 
 all right. I should think, though, you 'd welcome 
 the change to an apartment from this back 
 number of a house." 
 
 " I can't explain, Victor; but it's just because 
 it is a back number. When all the back num- 
 bers have been opened and read and we know 
 the story ends right, then I 'm willing to move." 
 
 Victor looked down with affectionate non- 
 comprehension into the dark eyes appealing 
 to his. 
 
 "Is there any key to a woman, I wonder?" 
 he said. 
 
 "Yes, here," she answered, and touched her 
 heart. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE HOUSE-WARMING 
 
 A WEEK later the old farmhouse was fur- 
 nished and finished, and Elaine and Victor wan- 
 dered through it well satisfied, considering it 
 the work of their hands. Through all the mov- 
 ing and settling Victor had maintained an im- 
 personal manner toward his charming assist- 
 ant, and Elaine knew that at that unfortunate 
 dinner she had slipped back and down in his 
 estimation. She liked him for his loyalty to his 
 sister and she felt a reluctant respect and ad- 
 miration for the manner with which her step- 
 mother had defended her rights. 
 
 With the passing of the days the girl came to 
 see that her father was no longer his wife's 
 lover; and sometimes she felt even a sort of 
 compassion for the dignified, quiet young wo- 
 man who attended to her duties so efficiently. 
 James Barnes, too, felt compassion for her. All 
 the satisfaction with herself and the world that 
 had marked Mabel's manner through the win- 
 ter had gone, and her husband reproached him- 
 self for having deprived her of the zest of life. 
 
 305 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "First I married the poor child," he thought, 
 "although she warned me; then when her life 
 was full and happy, I broke up her paradise. 
 If I had dreamed she was possessed of such 
 a latent conscience, I should have held my 
 tongue." 
 
 When all was ready at the farm they had a 
 dinner in celebration. Bessie was delighted to 
 go to the country, so she was there to serve, 
 and in acknowledgment of Elaine's labors, 
 Mabel insisted that she sit at the head of the 
 table. Camilla and Junior had been at home 
 at the farm for a week. The child was ra- 
 diantly happy in the possession of a pony and 
 a collie dog; and at his first visit to his charming 
 nursery, what was his delight to find the fairy 
 Popinjay already installed! 
 
 He neglected her shamefully, however, after 
 a short morning visit, on all the days when she 
 did n't have to stay in the sun and keep dry; 
 for Pete was teaching him to ride the pony, and 
 Angus, the collie, was always eager for a scam- 
 per with him. 
 
 "I hope Popinjay won't get so lonely that 
 she'll go back to the city," he said seriously to 
 Camilla. 
 
 "Oh, I think that will be all right," answered 
 306 
 
The House -Warming 
 
 Camilla. "She's a contented little thing. You 
 know she has such a sunshiny nature!" 
 
 Camilla pointed her humor by one of the sig- 
 nificant, smiling glances that the little boy liked, 
 and he laughed and thought it a very good joke, 
 indeed. 
 
 "I'll tell you what would be nice, though," 
 said Camilla, "and that is to name your pony 
 for her. How would that do ? I think she 'd be 
 pleased. Pony Popinjay!" 
 
 "Yes, yes, yes," cried Junior, hopping up 
 and down. "Popinjay!" 
 
 "And when you're in a hurry, you can just 
 say Top,'" added Camilla. 
 
 This delightful plan Junior laid before his 
 father and Mamabel in the automobile coming 
 up from the station to the house-warming din- 
 ner, and as James Barnes gazed at the earnest 
 little face with the sparkling eyes and gleeful 
 smile his heart warmed to Camilla. 
 
 Mabel felt instinctively what was passing in 
 his mind. 
 
 "How much we owe to Camilla," she said. 
 
 Barnes turned to her sedate face. "You 
 realize that, too," he returned; and his wife's 
 heart gave a little leap at his kindly tone. He 
 seemed really to see her. 
 
 307 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "The child is transformed," she said quietly. 
 "I was thinking that at the farm we should 
 persuade Camilla to take her meals with the 
 family." 
 
 "Good idea," returned James Barnes, nod- 
 ding. "You fix it up, Mabel. Of course she 
 should be with us at this first dinner-party. 
 I've invited the Shanklins." 
 
 Charity Shanklin had had plenty of exercise 
 the past week, for the wonders being worked 
 at Elm Farm drew her irresistibly. She found 
 it impossible to keep away; and on the preced- 
 ing day Lucretia, whose excitement on her own 
 account had been almost prostrating, had con- 
 voyed her through the completed rooms, both 
 of them in a state bordering on hysteria. 
 
 "I never did," Charity kept saying; "no, I 
 never did. If only poor Lucy was here to enjoy 
 this." She took her handkerchief out of her 
 reticule and pressed her eyes. "It's always the 
 second wife, ain't it!" 
 
 "Well, she ain't a bit set up by it. You '11 see 
 to-morrow night. You're goin' to be awful 
 surprised in Mis' Barnes, Cherry." 
 
 "Well, I hope so," returned Charity as one 
 without hope. 
 
 "I s'pose you would n't look out there," re- 
 308 
 
The House -Warming 
 
 marked Lucretia with a sort of desperate ad- 
 miration, pausing by a window and pointing to 
 the gleam of a new wooden roof among the 
 trees bordering the pond. "The new boat came 
 yesterday. Just as clever as the automobile. 
 Scuds around the water without an oar or a sail 
 or a thing to make it go. Mr. Ford says Mr. 
 Barnes won't have a rowboat till Junior 's older, 
 for fear he'll drown himself. He don't care a 
 thing about that boy oh, no!" 
 
 " I saw little Jim on the pony with Pete as I 
 came along," returned Charity, still inclined 
 to be lachrymose, " and Camilla settin' under a 
 tree with a book. Says I, 'Get up, Camilla; 
 you'll catch your death.' Says she, 'Come and 
 catch it with me, it's lots o' fun'; but I would n't 
 stop. 'T ain't only that even in June the 
 ground 's damp under those spreadin' trees, but 
 I met Ellen and Mr. Ford out the end of the 
 avenue, so I knew there 'd be nobody here and 
 a good chance to see all the rooms. I must say 
 Ellen looked awful pretty. She 's got some heft 
 to her the last year, and she was as sweet as a 
 basket o' chips to me. I s'pose the next thing 
 she'll be marryin' that young Ford." 
 
 "Well," returned Lucretia, as one who has 
 mental reservations," if he marries her, she will."' 
 
 309 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Don't he like her?" asked Charity, her 
 little eyes twinkling hungrily. 
 
 "I can't quite make out," returned Lucretia. 
 "They were out on the pond last night in that 
 scuddin' boat; and there was a pretty good 
 moon, everything looked real sightly, and I 
 thought mebbe they 'd well, you know it did 
 seem natural. She was bareheaded and dressed 
 in white, real pretty." 
 
 "Gracious ! In the dew!" exclaimed Charity. 
 " She had a good, wide hat on with a pink rose 
 to-day." 
 
 "Oh, yes, indeed," replied Lucretia; "and she 
 gives him looks under that brim don't you 
 forget it. I've seen her; but he keeps on as 
 steady as a church." The speaker paused and 
 sniffed. "I s'pose she'll get him some day; 
 but she did n't last night. I could tell that 
 at breakfast. Now come and see Junior's room 
 and see if I have n't saved the best till the 
 last." 
 
 Lucretia led the way to the charming nursery 
 with windows toward the rising sun. Every 
 article in it had been selected for the child's 
 comfort and happiness. The books and pic- 
 tures of Mabel's choosing were in their places, 
 and Lucretia walked across the room and laid 
 
 310 
 
The House -Warming 
 
 her hand on a shining cabinet. "There 's a whole 
 band in here," she said impressively. 
 
 "Yesterday was rainy in the morning and 
 I heard a band playin'. I tipped over a pan o* 
 milk hurryin' to the back step to see what on 
 earth a band was goin' up the street for before 
 the Fourth o' July. It turned out that Junior's 
 ma had sent him one o' these music-playin' 
 machines. You can't think of a thing that child 
 has n't got. If Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf could walk 
 into this house, they'd think they was dreamin'." 
 
 "They'd think that before they got in. It's 
 just like a picture outdoors," rejoined Charity. 
 "I'm glad my brother '11 be here to-morrow 
 night to see it." 
 
 "It'll bring money into the church, too," 
 said Lucretia, hushing her voice and nodding 
 knowingly. "It's goin' to make things easier 
 for Mr. Shanklin. You see if it don't. Mr. 
 Barnes has got a money fountain somewhere, 
 I believe, the way he just pours it out. Not a 
 bit foolish, either. Every dollar he spends counts, 
 but it takes a mint to put a place like this in 
 order." 
 
 "Of course it does; and all the help he has to 
 pay, too. You have n't ever told me what he 
 pays you and Pete, Lucretia." 
 
 311 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "No, and I ain't going to, Cherry, 'cause then 
 when folks ask you, you can say you don't 
 know." 
 
 Lucretia's matter-of-fact, pleasant manner 
 deprived her words of offense. "Did you notice 
 that piano downstairs in the settin'-room ? 
 Brand new; that's for Elaine; she plays like 
 her fingers had quicksilver in 'em; and she can 
 dance as light as these dandelion blows. I 
 watched her through the crack o' the dinin'- 
 room door the other night. Camilla and Junior 
 was there and she pretended to be dancin' for 
 Junior ; but Mr. Ford was there readin' the paper. 
 I '11 bet he looked over the top of it a few times. 
 'Young man,' says I to myself, 'did you ever 
 read about the daughter of Herodias?' think 
 says I. 'That girl don't want your head on a 
 charger, but she wants you to lose it, just the 
 same.'" Lucretia winked and nodded vigor- 
 ously. 
 
 "Hussy!" exclaimed Miss Shanklin, with 
 keen appreciation. "Oh, well, she'd be a good 
 catch, I suppose, if he can stand her," she 
 added reasonably. 
 
 "Don't know what you mean by that. She's 
 sweet-lookin' and sweet-spoken," returned Lu- 
 cretia, "and she's got faculty, the same as he 
 
 312 
 
The House -Warming 
 
 has. They're both the kind that can make old 
 shears cut. She bossed those furniture movers 
 around just as good as he could. She knows 
 what she wants." 
 
 "Yes," returned Charity tartly, "and when 
 you're nineteen and pretty you can get it as 
 a usual thing." 
 
 But the next evening when the automobile 
 stopped before the parsonage, and the minis- 
 ter and his sister stepped within, Charity had 
 laid aside every sentiment which belied her 
 name. Her brother's face seemed to smooth out 
 as they fled in cushioned luxury through the 
 familiar streets. , 
 
 Pete Miller endeavored to throw an occa- 
 sional social remark over his shoulder at the 
 pair in the tonneau, but Charity discouraged 
 this. 
 
 "Never mind us, Pete," she said. "Just keep 
 your eyes on the road. We might run over a 
 hen." 
 
 Pete grinned complacently. Life had be- 
 come orie round of pleasure. He had conquered 
 this mettlesome steed, and was now learning to 
 run the motor-boat. 
 
 Mr. Shanklin's patient heart shared mildly 
 in Pete's exultation. They turned in at the 
 
 313 
 
The Right Track 
 
 elm avenue, and prosperity began to fill the air 
 they breathed. The neglected, down-at-heel 
 place had taken on the air of a finished country 
 residence, and when Mr. and Mrs. Barnes came 
 out on the piazza to greet the guests, and the 
 minister felt the cordial hand-clasp of the pro- 
 prietor, he began to see visions of paint and a 
 new carpet at the church. 
 
 As Charity Shanklin received Mabel's quiet 
 greeting, she regarded her with lively curiosity. 
 The young hostess was dressed in white, and 
 pansies which Junior had picked and presented 
 to her were tucked in the open neck of her 
 gown. There was a kindness and a natural 
 dignity in her manner which disarmed Miss 
 Shanklin, who felt some confusion in her de- 
 termination not to be hoodwinked. 
 
 The old-fashioned front and back parlor had 
 been transformed into a modern living-room, 
 but James Barnes had resisted all temptation 
 to throw out bay windows or additions of any 
 kind. 
 
 "You know this is just as new to me as it is 
 to you," he said to the minister. "This little 
 girl of mine and my wife's brother, Victor, have 
 done it all and I don't see how it could be im- 
 proved, do you?" 
 
 3H 
 
The House - Warming 
 
 Mr. Shanklin did not; and he felt the same 
 satisfaction with the dinner. With Elaine at 
 the head of the table and her father at the foot, 
 with Camilla and Junior, Victor Ford beside 
 Charity, and the gracious young wife beside 
 himself, this was an occasion when he entirely 
 forgot to question the digestibility of anything, 
 but after he had asked the blessing, accepted 
 all the goods which Bessie provided, and ate 
 everything set before him with a relish. 
 
 His sister watched him with amazed interest. 
 "Law! it'll do him good," she thought. "I al- 
 ways did say more folks die for the lack o' good 
 things than from eatin' 'em." 
 
 After dinner the party went out on the pond 
 in the smart little boat with its polished brass 
 fittings. 
 
 "You remember what I had here as a young- 
 ster, Cherry?" asked Mr. Barnes, as they 
 started out. "Oh, of course not. No lady ought 
 to remember back thirty-five years." 
 
 "I do and I ain't ashamed of it," returned 
 Charity; "and I remember, too, that you said 
 I was like a cow in the boat and you would n't 
 take me with you." 
 
 James Barnes's laugh was heartier than his 
 wife had ever heard it. 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "No excuse either," he returned, "for the 
 boat would have held a cow all right. It was 
 made out of a piano-box, Elaine." 
 
 Mabel's heart felt a little sting. She had been 
 such an attentive hostess and expressed all 
 pleasure in every arrangement. If only he would 
 have turned to her. 
 
 Camilla saw her catch her lip under her teeth. 
 She knew. She had been watching, and helping 
 both silently and in talks with the young wife, 
 ever since the latter started on the new path up 
 from the valley to the heights. 
 
 "I suppose that was very good fun for a 
 boy," returned Elaine, with her charming man- 
 ner; "but I must say I prefer this, don't you, 
 Cousin Cherry?" 
 
 "Well, seeing I was n't let to go in the piano- 
 box, I do," returned Miss Shanklin crisply. 
 
 "I suppose Elaine's all right," she thought, 
 "but she's a little too palaver-y for me. I like 
 some vinegar with my oil!" 
 
 The lovely evening light slanted from the 
 west on tree and ripple. James Barnes surveyed 
 the scene with tranquil enjoyment. 
 
 "If I were back in the old apartment," 
 thought Mabel, "he would look just as happy. 
 I'm only ballast!" 
 
 316 
 
The House-Warming 
 
 But she resolutely put aside the thought with 
 the courage of her new philosophy. 
 
 "Don't exact. Don't try to dominate," Ca- 
 milla had said. "Watch your thought. Know 
 where you live: in spirit now in the atmos- 
 phere of Truth and Love, now; know where 
 your strength is; fear nothing; God is Love; 
 Omnipotence that is Love enfolds you; you 
 have n't to fight; you have only to know; there 
 is n't a suggestion of evil that Truth and Love 
 do not banish if you know how to open your 
 mind to them." 
 
 All these rays from the light of her new teach- 
 ing beamed upon her beating heart; and her 
 husband's voice went on: - 
 
 "Pretty good little lake for a cranberry bog," 
 he said, with an affectionate sense of possession. 
 "I want to skate here again next winter and 
 see the cranberries once more through the ice." 
 
 "You're welcome to," remarked Charity 
 dryly. 
 
 "And we'll go sleighing, Cherry!" he added 
 enthusiastically. 
 
 "No, we won't," she returned with convic- 
 tion. " I can sit with my feet in a pail of cold 
 water and ring a dinner bell and it'll do just as 
 well." 
 
 317 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "I'll go sleighing with you, Daddy," said 
 Junior, cuddled up quietly beside Camilla, " and 
 you'll teach me how to skate, too." 
 
 "Indeed, I will. We'll start on our skates on 
 the snow crust at the top of the hill by the 
 orchard, and slide faster and faster downhill, 
 across the road, and down the next hill like 
 lightning into the meadow; then when we 
 reach the brook, jump into the air and down 
 on the other side and slide till the steam gives 
 out." James Barnes stopped and laughed. 
 "And people think aeroplaning is exciting! I 
 wonder what my old bones would say if I should 
 try that stunt now!" 
 
 Victor Ford, who was running the boat, 
 smiled over his shoulder at the big-eyed small 
 boy. 
 
 "I think Junior and I will try that first on a 
 bob sled," he remarked. 
 
 "Where do I come in?" asked Elaine. 
 
 Charity's eagle eyes observed her as she put 
 the question, a saucy challenge to the man at 
 the wheel. 
 
