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Show TaTtS , Wyran dawn to the glisteninc , H. helped her mt3 ,1)e Iron, and bheila settled herself the. , "ably while he came abou I , hiS. owa sea! the wheel. She ; Uuned to wave at her mother anJ 's.er as sue and Frank whirled off In.o the morning hir.e together THE E.ND.1 ') gnllilccn c(AWlfN NOW WNU SEHVICB mother and Anceli-,,-! Mother reminded rre lamps, and Von asked if you tee-cream freezer, ar.d Cor, , " next to Von-she said V " 'o e s there's cups - and .,"anJ Jmg we like we l, send Une'sS; "Oh, but, Frank-1" yi ,,v standing now, and ,he 1,.', , tumbled crown of he, ghiier. 'gVa and the blue e; , , om A,h coppery bang drifted ma:U:'. j; but rank.that'dbe, !u,h ,u: Suddenly he put his anns ab her and held her l:htlv .J0 ,Jt looked up in s,l,tl,t, tr,;,;.bl?.V "You'll have to m Uswl K 'n ,i" ne said in a whisper -Sheila!- her ,'.,.,., c.,, , emerging. They w,re ;ir.t a, . ' ,Mc c- U St J a taste of lunch, an' ?.-le ,'tl ncrs to ye!" said Mrs Car-caddn "Mrs. Carscadden. you're very good," Frank said, K!,(m,n,, :U wrist, "but I have sorre t'lwPC to do. and Shed, 'has pivnuWto j .HApTEH XVI Continued "lildren mane throuble," Mrs. cadden instantly amended it. .tone, now," she went on, with "4 glance at Sneila, "she'd drag 'thole family into it like a dog .-in' a table-cloth!" "aisma, you don't believe that," 'la protested. i up in flJ'"1' machines, off In k onto roofs--die'll leap Into an-.rg!" an-.rg!" pursued the mother. ela will." Frank said simply, j -j at her. CHAI'IKK XVII j yela," Mrs. Carscadden said -Dy, interpreting a look from ; jlike the good mother she 'will ye S,,'P 'n' the back : there wit' me, dear'r, whilst :in up the little cur'rtains?" jt me help!" Frank offered. Tid, indade, Mr. Mc Cann, Will only take us the second i second ! An' how's yure good ma?" Mrs. Carscadden asked :s!y, in retreat. ;;e's fine, thank you. She was ;c:!y delighted," Frank said, .i Angela's letter about the new a." ;; we love it!" Sheila ex- -ed. ;e'U be back," her mother said, irting with Angela. Frank and ia were alone. -.ere was a silence. he thing I came to tell you ," Frank began, "that Berna- miledfor Italy last night." it and her brother have been ag it for years, and our i," Frank hesitated, "sort of iti it in the head. They were jilted to go. She was laughing (itly, I went down to the boat, she was I've never seen Dette She said to me, 'This is efun than our engagement par-FrirJt!' par-FrirJt!' " 5e didn't." i's, she did. I think she felt Rd," Frank persisted. !at it wouldn' t have mattered," ;d, after a silence. "It wouldn't Miildn't have mattered how she because I I couldn't have eone Her hands were locked In Frank's big hands. help me. I thought we'd go into town for lunch." "I'll get my hat!" Sheila said, escaping es-caping into the house. When she came out, ten minutes later, she looked her lovehest in the blue suit, with the new blue hat. The hemstitched frill that fell in crisp folds at the collar of the coat had cost thirty-nine cents, but it was plain and fresh; Sheila's shoes were shining, and if the chamois gloves she wore were still damp in the tips from recent washing, and had been snatched from the sunny back clothesline, Frank did not suspect it. "You brought your topcoat? Good girl; we may be late," Frank approved. ap-proved. "I love that coat!" "You ought to. Your mother picked it out for your sister Monica," Mon-ica," Sheila reminded him. "Yu're goin' off for the day? r.!h it." Ci said nothing. tew it," Frank went on, "on : Sunday. I knew why Berna- and I could wait five years it married. I knew that if you niUt all there's something l You were smart enough to 'that. I wasn't." "Sheila asked thickly, .'ss