Indianapolis Times, Volume 35, Number 244, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 February 1923 — Page 8

8

ALICE ADAMS by BOOTH TARKINGTON Second novel In The Times series by Indiana writers. Copyright, 1921, by Dc-übleday, Page & Cos.

, y 'sl not sure.” I He frowned at her and I asked, “Well, what do you think about it?” “I don’t know,” she said. “I don't believe 1 think anything at all about anything today.” “Well, well," he returned; “I expect not; I expect not. You kind of look to me as if you ought to be in bed yourself, young lady.” "Oh, no.” “I guess you mean ‘oh, yes’; and I won’t keep you long, but there's something we got to get fixed up, and I’d rather talk to you than I would to your mother, because you’re a smart girl and always friendly; and I want to be sure I’m understood. Now, listen.” “I will,” Alice promised, smiling faintly. “I never even hardly noticed your brother was still working for me,” he explained, earnestly. “I never thought anything about it. My sons sort of tried to tease me about the way your father—about his taking up this glue ousiness, so to speak—and one day Albert, Junior, asked me If I felt all right about your brother’s staying there after that, and I told him —well, I Just asked him to shut up. If the boy wanted to stay there, I didn't consider It my business to send him away on account of any feeling I had toward his father; not as long as he did his work right—and the report showed he did. Well, as it happens, it looks now as if he stayed because he had to; he couldn’t quit because he’d ’a’ been found out if he did. Well, he’d been covering up his shortage for a considerable time —and do you know what your father practically charged me with about that?” "No, Mr. Lamb.” In his resentment, the old gentleman’s ruddy face became ruddier and his husky voice huskier. “Thinks I kept the boy there because I suspected him! Thinks I did it to get even with him! Do I look to you like a man that’d do such a thing?” "No,” she said, gently. “I don’t think you would.” “No!” he exclaimed. “Nor he wouldn’t think so if he was himself; he’s known me too long. But he must been sort of brooding over this whole business —I mean before Walter’s trouble —he must been taking it to heart pretty hard for some time back. He thought I didn’t think much of him any more—and I expect he maybe wondered some what I was going to and there’s nothing worse’n that state of mind to make a man suspicious of all kinds of meanness. Well, he practically stood up there and accused me to my face of fixing things so't he couldn’t ever raise the money to settle for Walter and ask us not to prosecute. That's the state of mind your father’s brooding got him into, young lady—charging me with a trick like that!” "I’m sorry,” she said- “I know you'd never ” The old man slapped his sturdy knee, angrily. “Why, that dang fool of a Virgil Adams!” he exclaimed. “He wouldn’t even give me a chance to talk; and he got me so mad I couldn't hardly talk, anyway! He might ’a’ known from the first I wasn't going to let him walk in and beat me out of my own—that It, he might ’a’ known I wouldn’t let him get ahead of me in a business matter—not with my boys twitting me about it every few minutes! But to talk to me the way he did this morning— j well, he was out of his head; that’s j all! Now, wait just a minute,” he Interposed, as she seemed about to speak. “In the first place, we aren’t going to push this case against your brother. I believe in the law. all right, and business men got to protect themselves; but in a case like this, where restitution’s made by the family, why, I expect it’s just as well sometimes to use a little influence and let matters drop. Os course your brother’ll have to keep out o’ this State, that’s aIL" “But —you said ” she faltered. “Yes. What’d I say?” “You said, ‘where restitution’s made by the family.’ That’s what seemed to trouble papa so terribly, because —because restitution couldn't “Why, yes, it could. That’s what I’m here to talk to you about.” “I don’t see ” “I’m going to tell you, ain’t I?” he said, gruffly. “Just hold your horses a minute, please.” He coughed, rose from his chair, walked up and down the room, then halted before her. “It’s

