Show NOW erolyn of the i orn er s BY RUTH BELMORE ENDICOTT 1218 by DOM mead A inc 1 CHAPTER APTER XV C I 1 16 IT no be knew very well that what slie she had eald about ills his daughter and jo cobai stagg was waa quite truo true in his kelt lio lie had licen been glad all these i years that tile hardware merchant was of happiness the carpenter had always been a self centered individual desirous or of film own comfort and rather miserly lie had not approved in ili the first arst place of the intimacy between joseph stagg anti his him daughter amanda no goodal come 0 that lie hall had told himself that la Is no good to ile iia foresaw at tho the start tile the loss of the girls help about tile the house for his wife was then it a helpless invalid then mrs died this death mado plainer still to the carpenter that mandys was bound to mal bring inconvenience to him ly it if sho she married a close listed young oung business man like joo joe stagg would tills this bo be true liue for nt at tile tho reading of film cifes will mr air discovered lie he property they occupied oven even tho the shop in ili which lio lie worked which hall had liven been given to mrs by lier her par onta was to bo be the solo eolo property or of lier her daughter mindy yom was the heir mr did not possess even a life ifo Int interest orest in lie estate tt it was a blow to me carpenter ilo mailo made a good income find lind had money in blink bank but ho he loved money too well to wish to dit it after lie he hall had mado IE it ilo ile did not want to give til lip tho place it alandy remained unmarried thero there would never ile bo any question between them of rent or the like therefore it lie wits was not actually tile causo ot of tho the difference that nrose I 1 between the two young people lie selled uni enlarged uvon unon it and did till all in his power to mako a biero misti standing grow into n quarrel that neither of the lio proud high lovers lovera would bridge Jed lolah knew why wh jon hall taken that other girl to falth camp meeting tito tho young man had Bt nt at the whon when airm winanda ada was vals absent find to t tile tho girls father but the latter lind biever never mentioned tills this fact to his daughter te r instead lie he luid lind binde vinde joe jooa offense tho the greater by suggestion and innuendo and tt it aris he too who biad tho the hurt to by going to tho danco dance with another young man Alco mooting jing joo joe stagg i later inter tho the carpenter had said bitter things to him film purporting to come from brandy it wilts all menn mean find and vile tin ill old man know knew it now na ho he had known tt it then all theta years ho he hod had tried to fuel to the jiro alro of his daughters finger il against joo stiling and ho he believed lie ha had benefited thereby MAL some how dining tho the past few months lie ho had begun to wonder if jitter nil all the othe gome wag worth tho the candle suddenly lie ho lind bud rained gained a vision of 0 amandd empty life to her fier corolyn may interested only in seeing her friends made li beppy rippy had find no idea of 0 tile turmoil sho she had bad created crent td in mr Ilar lows mind during tho the ehno that the burso ans nt at the abandoned lumber camp caring for judy mason allison carolyn may hoped that something might tale take undo uncle joo joe there tho the next friday after school wai out miss amanda tit nt tho the stagg homeland homo and suggested taking caro ani lyn may bray into thy thol woods with hor tor for tile tho weekend week end na she laughingly y said sald tim tile tho linc finchman hman hud brought till the nume home for a fow few hours and bauld take her back to audys cabin toor poor oli old judy Is liuch better but is adio lieis la still suffering buffering and cannot bo be left alodio for long hiss amanda mat carolyn may will cheer her up mr air would drive over on sun lay afternoon and bring brine tho the little girl hortio of course prince had to go along that friday evening at supper matters s in the big kitchen of tile the stagg house were really nt at a serious pass jo seph attig sat down to the table visibly without appetite aunty aulty hose drank one cup of ten after afta r another without putting a crumb between bet bei lips say aulty aunty rose demanded mr stagy stagg what under the sun did wo do before han hannahs nalls car carlyn law cattle caino hero anyway seems to mo me really live did we wey aulty aunty rome hose had no answer to make to these questions question in tile the morning there was a fog over oer everything it fog that the sen em did not dissipate and behind which alch if it looked like lahe tin nn sat bat flor fior hall ball arr JV stagg wont went down to tho the store is as us ausum litti news