A Woman Named Smith

ork City, to Miss S. Smith,

niture noted. It's p

iss Smith t

is

om The

devil. Is your stuff Madison

om Miss

ids hadn't been invented whe

om The

urniture. Have been stung before.

om Miss

e you

om The

anything but carved chair; can't pray without prie-dieu. If spurious will publi

and cuddled th

it's working! He's coming, he's coming, and he's the biggest

live with. And there will be something the matter with his diges

licia explained charitably. "Don't worry about his digestion: leave

w

head of

r Miss

e so completely charmed Mrs. Westmacote and me that we have decided it w

cousin of hers, Miss Emmeline Phelps-Parsons, a lad

eat good fortune in falling heir to such a wonderful old pl

u when to expect us.

fait

EABODY W

Emmeline Phelps-P

Miss

otographs of your house which you were kind enough to send Mr. Westmacote. Hynds House is just th

igures on your drawing-room mantel, the luster and Washing

rely

PHELPS-

nfluence in Hynds House? I do so greatly long to

th a soul. Don't you hear dear old Boston calling you, Sophy? Her

America and delighted to include a Carolina colonial house in their trip; a suffrage leader, whose throat needed a r

is remarkable eyes." Well, the smile was rare enough; and of course there isn't any doubt about the man's intellectuality. For the rest, he proved to be a tall, lanky, stooping person, with a thin tanned face, ou

nd, of course, most horribly bored. He was gun-shy of women; he suspected them of wanting to marry him. He was wary of men; he suspected them of wanting to exploit him. He loathed children, who were generally obstreperous and unnecessary editions of parents he didn't admire. He didn't even trust the beautiful work

at each door and with an eagle glance take a comprehensive survey; then, defensively, offensively, he examined things in detail. From our rambli

the room next mine. Johnson's my secretary." He looked at Alicia, reflectively. "Amiable ass, Johnson," he

t," he said, in a hushed voice. "Absolutely p

something I particularly wanted was bought by somebody I was sure couldn't properly appreciate it. I dare say I was mistaken," admitted Alicia, "just as

clever, bad-tempered face. His eyes are as bright as ice, and have somewhat the same cold ligh

stonished and indignant Alicia could summon a withering retort, he added heartily: "This whole place is quite the real thing, you kno

s the real thing," Ali

one of the very nicest things that's ever been said to me?

rinned like a hyena, and Alicia giggled. "Because you must be bored to extinction, having to listen to all sorts of people ascribe to you al

"What! you don't believe all the

do

te like a dehumanized saint, you kn

edge of a table and cuddled a bony knee. Be

lf than you do like your p

threw up

om, did you acquire the supreme art of aiding and abetting an

to do here. This house gave us our big chance. But it wouldn't have been so-so in keeping wi

his intellectual ear

inner at the American Ambassador's in Vienna; quiet, unassum

is Doctor Je

feigned amazement: "In the name of high

Miss Hynds. She met and m

to an unusual degree, warned him

questions?"

cour

property from an o

ly. She married my mother

her was a Miss Hynds. Ho

time befor

ighbor o

rd Geddes is our neighbor on the other

ing. "But this house is unusual, very unusual. While I am

he should hear that history, as we knew it. If the mystery had ever been solved, the tragedy of Hynds House would have

ce of little Richard leaning against his pretty mother's knees; at the haughty, handsome face of James Hampden; and at beautiful

ing to tell when death cut off his wind? If he did it, where did he hide the plunder? Here in this house? His family must have kn

he gems had been put upon the market, some trace of them must

is house asked a century ago, and the

left her husband's grandniece the house of her forebears was Freeman's daughter: and the Austrian doctor's son is Richard's great-great-grandson!

coat pocket and in the most composed manner began to j

uzzle over while I'm here," he

yed no mean part in his satisfaction. His prowess as a trencherman aroused the admiration and respect of Fernolia, who waited on table. Fernolia had learned to admire herself in her smart apron and cap, and to serve creditably enough. O

's a

rm foundation of small strips of bacon, onion, stewed tomatoes, and rice, and a later and last addition

done put yo' name in de pot big. She say she glad we-all got man in de house to 'preciate vi

ells that on himself, and is considered tremendously clever

owers of turning other people's minds inside out failed utterly. His innocent-sounding queries, his adroit leads, were smilingly turned a

as conspicuous by its absence. And while he talked you could see the agile antenn? of The Author's winged mind feeling after the soul-string tha

