f
4.
mi; A-
HWMMr
liu t
Margaret Turnbull.
CHAPTER VII Continued
1J
Vary ttooped aud kissed her little
hostess and! thanked her warmly,
promising to be back to visit her soon.
"Oh, It you'd do that, that would
be wonderful 1 Jest to have torn one
come In and see me. I don't eTer
want for anything," ahe aald proudly,
for the Snyera were an old family
and Phoebe never forgot It "Uncle
Kate'a got plenty, and he'l o kind
to me. But I do lore company."
TJncI Nate looked up at the aky
and aald: "You'd better hurry home;
there'a a shower coming."
Ned realised that Cncle Nate did
Dot wish Phoebe to know of certain
financial transaction. In which wear
and tear to his barn and kitchen and
the loan of dry clothing had been duly
and minutely calculated.
They aald very little. They had
both been shaken out of the groove In
which they had been comfortably ex
isting at the beginning of this drive.
Ked was no longer merely amusing
grocer's clerk. lie was man who
had held her In his arms, who had
called her "dear" and had saved her
life. As for Ned, there was no long
er any need for question. Mary might
be still vague about her feelings to
ward him, but he knew now what she
meant to him. He had known It from
the moment be came up out of the
water with her In his arms. She waa
the one girl, the only girl for htm.
Dorothy Selden, and her predecessors,
were pale ahadows In the long ago.
Mary was what he hid been searching
for, longing for.
Be knew It now. It was wonderful
It wss romance; romance come upon
auddeniy In the midst of common,
tvery-day life.
"There'a mother, waiting," ex
claimed Mary, who had been longing
to smooth down bis hair which had
dried thoroughly, but rampantly, In
the breex. Wh, I do hope she's not
anxious."
CHAPTER VIII
Mrs. Johnston was not only anxious,
but annoyed, and waa prepared to
show iter annoyance. Then ahe caught
sight of Mary's wet hair and strange
clothes. Instsntly she eliminated
from her world everything but Mary,
until she hsd her In her arms and was
convinced that she was safe and
sound.
Then, snd only then did she Include
Ked In her gate, and for a moment
Ned wished he were Invisible. The
Bother's eyes were like those of a
tigress who has recovered her cub
and sights the hunter who tried to
take It away. They softened, almost
Instantly, when Mary told her all she
wed to Mr. Carter.
The tigress disappeared utterly as
Mrs. Johnston hurried Mary Into the
house, with Instructions ss to a hot
bath and bed. Then she turned to
Ned and ordered him home as fast aa
be could go. lie might come tomor
row. She held out ber hand and thanked
him gratefully and sincerely, and yet
dismissed htm back Into the shades of
the grocery shop from which he came.
Ned drove away with no thought of
bitterness In hla heart. Mrs. John
ston wss sbsolutely within her rights.
Mary was a precious possession. Be
Idea, though Ned did not consciously
formulate this thought to himself, It
made the game so much more exciting
to have opposition. An Implacable
mother was almost aa exhilarating as
i rival.
This latter thought brought Ned up
with tuddon start It dawned upon
him that be was dreaming wildly,
with very little foundation for hla
dream. He knew absolutely nothing
about the girl. But when has thut
fact discouraged a lover?
Claude was at the entrance of the
tore when Ned drove up. After the
first glance he hurried Ned within.
Ned noticed with amusement that
Claude pursued the same tactics as
Mrs. Johnston, ordering Aunt Lyddy to
see that Ned had a hot bath Imme
diately, and also mentioning bed. He
agreed to the first but scorned the
latter. Later he told his story.
"Jlmlny 1" Claude exclaimed. "Lucky
you were there, and I'm glad It wasn't
more serious, Did you see Mrs.
Johnston?"
"Mrs. Johnston? Oh, yes I Toil
couldn't help seeing Mrs. Johnston
If she was around. Awfully fond of
Mary. She Isn't a bit like Mary
r Miss Johnston."
"No," aald Claude, dryly, "appar
ently not You didn't notice anything
Ise did you? Wasn't there a single
Uttl thing about this Mrs. Johnston
that marked her out from any other
pleasant-spoken, red-headed womuu
you've seen?"
"Her good looks," Ned admitted,
blowing a cloud of smoke to the cell
ing. "They were extra."
"Oh my 0 d I Ned, you are an ex
asperating youngster."
