| Show KM A ar T COT aar apr al A M A of I 1 Cap capineri nEri ari ate JS tc mus ar 15 youn yo un in S C ft by acty SYNOPSIS mrs lira kellnh coffin supposed widow Is in arranging aran ring to move from to doston boston following the death of her brother tor for whom she had kept house kyan pepper widower offers marriage an and agati Is refused capt elkanah dan lets leis leader ot of the regular church offer keziah a place as housekeeper for or thi new minister and s she he decides to remain jn in keziah takes charge of 0 rev nev john ellear the new minister and gives alm him ilm advice M to hla his conduct toward in members embers nt nf the parish ellery cilery causes a Alens atlon by attending a come 0 outer u ter ine meeting eting elleris Ell erys presence la Is bitter bitterly 1 re enad by eben 11 ammond leader 0 ot I 1 th the ine eting grace apologizes for her guardian ardlan Ku and li ellery escorts her home in the rain capt nat hammond ebens son on becomes a hero by L the packet into port safely through tog fog and torm storm ellery finds reziah writing a letter to some bome one inclosing money in re thonsa to a demand she curiously startled lart led when informed of the arrival or 0 nuitt nat nat calls on keziah keelah and it develops that they have been lovers since auth D daniels remonstrates with elle ellery for or attending come outer meeting ellery Is 19 caught by the tide and Is rescued by nat they become friends ellery meets or grace a ce wh while le walking in the lelda fields and nd learns that she walks there every sunday CHAPTER VIII Vill continued want it fine he whispered talk about your miracles 1 godfreys godfreyh God freys say kay mr air ellery dont you ever tell a soul how it really was will you no of 0 course not no I 1 know you wont you wont tell on me and I 1 wont tell on you a trade hey the minister stopped in the middle of his bis step what he said turning mr air pepper merely smiled winked and shut the door john ellery reflected much during hla his homeward walk the summer in drowsed on BB as summers did in those lays days when there were no boarders from the city no automobiles mobiles or telephones or antique collectors the sunday dinners with the daniels family were almost r regular weekly functions now ile he dodged them when he be could but ho he could not do so often without tell ing an absolute lie he and this he would not do and regularly when the solemn meal was eat eaten eh captain elkanah went upstairs for his nap and the reverend john was loft left alone with anna bel 4 mika daniels did her best eat 0 to o be 44 entertaining lerta ining was in tact fact embarrassingly confidential and cordial it was hard work to get away and yet somehow or other at the stroke of four the minister always said goodby good by and took look hs bibs fibs departure what Is your hurry mr ellery begged annabel on one occasion when the reading of moores moorea poems had bad been interrupted in tho middle by the guests sudden rising and reaching for his hat bat 1 I dont see why you always go so early its so every time youre hero here do you call at any other house on sunday afternoons no was the prompt reply oh ob yo X 0 mrs rogers said she saw you going across the fields after you left lere jere last sunday did yau you go tor for a walk er er yes I 1 did I 1 1 I 1 wish you had bad mentioned it I 1 love to walk and there are so few people that I 1 find congenial company are you going tor for a walk now why noer no er not exactly im sorry gorry goodby good by will you come again next sunday ot of course you will you know how dreadfully disappointed I 1 wo we shall be if you dont thank you miss daniels I 1 enjoyed the dinner very much good afternoon lie he hurried down tho the path annabel watched him go then she did an odd thing she passed through the sitting room entered the front hall went zip up the stairs tiptoed by the door of her ber fathers room and then up another flight to the attic prom from here a ate bleed bleep ap set of steps led to the cupola on the root roof in that cupola was a spyglass annabel opened a window a few inches took the spyglass from its rick rack adjusted it laid it on the rill fill of the open window and knelt the klasa glass at her eye the floor of the cupola was very dusty and she was wearing her ber newest and best beat g gown own lut but ahr flad not seem to mind through the glass she bhe saw the long slope elope of cannon hill with tho the beacon it t the top and captain mayos house bear it the main road vaa deserted stive bave for one figure that of her late caller tie he was mounting tho hill bill in long lone strides sh she watched watched him gain the crest and pass fuss over it out of sight then she spited the botthaf it pointed toward thy the spot the curvo of tito bill il where the top of a thick talc roup of silver leata leafe hid the parsonage above the tree tops glistened the walto valto steeple of tho the regular church i it if the minister went straight home she bhe could see him but under those these adver leafs was the beginning of the short cut across the fields where didama had seen been mr ellery walking on the previous Su rjay slowly she moved thi big end of the spyglass back bach along the arc it had traveled she found a speck epoch and witched watched it it wag a ic