 "Just about where you please, I'll bet," she 
 reflected. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE ONLY SON 
 
 AFTER the Shanklins had been put into the 
 automobile and started for home, James 
 Barnes and his wife lingered on the piazza. 
 
 Long shadows of the elm branches trailed 
 across the terrace in the moonlight, wavering 
 in the breeze of the June evening. 
 
 " It seems as if nothing in Old England could 
 be lovelier than this outlook," said Mabel, 
 sinking into one of the piazza chairs, hoping 
 that her husband would be seated: in these 
 days they were never alone together; but he 
 continued to stand, gazing off on the sweep of 
 hillside and meadow, the wooded sky-line, and 
 the pretty stretch of water sparkling in the 
 moon-rays. 
 
 " I believe you said your clubs would not hold 
 sessions during the summer," he remarked. 
 
 "Yes; and if they did, it would n't matter to 
 me. I have resigned my offices." 
 
 Mr. Barnes did not comment on this. 
 
 "Do you think you could be happy to stay 
 on here awhile?" 
 
 319 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Of course, if you can stay." 
 "I shall be back and forth all summer." 
 "Then I shall come back and forth, too." 
 "No; it will soon be hot in town and you will 
 be more comfortable here." 
 
 "Thinking of you in the heat," returned 
 Mabel quickly. "Oh, no." 
 
 "My dear," said James Barnes, smiling, not 
 at the attractive white figure leaning back in the 
 moonlight, but at the woods across the brook, 
 " that is the common lot of husbands. I should n't 
 be more exacting than the rest." 
 
 "You have never been exacting enough," 
 returned Mabel, steadying her voice as best she 
 could against the gentle, inexorable repulsion 
 of his manner. 
 
 He hastened to get away from personalities. 
 "I have a plan I should like to carry out if it 
 won't incommode you: to let Bessie stay here, 
 give Katie a rest, close the house, and live at 
 the club. You would then divide your time be- 
 tween Elm Farm, and a hotel in town, or some 
 resort. You and Elaine will probably want to 
 dip in the ocean for a few weeks." 
 
 Mabel's sore heart beat fast. The burden of 
 being dependent on a person who had no use 
 for her seemed at that moment too crushing 
 
 320 
 
The Only Son 
 
 to be borne. She summoned all her fortitude, 
 all her philosophy. Surely the punishment was 
 heavy! 
 
 "I must be at home by the last of August." 
 She managed to speak quietly. " I want a month 
 to get the house in shape for Elaine to enjoy 
 when the season begins." 
 
 "Are you sure you would n't be as content in 
 a more modern home such as Elaine wants? 
 It would mean much less trouble for you." 
 
 "I'll make it very pretty where we are," re- 
 turned Mabel, something in her throat threat- 
 ening to choke the words. 
 
 "But why do you care about that old 
 dungeon?" The question came a trifle impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 "Because I've been very happy there," 
 answered Mabel quickly. 
 
 He glanced around at her. She had straight- 
 ened up in her chair, her somber eyes were raised 
 to him. Her beauty had always made a strong 
 appeal to him; and she had never looked love- 
 lier than at this minute, from the coronet of 
 her hair to her little slippered feet. 
 
 He looked away again quickly. Had n't te- 
 nacity always been one of her characteristics? 
 How could he know that she was longing to 
 
 321 
 
The Right Track 
 
 pour out to him that she could n't leave the old 
 home until he had gained happy associations 
 with it? After that, she should care nothing 
 where they lived! Any place from a tent up 
 would do. 
 
 "The chances are," he returned, looking back 
 on the landscape, "that you would be hap- 
 pier elsewhere, and make Elaine happy, 
 too." 
 
 Mabel bit her lip, and a sound of gay laughter 
 rippled through the moonlight. 
 
 Elaine and Victor came up the hill from the 
 pond where they had remained to put up the 
 boat. 
 
 "He says he is my uncle and, therefore, I 
 should obey him," announced the girl. 
 
 " I have to have some pull since I 'm a farmer 
 and not in her social set," remarked Victor. 
 "By the way, Jim," he added, "I believe that 
 orchard is worth working over." 
 
 It had been an easy matter with the present 
 community of their interests, and the familiar 
 name for his brother-in-law dinned in his ears 
 by the neighbors, to drop all formal terms in 
 addressing him. 
 
 Elaine seated herself on the piazza step, and 
 Mabel, after listening for a minute to her 
 
 322 
 
The Only Son 
 
 brother's agricultural suggestions, rose unno- 
 ticed and disappeared within the house. 
 
 She went upstairs and at the top met Camilla. 
 She paused and to the latter's surprise put both 
 arms around her, and the little woman standing 
 one step above her, Mabel leaned her head 
 against the comforting shoulder. 
 
 Camilla wondered whether the unprecedented 
 demonstration indicated joy or grief; but as 
 Mabel lifted her head again and the soft light 
 of the hall lamp fell on her pale face and sad 
 eyes, her doubt was at an end. 
 
 "Let us go into your room," said Camilla, 
 "and do a little reading." 
 
 Mabel followed her into the room back of the 
 nursery which she had insisted should be hers, 
 leaving the front room for Elaine as hostess at 
 the farm. 
 
 There they read of the perfect love thatcast- 
 eth out fear until the disquieted soul took fresh 
 courage to meet her problem. 
 
 "'Let your heart, therefore, be perfect with 
 the Lord,'" read Camilla. "That is all our 
 part, dear Mrs. Barnes." She looked up from 
 the Bible in her lap. "We have n't to fight. The 
 battle is the Lord's. 'Be still, and know that 
 I am God.' The Bible is full of reminders of 
 
 323 
 
The Right Track 
 
 what our part is. Not inaction, but the quiet 
 of active trust based on the Love revealed to 
 us." 
 
 "I don't make any headway," said Mabel. 
 "I can't see that I make any headway." 
 
 "But you do," returned Camilla quickly, 
 "because not one of us can stand still. We're 
 progressing either up or down, and when we 
 take the right track, there 's simply no question 
 but that we're on the way to happiness." 
 
 She smiled at her companion who silently 
 took her hand. 
 
 "The great thing," went on Camilla after a 
 pause, "is not to outline in what our happiness 
 shall consist." 
 
 "Yes," returned Mabel with a grave nod, 
 "I should call that a very great step." 
 
 But she felt calmer and strengthened when 
 Camilla left her, and she sat by her window that 
 looked out on the mound, its dark cedars black 
 in the moonlight, and over yonder at the forest 
 trees bordering the pond. 
 
 Later Camilla knocked on her door and came 
 in again. 
 
 "I've been thinking, Mrs. Barnes," she said, 
 "about your husband's plan that you told me 
 of, and I believe it's a good one. He will be 
 
 324 
 
The Only Son 
 
 likely to spend more time out here if the house 
 is closed than if you were there and preparation 
 to come had to be made each time; and this 
 peaceful place will be good for you. I propose 
 that you stay right here now and let me go in 
 town to-morrow morning and make arrange- 
 ments with Katie and do the few things that 
 need to be done, and pack your trunk and bring 
 
 it out.' 
 
 "Whatever you say," returned Mabel. 
 "James and Elaine both want to move in the fall 
 and I am opposing them. I can't leave the old 
 house, Camilla. I can't leave it until it means 
 something different to us; something happier." 
 The speaker covered her face with her hands, 
 and tears forced their way through her fingers. 
 
 Camilla came close and put an arm round the 
 white shoulders. "Dear Mrs. Barnes, the fall 
 is a long way off and God is very near, 'nearer 
 than hands and feet,' we are told; and another 
 thing we are told is to 'rejoice always.' It is 
 easy to rise above depression if we persist in 
 letting nothing but the truth reign in our 
 thought. You are on the highroad to happi- 
 ness," she added slowly, "just as surely as that 
 we are in this room together!" 
 
 Mabel threw one arm around the standing 
 3*5 
 
The Right Track 
 
 figure, and kept the other hand over her 
 eyes. 
 
 " I Ve lately had an awful thought, Camilla," 
 she said, "and you can't say that it may not 
 be true. I've thought that my husband, be- 
 lieving our marriage to be a mistake, is thinking 
 about about dissolving it. He is leading up 
 to talking to me about ways and means. Some- 
 times I feel the conviction and it it suffo- 
 cates me." 
 
 Camilla held her close. "I don't believe 
 that," she returned ; " but if it were so, you may 
 rest assured that there is no variableness in the 
 rule that right thinking connects you con- 
 sciously with God, and only right action can 
 follow. You have no responsibility beyond 
 your thought at the present minute." 
 
 "But I love him, Camilla, I love him!" 
 
 "That's right. Love him. He's your hus- 
 band. At the same time, there's a verse of a 
 hymn that is good to remember: 
 
 " 'No good in creatures can be found 
 
 But may be found in Thee; 
 I shall have all things and abound 
 Since God is God to me!' ' 
 
 "Oh, how can I get up there! How could I 
 ever be so impersonal?" 
 
 326 
 
The Only Son 
 
 "It's the way to happiness. It won't make 
 you love less, but more; but your joy then won't 
 be at the mercy of a mortal." Camilla patted 
 the clinging, silent figure. 
 
 "Now, I will go in with Mr. Barnes to- 
 morrow morning," she went on. "Bessie can 
 stay here. Katie will help me do everything 
 that is necessary and she can pack Bessie's 
 trunk." 
 
 "But what will Junior say?" asked Mabel. 
 
 Camilla smiled out at the darkening land- 
 scape. " I Ve done my work very poorly if he 
 does n't agree. Do you dread to be left with 
 the care of him? Bessie will be here. The girl 
 is delighted with the country and wants to 
 stay." 
 
 "I dread nothing," returned Mabel quietly, 
 "except" 
 
 "No exceptions," interrupted Camilla cheer- 
 fully, giving the sitting figure a little squeeze. 
 "Nothing to dread. Everything to hope. 
 Good-night, dear Mrs. Barnes. Remember, 
 ' Intelligence directs, Divine Love protects, and 
 Mind is unfolding all I ought to know, and to 
 have.'" 
 
 The June morning came beautifully into 
 Junior's nursery. There had been a shower in 
 
 327 
 
The Right Track 
 
 the night and he ran to the window to see the 
 diamonds sparkle on the lawn. He called 
 Camilla to see the morning and how thick and 
 deep looked the elm avenue. 
 
 "Do we ever have to go back to that old 
 city, Camilla?" he asked, gazing out on what, 
 plus the pony and the dog, was certainly a 
 small boy's paradise. 
 
 "Not until we want to," she answered. 
 
 "I shan't ever want to," he declared firmly. 
 
 She sat down by the window in her kimono 
 and took him on her lap. 
 
 "Do you know that Mamabel is going to shut 
 up the house in town, let Katie go and take a 
 rest, and Daddy will stay here part of the time, 
 and part of the time live at his club ? Won't it 
 be fun to have him out here so much?" 
 
 "Yes, yes," cried Junior in high approval. 
 
 "They decided it last night; so we thought 
 it would be a good plan for me to go in town 
 this morning with Daddy " Junior's expres- 
 sion began to change "and pack up all the 
 things, because we don't care if we don't see 
 that house again until the snow begins to come 
 down, do we?" 
 
 "I'll go with you and Daddy, and help you 
 pack." 
 
 328 
 
The Only Son 
 
 Camilla looked at him with the smiling, com- 
 pressed lips and roguish eyes that he loved. 
 "And leave Popinjay and Angus? What an 
 idea! I shall come back day after to-mor- 
 
 row." 
 
 Junior swallowed. A boy who owned a horse 
 and a dog and whose doll had been given to 
 Camilla could not be a baby; but some of the 
 dew sparkling on the grass was trying to creep 
 into his eyes. 
 
 "Let Sister go and pack up," he said after 
 the pause. 
 
 " She does n't know much about things at the 
 house after being away such a long time does 
 she?" 
 
 "Let Mamabel go," said Junior, feeling the 
 net close around him. 
 
 " I wanted to talk to you a little about Mama- 
 bel," returned Camilla confidentially. "You're 
 getting to be a big boy now, big enough to un- 
 derstand some grown-up things, and you are 
 Mamabel's son: the only son she has; and sons 
 always take care of their mothers, you know. 
 Have you noticed how quiet Mamabel is, and 
 how gentle? I think something has happened 
 to make her feel sad." 
 
 "No," explained Junior earnestly. "I told 
 329 
 
The Right Track 
 
 her about the angel that night, and it made 
 her kind." 
 
 Camilla nodded and smiled. "Good. You 
 see that was taking care of her. That was be- 
 ing a good son. She has worked hard all winter 
 and she has only white roses in her cheeks. She 
 wants somebody to take care of her and love 
 her, and you remember how busy Daddy al- 
 ways is; but Mamabel's only son has time to 
 take her around and amuse her and make her 
 happy, and show her what's in the brook and 
 let her run with the dog, and smooth Popinjay's 
 nose; and take her in the woods and show her 
 where the flowers grow, until the pink roses 
 come back in her cheeks again. Would n't that 
 be better than sending her off to the dark house 
 to pack?" 
 
 Junior looked very sober and his eyes were 
 wide. "Then night will come," he said, at last. 
 
 "Yes, and you will invite Mamabel to sleep 
 in my bed, and you '11 play her the lovely good- 
 night tune, 'Guten Abend, Gute Nacht,' and 
 in the morning you '11 bring her to this window 
 and show her all the beautifulness, because 
 not any sun comes into her window till dinner- 
 time, you know; and think what a good time 
 you'll give her!" 
 
 330 
 
The Only Son 
 
 Camilla had washed the child while she 
 talked, and now she began to dress him. He 
 kept a doubtful silence. He was thinking of 
 Mamabel and how gentle her hand was now 
 when she touched him; and how she kissed him 
 instead of throwing kisses from her fingers, and 
 how she listened to everything he had to tell 
 her, and how like pleasant flowers she smelled 
 when she drew him close to her. Considering 
 the marvelous change he had already wrought 
 in her, perhaps, being her only son, he might 
 brace up to continue the work. But when 
 Camilla put on her tailored suit instead of the 
 little striped cambric dress, he had to swallow 
 hard. 
 
 After Mrs. Barnes had gone upstairs the 
 night before, her husband had told Elaine of the 
 plan to close the house for a couple of months, 
 and the girl had assented. 
 
 "A very good plan for Mabel, I should think," 
 remarked Victor, from his perch on the piazza 
 rail. "She does n't look well to me." 
 
 " She does show the winter strain," returned 
 his brother-in-law pleasantly. 
 
 Victor looked off on the moon-flecked sward 
 and back at Elaine sitting on the step, the star- 
 light in her eyes. It seemed to him he never 
 
 33i 
 
The Right Track 
 
 looked at this girl without a conscious endeavor 
 to harden his heart. She was so sweet, so win- 
 ning without, and, he told himself, so calcu- 
 lating, so hard within. She was a good play- 
 mate, a good fellow, at moments when he 
 could forget his sister's white face. As he sat 
 there now, James Barnes's courteously indiffer- 
 ent tone ringing in his ears, he considered the 
 strange situation. It seemed to him there had 
 never been a time since last September when he 
 had not carried a sore spot in his heart concern- 
 ing his sister. If she had caused so much dis- 
 turbance to him, what ought he to expect from 
 these two who owed her nothing, and to one 
 of whom she owed so much ? 
 
 James Barnes was one of Nature's noblemen; 
 that he knew; and he had no right to pry into 
 the affairs of his heart. If Barnes had ceased to 
 love his sister by her own faults of selfishness 
 and indifference, love cannot be forced. Victor 
 felt that his brother-in-law would be as direct 
 and honest in lovelessness as he had been in love, 
 and this, of course, was what was undermining 
 Mabel's health and happiness. Many a couple 
 falling out of love managed to jog along, keeping 
 a respectable and contented front to the world. 
 Mabel had never loved her husband. Now a 
 
 33* 
 
The Only Son 
 
 tardy gratitude probably possessed her, and as 
 blessings always brighten as they take their 
 flight, she felt ready to move heaven and earth 
 to reawaken the old feeling in which she had 
 basked so indifferently. 
 
 Victor had little faith in that reawakening, 
 and he believed in this peaceful country spot, 
 with the brooks, the breezes, and the flowers, 
 and the clean bright air, his sister would find 
 her poise again, for she had never been a loving 
 person, and it was her pride that needed healing 
 from an intense mortification. She expressed 
 more love to himself now than she had ever 
 done in her life. He appeared to have gained 
 great value to her. Very well, he should stand 
 by her. She seemed very lovable to him in her 
 new manner, an appealing mingling of humility 
 and dignity. He knew James Barnes must 
 notice his wife's efforts at reparation. He 
 should suppose they would touch his brother- 
 in-law as they did himself. If they did, Barnes 
 gave no sign of it. He had always been courte- 
 ous and loyal to Mabel. He was so still. Of 
 course, Victor did not know what had passed 
 between them, but his sister had evidently suf- 
 fered an earthquake shock and he did not believe 
 a shattered edifice could ever be restored. 
 