Ned studied Claude's perturbed
countenance. Then It slowly dawned
upon him that there might be a rea
son for this excess of feeling. 'Not
not trying to check up your red-headed
Polly girt with her, are you?"
"And If I am," declared Claude,
shaken out of hla usual good-humored
acceptance of things as they are, "a
lot of help I'm getting from you!"
"What was your Polly's name?"
"Mary Polly Johnston."
Ned whistled.
"If It was the daughter this Mary
girl now, I suppose I could get details
and like as not she's twice aa ordinary
as the mother."
"Nonsense!" Ned rose to the de
fense of his lady. "Mary Miss John
ston, I mean, hat the most extraor
dinary blue eyes."
"Jlmlny, Ned Have I got to hear
that again? I got blue eyes myself."
Ned looked at Claude and gasped.
He leaned toward him and anld:
"They're the same color at Miss John
ston's." Claude Melnotte Dahbs rose, his
lips compressed. "Ned, you've had a
hard day and I've come darn near los
ing you, to nothing on earth will
make me pick a fight now. But If you
want to do me the greatest favor
tske a nap, and wake up able to say
one single sentence straight through
without dragging that girl's eyet In."
He left the room abruptly. "All the
same," Ned told himself at he reached
for a book, "their eyet are very much
alike."
Mary Johnston slept the sleep of
exhausted youth, and woke refreshed.
to find her mother sitting at her bed
side. "Why, Mumsy," Mary stretched out
slim, warm band to ber mother.
'have you been worrying about me?"
Mrs. Johnston stooped and kissed
her. "You are all I have In the world,
so you're rather precious to me.
You're not to get up. I've hsd my
dinner, and yours It on the tray
ready to bring up."
"Mother!" Mary lay still and won
dered. . "You get a dinner 1 Why I
never even dreamed you knew howl"
"There'a lots of undiscovered coon-
try about mother, though you've
known ber alt your life, Mary. You'll
find It out some day."
" Mary finished ber dinner and when
she relinquished the tray, tuld:
'Mother, couldn't we tort over the
Jewelry tonight?"
Mrs. Johnston agreed and went from
the room with the tray. Mary lay
bark on the pillows and contemplated
the celling, a little frown between her
brows. If It was not having to sell
the Jewelry and being poor, what was
it that wat worrying mother? Surely
she was not worrying shout this this
Mr. Carter?
At the same moment Claude Dahbs.
till at his desk, also frowning, looked
up fr"tn his writing as Ned cam Into
the room.
"C. M aren't you rather Jumping
at conclusions? 'Johnston' Is far from
being an uncommon name, and 'Mary,'
with 'Polly' fur short, It far from be
ing uncommon either; therefore the
combination reaily tells you nothing."
Claude nodded. "I told myself that
too, at first but n
"All the same," Ned continued re
luctantly, "I will tell you something
!'ve noticed about Mrs. Johnston.
She has a little black mote on the
lobe of her ear. Bather fetching, like
the dark stone of an earring. And
behind the same ear she has tingle
lock of pure white hair."
"A hit like a thumb-murk and Just
behind the eur?"
"Yes."
Claude rose, excitedly, then tnt
dowr. suddenly, "Polly or I'm a
Dutchman I Io you suppose she's got
her susplcloni about me, and came
here to verify 'cm?" demanded Cliiude,
"Never heard her mention your
name," Ned declared. "Certainly
never asked me any questions."
"All the same, I don't like the way
things look," Claude anld doggedly.
There's something behind It I'm
going to be on the safo side."
Ned looked at htm curiously, and a
little uncomfortably. What safe side
could there he for man In 0. M.'t
position. If his utterly absurd deduc
tion that lovely Mrs. Johnston wat
hit "roily" had tuy foundation In
fact
Tin going to send her back th
money," declared Dahbs. "Going to
send her back her cursed five hun
dred and feel that my soul's my
own. I scraped and saved that money
the Unit year I was clear of debt and
I've held It all this time Just fur
Just for this chance."
He opened a small drawer In hit
desk, and reached for a roll of hills
with a rubber band about them, wrote
a few words on sheet of paper,
sealed It with the money In an en
velope, directed It then went to the
store door.
Although the store wat closed and
shuttered, there wat a light In Its dim
recesses. Young John Slater, an as
sistant was there.