man striding across the meadow land a halt half mite mile the parsonage and hurrying la the ali e of ill beach sha saw him climb a high dune jump a fence cross another field and finally vanish in the grove of pines on the edge of the bluff ly by the shore the man was john hilary ellery the tha minister evidently ho he had not gone homo home nor had he be taken the short cut instead he had bad walked downtown a long way and then turned in to cross the fields and work hla his way back annabel put down the glass and heedless of her fathers call sat thinking the minister had deliberately deceived her more lore than that ho bo had pone gone to considerable trouble to av avoid 0 id observation why had he be done it had he done the same thing on other sunday afternoons was there any real reason why he be insisted on leavins leaving the house regularly at four 7 CHAPTER IX in which kerttha Ker taha lahs troubles multiply keelah was getting worried about her parson not concerning his popularity with his congregation she had long since ceased to worry about that but what worried mrs airs coffin was john elleris Ell erys personal appearance and behavior ile ha had grown perceptibly thinner during the past month his manner was distrait and worst of all in the tha housekeepers eyes his appetite had fallen off she tried all sorts of tempting dishes but the result was discouraging ills absentmindedness absent mindedness was most acute on an sunday evenin evenings ga before prayer meeting and after he had bad returned from the afternoon at captain el kanahs ha say mr ellery she said on one of these sunday evenings do you know it seems to me that El kanahs meals must go to your head you aint in love are you the young man started colored and was plain plainly ly embarrassed in love he repeated in love mrs airs coffin 1 yes in love annabel landed a ra male I 1 atlant at last has she eho a line over tile side for a long time the hearty laugh with which this was received settled the abe question of annabela Ann abels keelah was waa relieved 1 well in im glad of that she said 1 I aint goi got any grudge against annabet annabel but neither have I 1 got any against you ill say this though for a body that aint in love you certainly stay with the Danl Dantel elsea ses a long time you went there right after this loon and now its seven and youve youre just got home and the same sama last sunday and the one before been there all the time have boil you NO he said slowly not all the time I 1 I 1 er went for a short w walk alk before she could inquire concerning that hat walk he had entered the study and closed the door after him sunday was waa a cloudy warm day muggy so captain zeb described it after the morning service mr air ellery as aa usual went home with captain daniels and annabel keziah returned to the parsonage ate a lonely dinner and went upstairs to her own room her trunk was in one corner of this room and she unlocked it taking from a compartment of the troy tray a rosewood writing case inlaid with mother ot of t ell and she cried tears of utter onell lonell 1 asand ne despair pearl a present from her father who had brought it home from sea when she was a gli girl I prom from the case she took a packet of letters and a daguerreotype the latter was the portrait of a young man in in high collared coat stock block and fancy waistcoat mrs coffan looked at the daguerreotype sighed and laid it aside then she opened the tha packet of letters selecting one from the top of the pit pile she read it slowly and as the read shu shri sighed again she did not bear the back door of the tha parsonage open and close softly nor did the bear the vart mylous ious footsteps in the tha rooms belli betow w what aroused tor her from re adlas vas vaa lier her own name spoken at the foot of the stairs Kez Kezi lahl ahl keziah are u there V sh faia 0 started aprans bpi ang up one and ran out into tile nal the letter still in her hind band who is it itt she ahe asked sharply mr ellery Is ID that you no was waa the answer its me nat aro are you busy keelah I 1 want to see you you for a minute the housekeeper hurriedly thrust the letter into her ill be right down nat sho she answered im coela lie he was wag in the sitting room when she mard entered mt rd lie he was wearing henrlne hla his sunday suit of blue and his soft hat bat was on the center table she held out her hand and he shook it heartily before he be could speak the she caught a glimpse ot of his bis face what Is it itt he asked what I 1 la a the milster batterr mat milt ter terr I 1 well K ealah its trouble enough dad and I 1 had bad a fallin out we had what wais next door to a real quarrel after dinner today to day it would have been a real ono one if I 1 walked off and left him keziah hes bes dead set on my marlyin mar grace says it I 1 dont hell know that I 1 dont reilly bendly care a tin nickel tor for him or for his wishes or what becomes ot of the girl after hes gone keziah was silent client for or a moment them she said slowly and grace hers herself dlf how does she feel about it itt has blashe he spoken to hert her 1 I dont know I 1 guess likely he has perhaps why ashes been so sort of mournful lately dut but never mind whether he has ban or not I 1 wont do it and I 1 told him so ie I 1 e got red hot in a jiffy I 1 