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! like this,” he said. “After I brought ! your father home, this morning, there was one of the things he told me, when he was going for me, over yonder—it kind of stuck in my craw. It was something about all this glue controversy not meaning anything to me in particular, and meaning a whole heap to him and his fuanil Well, he was wrong about that two ways. The first one was, It did mean a good deal to me to have him go back on me after so many years. I don’t need to say any more about it, except just to tell you it meant quite a little more to me than you’d think, maybe. The other way he was wrong is, that how much a thing means to one man and how little it means to another ain't the right way to look at a business matter.” “I suppose It Isn’t, Mr. Lamb." “No,” he said. "It isn't. It’s not the light way to look at anything. Yes, and your father knows it as well as I do, when he’s In his right mind; and I expect that’s one olj the reasons he got so mad at mt—but anyhow, I couldn't help thinking about how much all this thing had maybe meant to him; —as I say, It kind of stuck in my craw. I want you to tell him something from me, and I want you to go and tell him right off, if he's able and* willing to listen. ; You tell him I got kind of a notion he was pushed into this thing • by circumstances, and tell him I've j lived long enough to know that circumstances can beat the best of us I —you tell him I said ‘the best of us.’ ! Tell him I haven't got a bit of feelj ing against him —not any more—and tell him I came here to ask him not to j have any against me.” “Yes, Mr. Lamb.” “Tell him I said—” The old man paused abruptly and Alice was surprised. in a duu and tired way, when I jhe saw that his lips had begun to | -witch and his eyelids to blink; but | ae recovered himself almost at once, and continued; “I want him to remember, ‘Forgive us our transgressions, as we forgive those that transgress against us': and if he and I oeen transgressing against each other, why, tell him I think it's time we ; quit such foolishness!” He coughed again, smiled heartily j upon her, and walked toward the I door; then turned back to her with |an exclamation: “Well, if I ain’t an aid fool!” “What is it?” she asked. “Why, I forgot what we were just alking about! Your father wants to ; settle for Walter’s deficit. Tell him we’ll be glad to accept It; bu,t of course, we don't expect him to clean the matter up until he's able to talk business again.” Alice stared at him blankly enough for him to perceive that further exj pianatlons were necessary. "It's like | this,” he said. “You see. if your fa- | ther decided to keep his works going I over yonder, I don’t say but he might ‘ give us some little competition for a ' time, 'specially as he's got the start | on us and about ready for the market. ' Then I was figuring we could use his plant—it’s small, but It’d be to our benefit to have the use of it—and he's got a lease on that big lot; It may come In handy for us if we want to expand some. Well, I'd prefer to make a deal with him as quietly as possible —no good in every' Tom. Dick and Harry' hearing about things like this —• but I figured he could soil out to me for a little something more’n enough to cover the mortgage he put on this house, and Walter’s deficit, too—that I don’t amount to much in dollars and | cents. The way I figure It, I could ! offer him about $9,300 as a total—or say $9.350 —and If he feels like accepting, why. I’ll send a confidential man i up here with the papers soon’s your i father’s able to look ’em over. You 1 tell him, will you, and ask him If he | sees his way to accepting that figure?” “Yes,” Ali-e said, and now her own iips twitched, while her eyes filled so that she saw but a blurred Image of the old man, who held out his hand jin parting. “I’ll tell him. Thank ! you.” He shook her hand hastily. “Well, let’s just keep It kind of quiet,” he said, at the door. “No good in every Tom. Dick and Harry knowing all what goes on in town! You telephone me when y-our papa’s ready to go | over the papers—and call me up at Imy house tonight, will you? Let me hear how he’s feeling?” "I will,” she said, and through her grateful tears gave him a smile almost radiant. “He’ll be better, Mr. | Lamb. We all will.” CHAPTER XXV ONE morning, that autumn. Mrs. Adams came into Alice’s room, and found her completing a sober toilet for the street; moreover, the expression revealed in her mirror was harmonious with the business like severity of her attire. “What makes you look so cross, dearie?” the mother j asked. "Couldn’t you find anything nicer to wear than that old dark dress?” “I don’t believe I’m cross,” the girl said, absentjy. “I believe I'm Just thinking. Isn't it tbout time?” “Time for what?” “Time for thinking—for me, I mean?” Disregarding this, Mrs. Adams looked her over thoughtfully. “I can't j see why you don’t wear more color,” j she said. "At your age it’s becoming i and proper, too. Anyhow, when you’re j going on the street, I think you ought to look just as gay and lively as you can manage. You want to show ’em you’ve got some spunk!” “How do you mean, mama?” “I mean about Walter’s running away and the mess your father made of his business. It would help to show ’em you're holding up your head just the same.” “Show whom!” “All these other girls that —” “Not I!” Alice laughed shortly, shaking her head. “I’ve quit dressing at them, and if they saw me they wouldfi’t think what you want ’em to. It’s funny: but we don’t often make people think what we want 'em to, mama. You do thus and so; and you tell yourself. 'Now, seeing me 'do thus and so, people Will naturally think this and that; but they don’t. They think something else—usually just what you don’t want ’em to. I suppose about the only good in pretending is the fun we get out of fooling , ourselves that we fool somebody.” j “Well, but it wouldn’t be pretending. You ought to let people see

