Show W a s W all by JOSEPH C LINCOLN copyright by D appleton a co CHAPTER XV continued 14 ills iila niece was waa expecting him she had anticipated his visit and was pro pared for it from the emotion caused by his departure after tato even eventful trul birthday she had entirely reed recovered vered or thought she had biad stephens ridicule and mrs airs corcoran dunns congratulations on riddance from the encumbrance shamed her and stilled the re le preaches proa chea of 0 her bei conscience mrs ilia dunn as always played placed the diplomat and mingled just the proper quantity of comprehending sympathy with the congratulations 1 I 1 understand exactly how you feel my der dear she said you havo have a teader heart and it palus pains you to hurt any ones feeling po no matter how much they deserve to ua IJO hurt you feel that you may too harsh with that guardian of yours you remember what you said to him and forget ho hypocritically he be behaved toward you I 1 cant forgive him that I 1 may forget how he be misrepresented malcolm arid ami we me to you that I 1 may even pardon in fit time but to deceive hla his own broth ors children child acu icu lind and introduce into their society ir creature cie aturo who had slandered and maligned their father that I 1 fievez shall forget f 01 get or and excuse my frankness dear you should never forget or forgive it either cither you were a n brave brao girl and it if you are arc not proud of yourself I 1 am prova of yov you so when her uncle was announced caroline was ivas ready she entered the library and acknowledged hla his greeting with a distant bow lie regarded tier her kindly but hla his manner was as grave well caroline he began 1 I go got t your 3 our letter yes I 1 presumed you sou did um lim hm I 1 got it it sur eur prise mo me what you wrote because ill seen the news in the papers but I 1 was hopla tell me yourself and rm iia real glad you did im much obliged to you 1 I I 1 gave you my reasons for writing she said although I 1 do no cot t consider that I 1 ant am in in any sense duty bound to refer matters other than einart cial to you and although my L toward you have not changed still j i you are my guardian and and 1 1 I understand so 80 youre really cu ca caged to mr dunn denu tt lea i and youre cal latin to marry him one might almost take that for granted impatiently almost yes not always but generally I 1 will give in youre gotal to i marry malcolm dunn why why beca because lusel I 1 choose I 1 suppose uni um hm eimil 1 are you sure of that am I 1 sure indignantly what do you menu mean 1 I mean are you sure that its be k cause you choose or because he be does docs or maybo maybe because his mother does she turned angrily away it you f camo came here to insult me sho she began lie ile interrupted hor no not lie he protested gently in aultin you Is the last thing I 1 want to do but ns as your father did put you in my charge I 1 want you to boar bear with me while we lye talk this aver together i Ite member caroline I 1 aint bothered you a great deal lately I 1 v tiow now it if I 1 thought feces F sary eary so please dont get mad imad but a any liver mo me this do you care for this man fan youve promised to marry enough to live with him all your ufa life and seo sea him every day and be to him y what a true wife ought to be see is him film not with hla his company manners k on or in hla his automobile but at the breakfast table and when ho codog J homo home tired and cross maybe ig youve youre got to be forb forbear earla lii and fory givin riving and f J lie la Is one of my oldest and best IT friends lendi fr sho she interrupted her undo uncle went on without walling waiting for her to end too the 1 I know he sold said one of vic the oldest sure dut but friendship cord cordan fial to my notion la Is so methin BO 90 small email in comparison compa ilson that it hardly counts in the manifest married folks folka zvi ought to bo be friends sartin sure but they ought to bo be a whole lot moren that im an old buch bitch you say end and aint had no experience true but ive ilia been young and there was a time when I 1 made plans plaits however sho she died and it never come to but I 1 know what it means to bo be engaged the right kind of engagement it means that you dont count yourself yo nt at all not a bit youre ready each of 0 you to give gho up un nil all youve got get your wishes comfort money and what buy and your life if it should bonifi to that for that other one do you care for malcolm dunn like ilko that caroline she bhe answered defiantly yes I 1 do she said i you do well dodou do you think he feels tho the same way about you yes yei with not quite tho the same promptness but still dell defiantly antly you feel sartin of 0 it do you she stamped her foot yes yes yes yea I 1 she a oice let oh do say what you cumo cuino to say und end it I 1 iler her undo uncle rose to his feet why I 1 gurss likely ive said it be observed when two people care for each other like that they ought to big married and the sooner tho the better I 1 www that ban b jn lonesome aad troubled maybe and all I 1 can say is 18 that im awful glad for you god bless you my dear I 1 I 1 hope be as ad happy as the day Is a long ills niece gazed at him bewildered and incredulous this slie she had not ex cs pecked thank you yon