was waa ungrateful and stubborn tind and all sorts borta of things and 1 I abeln a hammond with some 0 of f the hammond balkiness in me I 1 sot set my foot down as hard as hla his and we had bad it until until well until I 1 saw him stagger and tremble so 0 o that I 1 actually got scared and feared he was coln to keel over where he stood you now why 1 I cant marry her nor anyone else in this round world but you nat I 1 cant warry you 1 I know I 1 know youre always sayin that but you dont mean it you cant mean it why you and me have been picked out for each other by the almighty keziah I 1 swear I 1 believe just that we went together e h er when we were boy and girl to partle parties a and such we was promised when I 1 first went to sea if it been for that fool row we had and all my fault and I 1 know it you never would have let that da that miserable anse coffin come near you im coln to have you coffin is dead these ten years when I 1 heard beard he was drowned off there in singapore all I 1 could say was serve hini him and I 1 say it row now I 1 come home then more determined to get you say yes and lets be happy do id like to nat I 1 only wish I 1 could dut but It be any use I 1 cant do it ile he snatched his hat bat from the table and strode toward the door turning he be looked at her all right he said chokingly all 1 goodby good by his steps r founded on the oilcloth of the kitchen then the back door slammed he was gone keziah started as it if the slam of the door had been an electric shock and she cried tears of utter titter loneliness and despair the clouds thickened as the afternoon passed there came a knock at the ille dining door lezah keelah sprang from her chair smoothed her hair hastily wiped her eyes and went to admit the visitor whoever beor he or she may be she was waa glad of the shadows they prevented her face from being seen too plainly good afternoon she said opening tho the door ohl oh I 1 its you Is it ailts yes adm admitted ted ablahad pepper standing on the stone step and shifting uneasily from one toot foot to the other yes keziah its its me thank you I 1 only wanted to see mr ellery hes out good day 1 I wanted to ask his advice about something its a secret only him and me m know abbat it goodby good by al 11 ill find mr air ellery 1 I go to the danielsen Daniel ses if I 1 was you elkanah might not like to have you chasin after his visitors oh the minister aint at the dan lelies riot not as lates latea this ho be aint I 1 know know where he Is I 1 know where he goes sunday afternoons end why he goes too mr ellery and mes good friends we understand each other look here kyan pepper I 1 what are you about 1 I just said I 1 knew where mr ellery goes every sunday afternoon ile he dont know anybody knows but I 1 do all there Is to it I 1 shant tell so 0 tell do you mean theres some thin mr ellery want told dont you dare I 1 will see laciny I 1 no no no no taint much I 1 just know where he ha goes after he be leaves Elka naho and who he goes to meet I 1 I 1 ought to said that I 1 kezlaw coffin dont you ever tell I 1 told you ive said moren I 1 meant to it if it cornea out bo be the biggest row in the church there ever was and vo id be responsible I 1 would id have to go on the witness stand and then latiny would find out how I 1 oh bk oh ob ohl oh what shall I 1 do what Is it she persisted what would bring on the row in the church who does mr ellery meet out with III what do you mean 1 I mean that tho the minister meets that van home girl every sunday afternoon after he leaves Elka ES kanaha nalls there bowl its out and I 1 dont give a darn it they lang hang me for it 11 keelah turned white she sae seized I 1 wr vin pepper by the lapel of his bis sunday coat slid and shook him grace race van HorBe she cried mr ellery meeta grace van horne home on sunday afternoons 7 Wh eber erss down in them pines bock bach of pet pat eu efu gugue 01 the th edgo ot of the bank over th the be beach aab lies hes met tier A a thero there every sunday forthe last six sit weeks longer for what I 1 know ive watched m I 1 aint lyial its ita so ill bet you anything there now walela walk laup up and down and what would I 1 want to lie for you corn come with TOO me this minute and ill chow lam am to you dish pepper she ehe said slowly and fiercely shaking her finger in his face you go straight home and stay there thera dont you breathe a word to a soul of what you say bay youve seen been dont even think of it or or dream it it I 1 you do ill III march straight to lavley and tell her bar that you asked m me to marry you I 1 will hs as sure BUM as youre sli akin in front of me this minute now you swear beear to me to keep still swear I 1 how howll I 1 swear eweart bogged begged kyan what do you say when you swear ill say it ill gay aay ill all right then mind you remember ber now clear out quick I 1 want to think I 1 must think got get 0 et out ot of my kyan went glad to escape but frightened to the soul of him kellah watched him until ho be turned from the main road into the lighthouse lane lana then certain that he really was going straight home she reentered entered re the par conage and sat eat flown own on tho the nearest chaar for ten minutes she sat cat thero there striving to grasp tho the situation then she arose and putting on her bonnet |