 333 
 
The Right Track 
 
 This plan of closing the house met with his 
 entire approval. The less his sister was with 
 her husband for the next three months, the 
 sooner could she come out of her bewilder- 
 ment, readjust herself, and take up life again. 
 Possibly the thing she had hinted to him was 
 true. Perhaps James Barnes would want a 
 separation. Victor frowned unconsciously as 
 the thought came to him. However, his must be 
 a waiting game. 
 
 Mr. Barnes was surprised to find that Ca- 
 milla instead of his wife was going to accom- 
 pany him to town that morning. She found 
 him walking on the terrace, Angus bounding 
 about him, and when the collie saw his little 
 master, he ran to him joyously, giving her the 
 opportunity to tell her plan. 
 
 "But your shadow! He permits it, eh?" 
 Mr. Barnes looked eager and interested, his 
 eyes following the child and capering dog. 
 
 "Yes. We've had a talk, and he agrees that 
 a son should take care of his mother, and that 
 I'm better able to go and do the work than 
 Mrs. Barnes is." 
 
 James Barnes's smile died and a line came 
 between his brows, but he put a hand on the 
 little woman's shoulder. 
 
 334 
 
The Only Son 
 
 " Camilla ! Miracle-worker," he said. "Why 
 did n't you come to us a year ago?" 
 
 " There is a miracle-worker, Jim," she an- 
 swered, "but it's not I." 
 
 "You're as near as I'll ever get to it," he re- 
 turned. 
 
 "This is a test for Junior," she said. "Be sure 
 to take it as a matter of course." 
 
 "I was just going to tell you of a surprise I 
 had arranged for him to-day." 
 
 "Oh, I'm so glad," replied Camilla eagerly. 
 "Something he can show his mother?" 
 
 "Show Mamabel, yes," was the reply; and 
 then James Barnes told her what he had done. 
 "My father was quite a mechanical genius and 
 he made them for me when I was a youngster. 
 Victor and Pete put them in place yesterday 
 in that grove up by the pasture where the ham- 
 mocks are hung. I expected to take Junior there 
 myself, but there was too much going on, and 
 we arrived too late." 
 
 "I'm glad. Don't explain to him. Let me 
 arrange it." 
 
 Mamabel and Junior drove to the station with 
 the departing ones. As they stood on the plat- 
 form waiting, Camilla leaned down to the little 
 boy, with a radiant face. 
 
 335 
 
The Right Track 
 
 " I Ve found out something lovely," she whis- 
 pered, "a big surprise that you can give 
 Mamabel." 
 
 Junior was too busy swallowing to do more 
 than cling to her hand in silence. 
 
 "You know the grove where the hammocks 
 hang? Well, what do you think! It's a singing 
 grove! The breeze fairies have chosen that 
 special place to sing in. It 's quiet now ; but when 
 the breeze springs up, you'll know they're go- 
 ing there, and you take Mamabel and see if 
 she won't be surprised at what she hears!" 
 
 "I don't want to," replied Junior, with ex- 
 treme gravity. 
 
 "I believe you will when you think about it. 
 Oh, those cunning breeze fairies. Do you sup- 
 pose they use our hammocks at night? I 
 should n't wonder. I 'm pretty glad we Ve found 
 out where they practice. I have n't heard them 
 yet. You '11 take me there day after to-morrow. 
 Here comes the train. I 'm going to buy a new 
 collar for Angus. What do you suppose will be 
 engraved on it, right in the metal: 'Angus 
 Second, Property of James Barnes, Junior.' ' 
 
 How could James Barnes, Junior, owner of a 
 pedigreed collie, descend to tears! However, 
 when Camilla actually kissed him good-bye 
 
 336 
 
The Only Son 
 
 and he saw her board the train, the lump that 
 rose in his throat almost refused to be swallowed. 
 
 Mabel saw the struggle; saw the wet eyes. 
 
 "We don't like to see our dearest ones go 
 away even for a few hours, do we?" she said as 
 they reentered the car and Pete turned toward 
 home. "I'm glad I have you, Junior." 
 
 Under this somehow the lump went down; 
 and as soon as the child was sure that no tell- 
 tale drops would well over, he stole a glance up 
 at his stepmother. She did look very white and 
 he felt that his work was waiting for him. 
 
 "Yes, you have me," he returned a little 
 tardily. " I 'm your only son." 
 
 Then suddenly he was charmed with himself, 
 for, quite unexpectedly, a very pretty pink rose 
 bloomed slowly, and deepened in each of Mama- 
 bel's cheeks. He straightened rip, his eyes only 
 a little misty. 
 
 "I'm going to take care of you," he added 
 valiantly. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE HUSBAND 
 
 WHEN the three from the farm reached town, 
 James Barnes went directly to his office, and 
 Elaine and Camilla to the house. 
 
 As they entered, Elaine looked about with a 
 clouded brow. 
 
 "You seem to have great influence in the 
 family, Camilla," she said. "Can't you per- 
 suade Mamabel that it is absurd to spend a lot 
 of money here instead of moving to a desirable 
 place?" 
 
 "Things are pretty sure to work out right if 
 we just keep our thought calm and unselfish," 
 replied Camilla. 
 
 "You'd better tell Mamabel that. I'm sure 
 it's very selfish of her to insist the way she does. 
 Really I had no idea how ugly this house was 
 till I came home from school." 
 
 They were standing in the hall, Elaine cast- 
 ing scornful glances at the high, dingy ceilings. 
 
 "Really, Camilla, I mean it," she went on. 
 "You're Daddy's old friend and you should 
 side with us." 
 
 338 , 
 
The Husband 
 
 "Are there sides?" returned Camilla. 
 
 "Why, of course. You can see there are. 
 Surely I can speak plainly with you. I fancy 
 Daddy was brought to his senses pretty soon 
 after his marriage. Not that his letters showed 
 it. He ought to have lived 'when knighthood 
 was in flower." The hardness under Elaine's 
 smooth tones was audible to her listener. She 
 went on: "Of course, there's nothing to do now 
 but bear it. Appearances must be kept up. I 
 realize that." 
 
 " I 'm sorry to hear you talk so, Elaine. You 
 have been seeing a good deal of Mrs. Barnes 
 lately. Have you no admiration, no sympathy 
 for her?" 
 
 Elaine shrugged her shoulders. "Admiration? 
 Yes, somewhat," she replied; "but why should 
 I have sympathy?" 
 
 Camilla's quiet voice lowered. "Can't you 
 see that she is having a struggle?" she asked. 
 
 " I daresay," returned Elaine; "but what does 
 she deserve? Why did she marry Daddy-? You 
 know why as well as I do; while he married her 
 under an infatuation. Why did she cure him of 
 that infatuation ? Surely she was n't very clever. 
 See how obstinate she is about this house? 
 You'd think she might at least be modest and 
 
 339 
 
The Right Track 
 
 not set her will against Daddy and me. I see 
 no reason to sympathize with her." 
 
 Camilla shook her head. "You will, Elaine, 
 when your hard times come," she answered. 
 
 "What do you mean by that? Why should I 
 have hard times ? " Elaine gave a little laugh of 
 conscious power. 
 
 "Because Life forces us to learn the great 
 lesson if we will not study it voluntarily." 
 
 "What lesson?" 
 
 "The lesson of Love." 
 
 "Oh, dear! I'm not Junior!" 
 
 "No. It looks as if he might get far ahead of 
 you." 
 
 "Oh, Camilla! What a funny, good little 
 thing you are ! " laughed Elaine. " I '11 love fast 
 enough when the time comes." 
 
 The girl started to run upstairs. 
 
 Camilla caught her arm and stayed her. 
 
 "The time is now, Elaine; not to love one, 
 but all. You're a pretty, young girl with every 
 temptation to be selfish." 
 
 The speaker paused and Elaine looked down 
 into the lovely eyes which had so long mirrored 
 her small brother's heaven. A wave of tender- 
 ness for the little woman touched the girl's com- 
 placent heart. What in the world had such as 
 
 340 
 
The Husband 
 
 Camilla to live for! To think of having no life 
 and joy of one's own; to think of having no 
 hope beyond serving : of smoothing the path of 
 others. The girl knew nothing of that marvel- 
 ous exhortation: "He that would be greatest 
 among you, let him be the servant of all." 
 
 She tolerated Camilla's detaining hand out 
 of genuine pity. 
 
 "I suppose I am selfish," she returned. "I 
 don't pretend to be above the average." 
 
 "But you shouldn't be contented with the 
 average. We must all make the pilgrimage up- 
 ward, sooner or later. How much better to be- 
 gin now than to wait until forced by suffering." 
 
 "How do you want me to begin, Camilla? I 
 don't know what you're talking about." 
 
 "I'm talking about unloving thoughts. 
 Every one we entertain is a sin, and should be 
 the only thing we fear." 
 
 "I don't know that I am so especially un- 
 loving," returned Elaine. 
 
 "Loving those who love us, who do things 
 for us, or from whom we hope for something, 
 is n't the love with the large 'L' toward which 
 we must reach. I 'm saying this to you on ac- 
 count of Mamabel. Every hard thought you 
 hold toward her adds to her burden." 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Elaine shrugged her shoulders again. " What 
 burden has she, pray?" 
 
 "'The heart knoweth its own bitterness, 5 " 
 returned Camilla. 
 
 "Well, no burden that she did n 't bring on 
 herself, anyway," said Elaine. 
 
 "We all bring our burdens on ourselves. 
 Nothing is a burden that has not been at some 
 time an error. Send love to her instead of con- 
 demnation every time she comes into your 
 thoughts and you '11 be helping her and yourself, 
 too; for condemnation embitters us and shuts 
 the door to Good." 
 
 Elaine could not wholly resist the look in the 
 face upturned to her. She leaned over the newel 
 post and took the face between her hands. 
 "Camilla," she said emphatically, "I'm going 
 to try very, very hard not to grow as good as 
 you are!" Then she ran upstairs and Camilla 
 went toward the kitchen to find Katie. 
 
 "As if this impossible house was n't enough," 
 thought Elaine, "without sermons preached 
 while you wait." 
 
 But Camilla had given an impetus to the girl's 
 thought, and as she laid oif her hat and coat she 
 recalled the pale, quiet woman who had come 
 to the station this morning to see them off, and 
 
 342 
 
The Husband 
 
 reflected curiously concerning her. Her girlish 
 vanity, on the lookout for signs of subjugation 
 in Victor Ford, pleaded also for Mabel. Elaine 
 discerned an adamantine loyalty to his sister 
 in the young man. 
 
 While her thoughts were still busy she noticed 
 a note lying on her dresser. She recognized the 
 writing as Ben Walmsley's, and seated herself 
 to open it. 
 
 "DEAR ELAINE," she read : " I 'm tired of ring- 
 ing your doorbell and Katie's tired of seeing 
 me. I understood you to say you were n't going 
 to feed chickens long, so I ' ve been waiting for 
 you to come back. I understand Victor Ford is 
 at Brierly. Have n't seen him for a long time 
 and that explains it. Katie had a message that 
 you are coming in this morning, so I leave this 
 note. Please call me up and tell me when I may 
 see you. I hope the stunning Mrs. Barnes comes 
 in, too. I want to meet her again." 
 
 "When did Ben ever see Mamabel ? " thought 
 Elaine. "The stunning Mrs. Barnes." Again 
 the girl recalled Mabel and her dignity. She re- 
 membered that her stepmother had said, "I 
 need to be forgiven for a good many things." It 
 was not to be gainsaid that she had scarcely 
 more in life than Camilla. She had lost her 
 
 343 
 
The Right Track 
 
 chance. Here was a man like Ben Walmsley 
 calling her stunning and wishing to meet her 
 again; and she had married herself to a man 
 with graying hair, who was courteously indif- 
 ferent to her. 
 
 Elaine all at once felt that perhaps she might 
 even allow her stepmother an obstinate pos- 
 session of this undesirable house if such a for- 
 lorn thing could give her any satisfaction. 
 
 Then she rose and went to the telephone and 
 made an appointment with Ben Walmsley for 
 the evening. 
 
 Camilla's main object in accompanying James 
 Barnes back to town was to get an opportunity 
 to have a talk with him alone. After dinner the 
 three went to the living-room and Elaine sat 
 down at the piano and played from Nocturne 
 to Berceuse and Reverie, in the long, warm 
 twilight. 
 
 In the midst of her music the doorbell rang 
 and Ben Walmsley walked in. He was good- 
 looking in a dark, full-lipped, Oriental fashion, 
 and when father and daughter had made him 
 welcome, he was presented to Camilla. 
 
 "I came over in the machine, Mr. Barnes," 
 he said. "It's stuffy indoors these evenings. 
 Thought Elaine might like to take a spin." 
 
 344 
 
The Husband 
 
 James Barnes looked out of the window at the 
 low, narrow, rakish affair waiting by the walk. 
 
 "Don't know about that," he replied. "When 
 did you get pinched last, Ben?" 
 
 The young fellow's smile flashed white. 
 "Word of honor, Mr. Barnes, I'll go like a 
 maiden lady walking to church." 
 
 "And be back by dark," added James Barnes. 
 
 "Daddy, that's a half an hour," objected 
 Elaine with her prettiest drawl. 
 
 "Well, take care of her, anyway, Ben, and 
 be back in an hour." 
 
 "Oh, we can girdle the earth in an hour," 
 returned the young man, watching Elaine with 
 admiring eyes as she hurried away to get her 
 motor veil. 
 
 "None of that. That's just what I object to 
 in your driving. How's your mother?" 
 
 " Fine. She sent her regards and wants you 
 and Mrs. Barnes and Elaine to dine with us 
 next Thursday." 
 
 "Thank her and tell her we're closing the 
 house. You know, perhaps, I Ve bought a farm 
 in Brierly. The family are moving out and I '11 
 be the only one in town. I'll come to dinner 
 Thursday if she'll have me. I suppose she'll be 
 going to Maine soon." 
 
 345 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Yes, first of the month." A pause. "I 
 have n't heard you invite me out to the farm, 
 Mr. Barnes." 
 
 "You'll have to apply to Elaine. She's the 
 chatelaine there. Fact is," James Barnes 
 laughed, "when we're all there, guests may have 
 to sleep in the barn or the attic." 
 
 "Can't scare me that way," responded Ben; 
 and Elaine appearing in the doorway in a pale 
 silk motor coat and veil, he rose. 
 
 "Now, then, at nine o'clock," said Mr. 
 Barnes, "I want to see that untamed steed of 
 yours, Ben. Don't forget." 
 
 "Right O. Au revoir," and the young people 
 went laughing out of the open door and down 
 the steps. 
 
 "That boy's mother is one of the finest 
 women on earth," remarked James Barnes, as 
 he and Camilla stood at the window and 
 watched the departure. " I hope he is a comfort 
 to her. A widow with money and an only son 
 has to mind her 's and #'s not to spoil him." 
 
 "That was the way I persuaded Junior to 
 stay in Brierly and let me come away," said 
 Camilla. " I reminded him that he was Mama- 
 bel's only son and must take care of her." 
 
 James Barnes met his friend's smiling gaze 
 346 
 
The Husband 
 
 for a moment as they turned away from the 
 window. 
 
 "The little chap had a fight," he returned; 
 "but he was game. You 're a wizard. What are 
 we going to do with ourselves, Camilla, until 
 a proper time to yawn ? How would you like 
 to go to the ' Movies ' ? Some right around the 
 
 corner." 
 
 "What would you do if I were n't here?" 
 
 "Hang about until I saw that sinuous little 
 devil of a machine bring Elaine home, and 
 then I don't know." 
 
 "All right, then, we have an hour to talk." 
 
 "People are sitting on the steps all up and 
 down the street. Shall we take out some 
 cushions?" 
 
 "Why not stay right here?" suggested Ca- 
 milla. "The breeze comes in nicely." 
 
 So James Barnes arranged a couple of chairs 
 near the window. 
 
 "May I smoke?" 
 
 Camilla assenting, he placed a cushion under 
 her feet, and lighting his cigar, took the oppo- 
 site armchair. When, he wondered, had he last 
 sat down in this room for a smoke and a chat! 
 
 "Now, then," he said, settling himself com- 
 fortably, "now let's go back thirty years." 
 
 347 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "No, let's not go back even a week. Let the 
 dead past bury its dead." 
 
 "Don't want to bury it. It was good stuff." 
 
 Camilla smiled. "Well, the present is better 
 stuff. Let 'stalk of the present." 
 