laine anina over tho the long dla lamy wires thit thousands of acres ot or woodland burning binning that the forest reserves rescues acro out oat and that tho the form farm era often of an entire township on tho the far tilde of 0 the iho mountain were engaged in ili tying to make a barrier over which tin 3 llamia ivanics would nut not lop leap it yom was tho the 0 opinion jio however vever alla tile the avo would not crom tho range acely feny any bllance ct 01 its ita SAV swoop las du on us ua decided mr stagg eel ii I 1 wont to go homo to blow 6 r v 0 at the usual hour in ho started for the corners for dinner having remained in the store nil all tho mo morning ho he halt not realized how much stronger the smell of smoke will was than linn it find been lit fit bronk fast time quito involuntarily lio lie quickened bcd its ills paw pace tito fog fg and emako overcast the sky thickly anti anil made it of a brassy color just ns as though it lingo copper pot hall hail been overturned over the earth cartti woin en ell stood tit at their doors t talking ancl and forth in sub subdued dueI tones thero there was a spirit of expectancy in the ho air tito hardwi tre wn waa striding along at a quick pace an co when lio lie carne to the place but lie avos os not going lw eo fast that lie he did not henr the carpenter hi lilling him in lila fits cracked voice iley you joe iley youl you I 1 anines An ined mr air turned to look ans hobbling from the rear promises premises groaning at every step sen scarcely reely able to walk that scia got me ino fig aban 11 ho he snarled im arnost doubled up climb into a carriage to save illy soul what dyon ayou want to clineb into a carriage carrl tor for demanded mr stagg cause Cai iso got to go for that lint gal of mano ond little carlyn may aint yoi heard he ardor or Is your mind so sot on oil inaldo liti inerny onvy town down there to your store batore that you dunt dont know not liln else als IIa I 1 conrd what returned t 10 lo file other with restraint for lie ho aw tile old man was vas in pain I 1 tho fi rescome over to tills this side bide I 1 saw the flatan myself and aaron r X ra I 1 it he plunged forward leaped the diaz ing brand and galloped down the road crovo through and says that you cant git bit by on the main rond road the tiros firos followed the west brook right down tin and Is betwixt ua its find and adams old camp 1 bless mol met gasped the hardware dealer paling under lila his tan walli snarled coin colac to 5 toad stand thero there chai terin till day or bo be you EOW to do something somebody must kot got over to to that cabin and bring ahm out joseph shugg said without taking offense at tho the crabbed old carpenter wall exclaimed glad ter seo see youre iwako oh rin im acate tho the other returned shortly 1 I was just on chos got the best beat horse 1 I linao snapped pal low yom yes and id decided on cherry che rry too the hardwi hardware tre dealer ald td ed anil swung nto into tho the lano lane toward tho the cor carpenters penters barn ncy youl he be so BO brash a flout it growled tile carpenter iles hoc my hoss hos I 1 esposo sp sv oso joseph joaeph stagg went find and without on answering having once decided on discourse hla his courso course lio lie wastell wasted no time lie iio rolled back the big door rind s saw aw cherr v already harnessed ft it lite his box stall together they backed the animal between the shafts fastened tho the traces atrid mr stars stagg leaped quickly to tile tho scitt and gathered up the reins hatter hafter take the follow fallow road 1 I the carpenter shouted after him and have a care cherry dorso and buckboard whirled out of tho the yard and hist voice was waa lost loft to the hardware mem bant cherry stopped stepped out splendidly and they left a cloud of dust behind them tie na they rolled up tile tho pike not in the direction of tile ho abandoned camp roro he ha did not seek to take tho the shortest way to the cabin where A ronnda and carolyn may billy were perhaps oven even now threatened by tho the forest fire the alio rallow fallow rond road turned north front from tile tho pike tareo miles from boin tho The comers Corners flecks ot forem began to appear on clerris Cuer CLer rya rys glossy coat almost nf at once tito the nit wits very nory thu e was no broiche broic ze the streak iff flame th that at hau find followed down doin tho the banks 0 of brook moved mysteriously lie chuh see ace the ohp smoke of it now amanda alii inda and ill his niece nacco might even now 0 bo o threatened by the fl names atiles I 1 now that danger threatened the woman lio ito hall had loved oil all these years it seemed us its though hla his mind and heart were numbed ilo ile was ter terrified rifled beyond expression express lon ter