she eho stammered 1 I did not know I 1 thought ot course you did of course so welly well then caroline I 1 guess thata nil all I 1 wont trouble you any longer goodby lie ila turned toward the door hut but r stopped to hesitated and turned back again thero there Is just ono one tiling thing more moie lie ho sat said solemnly 1 11 I dont knows I 1 ought to speak but I 1 want to and im goin to and I 1 want you to believe iti I 1 do a want you sou to tol I 1 what is 19 it she demanded why why just this caroline this la 19 it a tough old war world wo we live in things dont always go on in it as we think ought to trouble comes colnes to ever everybody ery body and when it looks right sometimes it turns out to bo be nil all wrong if it if there should come a time like that to you anil and stove move I 1 want you to remember that youve got me to turn to io no matter you think of me what folks havo have you think of 0 me just remember hot im waltin woltan fl and ual ready Z 1111 il i i 0 i eba Si stephen ephen warren have you boon been to him havel have you to help you nil all I 1 can any time im ready and glad just remember that wont you because ll well layell therel there t goodby goodbye good byI I 1 uc hurried away she bho stood gazing after him astonished a little frightened and not a little disturbed and annl touched ills emotion was so evident ills hi attitude toward her engagement was so different from that which she had bad anticipated and there was sam something in his manner which she could not understand ile iio had acted as it lie ho pitied her why it could not because she was to marry Mal malcolm colin dunn if it were that she resented hla 1113 pity of course but it could not bo be that because he bad given her hla his blessing what was it was there something else something that shadia she did riot not know and lie ha did why was lie he so BO kind end forbearing nud patient all her old doubts and questionings returned she blie had resolutely kept them from her thoughts but they had been there in tho bac background aground kg round always when after the long siege she ebe had at least yielded and said yes cs to malcolm she felt that that question tit at least was settled she bho would marry him had not mrs dunn told be her over and over again what a good son eon he was and what abat a kind hind heart lie ho had and how ho he worshiped her oh eho ought tobe to be it a very happy girl I 1 of courso course she ehe was happy but why had bau tier hep uncle looked tit nt tier her ns its lie did and what did lie ho mean hy by hinting that when things looked right they sometimes were nil wrongs rong she wished malcolm was with her thou then she eho needed him gac he heard the tha clang of the elevator door then tho ilia uell bell rang furiously she heard beard E ednna vans hasten to answer then to her amazement she heard her brothers voice Caro caroline linel I 1 demanded stephen I 1 I 1 C caroline aroline I 1 where are arc you iio burst into the room still wearing his coat and hat and canning a travel ing bag in his bis hand band ohl he exclaimed youre nil all right then I 1 you are all right arent you all AH right dby 1 I be nil all right what do you mean and why are a ic you here why nm am I 1 here ho be repeated yes why did you come from new haven why because I 1 got the telegram of coursol contact you expected me to omo come you lou 1 I expected you telegram what telegram why atio ti leGood good lord caro what arc you talking about you know they telegraphed late cio to como come home at once ive ie pretty ncr brolo broke tny my kitick and tile the taxicab mans getting here from the station I 1 thought ou on must ila bo very ill or something worse they telegraphed you to como come here who NA bo edwards you may take str air warrens things to his bis room when they were alone she turned again to her brother now steve she said alt aft down and tell me what you mean who tel your couf why old sylvester fathers la lawyer wyer ive got tile the message lorti hero so somewhere maNTIl rc N no a lit uever ter mind iyo lost it I 1 iguess ams lie ho wired me to como come homo home as early us as possible sible this morning sold at it was very uty important and ana you know anything about ita it no not a tiling thing steve sieve hastened to call upon sylvester 2 and ad from him learned to grasp the fact unit ile he and were practically po this lie ho imparted to ills sister but unknown to 0 o I 1 lier ae r he visited the c captain nud and tallied talked over with him thu the provable probable effect tho the situation would have auvo upon the dunns ile iio was anxious that alint malcolm should lo be kept to hla his promise piou ilsc CHAPTER XVI tho the unmasking of thill the dunns dunn baroline All sat eat by tile tho library win dow her chin in ili her hall hand drearily watch watching lug abo sleet as aa it bent against tho the palies arid and tho the tops of tho park arto lashing tit in the aho wind stephen ut uttered tereta nil lilt exclamation some ones nt lit the door lio ho cd its sylvester of course ill let bilm in ill it was not tho lip lawyer but a messon ger be boy N with v ill a note Stop stephen lien returned to the library with tile tho missive ineis hand lie ile got cot here caro lie ho sold down excitedly willits wants us to como right light