Jelnik's East Indian man-servant; and came home dissatisfied and determined. He scented "copy," and a born writer after copy is, next to an Apache after a scalp or a Dyak after his enemy's head, the most ruthless of created beings. He will pick his mother's naked soul to pieces, bore into

to be ignored, even by South Carolina people. Something had to be done. But how shall one become acquainted with a notoriously unfriendly and gun-shy celebrity, a personage o

tha Hopkins. It was understood that if anybody could clear the way, carry a d

rude. She opened her campaign by a flank movement upon Alicia and me,

eathen. She wasn't really worrying about the heathen: he had all the rest of his benighted life to get himself saved in, hadn't he

plump, purple words like lyric, and liquid, and plastic, and subtile, and poignancy, with every now and then a chiaoscuro thrown in for good measure; and a whole melting-pot full of "rare emotional experiences," "art that was almost intuitive in its passion, so subtly did it"-oh, do all sorts of things!-and "handli

nloading a systemful of copy upon that faithful beast of burden, The Author had given himself a half-h

olescent cannibal; and all the while Miss Hopkins was stealthily watching doors and windows and hoping that high heaven would send

like a light. Miss Hopkins had seen him on the streets, but hadn't met him personally. I don't think she relished the fact that she had to come to Hynds House to do so. Nor could s

I have brought you the butter-scotch your soul hankers after. I fear you can never h

" Alicia replied airily. "But thank you, Mr.

aid at your shrine. If you offer me a piece or two, I shall accept with thanks: I like preserved

despised butter-scotch, and

, The Author.-Oh, by the way, Miss Smith: is it, or is it not written in the Book of D

ied Miss Hopkins. And she looked

s danced in and out of his eyes. "But we were speaking of The Author:

s a human being," Mi

d surprised. His

demurred. "He isn't

ght you knew," purred the hussy, demurely. "Why, he's dined at the White House, and lunched and motored and yachted with royalties, and lectured before the D.A.R.'s themselves! And he belongs to at least a dozen soci

d fury. "I had no slightest intention of reflecting upon the character of so eminent a writer, with whose

rse! I should have

ht have entertained. Also, she had come determined to discover what she could about

knowing him? Having him here in Hynds House almost justifi

think what the effect upon him would be were he to hear himself referred to as a bo

a hearty voice, and Doctor Richard Ged

es the turning of Hynds House into a boarding-house," answered

Martha, a hyena-cage, into which you'd be the last to venture your nose, my dear woman! I say, put on your bonnets, all

an engagement; besides, she liked to walk. People needed to walk more than they did. The reason why

Hopkins said dryly that the little walking she intended to do just then wouldn't affect her weight

ld as you are, Martha! You were several classes ahead of me in school, don't you remember? I

ied him with a ba

body for forgetting it, Ric

she looks," (Mr. Jelnik bowed, smilingly, to Miss Hopkins), "and

s momentary ill humor vanished. Miss Hopkins smiled. She had stuck

ieus, Boris offering e

a, I will not take a refusal; you shall not walk: you've got to come along, if I have to tuck you under my arm. I don't car

elf seated beside me, Sophy Smith, while Alicia, beside the doctor, tossed gay remarks over her shoulder. Miss Hopkins realized that all Hyndsville would witnes

as the doctor broke the speed laws on the long, level stretches of quiet roads. When we came to a rough spot she bounced up and down (one might hear her breath exhaled in a-well, yes, in

ely pleased. Two conspicuously red spots shone in Miss Hopkins's cheeks, and her eyes

tered Miss Hopkins, and s

ho in a lo

in fear

knows a fri

e behind

ld say that the hono

and every now and then dashing into the shrubbery to put to flight Beautiful Dog, who was also enamored of the young

r him fawningly, wagging what did duty as a tail, and showing every tooth in an

hands your copy of 'Purchas his Pilgrimes.' The Author dreams about that book out loud. Oh, y

lp pri

cently. "It was pervasive, but at the same time so delicate, so elusive,

smelled is what we think we smell, it isn't a-a regular p

against a golden background, and a great golden spear fell across the dark, brooding face of Freeman

p and his nose wrinkled. For the "something that belonge