written her not to come?” interrupted the minister suddenly, glancing thoughtfully at the letter in his hand. “Why did you do that? I should think from the letter she might be a great help. Why not let her come?”
The father wheeled around sharply again, kicking a corner of the rug that almost tripped him as if it had personality and were interfering with his transit.
“Let her come! Let her come here and meet that other girl? Not on any account. I— could not bear it! “ Again that tortured wistfulness in his voice like a half sob.
The minister watched him curiously with a sorrowful glance at the letter in his hand.
“I don’t quite see —how you can bear not to!” he said slowly. “After reading that appeal for your love—!”
“Appeal? What appeal? I don’t know what you mean?”
He took the letter hurriedly and dashed himself into his desk chair with a deep sigh, beginning to read with hurried, feverish eyes.
“Man! I didn’t read all this before! I was so upset! And then the other girl came!”
There was silence for an instant while he read. Then his eyes lifted with a look of almost fear in them. “Man alive!” he gasped. “She’s coming this morning! My letter will be too late!” He picked up the envelope he had so recently addressed and looked at it savagely as if somehow it were to blame. “Too late!” He flung it angrily on the floor, where it slid under the edge of the desk and lay. The tortured man jerked himself out of his chair again and began his walk up and down.
“What shall I do? You’re a minister. You ought to know. She’s on her way now. She’ll be here in a few minutes, and I can’t have her. She mustn’t meet that other girl! I can’t have Alice’s child see her! What would you do? Oh, why did God let all this come about?” He wheeled around impatiently and stamped off again. “I’ll have to get the other one off to school somewhere, I suppose. You wouldn’t be willing to meet that train and say I was called away, would you? Get her to go to a hotel in the city somewhere and wait? I could hire an automobile and take Athalie away. Perhaps there’s a school near her old home. Wait! I know a woman on the Hudson—I wonder—Give me long distance, central.” He had picked up the phone and began to tap the floor with his foot, glancing anxiously toward the clock that was giving a warning whir before striking. “What time does that train get in, Bannard? Have you a timetable?”
Bannard glanced at the clock.
“Why! You haven’t much time,” he said in a startled tone. “It gets here at eleven ten. Would you like my car?” He stepped to the window, glanced out, gave a long, low musical whistle, and in a moment Blink appeared, darting up the front walk warily, with eyes on the front window.
The minister leaned out of the window and called: “Blink, can you get my car here from the garage in five minutes? I want to meet that train.”
Blink murmured a nonchalant “Sure!” and was gone. The minister turned back to the frantic father, who was foaming angrily at the telephone operator and demanding better service.
“Mr. Greeves,” he said placing his hand on the other’s arm affectionately, “my car will be here in a moment. I think you had better take it and meet your daughter. It will be embarrassing for her to have to meet a stranger—”
Patterson Greeves shook his head angrily.
“No, no! I can’t meet her! I can’t help it! She’ll have to be embarrassed then. She got up the whole trouble by coming, didn’t she? Well, she’ll have to take the consequences. I have to stay here and get this other one off somewhere. I’ll send her back to her mother if I can’t do anything else! I won’t be tormented this way. I know. You’re thinking this is no way for a father to act, but I’m not a father! I’ve never had the privileges of a father, and I don’t intend to begin now. If my wife had lived it would have been different! But she had to
The father wheeled around sharply again, kicking a corner of the rug that almost tripped him as if it had personality and were interfering with his transit.
“Let her come! Let her come here and meet that other girl? Not on any account. I— could not bear it! “ Again that tortured wistfulness in his voice like a half sob.
The minister watched him curiously with a sorrowful glance at the letter in his hand.
“I don’t quite see —how you can bear not to!” he said slowly. “After reading that appeal for your love—!”
“Appeal? What appeal? I don’t know what you mean?”
He took the letter hurriedly and dashed himself into his desk chair with a deep sigh, beginning to read with hurried, feverish eyes.
“Man! I didn’t read all this before! I was so upset! And then the other girl came!”
There was silence for an instant while he read. Then his eyes lifted with a look of almost fear in them. “Man alive!” he gasped. “She’s coming this morning! My letter will be too late!” He picked up the envelope he had so recently addressed and looked at it savagely as if somehow it were to blame. “Too late!” He flung it angrily on the floor, where it slid under the edge of the desk and lay. The tortured man jerked himself out of his chair again and began his walk up and down.
“What shall I do? You’re a minister. You ought to know. She’s on her way now. She’ll be here in a few minutes, and I can’t have her. She mustn’t meet that other girl! I can’t have Alice’s child see her! What would you do? Oh, why did God let all this come about?” He wheeled around impatiently and stamped off again. “I’ll have to get the other one off to school somewhere, I suppose. You wouldn’t be willing to meet that train and say I was called away, would you? Get her to go to a hotel in the city somewhere and wait? I could hire an automobile and take Athalie away. Perhaps there’s a school near her old home. Wait! I know a woman on the Hudson—I wonder—Give me long distance, central.” He had picked up the phone and began to tap the floor with his foot, glancing anxiously toward the clock that was giving a warning whir before striking. “What time does that train get in, Bannard? Have you a timetable?”
Bannard glanced at the clock.
“Why! You haven’t much time,” he said in a startled tone. “It gets here at eleven ten. Would you like my car?” He stepped to the window, glanced out, gave a long, low musical whistle, and in a moment Blink appeared, darting up the front walk warily, with eyes on the front window.
The minister leaned out of the window and called: “Blink, can you get my car here from the garage in five minutes? I want to meet that train.”
Blink murmured a nonchalant “Sure!” and was gone. The minister turned back to the frantic father, who was foaming angrily at the telephone operator and demanding better service.
“Mr. Greeves,” he said placing his hand on the other’s arm affectionately, “my car will be here in a moment. I think you had better take it and meet your daughter. It will be embarrassing for her to have to meet a stranger—”
Patterson Greeves shook his head angrily.
“No, no! I can’t meet her! I can’t help it! She’ll have to be embarrassed then. She got up the whole trouble by coming, didn’t she? Well, she’ll have to take the consequences. I have to stay here and get this other one off somewhere. I’ll send her back to her mother if I can’t do anything else! I won’t be tormented this way. I know. You’re thinking this is no way for a father to act, but I’m not a father! I’ve never had the privileges of a father, and I don’t intend to begin now. If my wife had lived it would have been different! But she had to
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