Mary Louise | Page 3

be trusted to conduct
themselves properly on all occasions; and she's right about that. We
must look for her reason somewhere else and I think it's in the pictures
themselves."
"As for that," said Jennie, "I've seen Miss Stearne herself at the picture
theatre twice within the last week."

"Then that's it; she doesn't like the character of the pictures shown. I
think, myself, girls, they've been rather rank lately."
"What's wrong with them?"
"I like pictures as well as you do," said Mary Louise, "and Gran'pa Jim
often takes me to see them. Tuesday night a man shot another in cold
blood and the girl the murderer was in love with helped him to escape
and married him. I felt like giving her a good shaking, didn't you? She
didn't act like a real girl at all. And Thursday night the picture story
told of a man with two wives and of divorces and disgraceful doings
generally. Gran'pa Jim took me away before it was over and I was glad
to go. Some of the pictures are fine and dandy, but as long as the man
who runs the theatre mixes the horrid things with the decent ones--and
we can't know beforehand which is which--it's really the safest plan to
keep away from the place altogether. I'm sure that's the position Miss
Stearne takes, and we can't blame her for it. If we do, it's an evidence of
laxness of morals in ourselves."
The girls received this statement sullenly, yet they had no logical reply
to controvert it. So Mary Louise, feeling that her explanation of the
distasteful edict was not popular with her friends, quietly rose and
sauntered to the gate, on her way home.
"Pah!" sneered Mable Westervelt, looking after the slim figure, "I'm
always suspicious of those goody-goody creatures. Mark my words,
girls: Mary Louise will fall from her pedestal some day. She isn't a bit
better than the rest of us, in spite of her angel baby ways, and I
wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be a regular hypocrite!"
CHAPTER II
GRAN'PA JIM
Beverly is an old town and not especially progressive. It lies nearly two
miles from a railway station and has little attractiveness for strangers.
Beverly contains several beautiful old residences, however, built
generations ago and still surrounded by extensive grounds where the

trees and shrubbery are now generally overgrown and neglected.
One of these fine old places Miss Stearne rented for her boarding
school; another, quite the most imposing residence in the town, had
been leased some two years previous to the time of this story by
Colonel James Weatherby, whose family consisted of his widowed
daughter, Mrs. Burrows, and his grandchild, Mary Louise Burrows.
Their only servants were an old negro, Uncle Eben, and his wife, Aunt
Polly, who were Beverly bred and had been hired when the Colonel
first came to town and took possession of the stately Vandeventer
mansion.
Colonel Weatherby was a man of exceptionally distinguished
appearance, tall and dignified, with courtly manners and an air of
prosperity that impressed the simple villagers with awe. His
snow-white hair and piercing dark eyes, his immaculate dress upon all
occasions, the whispered comments on his ample deposits in the local
bank, all contributed to render him remarkable among the three or four
hundred ordinary inhabitants of Beverly, who, after his two years'
residence among them, scarcely knew more of him than is above
related. For Colonel Weatherby was an extremely reserved man and
seldom deigned to exchange conversation with his neighbors. In truth,
he had nothing in common with them and even when he walked out
with Mary Louise he merely acknowledged the greeting of those he met
by a dignified nod of his stately head.
With Mary Louise, however, he would converse fluently and with
earnestness, whether at home during the long evenings or on their
frequent walks through the country, which were indulged in on
Saturdays and holidays during the months that school was in session
and much more often during vacations. The Colonel owned a modest
automobile which he kept in the stable and only drove on rare
occasions, although one of Uncle Eben's duties was to keep the car in
apple-pie order. Colonel Weatherby loved best to walk and Mary
Louise enjoyed their tramps together because Gran'pa Jim always told
her so many interesting things and was such a charming companion. He
often developed a strain of humor in the girl's society and would relate

anecdotes that aroused in her spontaneous laughter, for she possessed a
keen sense of the ludicrous. Yes, Gran'pa Jim was really funny, when
in the mood, and as jolly a comrade as one would wish.
He was fond of poetry, too, and the most severe trial Mary Louise was
forced to