Newspaper Page Text
way, she's poor. And they have a rich
match in view for him. They aren't
exactly mercenary people, but well,
Bertram has a way of putting his fa
ther's back up and now they are at
daggers drawn."
"Then in my opinion the best thing
would be to introduce young Bertram
to Millie," said Mrs. Plunkett "She'd
turn any young man's head, if ever I
knew young men."
"Mother-in-law!" exclaimed John
in mock horror.
But it was true. Millie Gray was
the sweetest girl in the world and it
did seem a shame that she and her
mother and the few folks of the old
set should be unable to meet those
of the new.
And there had been scheming and
planning in order that the Stevens
might live their double life without
suspicion. John was heartily sick of
it all.
"I tell you, Lydia, this is all fool
ishness," he said. "It may be nec
essary to keep in with the Lentfields
for busines motives, but I want to be
able to sit down and talk about the
old days with Mamma Gray, and so
do you'
"Then what are we striving for?"
his wife demanded.
"It beats me," muttered John,
scratching his head. "Now see here,
Lydia. I'm not going to live like a
man with a past any longer. I'm go
ing to let the Grays meet the Lent
fields, and then let the heavens fall."
Lydia looked round their expensive
apartment, and the memories came
flocking fast She thought of their
struggle in New York ten years be
fore, of how they had resolved to
succeed, of her husband's position,
given him through business associa
tion with Mr. Lentfield, for whom he
now ran a branch of the firm uptown,
which, with his own business,
brought them in twenty-five thou
sand a year. And then, perhaps be
cause she was a real sport at heart,
she suddenly caputulated.
"John," she said, "I'll do it" i
"IH give a snob party. We'll have
the Lentfields and the Grays, and the
O'Regans, the real estate people, and
the Dawsons, who've just put up that
million-dollar bungalow on Long
Island. And we'll let them fight it
out together. And do you see the
end, John?"
"New friends, and warmer old .
friends."
"Or bankruptcy. But I'll do it, John.
Trust me!"
And with the decision a vast relief
came to both of them that they were
to sail under true colors at last
Millie and her mother were the
first to arrive. The girl had never
looked so sweet, John thought As
for Lydia, she was sure that young
Bertram Lentfield would soon- forget
his present entanglement in her pres
ence. Mrs. Plunkett, dressed like a
dowager in stiff black silk, lent an
air of refined old age to the assem
blage. John, who watched his
guests' every action almost as keen
ly as his wife, saw that the Lent
fields looked about them approvingly.
And. with a relic of her past fears,
Lydia had contrived to seat the
"O'Regans where they could do no
real harm.
It was obvious from the first that
young Bertram, who had taken Millie
in to dinner, was engrossed with her.
Everyone, in fact, noticed the mutual
interest in the. young couple. Mrs.
Lentfield, in the drawing room, open
ed her heart to her hostess.
"I don't know how to thank you
enough," she said. "It is perfectly
clear that they are fascinated with
each other. And that girl is so sweet
faced. I should like nothing better
than for him to take to some simple,
innocent girl like that, if he won't
have Miss Milliondecker."
"Allow me to introduce you to Mrs.
Gray," said Mrs. Stevens diplomatic
ally. And it turned out that in girlhood
Mrs. Lentfield had lived within a few
miles of the Grays and seen them,
, too, and swung on the same fence