"John," called Claude, take this let
ter up to the White House. You can
take the car. I don't car how lata
you come back, If there'a no answer."
Young John grunted assent and dis
appeared with the note, whistling at
the thought of having the car to him
self as late aa ha wished.
On Mary't bed lay two empty Jewel
cases. Mary sat propped np against
the pillows and her mother snt at tha
foot of the bed. Between them wat
a heap of glittering things. If Mary
sold: "Bother that old ring. You
don't want to keep that" her mother
would say: "Mary, you gave me that
ring when you were only twelve. How
can I part with It?"
In the middle of an animated dis
cussion about an old Jnde bracelet
the doorbell rang. Mrs. Johnston,
after waiting for some one to answer
It suddenly realized that she wss the
only some one available, and went
down stairs.
Young John Slater stood watting
Impatiently. "Mr. Dabbs, he asked
me to give thlt note Into your hands,
and if they wat any answer to wait
Mrs, Johnston managed to Indicate
that he might wait In the hall, and
went swiftly Into the library, ahut the
door and held the letter aa though It
was a deadly explosive. Presently she
opened the letter. Five one hundred
dollar bills fell out Mrs. Johnston
picked them up, together with the
note which had been folded around
the Mil. The note began without
preamble.
"If you are the Tolly Johnston wh
married me In New Brunswick, tome
twenty years ago, you will know why
I am returning the money. I have
felt worse than the devil about It for
more years than I like to remember.
For God't take don't refuse me the
chance to get financially straight I
won't Intrude otherwise, without your
permission. If you art not my Polly
Johnston, send It bark and excuse
"Claude Dabbs."
Polly Johnston gave low whistle.
'It's a godsend," the aald aloud at
the put the money In her desk. 81t
threw the note on the fire, wstched II
burn and went Into the hall.
"Tell Mr. Dabln there It no an
swer.
Yonng John went out Into the night
and Mrs. Johnston went up to Mary,
arranging her atory at the climbed
the stairs.
Mary, fingering the Jewels, yawned
little, fche Idly planned several
beginnings for the next chapter of
her life In Clover Hollow. They
were all different yet each began
lib th morning's Interview with the
grocer's clerk. She thought thlt was
odd, but concluded that poverty and
th country were narrowing her horl
ton. She looked up at ber mother
entered th room.
With sudden movement of nei
hand, Mrs. Johnston swept th "for
tule" Jewels Into the box.
"We won't have to bother with them
yet awhile. I've hud a telegram
from New York. We'r to go ther
and negotiate a loan on the land. 1
want you with me, of course. 1
couldn't leave you here alone. Well
have to take the first train tomorrow.
It't the 9:1(0, I think. Will you be
feeling up to thut, Mary-girl?"
"I feel perfectly all right Mother.
It't only a bit tudden, tnd I can never
care about the city In thlt weuther.
But I'll be rendy."
(TO UK CONTINUED.)
XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX''XXXXXXXX4
Kanakas Left Record of Engineering Skill
In bygone dayt the natlvet of New
Caledonia dlxplayed an astonishing
knowledge of engineering.
Because th valleys where they
lived were too narrow to support a
growing population, they carved the
side of the hills Into great terraces.
These were carefully graded to that
mountain streams could h mad to
flow tmoothly along each terrace and
down to th- next In tlgr-ags, each
half a mile or to long, says a writer
In Adventure Maguslne. If there wss
no spring on the hillside, they brought
water from neighboring slopes along
vlad tctt made of hollowed out tree
truuks. They gauged levels with t
nicety modern engineers might envy.
Few of these terraced hillside art
cultivated today. The whit man has
changed all that
The native population It decreasing,
the survivors are apathetic and Indo
lent ; they work on plantation! or cat
tle ranches, and on Sundays they get
drunk when they are not attending
church.
M ilea of Engine t
Th average passenger engine, it
traveling on good roads, covert ap
proximately Ho.UOO milet In one year.
The average distance which freight
engine travels In year It approxl
mately 25,000 miles on good rosda,
OUR COMIC SECTION
Events in the Lives of Little Men
iiwsj in
Km'. lit' - ' -"T- , i 11'
FINNEY OF THE FORCE Page C. C. Pylc, Showman Dc Luxe
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v J
THE FEATHERHEADS
Uh-OM-in Dutch Again
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