OCR Text |
Show 44- I'RINCI‘ISS MARY‘S (ill'l‘ HOOK A MODEL SOLDIER the young thing in her arms and carried it in sal'cty to the pavement 7 ‘ ' ‘ l i lhe magnificent 2.0t)()-li.p. motoiucar pulled up beside her. and the richly'l She'll enlist you tion of the young girls heroism. demanded her name and address. and. make you into a district visitor, or turn you a lecturer on vegetarianism or some other fad." _ . . .v " Oh no, she won‘t," said Kitty, with sublime confidence; "not that f" the small but loudly cheering crowd which had collected, modestly I should object to being a nurse-fthat is, if I hadnt already to look disappeared.' " i "All very well," grumbled Mr. 'l‘horold; "but you'll be bronn‘ht ,. v ‘ h home on a stretcher some day, l\it. \ on re too vcnturesoine by far. \\ hat became of the child .3" after an aged and infirm parent. Yes; much as I value your advice. Dad, I think I‘ll call. I'll go to-morrow ; and if I come back, say, in a Salvation Army kit, and hanging a tambourine-and, mind you! I " Oh, it wasn‘t a child; it was a collie pup." . ".I thought you said ‘ fellow-creature." " remarked her father plaintively. " All dogs are my fellow-creatures," declared Kitty simply. might do worse: I‘ve a whole-hearted admiration for the S.A. and the uniform is distinctly l'etching- you can indulge in the exquisite pl *asnre of exclaiming‘, ‘ I told you s( . \Vhat are you on this morning, Dad f" she asked, going to him, putting her arm round his neck, and giving him a little hug. :‘VI am a credulous as well as a snil'ully indulgent parent," said Mr. lhorold, stepping back to View his sketch; " but I dont believe " Sketch for an illustration for the Long Acre BIHg'afl/ic," he said, with a kind of resignation; for your most gifted artist has to (lo a word of your story." 7' " ‘ Documentary evidence was instantly forthcoming; " retorted kitty, extending a tiny paw With a card inserted delicately between her fingers. pot-boilers nowadays :7 and generally he does them well. " The girls all right, anyhow." said Kitty. " \Vhere‘s the man !" I let father took it, read aloud: " Lady IIawborough, 200, Belgrave tittttll Take my advice and don't call. in one of her gangs of workers, hustle you into a hospital as a nurse, , mum "Heard some one at the Club talking about her; seen her name in the papers. dressed lady, with a gasp of relief and admiration. expressed her appreciahanding her a card. desired the rescncr to call. The heroine. nuirmuring‘ something inaudible, blushed sweetlv and. making her way tliroiin'h "New" subject. 45 Square. and then emitted a low whistle. " My word, kitty, you‘ve gone and done it I " he said. " If this is [/10 Lady Hawboroug‘h and bature, with all her audacity, cannot have guide two of them-you ve run up against a celebrity of the deepest ye. .. ' " , f 7 ..W 011 7" . said Ixitty. or . uI.‘ or .. ' , er heard of Sci her. ' she celebrated \Vhats v . .. v ' ‘ ‘ ' ' good worksfuhich means, in most cases, a disposition and a capacity Itor interlermg in the aii'airs of other people. And her Iadyship is (all? of) the biggest and most incorrigible interlercrs in this crank ot' a "or (1- ol ours. She is immensely rich; she is also ‘powerl'ul,' as the moat ists say; she is a tyrant to her relations, a terror to her friends, an a,‘\611{l31w.nlng‘ charitable bugbear to the world in general." ‘0. ("O-11.1 said lxitty, somewhat dismayed. "But how is it you are s . in .nnatc y acquainted with the history and characteristics of this lady ol lolly rank and goodly oot' { " I ")1 )'"lv'. i. .. \lydlcaillxitty, ‘ oot is not nearly such a good word as ‘ wealth. H ' i v i . 1 . . " u .Ohylic.l " int- 1its. easur to [)1011'O‘UIICC, retortcd kitty. , (out men. said Mr. lhorold, as if he were weary of" the " Oh, I‘m going to stick him in directly," said Mr. Thorold. " He's to be a soldier. and I‘ve got a young fellow coming as a model presently. Ran against him in a rather extraordinary way. He called on me yesterday with an introduction from L‘loxhani: said he had never sat as model before; but that he was hard up, and would do his best. Fine young fellow, and a nice taking sort of chap altogether." "‘ Burglar in disguise, coming to inspect the premises, no doubt," surmised liitty cheerfully. ) " \Vell. he‘s welcome to anythingr he takes a fancy to,' remarked Mr. 'l‘horold. " Oh. well!" she said. " I‘m 011' to consult Selinar-Ann as to whether it's to be bread-and-butter pudding or a baked roly-poly; expect me back, or what remains of me, in an hour." Carefully l‘tlllipllllg‘ her fathers already disordered hair. she screwed up his patient lace between her hands, kissed him and ran out, singing as she went. In less than an hour she re-entered the studio, still singing; but the song snapped olf suddenly, and she stood just within the doorway, staring with wide-open eyes at a young soldier in khaki who stood on the models dais, one arm in a sling, the other extended with a sword in the hand, in the kind of attitude beloved by the populace, and forming the picture which bears inevitably the legend, " Charge l 7‘ .) mam M0((‘¢,l l - |