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Show j" MISCONSTRUED. i 5i BY CHARLES H. CHAMBERLIN. 13 Copyright, 1005. by Charles II. Chambcr- 1 1 lln.) 3 -1 John Carroll sat tipped back In his ' H office chair, his feet perched comfort- '1 ably on Iho desk In front of him. The i click-click of a typewriter mingled with 1 j.e murmur of voices came to him lndis- k jjnctlj- throujjh the closed door, the cur- h tuln of which was drawn-signal to his I nffice force that he was busy and must n no acount be disturbed. i Tuning over, Carroll took a letter from 'i the desk ana carefully re-rcad It. It run as follows -London, England. "Dear Mr. Carroll Mother is writing i n friends at home, and has nsked me to I ut you known that we are sailing for i Vpw Tork Wednesday (today's Monday) -5 mi tho 'Brlchtland.' It Is :i lov boat, I end brings us to port a weok from Sat- i unlay Please como and meet us. o i iall be utterly helpless In that roar ami i,'.ftle after the two years spent In this 'i- low-colng hemisphere. & -I wonder If mother's 'Legal Adviser' 1 has changed and If wo will recognize him I'i nt the pier, as ior mc, iii'--ih" .jmmiki.i J have added three Inches to my height, be-'i be-'i ildfs the dignity of a presentation at "5 ! "Lntll the comjng Saturday, faithfully, 1 "MARGARET CLEARWATRR " ;l That signaturo meant so much and so fi mile' I Another letter In finer hand, read: "Dear John Margaret is writing for A H Tour help on our arrival, but I need your (J 3 jlfp right away. A young fellow from t ," putsbiirg, named Richards, met Mar-" Mar-" ' rnret at a country house in Devonshire H S fix months ago, and has been devoted to X hrr ever since. How devoted I did not II dream until she told mo yesterday that he t had propose. In spite of my protests be-Wso be-Wso of "ir youth. Margaret has V4(i feinlaod him an answer In two months. fir the last year T have been trying to Smt jiwsuado her to accept an Englishman, bi i rho hns a tidy brewing business In York. " T f hire and who has been her constant J 'shallow but sho says she will marry an j American or die a bachelor girl, at j "Xow John, pleaso look this fellow ! up financially. I am not yet persuaded ' that he is not after Margaret's money. And when we get home, do use your ln- fluvnee with her to postpone the whole, butlneas until she comes of age. "How go 3d It will seem to be within i easy reach of your sound advice once ,: more! Sincerely. i "EVELYN CLEARWATER' Ten years before, fresh from college vltere ho had made a name for himself , crnck guard and stroke oar, Carroll 1 had Joined Stephen Clearwater as his private secretary. For five years ho and Msrgaret (Clearwater's only child) had ' bien very rjo id chums. She always levlt-d h?r tribute of candy on hlin whenever -J ' hi npeared at her house, and usually "5 nonaged to accompany him on his drives J ', when overseeing her father's real estate i lilercsts. ? Tlien he had started Lis own business. I tha had gone away to school and they had not met until her home coming for - her father's funeral, shrrtly after which rh and her mother had snllcd for Europe. A? Carroll reviewed his life for the past 1 len years, he acknowledged to himself ; that lie coull not tell Just when It was a ; ;tliat he had fallen in love with Margaret. I ; Certain it was, she had never discovered ; his affeclbn. ini'ch les3 reciprocated IL " , He hnd let her go to Europe without k taxing any sign, thinking that thero ;S would be plenty of time after her return, f ; And now she was returning practically gl , rngaged to another man, and the castles ' he had boon building for the past two I years had suddenly tumbled about his I I rs. It flashed upon him that her ship was due In a couple of days, and that It devolved de-volved upon him to look up this young Ttlcbards in the meantime. . Satunlay found Carroll at the pier. , Em?rglng from the rush of pnssengers 3Irs. Clewvater greeted him with the t,armth an J affection of a mother, Mar- i ccret offered her hand in a formal way t nr,d turned to bid adieu to acquaintances ol the voyage. Customs ofilclnls dls- KissJ with, Carroll saw the mother and j daughter safely ensconced in a cab and Ml them lo rejoin Mrs. Clcawater at I Iklr hotel after dinner. t ''AVell, Johiu" Mrs. plcawatcr said as v he entered the room that night. "I've pi ent aglet off. to. her room so we can rin Have a talk alone You san see her later, III 1)1)1 1 musl retire enrlv and sleep off the xlmjf rolling of tho ship. Klrst 1 want to know IjWl you ,earned about young Richards. Wi lt's all rlsht. socially, but I'm perfecl-IXVI perfecl-IXVI '5Lure he s not after Margaret's money." 1 'lye made Inquiries among my friends." replied Carroll In a dry voice,' "and find his family fortunes considerably more than double Mnrgarct's Inheritance" Mrs. Clearwater smiled. "Truthfully, John, I don't believe the girl really loves him. though when I try to talk to her out of her determination to give him a final answer In two months bho Insists sho will accept him The idea that you were lo bo consulted mado her furious." "I fool she Is wholly right about it, Mrs. Clearwater," Interrupted Carroll. "Sho knows sho Is rcsponslbio to you alono, and I am sure that whatever 1 might say would not onlv fall to convinces but would sacrifice her friendship, a thing which I am very anxious to retain.'' Margaret's entrance cut short further conversation. Mrs. Clearwater excused herself, and Carroll found himself alono with the girl. -Margaret, your mother has asked mc to perform a very difficult task," he began, be-gan, "but" She looked up at him and there was steel in her eyes. "I have declined hor request. Instead T must toll you what has been in my henrt for a long time. J lovo you, Margaret, Mar-garet, have loved you for how mauy years I do not know.' She did not draw back, but opened her big bluo eys with a little twlnklo and waited for him to go on. "When yojr mother wroto me of your Intended engagement I fii'st realized tho height and broad :h of my passion for you, and ever since. I have been wondering wonder-ing how I shall do without you. I sup-poco sup-poco 1. shall manage- it somehow, but I could not keep silent. It was asking too much of my henrt, and so I have told you not all but a small part of my story. I hope " What ho hoped was not told, for tho next moment, with a girl in his arms, he was transported to a paradise he had not dreamed of. Somo tlmo afterward, when articulate speech had returned to John, a volco from his shoulder asked: "John, dear, how long havo you loved me?" "You remember the dny your flither died njid you came to mo and said that I would havo to take care of you In tho future? I realized then that I wanted to tako care of yon In a different way. And now Miss Hardheart. how long have you loved mo without giving any sign?" "Stupid!" she replied with a gleam of mischief ln her eye "When 1 told you ti nt you would have to take care of me. I meant It in tho way you thought I didn't mean 11." |