Show C karolyn i of or bay f the ajie ws 1 Lor loriers afi ners W i BY RUTH BELMORE ENDICOTT copyright 1219 by dodd meld A 12 lae CHAPTER continued 17 no I 1 should say not aunty aulty rose ilose observed with grimness far or from it its a fact I 1 I 1 have b believed it if I 1 hildat seen it with my own eyes flo holding iding hands in there ilko a pair of well tic do you know what it menns means carolyn may that they love each other tho the child said boldly and im so glad for them I 1 so am I 1 declared the woman still in a whisper but it means changes here things wont bo be the tor for long I 1 know joseph stagg for what ho be Is 19 11 what Is isa he aunty aulty rose risked asked carolyn may la in some trepidation for the housekeeper seemed to bo much moved lies iles a very determined roan man once lie ho gets set in a way lie he carries everything before him blin mandy Is going to be made mrs joseph stagg so BO quick that astonish tier her now you believe me carolyn may oil oh ill I 1 was aoa the little girls comment therell be cli changes tinges iacre very sudden tw twos s company threes a crowd carolyn may never was a truer vity cay ing those two will want just each other and nobody else well carolyn may if youve finished your supper wed better go up to bed bl A its long past your bedtime yes aunty aulty rose said eald the little girl lit in muffled voice aunty aulty rose hose did not notice that carolyn may did not venture to the door of the sitting room fo 0 o bid either cither uncle joe or miss allas amanda goodnight good night the child followed the woman upstairs with faltering steps and in the unlighted bedroom that had been Ila hannah tinah site elie knelt at aunty aulty roses knee and murmured tier her usual petitions du do bless uncle joe mid and miss bliss amnnda amanda now so BO happy was a n phrase that might have thrilled aunty aulty rose at another time but she ayas was so BO deep in tier her awn own that she elie hoard heard what carolyn may said perfunctorily ily with tier her customary kiss sho she left the alie little girl and went downstairs carolyn may had seen so BO much excitement during tile the day that she might havo have been expected to sleep at once nil and that hat soundly but it was not so the little girl lay with wide open eyes tier her imagination at work twos company threes a crowd sue silo took that trite saying in which aunty aulty rose ilose lad expressed tier her own feelings to herself lier self if uncle joe and miss Anin amanda tida were going to be married they would not want anybody else around I 1 of course not I 1 and what will become of me thought carolyn may blay chokingly all the emptiness of the last few months swept over the soul of the little child in a wave tier natural cheerfulness could not withstand iler her anchorage in the love of uncle joe and miss amanda was swept away the heart of tho the little child swelled ner her eyes oyer overflowed overflow flow ed she bobbed ell herself to sleep the pillow muffling sounds more forlorn than ever b before cilia since she had come to the corners joers CHAPTER XV the journey iwas it was certainly it fact that amanda burlow immediately usurped evjue power in the household of tile stagg homestead she ordered joseph stagg not to go BO down to ills his store that next day and lie he did not I 1 nor could he to attend to business tor for se veral days thereafter lie ile was too stiff and tamo lama lilt and a ills his burns vero too painful diet ranio ramo up each day for instructions and was exceedingly full of business A man would ila linao ve to bo be very exacting indeed to find fault with the interest the boy displayed in running tile the store etore just as his bis employer de ored ej red it to bo be run 1 I toll you what it la is carlyn chet drawled in confidence tin im mighty borry mr air stagg stage got hurt like lie ho did but lemme tell you its just givin me all the chance chalice of my life I 1 maw says bays that mr stagg and jilis miss mandy Par lowll 11 git marril married A for sure bure now I 1 oil ob yes sighed the little girl 4 beyll i bo be married well when folks git married they allus go 8 oft on on it a trip course thy will and ine iii eril be the bust busl ness nil lilt by myself be e great I 1 mr stagg will see jest how much value I 1 be to him why be the makin of wel cried the optimistic youth yea carolyn moy may heard it on nil all sides eldes everybody was talking about tile tho affair of 0 uncle Jo Joo joeand erand and miss bliss an anonen Anon anda If lvery time ab she a saw her uncle and herb her pretty lady indy