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Show carcely recognized as my own. "Don't you dare think that I'm not conscious of Betty's loyalty to me. That a Just what I fear. I won t let her sacrifice hern If I won't permit her to tio herself her-self to a tick man. I've given you my confidence. You muit promise not to nay one word to Betty. I thank you for listening to me. But thl ta the end of it. rromlnV I commanded, ami then I added "Pleaae" Startled, Morton looked inta my. eyes and In tfiem I aaw deeper re- i -n"r t thnn I'd ever beheld thera for me . before. I "How queer you men are?" aha aald j hnir hi a whisper. "I know what I want to do." I d-l d-l dared with small patience, "Marlon, ' you must promise me to let Betty go on thinking for a while at any rat 1 that I've been accepted for aervlce, un-I un-I til I can find out definitely about my condition. It may take week." Marlon rhmtH her ahouldera. glanced at her watch and rose to leave: "Very well. If you Insist, I promise prom-ise "That's the Idea!" I exclaimed, much relieved, for I knew that Marlon would keep her word, "let's ehake on that," (and ? held out my hand. I Wp pnaK Hands, wideiliidj tlm it Marion and I strolled over toward the I theatre. Huddenly Marlon uttered an exclamation I looked In the direction ahe Indicated. A limouaine had drawn up at the curb and Betty was getting out of the car. CHAPTER 41. For a Jong minute I stood looking at Marlon atiipldly. Her question had com like n thunderbolt out of a clear i aky. So Btty had broken her prom-iae prom-iae after all and hud told Marlon that I had unlisted In the army!" Conxrioua of, my own fault In bavin bav-in ao long kept the whole truth from Bettv. I nevertheless rented Betty's ! .re;orrhgTh pfomtseof aecreryT "had-exacted "had-exacted from h-r My confuNion must have shown Itaelf In my face, for Marion looked at me queerly aa she Hufd: " ! "Why. what's the trouble. Jack' I looked straight Into her eyes. I There was no ue trying to mince mat - ler with Marion Hartley. At the time of her father's death six years ago Marlon had taken charge of her family's fam-ily's affairs ami bad managed them with unerring Ability, fine's one of thou capable girls who combine the ! executive power usually attributed only to a man, with the Intuition of a j woman. ! .Itim.n1 quickly that the beat way i 'out wa the truth. "Let's sit down here a minute, I paid, laktntr her bv the arm and at roll -'ThB M'cT tfl one of Trie ocfffiTi ff ThMinP" the public souiire. Then as briefly aa I could I told Marion everything, ending end-ing with the doctor' a opinion and the rear I had of telling Betty. j "You've done wrong. Jack," she said, when Td finished, "very wrong In , keeping this from Betty. Your first i iuiv whs to I )! hsr," . "Thit'i Mr nwr ah eayln goodbye to. Isn't ttr Marlon asked. "And It seems to me there's someone rlMf with them. Why, H'a Archie Orover! Marlon was right. Though the third figure In-the group we were watching had drawn hack Into ther shadow of the machine hsstily, furtively, almost fearfuly as though to avoid being; seen I recognised young Grover. All sort a nf speculations raced throuch my mind, but before I could say anything Marlon put Into words tke question that was tormenting- my thoughts. "I don't like that Orover boy, she said. "Jack, what. Interest has Betty in him?" "I wish I knew!" I aald, half under my breath. CHAPTER 42, j It had been a perfect day. Saturday In midsummer being; a half , holiday we four Marlon, Bob, Betty , and I had taken a trip out to the end ! of the trolley line where there Is an ! old farmer and hia wife who are fa- Hums for their fine' chickens and frealTj cream cheese. : We'd started early, had thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and hnd spent the i glorious afternoon roaming over the farm. Bob, who feads splendidly, had brought a hftuk of verges along and had read aloud to us as we rested , under the trees. After that we had; gone berrying, returned to the city at sunset t4red but hapy. Marion U atlll stopping; at Betty's. She's arranging to locate with her Marlon were walking; In front. Betty suggested that we go hack to her house for tea. As w strolled up the boulevard from the streetcar Bob and Marlon were walking In front. Btety I and I were bringing up the rear. I with 1 The -tierrlea, Betty laden with a hngej bouquet of wild flowers that she'd gathered Juat before we left the farm, j All day I've tried to find words to give Hetty a hint of the truth about! myself. As we n eared the house Ij determined to end the suspense that j j very night. Hut It was an altatd ; Mrs. Kay who opened the door for us i "Hetty, come quick! she cried, i "They've been trying a dosen times to j get you on the 'phone.r I With an exclamation, Betty hurried in and I followed a moment later. , "I declare. Mother Kay," Marion was saying. "1 don't know what's the mat- I ter with me, but I could eat agraln! "Kat: ' Bob exclaimed with a chuckle. "Why. I'm so famished that I could eat" I turned away and looked at Betty. Hetty the wild flower dropped liriMilly at her feet waa Impatiently Jangling the 'phone. "What's the trouble? Operator f Yea wvll? There was some one trying j "It'e all very well to prate or duty." I said mlaerHhly, "but when you face the thoiiKht of losing the one peraon In the world you love "How foolish you are!" Marlon ex-eto1n", ex-eto1n", yhuklng her head. "Don't you supp' f Hetty knew how thinga atari, :h von that ahe'd be the flrat one to mpathlze?" "There's all the difference In the world." I answered bitterly, "between sympathising and marrying. I hope to mnrrv Bettv and not H "Well!