 "That's good stuff, too," responded her com- 
 panion. " Katie likes the plan of a vacation. We 
 like the farm. Junior is getting firmly on his 
 legs. Everything's lovely and 'the goose hangs 
 high/ The present is quickly disposed of. 
 You don't know enough about farming to be 
 interested in what Victor plans about apples. 
 Say, Camilla, why don't we go for a drive? Let 
 me call up the garage and let Dick bring the 
 car around." 
 
 As he spoke Barnes started to rise, but 
 Camilla leaned forward quickly and put out 
 her hand. "Sit still, Jim. I know you don't 
 want me to talk about it; but I must speak to 
 you of your wife." 
 
 James Barnes leaned back again in his chair. 
 "Any other subject, Camilla," he said. "Not 
 that." 
 
 "I ask you as a favor to listen to me." 
 
 "Did she ask you to speak to me?" The 
 speaker's face had changed and the deep line 
 came in his forehead. 
 
 348 
 
The Husband 
 
 "No; nor anything approaching it." 
 
 "Then, don't, Camilla. No third person can 
 help in a problem between husband and wife." 
 
 Camilla bit her lips. "You make me feel 
 intrusive," she said; "but besides being hus- 
 band and wife you are human beings, children 
 of God and my brother and sister, and you are 
 unhappy." 
 
 " I 'm not unhappy, Camilla," declared Barnes 
 quickly. 
 
 "That's a lie, Jim," she said quietly. "You 
 deceived me for a time, but I Ve seen since that 
 you are quite as unhappy as she is." 
 
 James Barnes's face flushed and he tapped 
 the ashes from his cigar into a receiver. There 
 was a brief silence, which he broke. 
 
 "I owe you my boy's life, and that makes 
 you a privileged character. You are the only 
 person in the world to whom I would listen or 
 explain. You're the salt of the earth, Camilla, 
 but, believe me, you are utterly incapable of 
 understanding this situation; so now let's drop 
 the subject right here." 
 
 "No, we'll not drop it," returned Camilla 
 bravely. "You say I am privileged to speak, 
 so let me tell you that your wife loves you, 
 Jim." 
 
 349 
 
The Right Track 
 
 He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the 
 arms of his chair, and smiled directly into 
 Camilla's pleading eyes. 
 
 "You kind-hearted little Camilla," he said. 
 "Can't those clear eyes of yours see the differ- 
 ence between love and remorse? Mabel is suf- 
 fering more than she need, scourging herself 
 more than she need. That is a stage we can't 
 avoid; but it will soon be over. She is young 
 and recuperative, and has her life to live yet. 
 I can't bear that you who have redeemed me 
 from utter despair should suffer needlessly; so 
 trusting to your absolute honor I will tell you 
 that I have no idea of allowing the present 
 state of affairs to drag on indefinitely. In a 
 condition of emotional insanity I married the 
 girl, my wish being father to the thought that 
 she could and would respond to me. The hope 
 was inexorably crushed, and, thank God, the 
 wish has gone with it." 
 
 "Oh, Jim! Jim!" breathed Camilla, turning 
 pale. 
 
 The low, quiet voice continued: "Some day 
 Mabel will meet the right man." 
 
 "Jim!" 
 
 "And when that day comes she will already 
 be free. I have consulted my lawyer " 
 
 3SO 
 
The Husband 
 
 "Jim!" Camilla's eyes were wet. 
 
 "And I know just what to do and when to 
 do it. I am waiting for Mabel to recover her- 
 self before I tell her of my plans." 
 
 "God help her!" breathed Camilla devoutly. 
 "Only Omnipotence can help her to bear this 
 terrible thing." 
 
 "This merciful thing, Camilla; merciful both 
 to her and to me. It has been easy for her to 
 deceive you." 
 
 "There's not a particle of deceit in her!" 
 
 "Because in her remorse she deceives herself. 
 Why, look at me, dear little friend. Look at the 
 iron entering into my hair. Look at my dis- 
 appearing waist line. What does a girl of thirty 
 want of me except to do her duty? I met Ben 
 Walmsley on the street the other day and he 
 went into eulogy of my beautiful wife. He saw 
 her at Florio's one night and several times since, 
 it seems. Ben 's old enough for her himself. She 
 should have a gallant young lover like him, and 
 she will have." 
 
 Camilla listened with wide eyes and parted 
 lips. She felt herself trembling, and she rose. 
 
 "Oh, Jim," she said, "this is terrible. You're 
 right. I can't contend with such a situation; 
 but the Father of us all can and will. With 
 
The Right Track 
 
 God all things are possible; and Mrs. Barnes 
 has learned how to look to Him. He will take 
 care of her. She wants no gallant young lover. 
 She wants you." 
 
 "Enough of that, Camilla," returned James 
 Barnes harshly. He had risen when she did and 
 stood facing her. "That's dangerous talk; and 
 I'm glad I'm not sentimental enough to be 
 taken in by it. Now, I Ve talked to you frankly 
 because of my tremendous obligation and re- 
 gard and respect; but it's the last time; and I 
 request that you never reopen the subject. You 
 have had no opportunity and I every oppor- 
 tunity to know the real facts. Mabel has de- 
 ceived you because she is deceiving herself, and 
 I'm sorry that you're drawn into our problem. 
 There was no need of that, but it is the natural 
 result of her selfishness." 
 
 "Those are hard words, James Barnes," 
 returned Camilla with heat, and her eyes glowed. 
 " May you find more mercy in your time of need 
 than you grant." 
 
 She stood for a moment more, meeting his 
 impenetrable gaze; then she turned suddenly 
 and left the room. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE SINGING GROVE 
 
 ON the ride home to the' farm that morn- 
 ing, Junior's sense of responsibility deepened as 
 he occasionally glanced up at his stepmother's 
 face. She had put her arm around him when he 
 stated that he was her only son, and had looked 
 very rosy for a minute, but the roses faded 
 quickly and her face fell into its still whiteness. 
 
 Camilla had left Mamabel in his care, and 
 as the motor sped up the village street his little 
 brain was busy thinking up ways and means of 
 making those pink roses stay, and making her 
 eyes glad. 
 
 Mabel became conscious of his upward 
 glances and recalled her wandering thoughts. 
 
 Looking down into his serious face she smiled, 
 considering the marvelous recuperative power 
 of childhood and the total change which had 
 come over the little boy's physique since Ca- 
 milla first appeared in the Barnes household. 
 
 "Do you like ponies and dogs?" he asked, 
 responding to the recognition in her eyes. 
 
 "Very much indeed," she answered. 
 353 
 
The Right Track 
 
 The reply was disconcerting. Junior had 
 hoped she would prove indifferent. 
 
 "You see," he said, "Popinjay was my birth- 
 day present. So was Angus. It is n't polite to 
 give away birthday presents, is it?" 
 
 "Oh, no, indeed." 
 
 "I think Daddy would get you a pony and a 
 dog if you want them." 
 
 Mabel gave him a little squeeze. "There are 
 other things I'd so much rather have," she 
 answered. 
 
 Junior mentally ran over the list of his pos- 
 sessions. 
 
 "Is it anything I have?" he asked. 
 
 His stepmother caught her lip under her teeth. 
 
 "Yes, dear, you have heaps of it," she 
 answered. 
 
 Junior was silent. He did not wish to make 
 rash promises; but consider as he would, he 
 could not think of anything of which he pos- 
 sessed heaps except toys. Would a grown-up 
 lady care for marbles and toys and trains and 
 boats ? 
 
 When the motor stopped before the house he 
 was still considering. 
 
 "When '11 you want to go for your ride, 
 Junior?" asked Pete as they left the car. 
 
 354 
 
The Singing Grove 
 
 The boy looked up at Mabel. Her white veil 
 had fallen off. 
 
 " I 'm going to stay with Mamabel this morn- 
 ing," he replied. 
 
 Mabel began to perceive that she was on his 
 mind. 
 
 "Oh, Popinjay does n't want to stay shut 
 up in the stable all the morning," she protested 
 cheerfully, and at this moment the collie came 
 galloping madly around the corner of the house. 
 " I 'm going to sit right out here under the trees 
 and sew and watch you ride," she went on. " I '11 
 go in and get my work." 
 
 " I 'm going to have a pony-cart after a while 
 and then I'm going to take you riding," re- 
 turned Junior. 
 
 " Fine ! That will be lots of fun." And Mabel 
 went into the house. When she came out again 
 with her books and her work, Junior's short legs 
 were astride the little pony, and Pete was run- 
 ning along beside him down toward the avenue. 
 
 Lucretia, who had conceived an extreme ad- 
 miration for Mrs. Barnes, came out of the house 
 to arrange her table and the hammock chair 
 under one of the sentinel elms. 
 
 "Pete works as hard as Popinjay," remarked 
 Mabel. 
 
 355 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Does me good to see bin," replied Lucretia 
 grimly. "Pete's lazy by nature and the livery 
 was just turnin' him into one o' these hossi- 
 fied men. That's what they call 'em, ain't it, 
 when they can't move hand or foot? I s'pose 
 'cause they let hosses do everything for 'em. 
 When he was drivin' the livery, he used to think 
 he was dreadful smart, askin' me if I wanted 
 him to run alongside the hoss; and now he's 
 actially come to it; it just does me all the good 
 in the world to see him have to hump himself." 
 Lucretia smiled heartlessly. 
 
 " I think it hurts Junior's dignity very much 
 not to be allowed to go alone," returned Mabel, 
 as she leaned back in the hammock chair and 
 Lucretia placed the table conveniently at her 
 elbow. "I heard him asking his father this 
 morning if he might not go alone." 
 
 Lucretia sniffed. "I hope he'll be slow 
 enough learnin' to get Pete well shaken up," she 
 returned. "Now you got everything you want, 
 Mis' Barnes?" 
 
 As she asked it Lucretia glanced sharply at 
 the books Mabel was placing on the table. One 
 was a Bible. 
 
 "Queer doin's, readin' the Bible in the morn- 
 in'," thought Lucretia, as she walked back to 
 
 356 
 
The Singing Grove 
 
 the house. "Wonder if she's afraid she's goin' 
 to die. She's got kind of a queer, far-off look. 
 I 'd rather see her have a novel there or some- 
 thing natural for a young, pretty woman to be 
 readin'." Lucretia shook her head. " I '11 never 
 be married, and if I was, I s'pose I 'd never know 
 how rich married folks act. P'r'aps 't ain't 
 stylish for two folks to sleep in the same room; 
 but it does seem queer to me that Jim Barnes 
 likes the south attic better 'n his wife's pretty 
 chamber. Says he likes to see the descendants 
 o ' the hang-birds he used to watch nestin' when 
 he was a boy. It'll come pipin' hot pretty 
 soon and then I guess he'll come down off the 
 perch, scootin'." Lucretia shook her head again. 
 4 'There's something there I don't understand. 
 There's a way she looks at him that I don't 
 understand. Perhaps it's the reason she reads 
 the Bible on a sightly summer mornin'. If I 
 thought Jim Barnes was n't good to that sweet 
 girl after he's married her, I don't believe I 
 could contain myself." 
 
 Bessie was putting away the silver when 
 Lucretia entered the house and the older woman 
 looked at her curiously, half minded to ask a 
 few questions of a girl who had been with the 
 Barneses all their married life; but an unnamed 
 
 357 
 
The Right Track 
 
 loyalty restrained her. Lucretia had silently 
 adopted Mabel Barnes. 
 
 When Junior's activities were over and Pop- 
 injay was tethered in the pleasant meadow, he 
 returned to his stepmother and found her read- 
 ing. All of the enchantment and none of the 
 enervation of summer was in the air. The miles 
 and miles of turquoise sky with its islands of 
 fleecy cloud, the rich verdure of rolling acres 
 of turf, the June leafage of graceful elms, their 
 tassels swaying in a fresh breeze, and joyous 
 bursts of melody from robin and oriole sur- 
 rounded her. 
 
 Mabel pressed her book against her closed 
 eyes. "Dear Father in heaven, forgive me," 
 she breathed against the pages. " I have every- 
 thing in the world that I don't want." 
 
 Here Junior approached. He saw her sudden 
 movement. It was an unhappy movement. 
 With recollection he realized that he was neg- 
 lecting his business. Now, which of his toys 
 could it be that Mamabel wanted ! 
 
 Angus, with red mouth panting, stretched 
 his white-and-gold body on the cool turf. He 
 worked as hard as Pete when the young master 
 rode abroad. 
 
 "Was it a good ride? "asked Mabel, dropping 
 3S8 
 
The Singing Grove 
 
 her book and smiling into the big serious eyes 
 fixed upon her. 
 
 "Yes." The child came close to her side and 
 pressed against her pale pink gown. "What is 
 it that I have that you want, Mamabel?" 
 
 "Nothing, darling. I don't understand you." 
 
 "Yes, you said you did. You said I had 
 heaps." 
 
 Mabel remembered. "Oh, yes, so I did; but 
 it's nothing you can give me." 
 
 Something stirred in the child's heart at the 
 look in her face. 
 
 "Yes, I can, Mamabel. I can give away my 
 own things when they're not birthday pres- 
 ents. I'll give you whatever you want." She 
 took hold of his hand, and he suddenly felt that 
 he loved her very much indeed. "Even if 
 it's" the words stuck a little and he swal- 
 lowed "even if it's my yacht, you can have 
 it." 
 
 Mabel kissed the cheek so near her with a 
 cooing sound of appreciation. The yacht was 
 a full-rigged little boat to sail on the pond 
 when Uncle Victor or some other grown-up 
 had time to cooperate. Here was a sacrifice, 
 indeed ! 
 
 " It is n't the yacht, darling, thank you. Sup- 
 359 
 
The Right Track 
 
 posing I wanted your rosy cheeks your 
 health." 
 
 "But don't you feel well, Mamabel?" 
 
 "Not all the time. You see there's health, 
 and happiness, and love, and things like that, 
 that you might have heaps of and yet you 
 could n't give them away, could you?" 
 
 "Well," Junior's eyes questioned her with 
 round eagerness, "then why don't you ask God? 
 He has enough of everything good for every- 
 body. Camilla says so." 
 
 Mabel's arm encircled the speaker closely. 
 
 "That's what I'm trying to learn to do, 
 Junior; but first you have to know God, and 
 then you have to ask Him 'aright.' That's the 
 hard part, when you have never known Him, 
 and when you don't know how to put your own 
 will down and ask Him 'aright." 
 
 Junior nodded as one having experience. 
 "Yes, I used to kick instead," he remarked. 
 After a pause he added: "What is it you want, 
 Mamabel? I'll help you ask." 
 
 "Oh, Junior, you can't help me, dearest. 
 Nobody but God can help me; and He has 
 helped me in giving me your love. You do love 
 me a little, don't you?" 
 
 "Of course I do," returned the child, feeling 
 360 
 
The Singing Grove 
 
 very protective, "and I'm going to show you 
 things and make you happy. Let 's go down to 
 the brook." 
 
 "Very well." Mabel prepared to leave the 
 hammock chair, and she folded her neglected 
 sewing deep into a silk workbag and left it on 
 the table. 
 
 Angus stopped panting for a moment and 
 looked to see what was doing. How warm he 
 still was from running. How soft and cool the 
 turf in the elm shade ! Why must humans be so 
 restless ! There the two went, down the hillside 
 toward the brook. Angus really hated to leave 
 this certain good; but the harrowing thought 
 that he might miss something was too much for 
 his doggish heart, and gathering himself up 
 again, panting, he loped after his master. 
 
 In a clump of tall hazel bushes, a rustic seat 
 had been placed. "I did n't know this was here," 
 said Mabel. "What a pretty surprise." 
 
 Junior beamed with satisfaction. "You can 
 sit here and sew sometimes," he said; and he 
 stood by his companion while she tried the 
 bench, leaning back and watching the brook, 
 whispering and gurgling almost at her feet as it 
 hurried to the meadow. 
 
 "And here's a lot of peppermint," said Junior, 
 
The Right Track 
 
 stooping and breaking off sprigs of the mint 
 that grew thickly at the edge of the water. 
 
 "How good it smells," said Mabel, pressing 
 it in her palms and inhaling it as the pleased child 
 watched her. 
 
 "Perhaps I can find you a turtle. I found one 
 yesterday." Junior stooped on hands and knees 
 by the brook. "They're black and have gold 
 spots all over them; those are the gentle ones. 
 Pete told me to look out for the snappers; but 
 they're the prettiest. Their under shells are 
 bright red ivory and some are white ivory, and 
 I want to find 'em. I'll give 'em a stick to 
 bite." 
 
 The little boy went up and down the bank, 
 and lay on his stomach, the better to inspect the 
 rippling stream; but the turtles were coy, and 
 at last he grew tired of the search, to Angus' 
 sincere regret. The dog had curled under 
 Mabel's bench, and now reluctantly dragged 
 himself forth as Junior again put his hand in 
 Mamabel's and led her down the brookside to 
 where a couple of boards were placed across the 
 water. 
 
