“You wicked, selfish, cruel girl!” continued Nannie in high pitched strident tones. “You mean, hard hearted, wretched beast!” She suddenly advanced toward Lucy who retreated in frightened astonishment. Arthur appeared in the hall doorway. “That is enough!” he said sternly. Nannie suddenly lost all self control. “Get out of my house!” she screamed. “You stinking----!” and a stream of awful invectives that seemed from a brothel poured from her lips. She picked up Lucy’s belongings from the hat stand and threw them against the front door where they fell on the threshold. “Anna!” Arthur spoke calmly, but he only succeeded in evoking another paroxysm of screams and vile words directed at himself. “Put your things on, Lucy,” he said, and in a moment the two fairly fled into the street, leaving Nannie in a state of hysteria bordering on madness. “I can’t go on this way, Papa!” exclaimed Lucy, looking back at the house after they had walked half a block. “All right. Do as you wish,” he responded without emotion. “Yes, it’s better that I should go,” she decided as if to herself, and they did not speak again until they reached the station. As they stood waiting for the train Lucy studied Arthur’s set face furtively. “I don’t want my going to make more trouble between you and Mamma,” she ventured at last, timidly. Arthur’s eyes sought hers slowly. “Don’t worry,” he replied heavily in his deep voice. “What you saw today is only a fair sample of what I’ve enjoyed for years. In the beginning I used to hold a quarter of an hour’s argument to get two minutes’ peace. Then I quit that and she tried to punish me with long periods of curdled gloom. Finally I took to staying away from the house in self defense. Long before you grew up things were as bad as they could be, so don’t blame yourself, Daughter. You have had nothing to do with it.” Lucy was surprised by this unprecedentedly long speech. “Don’t you think that maybe when I’m gone you and Mamma----” she did not know how to proceed. “I wouldn’t ask her for a drink of water if I were dying,” Arthur answered. Lucy had never heard such suppressed hatred and vehemence in his tone. “There’s the train,” he added in his ordinary manner, and they moved toward the platform. “Here are your tickets, and here is your money,” explained Arthur as they entered the Pullman. “Miss Storms will meet you. She will wear a bunch of white carnations. Here is a white carnation for you to wear. Miss Storms knows all about your plans.” He removed a flower that was in his button hole and Lucy fastened it on her jacket. They kissed. The train began to move. “Good-bye, Daughter. Write often. I will try to get up there to see you soon,” he called. The journey began. * * * * *