- Marlon exclaimed with flashing eves and trace of sharpness In her voice, "if I know Betty Kay, she'd marry you tomorrow, whether you've a heart murmur or not. I'm to meet her In a few minutes at the opera house across the square. She has an afternoon off and we're going to sea a feature film. Don't you think you'd better let me break the new to her or at least to pave the way for you te tell her?" Then It waa there dnwned upon m the realisation that Marlon had mf-tinderstood. mf-tinderstood. Whether ahe'd taken mv nilnernhle reference tn my f 1-Hi 1-Hi H' tty. aa weak feer that the girl I love would desert me while I vainly strove to hold her, I don't know. But I do know that Marlon's manner held a toii-h of Impatience toward my attitude atti-tude and more than a hint of a determination de-termination to take my affairs Into her own rnpahle hands and set them right. As Ihla flooded upon me In a second of clear seeing. I felt a fluh mount to mv face and I burst forth Into a rush of words to set her right. "Marlon'' T exrlnlmed In a voice 1 built and finished nicely and then some day move In while the owner la uway. Here am 1 a cleverer bird than my amart coualna. for I am going to find a home all built and ttmv into It." off be flew, looking for a nest that suited him, till he saw a hot In a tree whlh looked aa though It might be Just the plnce he had been looking for nil dv. Nicky Crow flew from the !lmh of the tree where he aat nnd allshted near the opening. He listened nnd he watched, hut not a sound did he hear or a aign of anything moving did he see. "It will he nice when the weather romes cold In there," thought Nicky. h:uing vision of a warm, soft lined nVst Inalde the big hole. "It la all right." he thought. "No one at home. I'll move In this minute and go to sleep, and I should like to ?w neij-one gr-t rn rmrw ! am frr there." Then In flew Nicky Crow, ana white he did not find a feather lined net he felt he waa a very lucky fellow, for he found a pantry full of something' nice and sweet, and Nickv to get me!" a ptsii.se. rhe hung up tho , receiver. "I can't understand It." ahe aald petulantly. "Tho wire seems dead. There no answer at all now." "iMdt worry.' an id Bub, "If they want you they'll rail you again! "Who waa It T' asked Betty of her mother anxtoualy. Mother Kay looked ierplexed. "Aa near :ia I could make out. ahe said, "they're fryiT'g to find that Grover boy. He'a diappeered." "Ilaappearrd! t'b.'" cried Betty, and her fuce went white. "Mother." ahe aald Imperatively, ' who wna It called on the plione? Vcu must have rogniaed tho voice." "Sounded like Mr. Bower. Betty," aald her mother, "though I can't tmsg-lne tmsg-lne what Mr, Bower and Archie Grover could he mixed up In together." Marlon, who had aaid nothing up to now. but had been an Interested listener, listen-er, crosaed the room and put her hand on ftettv's arm, enylng: "Liaten here. Betty Ikay. tM sort of thing can't do you any good. I don't like that Grover boy, and there eomo-' eomo-' thing going on between you two. Now, t dcitr. tell ino what the trouble I "I can't," aaJd Betty wildly. Oh. why must you all look at mo Ilk that and queatlon me? Hhe threw off Marlon' restraining hand and faced ua then she turned appealing to mo. There was a forlorn look of nervous apprehension, of lonelines In her eye i that went atrai-ht to my heart. ( I took a atep toward her. -Jack." ahe almost cried, "you But I didn't wait to hear any more. With a rush of feeling I realised that Betty waa In trouble that ah needed mv help. "It all rigtit." I aald aharply to th other. "Marlon, you'd better go help Mother Bay with tho tea. Bob, take tho berriee Into tho kitchen, will you V I felt Betty tremble aa her arm atdl 'around my neck. "Jack, you'ro a dear." ah. whTwpered. Y"u do understand you do trust me, don't you?" She aighed contentedly a my UpO met hers In confirmation. And then the .'phono rang again Imperatively. Insistently, demand Ing- iy tTo be continued ) 9 ate and ate, and then he fell asleep. The net morning, when he awoke Nicky wondered what could have hupiiened. He felt so queer when he tried to move hia wings. They felt heavy, nnd it waa all he could do to get to the door of hia new home. He waa covered with something he hud never aeon before, aomethlng Micky and henvv. nnd try as he would NU ky Crow could not fly. t lift fnet. ton. seemed to atick to the tree. He could only move about witH the greatest effort. Juat then Nicky heard aomeone laugh, and looking uo on the limb above he aaw Billy IMuejay looking at him. "Guesa you slept in the be home Vt the look of your feather. old man." aaid Btlly. as he flew away. Then Nicky Crow knew what had happened. II" had taken the home of tho bee, and well he knew if thev happened to return he wotiM be caught with the r. oda. for waa he not covered with honey? o. how Nicky did look at th aky foy a aign of ruin and how thankful he waa when he heard tho rain pat. tertng on the leave, and when down it poured soon after Nickv Crow wa the hup pleat fellow Jn the woo da. Pretty non he could more, and he found a place on the very end of a limb of the tree where the aoft rain could come down upon him faster. And when all the other birds In the woods were huddled under th shelter of the leave of the tree wondering why Nicky aat out In the rain he told them he enjoved a ahower bath once In a while and that they better try It. But Billy Bluejay flew home juat as Nicky told thla fib and he began to lauKh. and then he told in his streaming voice how Nicky had slept in the bees' house the night before i and got hia coat all atb-ky. It wns a good th.iig for Nicky that; he was free of the honey, for all the ; birds began to laurh at him. and aa he flew back to the field he . could hear them calif nr after htm that honey wa a nice food, but a atlcky bed. Nicky Crow did not look for another home that year: he decided that hia old one wa good enough for bim. (Copvnght. 11. by the MeClure Newapaper Newa-paper Syndicate, New Yw |