Show The T Telegrams Telegram's ram s Daily At Sheriffs Sheriff's Sale By CATHERINE CRANMER Copyright 1916 by McClure Newspaper per Syndicate Five years ears after John Morton left Prineville PrIne he had become a a- successful civil lawyer with some very big names on his list of clients With professional success had come also social recognition recognition recognition tion and establishment in exclusive bachelor quarters All this had kept him so occupied that scant time had been left to keep up friendly intercourse intercourse inter- inter course course with the Prineville people and since the death of ot his only Prineville relative John Daniels the lawyer with whom he had first read law he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been back to visit the little county seat town Seated In his book lined office one summer morning John Morton was goIng goIng going go- go Ing over his personal accounts and certain Items of his living expenses rather staggered him He got to thinking thinking thinking think think- ing of the vastly smaller sums he had spent for similar Items five years bo- bo fore tore Its a pretty stiff pace pac Im I'm going he mused but the real point Is where will I land If it I keep up the pace Is Isit IsIt It worth th the price Just then the postman came In and deposited some mail mall on Johns John's desk There esome letters of ot professional Import a club notice of ot a banquet for tor fora a a. a dl dis distinguished visitor to the city a legal publication or two and the little home paper from Prineville with Its Its' four pages tightly folded and In lna Ina a manila manUa wrapper Many a a. copy of the Weekly Argus had gone into hilo the waste basket baket unopened unopened un un- opened but on this particular morning It was as the paper that claimed precedence precedence precedence prece prece- dence over all the other mall mail John tore off oft the wrapper r spread the small sheets before him on the table and smiled at the familiar names and the accounts of ot trivial movements of ot various various various va va- va- va rious citizens Over In do the right ight hand column of ot the third page page was a row of ot legal notices and glance a over these brought an Indrawn in indrawn indrawn In- In drawn whistle of surprise from John He smoothed out the paper Impatiently with one h hand nd while the other hand went to his head and roughed up his well brushed hair The cause of ot his agitation was as this notice Pursuant to the order of the county court I the undersigned sheriff of Cornwall county will on Monday l I- I June 12 at the north door of the courthouse court court- house hOUM at 10 o'clock in the forenoon sell I at public sale to the tho highest bidder for forcash forcash forcash cash certain property o of Barbara Anderson consisting of ot the following There followed a detailed description of what John readily recognized as the theold theold old Anderson homestead which stood on the outskirts of PrIn Prineville vUle and which he recalled as the scene of man many manya a lively tennis game with Barb Barbara ra With his elbows on the desk and acid his his' head In his ls hands John sat st staring rinA at the the notice but what he really saw was wasa a thousand Incidents of ot summers gone Sone by He lie also thought of ot the friendly correspondence correspondence correspondence cor cor- he had kept up with Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara when he first came to the city and he winced as he realized that It was largely due to his negligence that the correspondence had entirely died out Other causes were that he had been busy with his profession and Barbara had been tied down b by the Invalidism of her mother following the shock of other her fathers father's death in a railroad accident He shook his head ruefully for he ho knew that this relinquishment of ot her herold herold herold old home must be the climax of a long series of smaller sacrifices He re reproached reproached re- re himself that he had not written written writ- writ ten eni enito to Barbara after her mothers mother death but weakly defended himself on the ground that he had not heard of It until a a. month after Its occurrence occur occur- o occur curr rence when he felt that to write to her might reopen a wound which haa has begun to heal neal He still sat staring at the little country country coun coun- try newspaper fifteen minutes later when his stenographer returned from the law library where he had sent her het heron heron heton on an err errand nd In the little anteroom to his office she began clicking out a bill bUl of particulars and John resumed the opening of his mornings morning's mail mall Th The Thelast last letter he opened contained a draft dratt for his fee for the successful handling of a case Involving titles t to valuable residence prop property He lie looked long at the check then suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly pocketed It t and began to tH stiff sti about among the papers on his des desk He called the stenographer in and let loose such an avalanche of ot rapid diu- diu tation that she had to bend over her note book with flying fingers and alert ears to catch all he said At 10 o'clock Monday morning enough of her whirlwind whirlwind whirl whirl- wind notes notee still remained to be transcribed transcribed transcribed trans trans- to keep her busy all day but there was no danger of ot her work be beIng being being be- be ing augmented for John Morton was wasa a hundred miles away and was at that moment alighting from his dusty roadster road roadster st ster r In front of ot the old Anderson old Anderson home home- stead HP Iff removed hi his linen duster slapped it at his dusty shoes and went wept striding striding ing up the walk to the front porch Just Justas as Barbara looked out of the window for the expected drayman who was to I convey her trunk to the station As Asher Asher Asher her eyes ces were misty with tears she sho failed to observe that the approaching approach approach- chIng ch- ch ing man was other than the stalwart son of the drayman draman When she opened th the door to admit him she was speechless speechless speechless speech speech- less with surprise but wh when n John took both her hands between his and looked with friendly Inquiry Into her eyes mere speech would h have ve been an inadequate form of ot expression anyhow any any- how With the directness and amI determination tion which had in five years years' time put him on a professional plane with men ten years his senior John had In five minutes' minutes time told Barbara that suc sue success i cess had brought him nothing that took tho the place of ot their comradeship Of ot five years before and he b begged her herto herto to renew It and to let him be a frequent frequent frequent fre fre- fre- fre quent visitor at the old h home me as before be be- be fore always be bo welcome John John she said sald cordially but sadly but the theold theold theold old home is being sold this minute at atthe atthe atthe the c courthouse door I If it brings bring enough to pay the mortgages and to keep me In New York until I can qualify quality for office work Ill I'll be In luck You see see I couldn't leave mother to earn anything and to give her the he I comfort she needed the home ome was he heavily mortgaged Perhaps you didn't know of her death John was ready to b begin in an explanation explanation explanation tion when the telephone rang Its the sheriff Im I'm sure said Barbara Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara nervously He lie is to call me up to say when and where to c come me to sign the deed but I cant can't talk Wont Won't you answer him John held a brief conversation over the telephone ending with an assurance assurance assur- assur assur assur- ance that they would come right down Barbara rose bravely and advanced to toward toward toward to- to ward the door With her hand on the thedoor thedoor thedoor door knob she turned to John Who bought St It St. it-St. St St. Roses Rose's parish or orthe orthe orthe the Masonic l lodge dge Neither either he lie answered But there couldn't have hav haw e been any other buyers buyers' Were there ho bo bids at atall atall atall all Both hope and fear were In her surprised inquiry Yes Bab there was a buyer John spoke quietly and he took Barbaras Barbara's hand from the door knob and held it in his own The man who bought was acting for another man The price paid was but that other man wants something with the home th that thatis t is worth more than any number of thousands The man who bought it was acting for me and what I want I above all else Is yo you After a few blissful moments had passed in n silence John added If It we were married before we sign the deed we could make male it a Joint ownership What do 10 you say What she said was not audible but John rightly understood It as an affirmative af at- af- af answer |