 "Uncle Victor says we'll have a little bridge 
 put here soon; but don't be afraid, Mamabel. 
 I'll help you across." 
 
 362 
 
The Singing Grove 
 
 Mabel smiled and allowed herself to be care- 
 fully convoyed over the ripples of water a foot 
 deep. 
 
 The grassy path they came into led to the 
 woodland, and through it, by a comparatively 
 short cut, to the village. Here four months ago 
 the arbutus had braved the snow with its rose, 
 and fragrantly foretold the spring. 
 
 Before the stone-walled path was lost in deep 
 woods, a little shaded square of ground came 
 into view on the left. Mabel looked and saw 
 two tombstones. The wall stopped abruptly 
 and she stepped into the little bury ing-ground. 
 The earth was covered with a mat of leaves of 
 lily-of-the-valley. In the shade and moisture 
 even on this June day sprays of white bells 
 were still clinging about the mossy stones. 
 
 The silence was unbroken even by the brook- 
 let's murmur. Mabel went close to the stones 
 and examined the moss-grown letters. "It's 
 my great-grandfather and my great grand- 
 mother," explained Junior. 
 
 Mabel deciphered the names ; then she stood 
 up in the shade of a stately spreading pine and 
 looked down at the carpet of long green leaves, 
 which had been such a glorious gathering of lily 
 bells two weeks before. 
 
 363 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "What peace!" she exclaimed softly, clasp- 
 ing her hands together. "What peace!" 
 
 Junior watched her complacently. It cer- 
 tainly was pretty good fun to show Mamabel 
 things, she enjoyed them so much. 
 
 Suddenly his stepmother kneeled down be- 
 fore him in the lilies and took hold of his hands, 
 and appealed to him with dark eyes: "Junior, 
 you're a very little boy to be expected to re- 
 member things," she said; "but will you try to 
 remember, if if anything happens to me 
 you know people do fall ill sometimes, and 
 and die, and if I should, will you tell tell 
 Daddy that this is where I should like to lie 
 here under the lilies?" 
 
 Junior's face grew slowly scarlet under her 
 beseeching eyes. His heart beat fast and he 
 wished for Camilla. A surging, half fear, half 
 grief, rose in his throat, and he pulled his hands 
 away from her clinging grasp. 
 
 She saw his disturbance and quickly re- 
 pented. 
 
 "I shouldn't have said that, dear," she 
 exclaimed in a changed tone. "Forgive me. 
 Mamabel gets very tired sometimes and this 
 looks like such a sweet place to rest." 
 
 "I should think you'd know that nobody 
 364 
 
The Singing Grove 
 
 dies," returned Junior, swallowing hard, 
 "they just go on living and and loving 
 everybody and and having a good time." 
 
 "I like to have you remind me of those 
 things," returned Mabel. The flushed face and 
 moist eyes rebuked her. " I ought to remember 
 them always." She rose. "I wonder if we can't 
 find some squirrels if we go into those woods," 
 she said cheerfully. "I love to see them scam- 
 per up and down the trees, don't you ? I never 
 lived in the country till now and there are lots 
 of things you can show me." 
 
 Her words reminded Junior of Camilla's 
 parting information, and though his heart 
 still beat a little fast, he took his compan- 
 ion's offered hand and led her on into the 
 woods. 
 
 She did the talking for a few minutes. 
 
 "Let's come here next winter when the snow 
 is deep. Would n't it be fun? The squirrels 
 will be all sleeping cuddled up in their warm 
 nests, or nibbling the nuts they packed away 
 for winter; but the brave rabbits will go scut- 
 tling over the snow winking their little tails. 
 What do you suppose they find to eat?" 
 
 "We we could bring them something," 
 suggested Junior. 
 
 365 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Yes, would n't it be fun to bring them a 
 feast! Let's see, what would they like!" 
 
 "My jumping rabbit has a carrot in his 
 mouth." 
 
 "Yes, carrots, and nice little tender cabbage 
 leaves, and lettuce." 
 
 By the time the rabbit menu was completed, 
 Junior was gay again. 
 
 "I have something else to show you," he an- 
 nounced. 
 
 "I'm so glad. I love surprises." 
 
 "Well, we have to go this way," and Junior 
 led his companion back past the lilies-of-the- 
 valley to the brook where they crossed again 
 on the narrow boards, Angus following. They 
 went up the hillside past the mound at the left 
 of the house and over toward the woods that 
 bordered the pond. Here was a grove of oaks 
 and pines and they had to go through a gap in 
 a stone wall to enter it. There were two ham- 
 mocks hung among the trees where one could 
 lie and watch the blue water glinting amid the 
 foliage. 
 
 "This is my horse," cried Junior, breaking 
 away from Mabel's hand and springing astride 
 the long, low bough of an ancient pine, which 
 sprang flexibly beneath his light weight and al- 
 
 366 
 
The Singing Grove 
 
 lowed him to bound up and down in an exciting 
 gallop. He was in the midst of this breakneck 
 race, and Mabel had just sunk comfortably into 
 one of the hammocks, when a soft strange sound 
 began to float through the tops of the sighing 
 pines. It swelled to harmony, diminished, and 
 seemed about to die away. 
 
 Junior reined in his mettlesome steed and 
 sat still, while Mabel half raised herself in the 
 hammock and gazed at him. 
 
 "How lovely!" she said. "Is that the sur- 
 prise?" 
 
 It certainly was; but as the harmonies did 
 not die away, but swelled to still greater vol- 
 ume than before, the surprise overwhelmed 
 the showman, who dismounted from his charger 
 and came close to Mamabel, and her arm in its 
 short pink sleeve went around him. 
 
 "What is it, Junior, what is it?" she ex- 
 claimed softly and delightedly, while the boy's 
 cheeks grew very red and his eyes big, in spite of 
 a heroic endeavor to be nonchalant. 
 
 "Oh oh, nothing much," he replied after 
 a pause, while the wind harmonies whispered 
 and sighed and swelled as the ripples of the 
 pond rushed landward in the breeze. 
 
 "How could you wait to bring me here, dear? 
 
 367 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Is n't it the loveliest thing to lie here and listen ? 
 I can't imagine what makes those sweet sounds." 
 
 "1 know," remarked Junior, his awe and sur- 
 prise slowly submerged in a satisfactory sense 
 of superiority. At the same time he liked Ma- 
 mabel's encircling arm, for the harmonies com- 
 ing from nowhere and sighing, swelling, and 
 fading were a trifle uncanny. 
 
 "The name of these woods is the 'singing 
 grove.' Did you know that?" he asked. 
 
 "Indeed, I did not. Tell me more." 
 
 "Do you know who's singing?" 
 
 "No. Do you?" 
 
 "Of course I do. It's only the breeze fairies. 
 Here's where they practice singing." 
 
 "Why, Junior, that's wonderful," replied 
 Mabel, half laughing. "Why did n't you tell me 
 about this before?" 
 
 Junior did not care to admit how recent was 
 his own information. He preferred to patronize 
 Mamabel. 
 
 " I told you I 'd make you have a good time," 
 he said. "This is the singing grove where the 
 breeze fairies come every day to practice. Do 
 you like it?" 
 
 "I love it," responded Mabel, and drawing 
 the child a bit closer, she kissed the rosy cheek. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 GUTEN ABEND, GUTE NACHT 
 
 THEY told Uncle Victor about it at the dinner- 
 table, and aslie had helped to place the ^Eolian 
 harps in the trees, he was much entertained by 
 his sister's sincere curiosity as to the source of 
 the sounds and Junior's complacent knowledge 
 of everything in general and breeze fairies in 
 particular. 
 
 The little boy related how these airy beings 
 used to sweep and clean his bedroom in town 
 and how much they preferred the country to the 
 city when summer came. 
 
 Victor was glad of the child's prattle, inas- 
 much as he saw that it entertained Mabel. 
 The young man's eyes strayed often and 
 anxiously to his sister's face. Why should she 
 look so ethereal? She had always been strong. 
 Jim Barnes was not a man to show a woman any 
 unkindness. Surely she would settle down now 
 in this healthful place, see her husband not 
 more than once a week, and get hold of herself 
 again. Victor made up his mind to take her 
 
 369 
 
The Right Track 
 
 driving every day; and he found himself hoping 
 that she and Elaine would come to understand 
 one another better and better; but he arrested 
 this thought with a frown. "I'm the biggest 
 fool at large to let that girl influence me," he 
 reflected. "I know well enough that nothing 
 on earth would persuade me to marry her even 
 if I had the price. I don't want her and I won't 
 have her." 
 
 The form of this resolution arose from 
 Elaine's own behavior, which was always colored 
 with laughing, conscious power and implied that 
 there could be but one end to their companion- 
 ship. He seemed to himself to be always strug- 
 gling against meshes which he could neither see 
 nor feel, but which she knew were there and 
 triumphantly recognized as binding him. 
 
 In the afternoon Junior had another ride on 
 Popinjay, while Mabel sewed under the elms. 
 While she was at work, she saw a woman's 
 figure plodding up the avenue, and as it came 
 nearer she perceived that she was about to have 
 a caller, and folding up her sewing, she was 
 ready to rise from her chair and greet Miss 
 Shanklin. 
 
 "I came to make my party call," observed 
 the latter, panting a little; "but I did n't know 
 
 370 
 
Guten Abend, Gute Nacht 
 
 whether there 'd be any one to make it on but 
 Lucretia." 
 
 Mabel placed another chair for the visitor, 
 who looked at it doubtfully. 
 
 " I guess I 'm too warm to sit outdoors," she 
 said. 
 
 "We'll go in," responded the hostess, and led 
 the way to the house. "This pretty room gets 
 very much neglected," she added as they en- 
 tered. "We live out of doors." 
 
 "Mosquitoes '11 be around pretty soon," re- 
 marked Miss Shanklin, "but you're pretty 
 high here and away from the trees." She looked 
 at Mabel as she took her chair. This was cer- 
 tainly luck to get the second Mrs. Barnes alone 
 for a visit! 
 
 "I saw little Jim as I came along," went on 
 the caller. "He certainly has everything to 
 make a boy happy." Miss Shanklin heaved 
 a sigh. "I was wishin' poor Lucy could see 
 him!" 
 
 "Lucy?" inquired Mrs. Barnes. 
 
 "Yes. His mother. She was my cousin, you 
 know. You won't mind my sighin' when I think 
 about her. She was Jim's first love and they 
 got married when he did n't have much of any 
 money, and then Elaine was born a kind 
 
The Right Track 
 
 of spindlin' baby she was; then the next two 
 they lost; then Junior came along and poor 
 Lucy gave way. Of course, when I see this 
 beautiful place and the motors and the yachts 
 and the ponies and all the things money will 
 buy, I can't help thinking of poor Lucy and how 
 she 'd have enjoyed it all." 
 
 Mabel felt there was an inimical note under- 
 neath this, but her mortal sorrow made petty 
 resentment impossible. 
 
 "It is strange," she returned, "how many 
 lives we live in one. I suppose Mr. Barnes does 
 not seem to himself at all like the man who 
 married your cousin." 
 
 Miss Shanklin gave the speaker a sharp 
 glance. 
 
 "Besides," went on Mabel, "you have no 
 cause to pity her. She had the most precious 
 things in life the things that money won't 
 buy." 
 
 "Well," remarked the caller with a sniff, 
 "I s'pose so; but folks that haven't been poor 
 don't know what it means." 
 
 "I have been poor and I know all about it," 
 returned Mabel with the same calm. "I used 
 to fear and hate poverty, but it would have no 
 terrors for me now. When one has lived longer, 
 
 372 
 
Guten Abend, Gute Nacht 
 
 one finds how far down the line of things to be 
 desired, money has a place." 
 
 "Well, I don't know," returned Miss Shank- 
 lin, unconvinced, but mightily curious, as she 
 gazed at her hostess, taking in the details of her 
 pale-pink cotton gown, the black coronet of her 
 hair, and the buckles on her little slippers. 
 
 "That woman ain't happy," she reflected. 
 "Wonder if she's sorry she married Jim? Most 
 likely she means she 'd be glad to have her free- 
 dom and her poverty back again." 
 
 "Camilla has gone to town," went on Mabel. 
 "She is taking the care of closing the house." 
 
 "Oh, that's what you're goin' to do," re- 
 turned Miss Shanklin. "Jim goin' to stay out 
 here?" 
 
 "Part of the time here, and the rest at his 
 club." 
 
 "I hope he'll make out to get a lot o' time 
 at the farm, and get filled up with it, as you 
 might say. He's just crazy about it and has 
 been for years. As we get along we do find 
 there ain't anything so satisfyin' as the old 
 friends and the old associations." 
 
 "I suppose so," returned Mabel mechani- 
 cally, and the delicacy of her face suddenly 
 impressed Charity Shanklin. 
 
 373 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Dear me," thought the latter. "I wonder 
 if Jim Barnes is goin' to lose his second ? Looks 
 to me as if she did n't care much whether she 
 stayed or not." 
 
 Here Junior clattered up the piazza steps and 
 into the room. He paused at sight of the visitor, 
 who stretched out a welcoming hand in a gray 
 cotton glove. 
 
 "Come here, little Jim or Junior, I be- 
 lieve they call you. Come and kiss Cousin 
 Cherry and tell me about your ride. My, how 
 he does look like Lucy ! She had those big gray 
 eyes. I remember just how they shone under 
 her white veil the day she was married." 
 
 "Go to Miss Shanklin, dear," said Mabel, 
 as Junior hung back, his gaze somber. 
 
 "No Miss Shanklin about it," declared the 
 visitor persuasively. "I'm his Cousin Cherry. 
 He knows that, don't you, little man?" 
 
 Urged by his stepmother's encouraging hand, 
 Junior stepped forward and permitted the caller 
 to kiss his cheek. She tried to lift him to her 
 lap, but he slid away and back to Mamabel's 
 side. Mabel put her arm around him and Miss 
 Shanklin watched the mute signs of their 
 friendship. 
 
 "Are you tired, Mamabel?" asked the child, 
 374 
 
Guten Abend, Gute Nacht 
 
 some sign in her unsmiling face impressing him. 
 "You can lie down on the divan." 
 
 Charity caught the solicitous note in the boy's 
 voice, and at the same moment Lucretia ap- 
 peared at the open door with a glass on a tray. 
 
 "I've been lookin' outdoors for you, Mis' 
 Barnes. Here's an eggnog I want you should 
 drink. I took notice you did n't eat enough 
 dinner for a bird. Howdy do, Cherry?" 
 
 Mabel looked up gratefully at Lucretia. 
 
 "What will you bring Miss Shanklin and 
 Junior to keep me in countenance?" 
 
 "How about ginger ale, Cherry ? Like some ? ' ' 
 inquired Lucretia sententiously. 
 
 "Well, I am kind o' hot still," admitted the 
 caller, folding her gray gloved hands and settling 
 back more comfortably in her chair. 
 
 "Then, thank you, Lucretia, you're very- 
 good, and I shall enjoy this." Mabel took the 
 brimming, creamy, yellow glass. "You go with 
 Lucretia, Junior, and bring back the ginger 
 ale for your Cousin Cherry and yourself." 
 
 The ginger ale helped out the remainder of 
 the call wonderfully, and finally Miss Shanklin 
 took her leave. It was about time for Pete to 
 go for the mail, so Mabel arranged for the 
 caller to go home in the motor. She stood on 
 
 375 
 
The Right Track 
 
 the piazza with Junior, and they watched the 
 car glide down the incline and enter the elm 
 avenue. Miss Shanklin was leaning back luxu- 
 riously in the tonneau. 
 
 "I do declare," she thought. "Jim don't 
 have much luck with his wives. Looks to me as 
 if that woman was goin' into a decline. I '11 bet 
 Lucretia thinks so too, with her eggnogs." 
 
 Junior gazed reflectively after the motor. 
 
 "I hope she won't come any more," he re- 
 marked. 
 
 "Why is that, dear?" asked Mabel. 
 
 "She makes a wet spot on my cheek when 
 she kisses me. She did it yesterday, too." 
 
 Mabel smiled and pressed him to her. 
 
 "That's better than leaving a hurt spot in 
 your heart," she answered. 
 
 "She can't get at my heart," returned the 
 child stoutly. 
 
 "That's the best way," said Mabel. "We 
 must n't let people get at our hearts too easily." 
 
 After supper that night, Uncle Victor, who 
 had been busy all day with his orchard plans, 
 took them out in the motor-boat, Lucretia and 
 Bessie as well, and they all watched the sun set 
 behind the winding reaches of the little tree- 
 bordered lake. 
 
 376 
 
Guten Abend, Gute Nacht 
 
 Junior led them home through the singing 
 grove, but the breeze had gone down with the 
 sun and Uncle Victor professed great incredu- 
 lity as to the wonder-tales his companions re- 
 lated. 
 
