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Show NOW OR NEVER. 1(By Mnrllia McCulIoch-WIllIams.) Bjly Wharton's coming did not surprise joo In the least. She had known something out of tho common was polntf to happen ever slc0 Saturday, when she had-Von V tfe ncw moon clear, had a black 'cat fol-h fol-h low her home, and then dreamed of gel-i gel-i dnp fe across a clear running stream. u these wer omens of good luck. It was A !h. bc't sort of luck to have a boarder In N ihl ble front room upstairs, a gentleman. 1 iridmily. craving quiet, solitude and coun-trv coun-trv fare. Mrs. Greer. Joe's stepmother, '? hd been set against boarders; she would 'V wvo none of them even yet but for that irwdful doctor's bill. She had been at i .vaths door last winter, her llrst real III-I III-I " tt Though the doctor was In no hurry for his hf-r Indepondenco chafed i irJchtlly ngalnst having him wait. '1 Therefore, Joe had had '10 new summer r'frwks. Tlur'-ti r-. a'o. she was m-l gi.-' gi.-' ins to picnics, and parties and things inWherc, Indeed, but to chinch, where Vrhe wearing of old clothes might bo rc-J rc-J rirdcd as a sign of piety rather than j uv-i uv-i tv The board money would cliango nil 'i that- la fancy. Joe saw herself bra Jn I' new winter llnery .holding up hor head 1 the best. Her heail had not really A uin dropped, for she was by nnture splr-' splr-' iri-ii and full of fun. But the stepmother 'j was a lltlo morbid on the point of Joe's I lacks, l tmr ll "light be said she neg I teld the girl. whom, it was well known, ; the did not love. Still they had got on He was up and almost dragging her ' forward. fairly together until the epoch of Ran-am Ran-am Farley X lie was Mr Greer's nephew niul rjros-. rjros-. pettfvo heir, hence It seemed to him but rl;ht and natural that he should marry Je. who held a mortgage on tho farm, iirs. Grcrr had fetrhed her husband and Ills daughter home with her to live, and tttGre-or estate had been turned Into cash and used to fre. the homestead from sun- ! err encumbrancer. Thus common Interest Inter-est had kept the two women together after squlro Greer died Ransom thought it beautifully lit that they should go oh Hv-kr Hv-kr together and letting him take care of item. At least that was his way of say-fcE say-fcE It. Joe snapped that the care-taking ould be all tiie other way. She had If toted Ransom as a plnk-and-white curlv-Mlred curlv-Mlred modol child. She did not hate him es now that, although his curls were trapped and his complexion was somewhat uar.ttl. he still held himself to the model lUndard. Joe- was ellm and dusky lithe as a sap-i,RiWlt sap-i,RiWlt Hoss-silk hair and even out-w out-w J"? . DUlck diamonds Wild roses Mhe-d In her olive cheeks, her lips were :rrJ.r,)' ,,or vo,cc of fluto notes. vIS.7 !harton had a weakness for pretty JOjta; he madcr love to all Fate threw his "KJ atl"l"y. he made love to Joe. hVUirally also, he made her love him. IX tllP niil.n of hor Yearns. In every J5Tt. t" opposite of Ransom, and verv v?"y .of lhe f:,rm'' 'ads, or callow MjH,2.u?5sUT8' wUh whom she lmd been frm.Rhti I1 onl"ct- Rut because she loved ?rilJIlCll,h,,n huighcd at him. made a i ffi f nuarr,'lnK and so kopt him DjmzicM ns to hei frame of mind. Puzzling '$eiUaV-,r-Prclty Klrl 13 f0 le af-.j-uons if the nuzzlcr wishes to escape free put Billy did not know that In time. Ho tried all a man might to read this maiden riddle. Ho had been quite fair, he thought-had told her ut the outset he couldn t afford to .marry her until he was gray and bald. iT.Ve, nolhlns In the world now but mv-sclf, mv-sclf, he said. "And though xpace rales give a decentish living for one. it's little onort pf criminal, undertaking to make ,n? ,urn3h rations for two." Then sttalghtway he had made Joe guide him to the depe-st pool of the trout brook and slay with him at the stream side all through a summer morning. In course o tho talk there she had somehow gathered that a long time ahead, when certain lives and leases Inpsed. Billy would have a snug maintenance Possibly the Information had its weight. Possibly also It went over her head. Certainly, when in the sixth vc-tk or Billy's stay at the farmhouse, transom was pleased lo grow furiously jealous of him. Joo decided something must be doie and did it. "Did you know there, was a wedding' coming ofT Sunday?" she asked of Billy Thursday at noon. Billy pulled out pencil pen-cil and note book, putting on his most professional air. ils he nsked: "Will you give me the names of the victims, vic-tims, please. Miss Creer? also any other particulars of interest." "No! Go ask the preacher." Joe said, smiling mysteriously. Billy went, but came hack more than over mystified. "The wedding Is a fact." he said, "but a solitary fact. Brother Jrnes knows no more than wo do only that he has been asked to hold himself In readiness at the close of tho morning sti vice. Furthermore, he says you asked him. Confess, young lady. Vou are getting get-ting up .1 line hoax." "See if 1 am. ' Joe retorl-d. her hr-ad higher than common She ran off almost Instantly and was almost unapproachable throughout the next two days. But Sat-usday Sat-usday evening she walked with Billv all up and down the ard. the moon shedding silver liecks upon them, the roses In the gulden filling all the air with perfume As they walked she drooped toward him. Neither said very much. As the clock struck 10 Joe drew away from him with .1 Mile, shudder, saying, very low, "jUaybo this is our lost walk together." But Billy, quite beyond prudence, dung his arms about her and kissed her full on the mouth, saying, thickly, "It shall not be I want you always." ITe slept little that night, but fell into a heavy doze at daylight. It lasted until sight of her set his heart beating madlv. She was all In white, bride-like Indeed, with a knot of pale' roses nodding on her breast. By their rising and falling ho knew sho was strangely stirred, yet when she motioned him to follow and sit besldo her he obeyed, although Ransom Farley, whom ho cordially disliked, was at her other elbow. All through the sen-Ice she sat staluc-stlll, notwithstanding he felt tho tension of her mood Increase. After the prayer, tho closing hymn, there was a general stir of people half rising or craning their nocks to sec who might he going up to the altar. "I'm going to marry somebody. Which shall ll be?" Joe breathed, rather than whispered In Billy's ear. glancing alter-rately alter-rately at him and Farley. ITe understood, Willi almost a bound lie was up and In tho aisle, holding her hand tight, and almo3t dragging her forward. And then before he knew what was happening he hoard the solemn, "I pronouncfe you man and wife " The church buzzed like a hive, but through the buzzing Billy heard Farle Ttansom shrieking hysterically, "I'll make you sorry for this, sir, before you are much older." Joe looked up at him. Hushing a lovely scarlet ,-lt was the only way," she said. "I bad to marry you now you never would have come back " (Copyright, mc. by Martha Me-Culloch- WinianrO |