DOINGS OF THE DUFFS—

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you're still holding your head up because you are. You wouldn’t want that Mildred Palmer to think you’re cast down about —well, you know you wouldn’t want her not to think you're holding your head up, would you?” “She wouldn’t know whether I am or not, mama.” Alice bit her lip, I then smiled faintly as she said; I “Anyhow, I’m not thinking about my head in that way—not this morning,

OUT OUR WAY—By WILLIAMS

TIIE OLD HOME TOWN—By STANLEY

I’m not,” Mrs. Adams dropped the subject casually. “Are you going downtown?” she inquired. “Yes.” “What for?” "Just something I *want to see about. I’ll tell you when I come back. Anything you want me to do?” v “No; I guess, not today. I thought you might look (for a rug, but- I’d

THE UNDIANAFOLIS TIMES

Lena Does Things Her Own Way

rather go with you to select it- We’ll have to get anew rug for your father’s room, I expect.” “I'm glad you think so, mama. I don’t suppose he’s ever even noticed it, but that old rug of his —well, really!” “I didn't mean for him,” her mother explained, thoughtfully. “No; he don’t mind it, and he’d likely make a fuss if we changed it on his account. No; what I meant —we’ll have

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Overcome This On lom- Oboe

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to put your father in Walter’s room. He won’t mind, I don’t expect—not much.” “No, I suppose not,” Alice agreed, rather sadly. “I heard the bell awhile ago. Was it somebody about that?” “Yes; just before I came upstairs. Mrs. Lohr gave him a note to me, and he was really a very pleasantlooking young man. Avery pleas ant-looking young man,” Mrs. Adams repeated with increased animation

FRECKLES AXD HI'S FRIENDS—By BLOSSER

OUR BOARDING HOUSE—By AHERN

and a thoughtful glance at. her daughter. “He’s a Mr. Will Dickson; he has a first-rate position with the gas works, Mrs. Lohr says, and he’s fully able to afford a nice room. So if you and I double up in here, then with that young married couple in my room, and this Mr. Dickson in your father’s, we’ll just about have things settled. I thought maybe I could make one more place at table, too, so that with the other people from

TUESDAY, a Lii. LO, lbL-J

—By ALLMAN

—By AE i^u^EN

outside we’d be serving eleven alto gether. You see if I have to pay this cook twelve dollars a week—lt can’t be helped, I guess—well, one more would certainly help toward a ii'ofit. Os course it’s a terribly wor--ying thing to > see how we will come out. Don’t you suppose we could ->queeze in one more?” “I suppose it could be managed; yes.” (To Be Continued.)