 "But you must believe the word of a gentle- 
 man!" said Junior with flushed cheeks. 
 
 "True, true," replied Victor. " I forgot that." 
 
 "And to-morrow," added Mabel, "we will 
 bring him and let him hear for himself. Let's 
 climb all the trees, Junior, till we find the fairy 
 chorus perching in the branches and fluttering 
 their little rainbow wings." 
 
 "We never can see them," declared Junior 
 with conviction. "They just fan our cheeks 
 and and puff all around, and "A tremen- 
 dous yawn finished his sentence. 
 
 Victor looked at his sister, a pale, smiling 
 wraith, moving among the trees. She did not 
 seem liable to climb them. She led her little boy 
 to the house and up to the nursery. The asso- 
 ciations of the pretty room beset Junior, as they 
 entered. 
 
 "Camilla will be here to-morrow night," he 
 said. 
 
 A large smiling doll sat in one of the chairs 
 clad in her nightdress. 
 
 377 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Camilla didn't have time to dress Miss 
 Rosalind this morning/' he remarked. 
 
 "You should have asked me if you wanted 
 your doll dressed," said Mabel. 
 
 "She isn't mine," responded the little boy 
 quickly. "I gave her to Camilla. I'm seven, 
 you know." 
 
 "Surely. Well, she's very pretty. I'm sure 
 Camilla enjoys her." 
 
 "She does. She hugs her and kisses her," re- 
 marked Junior, endeavoring to speak loftily. 
 
 "Why, you dear Miss Rosalind, you've been 
 neglected to-day," and Mabel took up the doll 
 and held it mother-wise against her breast, 
 pressing her pale cheek to the hard roses in the 
 bisque face. 
 
 Junior looking on with interest yawned again 
 prodigiously. 
 
 Mabel put the doll back in the chair. 
 
 "What lovely windows you have, dear!" 
 She approached and looked out on the moonlit 
 sward and the heavy foliage of the full-leafed 
 avenue. 
 
 Junior remembered Camilla's comments and 
 directions as to how he should entertain Mama- 
 bel. 
 
 "Yes, the dew is coming down out there," 
 378 
 
Guten Abend, Gute Nacht 
 
 he explained, joining Mabel at the window. 
 "Do you see those fireflies in the meadow? 
 They're hanging the dewdrops on all the grass, 
 and in the morning when the sun rises, it'll 
 sparkle like everything. You'll see." 
 
 "Don't we live in a wonderful place!" said 
 Mabel, beginning to undress the child, her 
 unaccustomed fingers assisted by his direc- 
 tions. 
 
 When at last he stood in his little pajamas, 
 he ran to the Victrola and pulled out a familiar 
 record. 
 
 "What are you going to play, Junior?" 
 Mabel dreaded the music. All the potentialities 
 for happiness here made her lot seem the harder. 
 
 "The good-night song," he replied, winding 
 the machine and placing needle and record with 
 experienced swiftness. 
 
 Mabel moved to the window and rested her 
 brow against the sash. Madam Schumann- 
 Heinck's warm, gracious voice filled the still, 
 softly lighted room with the familiar song. 
 There was promise of peace in that "Guten 
 Abend, Gute Nacht." 
 
 Trust on. Be not afraid. Only believe. It 
 seemed to Mabel the vast starlit sky and the 
 quiet harmonies were touching her with a com- 
 
 379 
 
The Right Track 
 
 fort in which the excitement she dreaded could 
 find no place. 
 
 When the song was finished, she turned to 
 Junior, who was perched on the edge of his bed. 
 
 "Do you say your prayers now?" she asked. 
 
 "Yes. To Camilla, I do." 
 
 "I'd like you to let me hear them if you 
 don't mind." 
 
 "All right," replied Junior, yawning again. 
 
 He said his prayer and then jumped into 
 bed. 
 
 "Do you want to hear my verses, too?" he 
 asked in a generous mood. 
 
 "Yes, dear. What verses?" 
 
 "It was when I thought there were things 
 to be afraid of," explained Junior. "Camilla 
 taught them to me, so I could say them before 
 I went to sleep. She likes to have me say them 
 always, but, of course, I know now that God 's 
 in the room all the time, and nothing bad can 
 get in." 
 
 Mabel lay down on Camilla's bed, and came 
 close to the child. 
 
 "Tell me the verses, dear. There's nothing 
 I want so much as not to be afraid." 
 
 "All right. There's two of them." Junior 
 paused again to yawn widely. 
 
 380 
 
Guten Abend, Gute Nacht 
 
 "You can learn them yourself, Mamabel, and 
 then you won't be afraid." 
 
 He began: 
 
 " ' Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not 
 afraid, for I am thy God. I will help thee; yea, 
 I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee 
 with the right hand of my righteousness." 
 
 The child's voice paused, then went on : 
 
 "'For God has not given us the spirit of 
 fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound 
 mind.' 
 
 " Can't you learn those, Mamabel ? " he asked 
 sleepily. 
 
 She made some response; then she felt Junior 
 move restlessly and half raise himself from the 
 bed, looking out into the room. 
 
 "What do you want, dear?" 
 
 "Oh nothing," he answered, dropping 
 back on the pillow. After a little hesitation he 
 added: "Miss Rosalind usually goes to sleep in 
 Camilla's bed." 
 
 "Oh, yes," returned Mabel readily, "and she 
 has had very little attention to-day." 
 
 She rose and, getting the doll, brought it to 
 the little boy, who turned his face to the wall, 
 to accent his indifference to childish things. 
 Mabel leaned over and kissed his cheek and he 
 
 381 
 
The Right Track 
 
 turned back and, putting his arms around her 
 neck, kissed her heartily. She slipped the doll 
 into the bed, and moved away, to the moon- 
 lighted window. 
 
 Junior fell asleep promptly, but when Mabel 
 herself was ready for bed, she found his arm 
 around the rosy doll. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 A WAY OUT 
 
 CAMILLA returned the next afternoon. Vic- 
 tor, who with Junior had driven to the station 
 to meet the train, looked beyond her as she de- 
 scended to the platform. 
 
 "Elaine did n't come?" he asked, displeased. 
 
 "No. Mr. Walmsley persuaded her to stay 
 over for the couple of days that the house is still 
 to be open." 
 
 "Walmsley? What Walmsley?" 
 
 Camilla, endeavoring to straighten herself 
 from Junior's strangle hold, was struck by the 
 fierceness of the young man's tone. 
 
 "Mr. Ben Walmsley is his name." 
 
 Victor's frown was Jove-like and he stood 
 still on the platform, holding Camilla's suit- 
 case. 
 
 "I didn't know they were friends," he an- 
 nounced. 
 
 "It seems that they've known each other 
 from childhood," said Camilla. "His mother is 
 one of Mr. Barnes's closest friends." 
 
 Victor looked over the speaker's head at a 
 
 383 
 
The Right Track 
 
 series of mental pictures in which Ben Walms- 
 ley figured conspicuously. They were unpleasing 
 pictures and he condemned them sweep ingly, 
 especially in connection with a young, innocent 
 girl like Elaine Barnes. The irritating feature 
 of the memories was that reminiscence revealed 
 himself neck and neck with Ben in all of these 
 mental canvases. 
 
 "Aren't we going home, Uncle Victor?" 
 asked Junior, clinging to Camilla's hand and 
 hopping up and down with satisfaction. 
 
 "Yes, yes, of course," returned Victor, com- 
 ing to himself and leading the way to the 
 car. 
 
 Camilla and Junior sat in the back where the 
 child answered his friend's questions and re- 
 counted his success in the role of the only son. 
 
 "And I did make Mamabel have a good 
 time," he said. "She only talked error once." 
 
 Camilla listened attentively to all. "What 
 error?" she asked. 
 
 " She said she wanted to lie down under the 
 lilies and rest where grandpa and grandma are, 
 side of the woods." 
 
 Camilla caught her lip with her teeth. She 
 was still working against the bitter disappoint- 
 ment of her failure to influence James Barnes. 
 
 384 
 
A Way Out 
 
 "Dear Mamabel," she breathed. 
 
 "But she was sorry afterward," went on 
 Junior; "and we talked about happiness and 
 and carrots, and everything like that." 
 
 "Carrots?" 
 
 "Yes, for the rabbits when they're jumping 
 around on the snow next winter. We're going 
 to take them a Thanksgiving dinner." 
 
 Camilla nodded. Her face was grave. She 
 had so hoped to bring comfort and reassurance 
 to the young wife. 
 
 Upon arrival at the house, Mabel's eyes ques- 
 tioned her as she had known they would; but 
 all during supper Camilla talked cheerfully of 
 generalities, detailing only what she had done 
 toward closing the house. 
 
 "So Elaine will brave the heat and dust a 
 few days longer and stay with her father," said 
 Mabel. 
 
 "Yes," replied Camilla; "there are some very 
 good evening concerts in the park, and Mr. 
 Walmsley likes to take her out in his machine." 
 
 "Oh, that very nice young Walmsley," said 
 Mabel. 
 
 Victor, who had maintained a stony silence 
 so far throughout the meal, suddenly flared 
 into life. 
 
 385 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Why," he demanded, " do you say that very 
 nice young Walmsley?" 
 
 His sister glanced up at him in surprise. 
 
 "Why, he's charming," she returned. "So 
 good-looking like some Oriental prince in 
 disguise." 
 
 "He's in disguise all right," growled Victor, 
 attacking a big strawberry as if it might have 
 been the head of a rival. 
 
 "Do you know him?" asked Mabel. 
 
 "Oh, yes. I'm acquainted with the gilded 
 youth of the town. I played around with them 
 a bit one while." 
 
 After supper Victor walked with his sister 
 up and down the terrace under the great 
 elms. 
 
 "Is there anything between Elaine and 
 Walmsley?" he asked suddenly. 
 
 "I know nothing about it," returned Mabel. 
 "The idea seems to excite you." 
 
 "It does. He is n't the right man for her at 
 all." 
 
 "It might please her father," said Mabel. 
 "Mrs. Walmsley is such an old and valued 
 friend of his." 
 
 " It would not please him," retorted Victor, 
 "if he knew all that I do. It's a pleasant 
 
 386 
 
A Way Out 
 
 position to see a girl you like going about 
 with a worthless chap and having to hold your 
 tongue." 
 
 "Oh, it's a censorious world," replied Mabel. 
 "We're not obliged to believe hearsay evidence 
 about people." 
 
 "Eh? What? Hearsay? This is n't hearsay," 
 declared Victor hotly. "Drinking, gambling, 
 and all the rest of it." 
 
 His sister smiled up at his frowning counte- 
 nance. 
 
 "Oh, it's first hand. You were an eyewitness, 
 then?" 
 
 "Decidedly!" 
 
 "What were you doing yourself, dear? Try- 
 ing, to hold him back?" she asked. 
 
 The gentle irony of her tone made color rush 
 up to her brother's brow. 
 
 "I don't I don't know that I was; but 
 but" 
 
 "Set a thief to catch a thief," said Mabel, 
 taking her brother's arm affectionately. "If 
 Ben Walmsley's no worse than you are " 
 
 "He is that is, I've cut it out," declared 
 Victor; "and if Jim kept tab on me, I'd like 
 to know why he should n't know that Ben 
 Walmsley " 
 
 387 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Did did James " interrupted Mabel, 
 and stopped. 
 
 "Yes, he did; he jumped on me and I 'm glad 
 of it." ' 
 
 " I 'm glad, too ! " said Mabel. "What a good 
 man he is." 
 
 "Oh, yes, Jim's all right," agreed Victor, too 
 absorbed by the picture of Elaine motoring with 
 Ben under the summer stars to heed the wist- 
 ful thrill in his sister's tone. "But if he does n't 
 know, I can't even give him a hint, that's the 
 devil of it. I Ve got to stand by and perhaps 
 see Walmsley entertained out here and swallow 
 it all without a protest. Any objection I made 
 would be set down to jealousy." 
 
 Mabel looked up again at the speaker with 
 her slow smile. 
 
 "Jealousy must be agony, Victor." 
 
 " I fancy so. I 'm glad I don't know anything 
 about it." 
 
 At the same moment imagination was pictur- 
 ing Elaine's dimple as she laughed with Ben 
 Walmsley, her white veil shielding he* golden 
 hair, and his confoundedly handsome black locks 
 rumpled in the wind. 
 
 " It might be well if you see things going that 
 way for you to give Jim a hint," he added. 
 
 388 
 
A Way Out 
 
 Mabel's heart glowed at the suggestion of 
 such confidence, and her sad eyes looked be- 
 fore her. 
 
 "James is not the man to give Elaine to any 
 one without looking him up. He will need no 
 hints from me. Don't feel so anxious, Victor. 
 Perhaps Ben has followed your example. Per- 
 haps he has cut it out, too." 
 
 "No simple life for him," returned Victor, 
 with conviction. "I don't believe it." 
 
 His sister regarded him wistfully. "Are you 
 being careful?" she suggested. "Elaine is very, 
 very pretty; but beyond that, what?" 
 
 " Smart as a whip," rejoined Victor promptly. 
 
 "Yes, clever enough always to get her own 
 way. What part does that play in the great 
 question?" 
 
 "What great question?" 
 
 "Love and marriage." 
 
 "She's very young," said Victor defensively. 
 
 "Oh, my dear boy," and Mabel stood still, 
 looking up, while he, flushed and frowning still, 
 returned her gaze. "I want you to be happy. 
 One of us should be happy. Don't be blind. 
 Don't be content with a girl who simply allows 
 you to love her. Her exactions will be gradual, 
 but always increasing. At first only a garland 
 
 389 
 
The Right Track 
 
 of flowers will hold you and you will rejoice in 
 the fragrant captivity; but little by little the 
 flowers will fade and fall and you will see the 
 inflexible chain on which they were bound." 
 
 Mabel bowed her forehead on her brother's 
 breast and he put his arm around her. At once 
 she regained possession of herself and lifted 
 her head, again looking in his eyes. "We know 
 Elaine so well," she added slowly. 
 
 "But you told me the only attitude for us to 
 hold toward her was was gentleness. I think 
 you said love." 
 
 "Yes, but we can love her without wishing 
 to possess her. We can love her, meanwhile 
 being willing that she should spend her life with 
 another." 
 
 As Mabel spoke, Camilla appeared on the 
 piazza. Mabel's heart bounded in her throat. 
 
 "I have to see Camilla to-night," she said, 
 in a changed voice. 
 
 "That's right. Go on," returned Victor; 
 and with a parting pressure of his sister's hand 
 he moved down the hillside and across the brook 
 into the twilight of the woods. 
 
 The two women moved to meet one an- 
 other. 
 
 "Junior asleep?" asked Mabel, taking Ca- 
 
 390 
 
A Way Out 
 
 milla's arm and sauntering with her across the 
 soft grass. "He has been teaching me his 
 'Fear not' verses to-day, and I've been saying 
 them over, to prepare me for this moment: 
 this first moment when you and I should be 
 alone together, Camilla." 
 
 The two looked into one another's eyes, and 
 Camilla put her other hand over the one slipped 
 through her arm. 
 
 "Tell me all about it," went on Mabel quietly. 
 "I know you and James talked about me. Tell 
 me all. Remember fear not." 
 
 She smiled ; but the little color that had been 
 in her face fled. She knew by Camilla's mute 
 pressure that she had nothing to hope. 
 
 "I did have a talk with him," replied Ca- 
 milla, "and he is very fixed in his mistaken 
 ideas; but what are the ideas of a mortal in the 
 light of Omniscience ? We have only to go back 
 to the one great Principle and hold our thought 
 there to know that everything will come out 
 right for us. You know how the Bible says, 
 when our father and mother forsake us, the 
 highest, most unselfish love we know, then 
 the Lord will take us up. Did you ever read 
 that other statement : ' A broken and a contrite 
 heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise ' ? Your 
 
The Right Track 
 
 contrite heart, dear Mrs. Barnes, will be shel- 
 tered, be sure of it. If you can just be true to 
 God and cease to lean on a mortal, even on 
 your husband, you will receive strength; and 
 at last happiness. I often think over: 'Eye hath 
 not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered 
 into the heart of man, the things which God 
 hath prepared for them that love Him? ' 
 
 "You're very good to me, Camilla." Mabel 
 spoke calmly as they walked on. "You're a 
 real friend. I don't know what I should have 
 done without you; but I don't think it will be 
 for long now." 
 
 "What do you mean, dear child? Do you 
 mean you 'je beginning to understand and 
 to hope and to know?" 
 
 "The thing that is right before me all the 
 time is that I am a burden; that I accept a great 
 deal and give nothing. Yes, I read and study, 
 and your philosophy is very beautiful. I believe 
 it's true, too, and I believe that God is going 
 to take me out of my troubles." 
 