to ills his office comet batall it may anny bo be important tho the call mado rood good time ami they soon eoon ren reached clied ilia eluo street p s ifopo lie ho keep us in waiting long steve 1 I thought of course bebas read ccady or ho have sent for us its 4 roady ready ills sister looked nt at him questioningly ready heady for what sho r repeated with sudden steve do you know what mr air sylv este r w wishes I 1 sties 11 to wc us its about her brother colored and a bit disconcerted see sec here caro lie he said maybe I 1 do know something or I 1 can guess now whatever happens youve your 6 got to bo be a sensible girl somebody in ill tho filin family fly must use common 8 onse and when it cornea comes to holding a person to a promise then confound it sill bis we cant calt starve can wol wel what to do you mean ahn roseand roso find advanced toward klin him what dodou do you mean by a promise what have you been doing 1 I done anything he be grumbled that Is ivo ive done couo what any reasonable sol lable fellow would do im not the only one who thinks look 1001 here weve got a guardian wo we A guardian I 1 A guardian 1 stephen warren have you boon been to him 11 have you was that where you were last night why did you go to him what did dousay yo 1 I said 1 I said sad never mind what I 1 said lie ile agrees with me I 1 can tell you that thank your stars I 1 did go before very long X Is rs sh heros heres sylvester I 1 the door of the room opened tho the person who entered however was not tho the lawyer but tho the very roan man of whom they had been speaking captain ellsha himself lie ile closed the door behind him bello stevie lie ho said eald with a nod cod to the boy then turning to ills his niece ho he stepped forward and held let out ills his hand caroline lie begoin began 1 I dont doubt youre surprised to see me here but bitt I 1 why the matter tho the faces of the pair led him to ask the question stephens face was red nud and lie he looked embarrassed nud and guilty carolinas was white and site she glanced from her brother to tier lier guardian and lack back again with flashing eyes captain warren rny my brother line has blitter hint edhe he has said bald what does docs lie ho mean ly by holding somo some one to a promise answer 11 1 I answer you yon any other way caroline steve seems to be worried about the young man youre en to ila iio seems to ca calinao call linto nto that mr air dunn may want to slip blip out of that ello gement 11 ills niece looked nt at him then she turned to her brother you went to him and oh how bow could youl stephen would riot not meet tier her gaze well lie he muttered rebelliously why I 1 you know yourself that mal been near you since it polled if lie ho after if ho he was straight he would have coroa come woul dut ho be stop slept she bho cut him short imperiously dont make mo me liate hate you and you turning to her uncle alil you listen arid and believe ruch euch things oil oh I 1 know what you think of my friend 41 1 I 1 heard it front from your own lips ind and I 1 know why you think it because they know what 3 you ou are because they exposed posed you and there therel there I 1 caroline you go on vie ive heard your opinion of 0 my character afore never mind me for tho the minute infinite and if remember I 1 ain aint t 8 said a ill that I 1 doubted your young joun 1 man you told me that aou ou thought them the world orld and all of 4 him ind dud that lie ho did of you enough or ought to be but your brother says you wrote broto him two days daya ago and ho he allt aint been near you 1 I 1 misdirected tho letter ue it um hm I 1 see am that at would explain af S won would id that must be 40 tb alk do ida you suppose if ho he were as poor as aa as I 1 nin ant that I 1 wo would ild of do sert him film you know I 1 woul dit I 1 should be glad yes almost happy ili be causo then I 1 could show him bim could iler voice failed tier her she put hit tier her handkerchief to her ryes eyes for nil instant and then snatched it dway and hired them her head erect the pride in tier her fuco face was reflected i in captain Ells bas us as lie regarded tier her no no ho be said gently 1 I never supposed act hut but in one way caroline I 1 linew you if malcolms Mal colins what hed ought lo 10 be I 1 said hell bo be glad of tho the chance to provo prove how much enuch lie hu cares for you hut but steve appeared to have some mis misgivings givins ond and so BU it seemed to 0 o me m that hla his doubts ought to lo bo settled and rising na as there camo came a top tap at tho ilia door 1 I ballato cal lato gogul it to bo be 1 lie ile walked briskly over and opened tho ilia door sylvester byh ester was standing with out and with title him were mrs biro corcoran orau dunn and malcolm they wore past the sill bill before captain Ells bas greeting caused them to turn and tco see tho the three already there airs dunn who was lu in tile tho load lend stop ped short lu in tier her majestic though creaking of cri enhance and tier her florid floria fuce turned a brighter blighter critto crimson aon iler her 8 BOH all strolling languidly tit at tier her heels started violently and dropped hla his hat mrs airs dunn had como come to the of at 83 silvester ivester kulm kuhn groves at tho the 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