baseball umpire's gesture in calling a runner safe at a base more than
anything John could think of.

Before dinner that night Mrs. Gallant handed him an envelope which she
said she received in the afternoon's mail. It was addressed to him and
opening it he found that it was a note from Consuello.

"My dear Mr. Gallant," he read, "could you and your dear mother
accompany me home Sunday for dinner? I can arrange to call for you and
bring you home in the car. I would be delighted to have you with me and
am anxious for father and mother to meet Mrs. Gallant. Cordially,
Consuello Carrillo."

CHAPTER XIII

Since the night Mrs. Gallant had gone weeping to her room after John
told her that Consuello played in motion pictures, the girl had never
been mentioned by either of them. John refrained from speaking of her
because he decided that until he found some way to overcome the
prejudice his mother held it would only cause unpleasantness. There had
never been a night following that when Mrs. Gallant had displayed her
disapproval of Consuello that John had not racked his brain to decide
how he could eradicate his mother's intolerant attitude and bring her to
know and appreciate Consuello for the girl she was.

At times he was annoyed by his mother's bigotry which gave her, in
Consuello's case, an unreasonableness that amounted almost to fanaticism
and embittered the natural sweetness of her character and disposition.
His suspicion that her condemnation of photoplays and everyone connected
with them was being fostered by someone else had been substantiated by
an incident which occurred shortly after the night she had turned her
back on Consuello.

That Mrs. Sprockett, "from across the street"--as John always thought
of her--had interrupted one of the evening chats he always had with his
mother. His impulsive dislike of Mrs. Sprockett caused him to leave her
alone on the porch with his mother while he retired to the living room
to read. The window to the porch was open.

"Isn't it terrible?" he heard Mrs. Sprockett say. "They tell me that she
had been married three times and smokes cigarettes right in front of
everyone. Women like her are a disgrace to a nation and we mothers
should do something, I tell you."

From further snatches of the conversation John learned that Mrs.
Sprockett was referring to a motion picture actress who had been given a
decree of divorce that day.

"I told my Alma at dinner, tonight, tha