together the ant child could not but notice that they were utterly wrapped up in coc coch it other miss amnnda amanda could not go P past ast the gary cary chair in which the ilia hardware dealer wag enthroned without touching fl him ue he ns as bald us as a i hoy boy woul beize tier her han handland dand kisa it eighty worm warm throbbing A loye love ft a I 1 splint had caught them up und and inept wept away out of themselves I 1 es nit but of laehr old selves at least bad eyes only for each other thoughts only for each other B even ven n child could see something of this thin the absorption of the two mude aulty aunty roses noses remarks very impressive to 0 o carolyn may A week ot of this thin followed a yeek week in which tile hie trouble la in carolyn mays may heart and brain seethed until it became unbearable silo she was convinced that there would soon ho be no room for tier her lit in tile big house silo she watched aunty aulty roso pack tier her own trunk and theold tb he eold old lady looked very glum indeed she licord whispers of nil immediate marriage here heie in ili the house with mr air driggs draggs as the officiating clergyman carolyn may studied things out for herself being a child tier her conclusions were not always wise ones she felt that she might be a stumbling block to tile complete happiness of uncle joe and amanda they might have to set aside their own desires because of tier her she felt vaguely that this must not be 1 I can go home site she repeated over and over to herself I Icino was still in the new york city apartment house where she had lived so BO happily before that lay day when tier her father fat herand mother had ila gone aboard alio ill fated Dun dunraven raven their complete loss out of the little girls life lad had never become fixed in tier her ill mind ind it had never seemed it a surety not even after tier her talks with the benjamin blardy friday afternoon the little girl went to tile churchyard and ana blinde neat the three little graves and the one long one on the plot which belonged to aunty aulty rose hose Xen kennedy nedy site almost burst into tears that evening too when site sho kissed hissed aunty aulty rose hose good night tit at bedtime uncle joe was down at the barlows Par lows ile he and mr actually smoked their pipes together in lian nony on oil the cottage porch aunty aulty rose was usually an early riser but the first person up tip at the corners corner on that saturday morning was carolyn may she was dressed a full hour before the household wits was usually astir she came downstairs very softly carrying the heavy bag she had brought with her efio tl io day she had first 7 eibi 0 j r 7 H A 11 the brakeman was nice too and nd brought her water in a paper cup up conic come to the corners site she lad had tier her purse tn in her pocket with till all he germoney her money lit in tt it and site sho had lit in the bag most of tier necess necessary itry possessions she washed flashed tier her face and hands ifer her cihir was already combed and neatly bal braided ded prom from the pantry she secured sonic some bread and butter arid and with 04 this lit in ber hand unlocked the porch door arid and went out prince got up lip lawnin g and shook himself slie she bat on the steps to eat cat the brend bread and butter dividing it with prince this Is such rt beautiful place princey she whispered to the mongrel ve e ore are going to miss it dreadfully I 1 broso but then well well hayo the park only you cant run so free there prince whined carolyn corolyn Cn rolyn may got up and shook the crumbs front from tier her lap then she unchained tile the dog and picked up lip tier her bag prince pranced about her glad to get ills morning run the little girt girl and the iho dog went out of the gate and started along the road toward joward sunrise cove the houses had all been asleep at the corners so was tho 4 cottage ot when she trudged by she would have liked t to 0 aliee see miss atlas amanda to kiss her just once but she must not think of 0 that I 1 it Il brought rought such tt a feeling into tier her throat nobody saw carolyn may and prince until she reached maln street then tho the sun sua had bad risen and a few early per soni were astir but blit nobody appeared who knew linew the child or who cared ared anything about her at tho the railroad station nobody spoke to tier her for she bought tit nr ticket sho she was not exactly clear in tier her mind about tickets anyway she had bad found tho the conductor on mhd train coming up from new nev aorl a kind and pleasant man and she decided to do