 "Are you outlining?" asked Camilla, trying 
 to speak cheerfully and holding the slender arm 
 closer. "Are you telling Him how He shall 
 release you?" 
 
 "He knows what I want, for He knows 
 392 
 
A Way Out 
 
 everything, and I believe He is going to answer 
 my prayer. There is n't any other way out. 
 It would do away with all disgrace and all gos- 
 sip. I'm absolutely unnecessary, and I have 
 lost my health, so I can't take my fate into my 
 own hands and be of use in the world : be an in- 
 dependent woman." 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Barnes. You dear young 
 creature. Have n't you learned at least that 
 there is no such thing as death?" 
 
 "Yes, I believe in immortality, but I can 
 hope not to be so much in the way on some other 
 plane. Don't tremble, Camilla. I 'm not going 
 to do anything desperate. It's only that I see 
 myself weaker every day, and I thank God, and 
 love Him for it, every lonely night." 
 
 Camilla pressed her handkerchief to her eyes 
 and kept silence for a minute. It was Mabel 
 now who patted the other's hand and passed an 
 arm around her. 
 
 "If this should come to me, Camilla," she 
 went on, without excitement, " and it may come 
 suddenly, I want you to tell James that I never 
 blamed him. He has never had a wrong thought 
 toward me. We can't force love. He is absolutely 
 not to blame. I shall die loving him, and being 
 grateful to him, and sorry for the trouble I Ve 
 
 393 
 
The Right Track 
 
 brought on him; and so happy in lifting all that 
 trouble away." 
 
 The two women paused in their walk. The 
 stars had come out. The insect voices in mea- 
 dow and wood were all that broke the stillness. 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Barnes," Camilla looked up at 
 her taller companion, "I'm an ignoramus com- 
 pared to you, but I know this: that 'like as a 
 Father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth 
 them that fear Him.' Look at that wonderful 
 sky. Feel the peace and order and harmony of 
 it; the closeness and love of the Creator. 'In 
 Him we live, and move, and have our being'; 
 so this perplexed and sorrowful condition which 
 seems to be yours can only be seeming; else 
 how could we 'rejoice always,' as the Bible re- 
 peatedly reminds us to do?" 
 
 " I 'm doing my best, Camilla. At least I have 
 come to be as a little child with my hand in my 
 Father's." 
 
 "Be a happy little child," returned Camilla 
 fervently. "Trust, and be happy; for we know 
 we 'cannot drift beyond his love and care'; 
 and we don't know how soon in Love's divine 
 way all this condition may be changed and the 
 sunrise of a new day flood your life." 
 
 " So be it, dear Camilla ! " said Mabel quietly. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 SUNRISE 
 
 FOR the next two weeks James Barnes re- 
 mained away from his farm. Then one day he 
 arrived unexpectedly at four o'clock in the after- 
 noon. He had succumbed to the urgent request 
 of Victor, who begged for an interview on the 
 ground to get permission for certain new schemes 
 which would involve the expenditure of con- 
 siderable money. His first inquiry upon arrival 
 at the house was for Junior. On being told that 
 the child was playing by the brook, he betook 
 himself down the hillside and soon saw his 
 son's broad-brimmed hat making a halo on the 
 back of his head as he lay flat in the grass, his 
 legs kicking in the air while he talked aloud, 
 apparently to himself. 
 
 Mr. Barnes's footfall being silent on the soft 
 turf, he drew quite near before the boy per- 
 ceived him. Then with a whoop of joy Junior 
 scrambled to his feet. "It's a surprise, a sur- 
 prise," he yelled, and running to his father he 
 leaped to his arms, clutching the latter's body 
 with his strong little legs. 
 
 395 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "Go slow, you Indian," laughed the captured 
 man, standing still and kissing the sunburned 
 face. 
 
 At this moment the newcomer discovered 
 that his son was not alone. On the rustic seat, 
 concealed from the house by the hazel bushes, 
 sat his wife with her sewing. He followed the 
 lines of her white gown until he reached the 
 face, scarcely less white. She did not rise to 
 greet him because it was a physical impossibility 
 in the tremor that ran through her at sight of 
 him, all unexpected. In that encounter of their 
 eyes James Barnes realized suddenly that his 
 wife looked very ill and his heart gave a throb 
 of pity for her. 
 
 "Oh, you're there, Mabel," he said, as 
 Junior came to earth and freed him. " I thought 
 the boy must have become a poet and was 
 apostrophizing the sky all by himself." 
 
 Mr. Barnes approached the rustic seat and 
 kissed his wife's smooth forehead. 
 
 "We were n't looking for you," she said, and 
 her mouth was dry. 
 
 The husband sat down beside her, and Junior 
 stood before them. 
 
 "I did n't expect to come for another week 
 yet, but Victor is certainly an enthusiast, and 
 
 396 
 
Sunrise 
 
 he wants to hold me up once more; then he 
 says he'll let me off for the rest of the sum- 
 
 mer." 
 
 "I'm glad he's a help to you," said Mabel 
 with effort, after a pause. She looked fragile 
 as a snow-wreath beside the robust, carefully 
 dressed man at her side. 
 
 "Well, little chap," said James Barnes with 
 a shake of his son's shoulders, "how goes it? 
 How's Camilla and Popinjay and Angus and 
 Pete and the rest of your suite?" 
 
 "They're all right," returned Junior, rather 
 absently; "but, Daddy, I was just trying to 
 decide something when you came up; tell me 
 which should you think I 'd rather have a 
 little sister or a little brother?" 
 
 "What's this?" inquired James Barnes with 
 a short laugh, the permanent line between his 
 brows deepening. "I should think you had 
 enough pets without wanting to adopt a play- 
 fellow." 
 
 "Oh, this is n't going to be a playfellow. 
 It's going to be a baby." Suddenly a tiny gar- 
 ment fell to the grass from the white folds of the 
 gown brushing James Barnes's gray trousers. 
 Junior picked it up and exhibited it, holding it 
 by the tiny sleeves. "I thought Mamabel was 
 
 397 
 
The Right Track 
 
 making clothes for Miss Rosalind, so I told 
 her she had plenty, and Camilla could make 
 
 'em 
 
 The color had flooded Mabel Barnes's face 
 when the child began his revelation, and now it 
 left her features in a stiff pallor. Her husband's 
 expression was stony and his eyes never swerved 
 from Junior's face as the child delivered his 
 thunderbolt. 
 
 The frozen amazement of his countenance 
 seemed to Mabel to deal her her deathblow. An 
 awful despair gripped her heart, and then, sud- 
 denly, green grass, summer sky, and waving 
 foliage all grew black, and blessed unconscious- 
 ness of all things enveloped her senses. 
 
 "Daddy, Daddy!" cried Junior, as his re- 
 flective glance wandered to Mamabel and he 
 saw her eyes close and her head fall back. 
 
 James Barnes turned quickly and caught his 
 wife in his arms, drawing the dark head to his 
 breast. 
 
 "She must n't, Daddy," a big sob caught 
 in the child's throat, and he began to cry. 
 "Make her wake up. Make her! She wants to 
 go under the lilies. She must n't." 
 
 James Barnes's ruddy color had fled. 
 
 "Hush, Junior," he said. "You must be a 
 398 
 
Sunrise 
 
 man now, not a baby. Take your hat and bring 
 it here full of water." 
 
 The severe tone steadied the terrified child. 
 Mamabelwas breathing heavily. He ran trem- 
 bling to the brook, his lips repeating the dec- 
 larations Camilla had taught him, and was 
 quickly back with the water. 
 
 James Barnes bathed the white forehead and 
 temples. 
 
 "You may rub her hands, Junior," he said, 
 and the child rubbed the hands, swallowing big 
 lumps that rose in his throat. 
 
 "God's here, anyway, Daddy," he said 
 tremulously. "God '11 take care of Mamabel. 
 Shall I shall I get Camilla?" 
 
 James Barnes's heart was beating in great 
 bounds. It was such a frail woman he held in 
 his arms. His immovable plans receiving this 
 battering shock to their stability made a tu- 
 mult in his soul like the meeting of an ingoing 
 and outgoing tide. The little garment, a white 
 flake on the grass, caused him an agony of 
 tenderness. 
 
 "No, don't call Camilla," he said. "Bring 
 
 more water." 
 
 Junior manfully obeyed, his tears dropping 
 and his lips repeating his "Fear not" ver&es. 
 
 399 
 
The Right Track 
 
 God was loving them all the time and He would 
 help Daddy to wake Mamabel up. 
 
 Again he held the hat full of water while his 
 father bathed her temples . ' Now, rub her hands 
 again, Junior." 
 
 The child obeyed, and presently Mabel's eye- 
 lids quivered and then opened. Her dark eyes 
 gazed straight up into the gray ones looking 
 down. The resolute veil which had for months 
 interposed between her and those eyes was 
 gone. 
 
 "My darling," said James Barnes softly, 
 "am I holding you comfortably?" 
 
 She did not speak, nor did a muscle of her 
 face change. She just looked, and looked, not 
 knowing whether she were awake. 
 
 Her secret, her sad secret, she had kept from 
 all, even Camilla. It meant to her only a further 
 binding of a reluctant husband, and she could 
 not bring herself to voice it. This afternoon, 
 however, when for the first time Junior had seen 
 part of the contents of the workbag which was 
 her constant companion, and commented on .the 
 clothes she was making for Camilla's doll, some 
 impulse made her confide in the little boy. Per- 
 haps she knew the light that springs in a child's 
 eyes at the prospect of another child: his kin. 
 
 400 
 
Sunrise 
 
 Perhaps she longed for one ray of brightness to 
 fall upon the path of the poor little unwelcome 
 stranger. Whatever the cause, she yielded to 
 the impulse. She felt so ill, so weak to-day, 
 and she leaned on the love of this child, James 
 Barnes's son. 
 
 Junior had been much excited over the news, 
 and had weighed carefully the pros and cons of 
 a brother who would like horses as well as he 
 did, and a sister who would have to do every- 
 thing he said, and of whom he should take 
 care. His father had interrupted the argu- 
 ment, and terrifying things had come to pass. 
 
 He gazed now at his stepmother with wide, 
 wet eyes. 
 
 "What did yon go to sleep for, Mamabel?" 
 he asked accusingly, still swallowing sobs. "My 
 hat's spoiled." 
 
 "You've been a good boy," said his father 
 quietly. "You may run away now and find 
 Camilla and get her all alone somewhere and 
 shut the door and tell her the precious secret; 
 and get her to help you decide whether you 
 want a brother or a sister. Don't let any one 
 else hear you, though." 
 
 Junior paused a moment, but the prospect 
 thus held out was enticing; so he took his 
 
 401 
 
The Right Track 
 
 bedraggled hat, a recent insistence of Camilla's 
 on account of extreme sunburn, and started to 
 run up the hill. 
 
 "What a good man James is," thought 
 Mabel apathetically. She was not yet prepared 
 to be certain that events were actual. 
 
 "My darling, are you comfortable?" asked 
 James Barnes again. 
 
 An intense tenderness shone down into the 
 dark eyes that never left his face. 
 
 She felt his strong arms around her like the 
 fulfilling of weary longing; but it did not occur 
 to her to answer him. It did not occur to her 
 that this new James Barnes could hear her alien 
 voice if she had a voice. She was not sure 
 that she had. 
 
 " I thought I knew how much I loved you, 
 dear," he said, "but I did not know till now." 
 
 He saw her eyelids quiver, and he drew her 
 closer, speaking slowly. 
 
 "Darling, tell me; can you forgive all my 
 mistakes? Do you like to be in my arms?" 
 
 Supposing he should withdraw them! She 
 found her voice. 
 
 "Yes," came from her pale, unsmiling lips. 
 
 "And in our child we shall come closer. You 
 shall find me more worthy than you have 
 
 402 
 
Sunrise 
 
 before. I love you with my whole being, my 
 darling." 
 
 He was pouring wine and oil into her wounds, 
 and she began to revive, and to know wonder- 
 ingly that this was real, and to return from a 
 far country. 
 
 She lifted her hand and put it over 'his lips. 
 The little frail hand. He kissed it passionately; 
 then lifted her head higher and rested his cheek 
 against that dark coronet of hair. 
 
 "I I hope I can stay, James," she mur- 
 mured slowly. "I've prayed so to go. Do you 
 think God will let me take it back?" 
 
 A chill penetrated to the man's heart. Ca- 
 milla had been right. He had been stupidly, 
 doggedly wrong. 
 
 "I'm going to see to it that you stay, my 
 beloved," he answered with conviction. "You 
 would n't go just when you have crowned my 
 life. My wife loves me. That's all I need, to 
 be the happiest man on earth. Stay ? Why, I 'm 
 going to breathe for you as nearly as I can until 
 you are strong again. Now, sweetheart, I'm 
 going to carry you up to the house." 
 
 For the first time a smile touched his wife's 
 lips. "I feel so much better, James. I'm sure 
 I can walk. I'm perfectly able to walk." 
 
 43 
 
The Right Track 
 
 James Barnes picked up the bit of fine 
 flannel from the grass. There was not a sound 
 but the brook's gurgle for a minute, while his 
 strong hand pressed the little garment to his 
 eyes. Then he tucked it into the workbag, while 
 Mabel slowly sat up. 
 
 "Don't move, dear. I 'm going to carry you." 
 
 "But it will frighten Camilla." 
 
 "You shall walk in a few days," rejoined 
 James Barnes; and he lifted his wife carefully. 
 She put her arm around his neck and he carried 
 her easily, too easily, up the hill. 
 
 She had had breakfast in bed that morning, 
 but appeared at dinner, and Camilla had es- 
 corted her with cushions down to the seat among 
 the hazel bushes. Her decline had been gradual 
 to those with her in the house, but that morning 
 Lucretia had told Camilla her fears, and rare 
 tears had blurred her vision as she spoke : 
 
 " Is everybody blind but me ? " she demanded 
 crossly. " I 'd like to know why Mr. Ford don't 
 insist on having a doctor see his sister. She's 
 just slippin' away, Camilla. What's the mat- 
 ter with everybody that they can't see it?" 
 
 Camilla's steady eyes looked far off. "I've 
 been thinking of this, too," she answered, "and 
 asking God to show me what to do." 
 
 404 
 
Sunrise 
 
 Lucretia snorted with exasperation. "Heaven 
 helps those that help themselves," she declared. 
 "It don't need the Creator to show me that 
 you'd ought to have Dr. Whittaker up here 
 this very day." 
 
 Dr. Whittaker had vaccinated Camilla when 
 she was a schoolgirl. He still believed in calomel 
 and still took snuff. The picture of the old gen- 
 tleman ministering to Mabel's mortal sorrow 
 made Camilla smile at Lucretia to the latter's 
 added exasperation. 
 
 "Well, if you think you know it all, get some- 
 body else, then; but for the land's sake, do 
 something," snapped Lucretia. 
 
 "I'm going to," returned Camilla, sober 
 enough now. "I'm going to write Mr. Barnes 
 to-day. I'll tell him what you've just said." 
 
 " Between you and me and the lamp-post, I 
 believe he 's at the bottom of it," said Lucretia in 
 a lowered and savage tone. " She don't cough, 
 nor seem to have any straight-forward disease 
 that a body can tackle. I've always noticed 
 something queer, now, have n't you, Camilla?" 
 
 "That is n't our business, Lucretia." 
 
 "Get out! I'd make it my business if I was 
 as close to 'em as you are. It does seem some- 
 times as if men was the off-scourin's o' the earth. 
 
 405 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Great, big, selfish, strappin' things. What did 
 Barnes want to harness that girl up to him 
 for if he didn't care for her? It don't seem 
 possible, but lots o' times I've thought he 
 neglected her; yes, sir, I've thought she felt 
 neglected!" 
 
 "Lucretia, you don't understand," returned 
 Camilla earnestly; "truly, you don't under- 
 stand!" 
 
 "I s'pose you do, then," sneered Lucretia, 
 "and just stand by smilin', and lettin' her slide 
 down and down till finally she 's out. Go ahead 
 and write to Jim Barnes. Let's get him here 
 and I'll see how much you talk to him; and if 
 you don't come out strong, I tell you I '11 take 
 a hand, or mebbe it'll be a foot. It'd give 
 me some satisfaction to kick him all around this 
 farm, and I cal'late to do it if he don't wake up 
 and tend to his business." 
 
 Camilla smiled sadly. "I'll write to him, 
 Lucretia. I think myself he ought to come." 
 
 She was just sealing the envelope on this 
 carefully constructed letter that afternoon 
 when Junior broke in upon her. In his hand 
 he carried a drenched hat. He slammed the 
 nursery door and Camilla looked up from her 
 desk. 
 
 406 
 
Sunrise 
 
 "What happened to your hat?" she asked. 
 