you told moi that." ' bad been sitting on an old chair with a rodded back; frank drew near it the box on 3 Angela had been sitting, and iown and laid one hand on her toed hands, on her knee. What way-with me," he Si raised thick eyelashes, with effort, and looked at him. se world's split in two for me," "an said, as she made no effort W. but continued to look at 'Mdily through the black her lashes. "They're all at me at home; I don't ; J want t.., tell everyone I ;a you. I can't eat; I'm '-And it isn't only you, Sheila, filing. One of the fellows - fee is ju,t married, and I ."ng to h..n yesterday and -Jwhat a i a acle it must be tone to yr...:r Wife- f Sh.iia said in the Mwlng al him with round '. eyes, like a child. nct goii.L; to rush you," .."But y"u have t0 k"ow Eust know-that you seem to ; ?stmirausly-well, I've ' oown anyone like you! !!P It, I'm crazy s no rush," he went on, as " d'd not speak. "We eu anyone for weeks. But m; take you to shows, let 4; , aon-you don't have to to your mother until 5nt month, if you don't 'onth..Sheila said flnd. fearsV0'cfe- "I think it'll be i , r?Ia wants hear i. ; Cann!" Wcrc locked Frank's 1 He ZZ 5he moved her to-he'd to-he'd '-or for one last Srr- ;"fe ,ou happy?" ;i fears c;V'C'loed' t0 ' right 1 ,n,oner yes- usaid n- Now this" lo. k.,,'s ,s 'hat we're go- Sar k 7l? int0 tow,n' d'y L'een r ,;e 0Ver there-" ?loto". 7e " have a Party-ijjU Party-ijjU aei)"rtment store and srt3 of things foryour ' Well," said Mrs. Carscadden, bestowing be-stowing upon her daughter the nearest near-est thing she ever knew to praise, "you look clean and neat, and that's something." "I'll say she looks clean and neat," Frank agreed. "We're going to buy you presents, pres-ents, Mother!" "I'll step over to the police station sta-tion and wait for yc," Mrs. Carscadden Cars-cadden said grimly. "Oh, that reminds me!" Sheila exclaimed. She flashed into the house, flashed back with a little photograph held in the palm of her hand. "Look what was forwarded to me, a few days ago," she said, j They all looked at the picture of a California fruit orchard, in all the radiant flood of March bloom. A ' plain little farmhouse intruded upon one corner of the print, and in the center a pruning ladder had been leaned against an apple tree, and a j young man in overalls stood on the j ladder. Below him, deep in the : spring grass, was the stout, square figure of a middle-aged woman, with one hand dropped to her side to touch the head of an eager mongrel. The young man was facing out of , the picture. He was half laughing, , his shirt was open at the throat, his ; shirt-sleeves rolled up; he had a saw In his hands. "Who's that?" Frank asked. "That's a bad boy, the boy who kidnaped us, and then went back to his mother and is being a good boy!" Sheila said. She slowly tore the picture pic-ture into tiny scraps. "Nobouy's ever going to use that against h.m. ' she said. "And is that all we're ever going to know about him?" Frank asked, ; smiling down into her honest, serious se-rious blue eyes. "That's all." "Someone you helped?" "I don't know. I'd like to tmr..: I did." , "Well, come on," Frank said, i " bring her back to you safely, Mrs. Carscadden!" : "I've no doubt ye'll try to, She!- . la's mother said patiently. : "Ah you love me, Mother. Shel- . la was as radiant as the spring , morning as she kissed her rnotner ; ; "The black sheep is the fv rue. Sheila," Mrs. Carscadden said w,w ( a resigned sigh. , , S "And I'm your favorite c.uld. Ma?" jr, the ; 1 -I may as well say you are the , mother said, "for it may I the last chance I'll have to sp ake to ; for the dear knows how Jen ; t ve'd walk out of the house on me Sid knows I'm the last to know when I'd clap eyes yc next. |