Show I The Telegrams Telegram's Daily THE PORT OF SHELTER i By IZOLA FORRESTER Copyright Copyright 1916 by McClure re Newspaper Newspaper News News- paper Syndicate Names Myrtis Miss Calder said glancing over her spectacles at Ben Kinder Kinde fancy aint it for a a girl in n her position What do you call her position Aunt Polly Well Nell sort of dependent She's just getting gettins over over the fever and It'll take quite a a. spell for her to get her strength back so she can do any work Esther understands that She wont won't be a a. mite mito of ot good to me for tor weeks Still its it's only March Maybe by by the end ot of June shell she'll be all right I want her to help with the summer boarders She's been assistant librarian but that's too con confining fin Ins for her now and anyway they wont won't take her back I Iguess Iguess guess gues she wont won't be in the way Bet laughed lounging in in the doorway doorway door door- way way with with the Gordon setter nosing at athis athis athis his hand nand tuck an anyone one under your wing wouldn't you Aunt Polly if it he needed its it Old Brookside Farm is a regular Port of ot Shelter in time of trouble The Th next day he drove down to meet meetA A Aunt nt Pollys Polly's latest waif of ot chance Loving Lo and motherly by nature with no child of her own to pet and tend she always seemed tp to be giving out help to someone Her sister ister Esther had written to her about Myrtis 1 Lampton She had been br brought up in one of the church homes at Wakefield the orphaned laughter daughter of a schoolmate of Esthers Esther's When she was 18 Esther had found her a a. position at the town li library and had kept an eye on her as she said until the girl had come corne down in the winter with typhoid fever fe And I do feel it was my fault letting let let- tirig ting her board in one of those cheap little Houses near the river flats TV wrote rote Esther to Brookside I could have taken her lier in here with us just as well as not but you know how fussy An An- Andre Andrew drew is so I 1 let her go But just as soon as she's able to be about I 1 want ant antto to Hi send her out to the farm to you ally She Slie 0 needs loving and up that that's s all allBen B Ben h agreed heartily when he saw fhe flie he lone figure get of off the Providence train and come toward him White faced she was with big blue eyes and he knew by the way she got into the carriage that she was vas still weak weal and shaky Through the long summer days she shel l layn t under the maples in the hammock hammock hammock ham ham- mock getting etting stronger slowly Miss C Calder would sit ne near r in one of the r rustle rustic rockers rockers reading or sewing Singing Ss softly to herself and ready tI a t mlle ll when Myrtis wakened Im I ni so so O useless Aunt Polly she sa said d' d one day Im Im I'm no nOmore more good to you yop that khat a weed Some weeds have turned out healing healing healing heal heal- ing h herbs dearie answered Aunt l' l Polly oll happily Just you rest lest and sleep and stop worrying Late te in the afternoon on Sunday B Ben uen n would go into the parlor pallor alone i mod d. d play clay on his violin Ma Maybe be he was r li unconscious of the figure out Y 1 I 11 Jl but if lie e was he hey y made good hit or miss miss miss- guesses hv a t to play Not Kot new S but butof of 01 sweet ones that gripped the heart with memories mories Myrtis could remember remember remember ber how her er other mother had sung so some some ne ol oJ them Aileen Aroon The Low Backed Robin Adair Adaa Loch Lomond and and- Allan Water Vater S just dread to think of going going- aw aYay apay ay she she- said to Miss l Calder one dawn J early carh August The latter looked at her over the tops of h her r glasses i Well I 1 shouldn't if it I 1 w was as i you Mirtis she responded l pleasantly don't dont you take the school ex examination examination ex- ex over o here at the c crossroads and teach there Its It's twelve a week and zou you could board here if if you I liked Do n o ou think Id I'd pass she asked aked eagerly f Of course you jou ou would child I 1 I t taught ta there myself years when I L was a a. girl You dont don't need Normal formal out here to teach Ill I'll write to to the sch school ol board tomorrow and you u better better better bet bet- ter jet mo Tie e drive you over there and face it Ill I'll coach you uP up vii on on if It t Ben said nothing when he heard of oft the plan but he smiled across the ta table le 1 t at Myrtle Myrtis and and she slip col colored delicately tely When When the the weathers weather's rough this winter Ben can drive over with you said said- Aunt Polly happily so busy serving dinner she never noticed what was happening happening- right under her nose Like en enough ugh you wont won't be a bit lonesome out here Would you rather go back to Esther and do library work Oh Oh Id Id I'd much rather be here with lYOu r Arou Myrtis exclaimed Its home hom pow pow Well Neil just stay then child We Ve love loveto loveto 10 to havo you Dont Don't we Ben Certainly do said Ben Seems as asi asif if y you yu u belonged here now Aunt Polly i 1 tool too took me mo when I 1 was a little shaver after my folks died and brought me up find and d I know how I 1 l love the place The letter came the following week notifying the new teacher of ot her appointment appointment appointment ap ap- ap- ap and Aunt Polly was If it anything more enthusiastic than Myrtis herself She went about the house singing and Myrtis stole down downto to the walk by the brook in the pine pineglen pineglen gle glen glen- j just st to think how wonderful lire Ure had turned out for her It was so good Just jus to be wanted and loved after one had bad been a waif on the waves of ot chance and circumstances Now she would stay on at Brookside working and doing doing- her part too with no fear oft off th the long winter facing herThe her The hemlock branches cracked on the slope lope above where she sat Ben called hello t to her Have you seen the black calf cal anywhere any any- where where here Not down here Ive been hunting it for an hour h he declared without a qualm He swung down the slope and landed on the rocks just below her Dont you love place I used to come here I I when I was a little fellow ellow and listen Ito to the water as It broke over the rocks rocks Im I'm glad youre you're going to I stay Its dear of ot A Aunt nt Polly to let me inc Its It's all her doing She just shows you I the right way to go so somehow and makes it seem easy as I 1 was afraid to face the winter alone You wouldn't have had to Ben blurted out I wasn't going goins to let you go so away away He stopped and looked up at her as she sat on the bank banI ferns and pine needles around her Id have told you right straight off Now I suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose I 1 ought ought- to wait till spring Myrtis was silent Her chin lean leaning ins inson on her hand she looked down at the brook afraid to meet the big boys boy's eyes Its natural for you to stay here he went on The place will be mine some day and Aunt Polly loves y ti You can teach this winter if it you want to but the minute you get getA tired Ired Myrtis I want you to quit and Ive I've got got- my mothers mother's wedding ring she gave me when she died and told me some day it would be for the girl I 1 loved best Myrtis cant can't you say anything anything any any- I thing at all to me me I She met his eyes with tear filled ones and held out her hands to him I whispering T Im m glad Ben |