terrified rifled for or her safety and terrified for fear that sot somebody ike even should suspect Jus lie he felt about it the borsos hoofs rang sharply over the stony path presently they cap capped ped it i little ridge and started down into a hollow ollow li not until they were over tile ridge wits was mr stagy stagg aware that the hollow was filled chokingly filled with billowy white smoke another mati man one ona as caution loua q as tile the hard hardware waro merchant notoriously was would have pulled the horse down to a walk due but joseph cautiousness lind been flung to the winds In instead stena lie ho shouted to cherry and the beast increased his stride tn ten rods further on the horse snorted stumbled and tried to stop A writhing naming flaming snake a burning brusch plunged ged donn through tile the smoke derti abend go co on oil I 1 shouted 1 joseph stagg with it sharpness that would ordinarily have hav 0 mot act cherry olt off nt at a gallop i fl lut iut ns its tile snorting creature still the ninn seized the he whip and lashed poor cherry cruelly along lila his flank at that tile the horse went nind lie ile plunged forward leaped the blazing brano brand bild ped down thorold tho road at a perilous gait the man tried neither to soothe him nor to retard tile the pace the smoke around them rho driver could rot pot see sec ion on feet beyond the horses nose ton ten minutes later they rattled town down into the straight road and then very soon indeed were tit at tile the abandoned camp tito fire was near hut but it lied had not reached this his place pince there was no sign of life about the man knew which was waa audys cabin ite ile leaped from tho the vehicle to leaving the panting limiting cherry unhitched find ran to me lie lint hut tito the door swung open the poor nor furniture wits was in place baon the bed clothing cloth lne epa rumpled inthe old wool went ans bunk buik but neither she nor am amonda on nor little carolyn may bray was there CHAPTER XVI the laurel to the drave brave the heart of the ninn man vas like a weight in his bosom with so BO ninny many hundred acres of forest on fire and mot lint too between the abandoned camp end tito tho Cort corners lero and cove liow how would Anin nila and carolyn baity know ahern to go certainly tho the place roust must havo have been deserted in haste baste was yn mays alays coat the man caught it up find and stared around nu am though expecting tile tho child to bo be within eight bight tito old wo homans womans clothing was seat scattered about too it did not look as though anything lind had heon been reni removed oved from the hut hilt coming out he found another iother nt article on tho the threshold ono ona lt bf amarillos gloves joseph stagg lifted tho crumpled glove to hla bla ups lips oh god spare her fier I 1 ito ho burst forth spare them bochl I 1 then lie he kissed the glove again and hid it away in tho the inner pocket of his vest the hardwi hardware tre denier dealer tried to think of just what tile tho fugitives might have I 1 lono when they escaped from the cabin it it were acro true that would not run toward tho the afre then sho she more than irtely had find taken the opposite direction on oil leaving the cabin therefore joseph stagg went that way set ting off aft down tho the toto tote road leading cherry by his birdie suddenly lie ho remembered calling prince tile tho day clay carolyn alfay had been lost on the lee ice ile iio raised his voice in a mighty shout for tho the dog now 1111 I 1 princey old boyl lloyl where alre you again and again ho he called but there was no reply tho the smoke amoka was more stilling stifling and the hent heat more intense every minute sir stagg realized that ho must get out if ho he would could save himself find and the he horse lie he had just stopped stepped into the buckboard again when thero there was an excited scrambling in tho the underbrush find a welcoming bark ikas as given Irl I 1 good boy I 1 tile tho man shouted where tire arc lacy bio tho excited dog flew nt at him leaping len pint 1 on tho the buckboard so ois 09 to reach him the mongrel wils delighted and show showed c d it as plainly rial ialy ns as a dumb brute brato i could but ho be was ans anxious too 06 lie ile leaped linck back to the ground ran rail B R little ahead and then looked back mace to it tho the man wits u following tho the dealer shouted ta emm ini again 00 oo a nail nd princey I 1 tero iv ere coming 11 iro iio kicked up the ketrin rind cherry started tho the dog barking lite hla s uon tion run ran on ahead and struck into a side path which led down a glade josept joseph know knew immediately ahern this path led to 6 abere was a spring and ft a small in tho the bottom of the hollow TO BE BB |