all tier her business with him nod till she to lluy buy a ticket of uc tile stat stathon Von avent undoubtedly lie he would hv have made some inquiry As it was when tile train ceimo camo along carolyn may after seeing prince put into the buggage car climbed aboard with the help of a brakeman of course if lie ho howls awfully she eho told tile tho who gave enve tier it check without question 1 I have to go in that car and sit with him there were not many people in the car they steamed away from sunrise cove cova and carolyn may hay dabbled tier her eyes with tier handkerchief and told herself to tie be brave the stations avci were a long way apart and tile conductor did not como come through for settle boino time when ho did open tile door and come into the car carolyn may started up with a ednd cry it was the very conductor wb lad been so wild kind to her on the trip up front from new york tho the railroad man know her at once and shook hands most heartily with will it glicr er where are you going carolyn may lie asked all tho the way with you sir she ebe replied to new yorka yes sir im going homo bamo again then ril ill see eee you later inter he sold said without asking for tier her ticket the conductor remembered tho the HUI girl very well although lie ho did not remember nil all the details of tier her story lie he was very kind to tier and brought her satisfying news about critico la in the baggi age car tho bra brakenman kenian was nice too and brought tier her water to drink in a paper cup clip at last the long stretches of streets streeta at right angles with the tracks appeared aspli asphalt alt streets lined with will tall apartment houses tills this could bo be nothing but now new york city iler her papa had bad told tier her long ngo ago that there was waa no other city liko like it lit in the world she know knew one If hundred undred and awen ty fifth street arid and its elevated station that was not where she had boarded tile train going north when mr price ila had placed tier in the conductors care but it was nearer her old holc she knew so she told tile lie brakeman brn keman she wanted to get out there and he arranged to have prince released the little girl alighted and got tier her dog without misadventure she was waa down dowa on tho the street level before tho the train continued on its journey downtown at the grand central terminal tho the conductor wits was met with a telegram sent from sunrise covo by a certain frantic hard hardware waro dealer and that telegram told him something about carolyn may of which lie ho lad had not thought to ask CHAPTER the home of carolyn may it was some soivio distance from the railroad station to tile the block on which carolyn may billy cameron had lived nil all tier her life until sho she had gone to stay with undo uncle joe Stagg tho the child knew site she could not take tho the car for ilia conductor would not let prince ride she started with the dog on his loosli for lie he was not muzzled the bag became heavy very soon but she staggered along with it uncomplainingly iler her disheveled appearance with tit the bag and the dog gave people who noticed notice tier tile impression that carolyn may tall had been away perhaps for a fresh lifar aar vacation and wua wits now coming home brown tind and weary to tier her expectant family nut but carolyn may hay know knew that she was coming homo home to an empty apartment to rooms that echoed with tier her mothers voice and in which lingered onty only memories of tier lier fathers cheery spirit yet it was waa the cilly homo site eho felt that wils was left for lier her site she could not maine blame undo uncle joe and miss amanda lor for forgetting tier her aunty aulty hose a lind had been quite disturbed too since tho ilia forest ure fire silo she had given given the little girl no hint that provision would be made for hr her future wearily carolyn may traveled through the arlein ll streets chit Milf ting the bag from land hand to hand band prince placing pacing sedately beda tely by tier her tilde side were getting pear home now ce cey shii she told him again and again thus she tried to keep her heart hear t up lip sito alio conic camo to the corner near which she hod had lived so long and prince suddenly shifted fit at tho the screened door of a shop of OC course caume poor fellow 1 tho butchers carolyn may alay said bald she bought a penny afternoon paper on oil it news stand and then went into the shop and got it nit nickels kels orth of bones and scrap for the dog the clerk did not know her tor for he wag waa a new dew TO HE |