 The child's eyes were still big with excitement 
 and his cheeks were spotted with tears. 
 
 Camilla suddenly realized this and pushed 
 her chair back and held out her hand. 
 
 " What is it, dear ? Did you fall in the water ? " 
 
 "Where's Lucretia and Bessie and Pete and 
 Uncle Victor and Sister?" demanded Junior. 
 
 "Downstairs or out doors. What do you 
 mean?" 
 
 "Are we all alone? 'cause Daddy says no- 
 body else must hear." 
 
 Camilla drew him to her, and he had never 
 seen her look so interested about anything. It 
 was quite worth while having a secret to tell 
 somebody who looked like this. 
 
 " Daddy ! What do you mean ! Is your father 
 here, Junior?" 
 
 "Of course, he is. 
 
 "Where is he?" 
 
 "Down by the brook with Mamabel." 
 
 Camilla's heart beat faster. She could see 
 that her little boy was quivering and striving 
 for self-control. 
 
 i "We didn't expect him, did we?" she said 
 quietly. The wet hat had fallen to the floor and 
 both Junior's hands were in Camilla's familiar 
 
 407 
 
The Right Track 
 
 clasp. "Did Mamabel expect him, do you 
 think?" 
 
 The boy compressed his lips and shook his 
 head. "No; 'cause when I told him about the 
 baby she got awful white and and did 
 error " he swallowed "and went to sleep, 
 and I had to get water in my hat and rub 
 her hands and " 
 
 It was no use; the love and excitement in 
 Camilla's usually tranquil eyes, the sympathy, 
 the absorption, were too much. The little boy 
 threw his arms around her, buried his face in 
 her neck, and struggled with sobs. 
 
 "Yes, darling, it's all right," said Camilla 
 soothingly, utterly unable to see through the 
 mist that veiled her own sight. She patted the 
 child, his wet cheek pressed to hers. 
 
 "And Mamabel is all right now?" she asked 
 at last, with a reassuring note of cheerfulness 
 that stuck in her throat. 
 
 "Yes 'cause I waked her up and and 
 she she spoiled my hat," sobbed Junior with 
 characteristic masculine resentment at having 
 been dragged through a disturbing scene. 
 
 "There are lots of hats," soothed Camilla. 
 "Wasn't it good that you could help Mama- 
 bel? 1 Did did Daddy help her, too?" 
 
 408 
 
Sunrise 
 
 Camilla felt the quiet question to be crucial. 
 
 "Of course." The child began to gain con- 
 trol of himself. "Daddy held her in his arms 
 and rubbed her face, but I " a deep sob " I 
 had to keep running to the brook." 
 
 "That's right, darling. I 'm so glad you were 
 there to help. You said what did you say 
 a minute ago about a baby?" 
 
 Junior strove with himself. He, the big 
 brother of an impending helpless creature, 
 should not be weeping in Camilla's neck when 
 he announced his secret. Mamabel had said 
 that it was a secret when she told him. Daddy 
 had warned him that it was a secret that Ca- 
 milla only was to hear. 
 
 He straightened up and assumed as well as 
 he could what he considered a suitable air. 
 
 "You're not to tell anybody," he warned, 
 swallowing a tardy sob. 
 
 "No, no," promised Camilla, pressing her 
 hands together, and looking at him with just 
 such an expression as one could wish for the re- 
 ception of one's news. 
 
 "We're going to have a baby," announced 
 Junior, with superior calm. "I haven't de- 
 cided," he added, "whether it's going to be a 
 boy or a girl." 
 
 409 
 
The Right Track 
 
 Camilla caught at his hands. 
 
 "When did Mamabel tell you this?" 
 
 "Today, just before Daddy came." 
 
 "And you told him?" 
 
 Junior pulled his hands away. He was not in 
 a hand-squeezing mood. 
 
 "Yep. I wanted him to help me decide about 
 brothers and sisters." 
 
 "Did it surprise him?" 
 
 "Yep." 
 
 "Was he glad? Junior, dear, was he glad?" 
 
 "How do I know when Mamabel did error 
 right away?" 
 
 "Junior, precious, tell me one thing." Ca- 
 milla leaned toward the child with shining eyes, 
 and spoke pleadingly. "Try to think just what 
 happened. Do you think Daddy felt felt 
 displeased with Mamabel for for planning 
 a little brother for you?" 
 
 " I have n't decided on a brother," Junior 
 reminded her severely. 
 
 "Well, a sister; either one," urged Camilla. 
 "Did Daddy seem well, happy?" 
 
 " I guess he was n't very happy with Mama- 
 bel acting that way; but he kept calling her 
 Marling,' and hugging her; so he was n't cross, 
 I guess." 
 
 410 
 
Sunrise 
 
 Camilla amazed her companion by flinging 
 herself suddenly around to the desk and bury- 
 ing her face in the curve of her arm. She held 
 herself motionless while Junior regarded her. 
 What was the matter with grown-up ladies that 
 made them act so strangely! 
 
 He frowned and took a step nearer. 
 
 "Now, you're doing error, Camilla," he 
 declared. Her shoulders shook a little. "What's 
 the matter?" he demanded. "Are you afraid 
 you '11 have to take care of it ? I 'm going to take 
 all the care of it. I 'm going down to the station 
 with Pete to meet the train, and I 'm going to 
 carry it in my arms, and nobody's going to 
 touch it but me." 
 
 At this Camilla lifted her head and regarded 
 him. His words must have been very reassuring, 
 for in her happiest moods he had never seen 
 her look so radiant. Junior sighed with relief. 
 
 She took a freshly addressed letter from her 
 desk and tore it in small pieces. 
 
 "Let's go downstairs," she said with her most 
 charming, mysterious air of happiness; "let's 
 go down and see if they're coming." 
 
 "That is n't any use," returned Junior loft- 
 ily. "My little baby won't get here till the 
 leaves turn red." 
 
 411 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "But let's go, anyway. I want to get out on 
 the grass and dance!" 
 
 Camilla was nice and silly again. Junior 
 liked her that way best; and he laughed, 
 and clattered downstairs after her with a will. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE ANGEL'S NAME 
 
 WHAT Camilla saw when she reached the 
 porch made her heart stand still a moment, and 
 Junior caught her dress and forgot his big 
 brotherhood sufficiently to shrink behind her. 
 
 Daddy was coming up the hill with Mama- 
 bel in his arms. Had she gone to sleep again! 
 
 But as Mr. Barnes came nearer they saw him 
 smile at his burden, and Camilla ran down the 
 steps, followed more slowly by the little boy. 
 
 "You surprised us," she said, rather breath- 
 lessly, beaming at the master of the house. 
 
 "Yes ; Victor played the role of my good angel 
 this time, and brought me. I think you might 
 have told me, Camilla, that my wife was not 
 so well." 
 
 Camilla regarded him, demurely, under the 
 rebuke. He was a man and, therefore, must 
 put the blame somewhere. He mounted the 
 steps and was tenderly depositing Mabel in a 
 wicker reclining-chair, just as Lucretia appeared 
 around the corner of the house with a glass on a 
 tray. Her eyes flashed at sight of him. 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "What is it, eh?" she asked in a frightened 
 voice, her eyes on Mrs. Barnes as she hurried 
 up the steps at a pace which imperiled the egg- 
 nog. 
 
 James Barnes encountered her belligerent 
 look and it gave him a sense of well-deserved 
 condemnation. 
 
 Mabel, her head resting back on the chintz 
 cushion, smiled at her. 
 
 "Nothing, Lucretia, except that my husband 
 is joining you in making a baby of me," she 
 replied. 
 
 "H'm!" ejaculated Lucretia, and again 
 James Barnes received meekly her fiery glance, 
 which spoke plainer than the words would have 
 done which she halted on the end of her tongue. 
 "Drink this," she said curtly, offering her little 
 tray. 
 
 "Lucretia is the kindest creature, James. 
 She follows me around all day with these deli- 
 cious things; but I don't believe I can drink it 
 just now, Lucretia," finished Mabel apologeti- 
 cally. 
 
 "Yes, you can, dear," said her husband, pull- 
 ing up a small chair beside her and speaking with 
 a tone and expression which caused Lucretia's 
 severe mien to change while she watched him. 
 
 414 
 
The Angel's Name 
 
 "I'll drink it for you, Mamabel," offered 
 Junior, hastening up to her. 
 
 "Run away, scamp," said his father, absently 
 pushing the child aside, and taking the glass 
 under Lucretia's round gaze. 
 
 He held it to his wife's lips. 
 
 "Haven't you any straws?" he demanded 
 impatiently of Lucretia. 
 
 She resented his frown. "We don't feed 'em 
 to sick folks up this way," she retorted. "He 
 does well to frown at me!" she thought wrath- 
 fully. 
 
 "To drink through," he explained. "Have 
 you a glass tube?" 
 
 "No. The Metcalfs had one, but they took 
 it with 'em." 
 
 Camilla stood motionless, with beaming eyes, 
 watching James Barnes supporting Mabel's 
 cushions with deft hand, and lifting her so she 
 could drink. "Don't hurry," he said tenderly. 
 "Drink slowly." 
 
 Lucretia looked on. "He's good and scared," 
 she thought. "Serves him right. If I didn't 
 think so much of her I 'd like to have her die to 
 spite him." 
 
 Camilla smiled, watching Lucretia's face. 
 
 While the group was thus situated, Elaine 
 415 
 
The Right Track 
 
 and Victor approached from the orchard. He 
 was bareheaded and she swinging her hat by a 
 ribbon. 
 
 "Why, it's Daddy," exclaimed the girl. "He 
 did come, then." 
 
 Victor ran up the steps, noting the devotional 
 attitude of his brother-in-law with surprise. 
 "Mighty glad you could make it, Jim," he said, 
 while his questioning eyes regarded his sister. 
 
 "Dear old Daddy," cried Elaine, tripping 
 near and placing a butterfly kiss on his temple. 
 He did not look at the newcomers. 
 
 "Howdy," he said, absently, his attention 
 concentrated on the half-empty glass. 
 
 "That's all, please, James," said Mabel, 
 looking up at him pleadingly. 
 
 "Very well, dear," was the reply; but the tone 
 of it caused Victor to forget his farming schemes, 
 and Elaine to purse her lips and look around at 
 him slowly. 
 
 James Barnes handed the glass to Lucretia, 
 eased his wife's head back on the chintz pillow, 
 and settling again in the chair close beside and 
 facing her, he took her hand in his, and kept his 
 eyes on her face as he talked. 
 
 "I want you to go to town for me in the 
 morning, Victor." 
 
The Angel's Name 
 
 "Right O," returned that pleased and re- 
 lieved young man. 
 
 "I want you to bring men out with you to 
 screen this porch." 
 
 "I don't suppose I'll be able to get them 
 at once," remarked Victor; "it's the busy 
 time." 
 
 "You must get them at once. Mabel will 
 sleep out here." 
 
 "Then, Daddy," said Elaine, "if Mamabel 
 is n't going to use her room, Ben can come." 
 
 "No, Ben can't come just now. Wait till 
 August." 
 
 "It will be too hot for anybody to stay here 
 in, August," objected Elaine. 
 
 "Then Elm Farm will have to remain an arid, 
 Benless wilderness," remarked James Barnes 
 dryly. 
 
 Victor gave Elaine a malicious look, and she 
 made a grimace at him. She had been finding 
 much entertainment in holding Ben Walmsley 
 over the amateur farmer's head for the past two 
 weeks, soon making the discovery that her old 
 friend was an unwelcome subject of conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 Elaine stared at her father's back. He had not 
 looked at her once. The delicate symmetry of 
 
 417 
 
The Right Track 
 
 her stepmother's face against the rose chintz 
 apparently absorbed him. 
 
 "What has happened, I wonder?" she 
 thought. 
 
 "I hate to be away all day to-morrow, Jim," 
 said Victor. "It's so hard to corral you, and 
 you 're liable to slip off before I Ve said my say. 
 I want to show you by daylight." 
 
 "You shall show me by daylight." 
 
 "Are things quieter in the city?" 
 
 "No, buzzing. I expected to go back early 
 to-morrow morning." 
 
 "Well, Elaine 's as good a driver as I am; 
 better for this purpose. She'll smile on the 
 screen men and they'll follow her willy-nilly. 
 Send her instead of me." 
 
 "No, I want you to go. I shall have a long 
 list of things for you to attend to." 
 
 "And then you leave the next morning," said 
 Victor aggrieved. 
 
 "No. I'm not going back." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "I'm not going back." 
 
 "Not at all?" 
 
 "Well, I may spend a portion of my old age 
 in the city." 
 
 Victor and Elaine exchanged another look. 
 
The Angel's Name 
 
 Mabel and her husband drank deep of one 
 another's eyes, and the frail hand returned a 
 tender pressure. 
 
 " That '11 mean money to you, Jim, I suppose," 
 said Victor after a pause, regarding the light 
 in his sister's face. 
 
 "No; it means money to the other fellow," 
 was the laconic reply. 
 
 "Well, look out. You must n't feel too poor 
 to listen to me, you know." 
 
 James Barnes's slight smile and reply warmed 
 his wife's heart still further. 
 
 "There is n't any combination of people or 
 circumstances," he said slowly, "that could 
 make me feel poor." 
 
 "That's the talk," answered Victor; but he 
 turned and walked away down the hill, for 
 his heart was swelling at sight of his sister's 
 face. 
 
 Lucretia still stood, holding her tray as if 
 rooted to the floor. She watched the master 
 and mistress of the house, fascinated. 
 
 James Barnes suddenly looked up at her. 
 "Lucretia, what do you think of a farm con- 
 sidered coldly and solely as an investment?" 
 
 Her reply came promptly: "I think it's 
 exactly like a sponge," she answered; "only it 
 
 419 
 
The Right Track 
 
 drinks up money instead o' water and it don't 
 never get enough." 
 
 James Barnes laughed. He suddenly pressed 
 his lips to his wife's hair; then he kissed both 
 her hands, first one and then the other. 
 
 "Law!" thought Lucretia, startled and red- 
 dening, and she fled from the unwonted sight 
 of such frank endearment. She passed Camilla 
 on the way. 
 
 "I never!" she said, sotto voce. "What does 
 it all mean?" 
 
 "Love!" responded happy Camilla, beaming. 
 
 "I should say so! But folks can be kind o' 
 decent, can't they?" And Lucretia disappeared, 
 casting one last shining look over her shoulder 
 toward the piazza. 
 
 The south breeze ruffled the dark hair on 
 Mabel's brow. It seemed as if each zephyr was 
 bringing her new strength; a great and vitaliz- 
 ing gratitude. Her husband seemed not to wish 
 to stir from holding her, and watching her. 
 They were alone on the piazza now. 
 
 "Mabel," he said, and he no longer smiled. 
 His gray eyes besought the brown ones. " I 've 
 never heard you say you loved me." 
 
 "Dearest," she answered, "no one but the 
 trees and the sky and the brook has heard me 
 
 420 
 
The Angel's Name 
 
 say it, but I Ve told them a thousand times that 
 I love you. I love you. I love you." 
 
 Gray eyes brimmed, and James Barnes 
 pressed grave lips to hers. 
 
 Presently she spoke again. "Call Elaine for 
 me, will you, dear?" 
 
 The girl was romping with Angus on the ter- 
 race, while Camilla sat near. Junior had climbed 
 into Camilla's lap and was tickling her ear with 
 loud whispers as to his intention to teach the 
 small brother or sister his song. 
 
 At her father's call, Elaine came up the steps, 
 arranging her pretty, disordered hair. She ap- 
 proached the absorbed pair. 
 
 "Elaine," said her stepmother, and a great 
 light shone in her eyes, "I want to tell you 
 that we won't go back to the old house. You 
 may look for the prettiest apartment you can 
 find." 
 
 "Good news," returned Elaine with her best 
 manner. "What does this mean?" 
 
 "It means happiness, dear, happiness." 
 Mabel stretched out a hand to the girl, who 
 accepted it, touched in spite of herself by the 
 joy in the spirituel face. 
 
 Her father took her other hand. 
 
 "It means," he added, meeting her eyes, 
 421 
 
The Right Track 
 
 "that we have begun our honeymoon, Elaine, 
 your Mamabel and I." 
 
 The girl regarded him in silence; then the 
 veneer, polished to a charming surface by those 
 excellent ladies in New York, cracked and broke 
 away in the presence of a holy reality. The best 
 side of the real girl came to the surface. 
 
 "I'm glad. I love you both!" she exclaimed 
 softly and quickly. She kissed first Mabel, then 
 her father, clinging with both arms around his 
 neck. 
 
 Junior's high voice came from under the elm 
 tree, singing strong and free : 
 
 " For the angel's name was Love, 
 The angel's name was Love!" 
 
 THE END 
 
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