The Fifth Wheel

l discover yourself in difficulty. Leave your spoon in your cup and your arm will unexpectedly hit it sometime, and over w

g, dancing, theater-ing and motoring like mad with Breck and draw its conclusions; and all this, mind you, before I had received a word of any sort whatsoever

success than the other rather hoidenish young ladies who chanced to be the guests at Grassmere the time I was there. Mrs. Sewall is a small woman, always dressed in black, with a superb string of pearls invariably about her neck, and lots of brilliant diamonds on her slender fingers. Breck with his heavy features, black hair brushed straight back, eyes half-closed as if he was always rid

because Breck plead that Mrs. Sewall was on the edge of a nervous break-down, and to announce any startling piece of news to her at such a

the week, in his absurd eagerness, he would dash up to our door and ring the bell as late

casionally squeezed in between. All this, I supposed, was carried on without Mrs. Sewall's knowledge. I ought to have known better than to have excused it. It was my fa

dith knocked gently on my door, and then opened it and came in.

lee

ied. "What's

ow Grassmer

I dem

I happened to look up there. It's all lit up, upstairs

mother would remain in the rented palace at Newport for t

ort up there. I guess Mrs. F. Rockridge has recovere

I won't say what my next act was after Edith had gone out of th

ith had been to her bridge club, and came rushing up on the veranda, eager and excited. There were little bright spots in the center of each cheek. Edith's a handsome woman, thirty-five or eight, I think, and very sma

asked of me. I was lyi

, on the hall table.

ed. She rejoined me an instant later, wi

nded again, and I could see the re

ssured her. "Expe

ble with Breck?" she f

at, Edith?" I inquired

Grassmere on the twenty-fourth, and we're left out.

will come in the morning prob

uth of it. It was terribly embarrassing this afternoon-all of them telling about what they were going to wear-it's going to be a masquerade-and I sitting there like a dummy! Héléne McClellan broke the news to me. She blurted right out, 'Oh, do tell

now-Mrs. Sewall, I me

er, for the rest of the summer, and the ball is being given in her honor. Gale Oliphant, I believe the girl's name is. But look here, it seems very queer to me th

iffs, Edith," I

ted in this fashion. I'm sure I've done nothing. It's not my fault. I wouldn't car

nerve, Edith," I said in a

slights, but if I were in your place I shouldn't enj

nging a sofa-pillow with care underneath my

didn't stir, just kept right on staring at the printed page befor

een rather keen about her before he met me. "That makes my eight hundred dollars a year look rather sickly, doesn't it?" I replied. "Yes," he said, "it sure does! But let me tell you that you make her look like a last year's straw hat." However, the last year's straw hat posses

olish conclusions. Breck would probably explain the situation to me. I must wait with calmness and composure. And I

st-marked Maine. I

ar

p at your place for another week. I'm yours and don't forget it. It seems like a week of Sundays. Mater popped the news she's going to open up old Grassmere pretty soon. Then it will be like a week of holidays for yours truly, if you're at home to sit in that pergola effe

h details in this letter. It brought immense relief. Breck was so natural and so obviously unaware of trouble brewing at home. Surely, I needn't be alarmed. The invitation for the m

thout interference. She was a very clever woman, an old and experienced hand at social maneuvers. I am only a beginner. It was an uneven, o

held in mid-August, and many of the summer colonists-women a

box stalls with two or three valuable thorough-breds. Edith's Arrow, Pierre, and Blue-grass had won some sort of a ribbon for the last

, and the big bell in the tower clanged at intervals. Between events horses were being led to and fro, and in front of the grand-stand important individuals wearing white badges leaned over the sides of the lowest tier of boxe

k and forth from box to box, and the owner of each box is as much a host in his own reservation as in his own reception-room at home. Our box is usually very popular, but this year there was a marke

med in scarlet, in their midst. A vigilant group of summer colonists hovered near-by, now and again becoming one of the party. Edith and I sat quite alone in our box for an hour fully; I in my severe black

o me, "Isn't this simply terrible? I

ked. "My event c

. I'm sick of sitting here stark alone.

of our most intimate friends-Edith's bridge clu

and we got up and str

elt under Mrs. Jackson's over-effusive greeting the effort it was for her to appear easy and cordial. The group must have been talking about the masquerade, for as

elf so aloof, was very gracious this afternoon, smiling cordially at left and right, and stopping now and again to present her niece. I saw her re

ole group now. "I want it to be a success. I am giving it for my little guest here-and my son also," she added with a significant smile, as if to imply that the coupling of Miss Oliphant's and her son's names was not accidental. "Oh, how

ack of several chairs toward Mrs. Sewall. I wish I could have stopped her, but it w

ou do, Mr

escended to reply. There was chill

assmere occupied again. The lights are very pretty on

he chilliness was fros

Mrs. Sewall-I am Mrs. Alexand

Perfectly, in fact," she said. Then stopped short. There was a ter

the group, at last, "look at that lo

her lorgnette and

you tell me the participants in the next event? I've left my program. So careless!" she purred. And aft

or crawled away. For there was no one to offer a helping hand to Edith and me. I didn't expect it. In social en

. Good-by." And leisurely, although I longed to cast down my eyes and hasten quickly away from the staring faces, I strolled out of the box